The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Dexter Lawrence BLOCKBUSTER trade, Will Anderson MASSIVE extension, NFL Draft prospect Zachariah Branch arrested

Episode Date: April 20, 2026

On this episode of 3 & Out, John Middlekauff breaks down a major move in the trenches as the Cincinnati Bengals trade for star defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence. What does the deal mean for Cincinnati’s defense, and how does it shift the balance of power in the AFC? John also checks in on the New York Giants, taking a closer look at where the franchise stands and what’s next as they continue to reshape their roster. Plus, a deep dive into electric playmaker Zachariah Branch and how his arrest could lead to teams passing on him. The conversation then turns to Houston, where Will Anderson cashes in with a massive extension—what it says about the Texans’ long-term vision and how it impacts C.J. Stroud and the rest of the roster moving forward. To wrap things up, John reacts to LeBron James and Bronny picking up a playoff win together, adding another unique chapter to their story. From blockbuster trades to rising stars and big-picture roster moves, it’s all covered on this episode of 3 & Out. Follow John on Twitter, and Instagram for the latest.  All lines provided by Hard Rock Bet #VolumeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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That'd be the show you're listening to. And we're getting ready for the draft, because in a couple days, Thursday will be here and we will actually have players on NFL teams. Then Friday will be here and we'll have more players on NFL teams. No more speculation, no more mock drafts. We will just have the actual draft. So that's exciting.

And I was thinking probably on Friday, I knew I wanted to do a podcast on Sunday football podcast. I was like, what am I going to maybe do some big picture stuff, talk about maybe some nerdy stuff in the draft process? I was like, what? I just was like, man. Then we got the Will Anderson extension Friday, and then the bomb dropped on Saturday from the football gods.

We got a trade we haven't seen the likes of in 20 years. Cincinnati Bengals traded pick 10 for Dexter Lawrence. I'm going to dive into every angle here. Cincinnati, Dexter Lawrence, the Giants, the risks involved, the pressure now on John Harbaugh. There's a lot there. And then Zachariah Branch, a guy that's probably going to go on Friday of this upcoming draft, was just arrested.

So we'll talk about that. I mean, not the craziest arrest report, but man, timing, not ideal. Will Anderson got extended. The impact that has on CJ, the quarterback, who so far, last I checked, has not been extended. Probably won't be. The Mike Vrabel situation,

there was another article that came out of the story, just will not die. And then I got to get a little sappy on LeBron James. Pretty cool moment on Saturday. But that'll be the podcast, today and we'll just rock all week with just football podcast getting ready for this draft. Very, very exciting. Because even in a quote unquote bad draft, it's still entertaining.

There's nothing like Thursday night. And now we got some marquee teams with high picks. The Giants have two. Giants had two picks in the top ten now, two of the last, I think, four years. So Joe Shane, living right. Who knows? Maybe this will be his last draft. But a lot of football talk coming up.

You guys know the drill. If you listen on Collins' feed, make sure you subscribe to three and out. if you want to watch us, we're on Netflix. So make sure you hit that alert button and you'll never miss an episode on the old Netflix app. So let's just, let's dive into some football. Let me give you a little background. I knew Saturday, I wasn't playing golf,

I wasn't doing anything besides maybe going to the gym for an hour and hanging out with my family. I was going to spend all day with my wife, my child, go on a walk, maybe go get lunch, maybe make dinner for them, do whatever, just be a very present husband and be a good guy. And I said, you know what? I'm not going to spend time on my phone, which I'm not proud to say can be a challenge sometimes. And I was doing a really good job. I really was. And then I get a group text from the three and out group text. And it is the Adam Schaefter. It might have been a rap sheet, one of those two, battling for scoops. We don't know how they got that scoop.

it was announcing that Dexter Lawrence had been traded for pick 10. And honestly, my first reaction was, well, I don't have Twitter on my phone, but I can sign in through the internet to check. So I'm like, I got to sign in. There's got to be more to this. And it turns out it was just pick 10 for Dexter Lawrence, as we all know now. So my reaction was, holy shit. That is insane. Like, that was my initial reaction.

Not because it was a bad trade, not because it was a good trade. That's just an insane pick. or an insane transaction. And then as information keeps flowing, which you've got to spend some time on your phone to get it all, and you find out that it's the first time that a top 10 pick has been traded for a veteran player. Because we see picks moved all the time

before the draft in the off season. Like when you trade for Micah Parsons, we didn't know where those picks were going to be. You know, when players were traded in season for picks, you don't know where those picks are going to land even if it's a first rounder. Right? Or future picks that they could change. All of a sudden you think it's a good trade.

A couple years later, the Detroit Lions are getting the Rams top 10 pick. Or the Denver Broncos are getting, or Seattle's getting the Denver Broncos, top 10 pick. Like things can change fast. But it's very rare a week before a player for a pick that is really, really high. So I'm sorry, my first reaction was, I need to take a deep breath. This is insane. I need to text some of my buddies in the league. I need to think about this.

I need to let this sit. And so let's just start with the Bengals. Because this is something that their organization never does. One, I don't think there is an organization in the NFL who is less likely to trade during the draft. That's move up a couple spots, move back a couple spots. This is an organization that is the most conservative when it comes to draft picks. They have had a first round pick in every single draft since 1989. Think about that.

I mean, use that against the Rams who have had like three first. rounder since 2014. They are the complete opposite. They are, they feel very antiquated at times, right? And because they do not make maneuvers. They don't have much in common with the Howie Rosemans of the world, with the Sean Patens and John Schneider's. They don't wheel and deal like that. And obviously historically, they have been very, or considered very, very cheap. Now, I think they would make the argument over the last couple of years, that has changed. You can nitpick them on Trey Hendrickson, but it's like we're really going to go all in on a guy well over 30 who we think has some flaws, which I kind of understand. We could debate it, but I do understand it. And I

always appreciate, and we'll dive into the specific Dexter Lawrence on their team, but when a team, when a business, when an individual can look in the mirror and go, we got to do something different. This is not working. I've done that countless times in my life. And I'm sure, moving forward, I will do that countless more. I admire people who are willing to change and adapt, specifically when it comes to business. But as, you know, you get married, you have children, you realize, like, I can't be stuck in my ways. That is not going to work.

Historically, I'll just use myself as an example. I'm a creature of habit. That's why I was successful in the NFL, because things were very regimented. I grew up in a house where my dad, was, you know, and his brother in Vietnam. His dad was in World War II. There were some militaristic kind of, I would say, thought processes put behind his parenting.

We were kind of on the Tom Coughlin mindset of being on time is late and, you know, you're expected to be early. Still to this day, I get, you know, especially bigger meetings or stuff. I get kind of worked up before because I was like, I don't want to be late. I don't want to be late. not always healthy. But my point is that a lot of you guys that in all sorts of industries have been like,

we got to change, we got to adapt. And we've never had to adapt faster than in this world with technology. And the bangles, like their process and mindset is not something that is going to work in 2006. It just historically, right? And over the last couple of years, they've invested in these wide receivers. They've listened to Joe Burrow. They've done stuff with their operationally, right, to.

I think they finally got an indoor practice facility. And this offseason, they spent some money. They bought a couple defensive linemen. They spent some money on Seattle Pass Rusher, on Jonathan Allen. Like, they've been much more aggressive than they ever were when you listen to Carson Palmer talk. They always said, I'd get these promises and they never lived up to it. Well, it's much easier now that you have way more money from the media deal. So even if Mike Brown isn't Steve Balmer or Paul Allen,

he has money just because of the checks the league is cutting him. And at the end of the day, and Howard Roseman has said this for years, all a draft pick is, or salary cap spaces, is capital. And you get to choose how you use that capital. Every single team in the league has the same amount of picks, right? One first through one seventh. Now, obviously, that is not the case when the time the draft comes, because different teams have said,

I'll trade two first round picks for sauce garden. I'll trade the 10th overall pick for Dexter Lawrence. All trade two first round picks for Travis Hunter. Like people make decisions on how to allocate that capital. Now, when it comes to the draft, the Cincinnati Bengals, they have Joe Burrow, who's in the prime of his career, obviously has to say healthy, but I get asked all the time, like, is he going to be on the Bengals long term?

When's he going to demand a trade? That is something clearly they're thinking about. Not that he's going to demand a trade, but we have this window, we got to take advantage of it. And what did we talk about last week? The Denver Broncos are a good example. they spend more money than every team in the league. I'm not talking salary cap space.

I'm talking cash. And they have a quarterback making $2.5 million. So only the 49ers spend more money in cash this upcoming season than the Denver Broncos and the difference between their quarterback payments is like almost $45 million. So it shows you how aggressive they are. Other teams in that mix, the Buffalo Bills, the Baltimore Ravens. These are teams spending huge. amounts of money to do everything possible to win and they're in their conference.

And you have Joe Burrow, you have these two star wide receivers, you're going to have a good offense, right? But the question is, and two years ago, you were one of the hottest teams in the league and the reason you missed the playoffs, your defense was atrocious. And now you've added some players. You get Dexter Lawrence, who a couple years ago was one of the best players in the league. Jason Kelsey once, I remember, I don't know if he said this in a podcast or on television, that the toughest player for him to block was Dexter Lawrence.

Now, you know, if I wanted to be like, well, there are other guys for other centers. Like Jason Kelsey's a smaller center, right? He's not 300, he's like 300 pounds. He hangs his hat on quickness. He's not necessarily a power guy. So handling a guy that is massive and tough to move, like in theory, it would be easier for him to like his strengths against Aaron Donald's quickness because they're both quick. Right? When you get this big powerful guy, he can just pick him up and move him.

Right. Now, but regardless, you put Dexter Lawrence over a center over the course of his career, Dexter Lawrence is winning. And most times, a nose tackle or a guy shaded over the course, you know, side of the center is not going to be a great pass rusher. But that is something that Dexter Lawrence actually is pretty good at. Now, last year was bad. So they were paying a premium, the 10th overall pick, for a guy coming off a down year who also battled some injuries. it's risky. They're a risk in everything you do.

There would be risks if they stayed at 10 and picked whoever is going to be there. It's like, why didn't they just stick at 10 and pick a player? Well, they don't determine who's going to be there, right? What if they view this draft? Obviously, the quarterback goes one, but there are four or five guys they'd feel comfortable drafting on defense. And they have a pretty good idea. The two pass rushers, Bain, Sonny Stiles, and Caleb Downs might not be on the board. I keep hearing about Jordan Tyson going number five.

I mean, maybe, but I remember a month ago that Jordan Tyson was like, oh, end of the first round pick, you know? So I struggle to believe everything that's coming out right now. But I think the Bengals went, our time is now. And when we look at other successful organizations throughout the league, they are doing things that we are not doing. So if we want to be like them, we have to be willing to do things they do. And we never are.

We simply never are. Like I said, when you've had a first round pick that many years in a row, it shows you're pretty conservative. That's insane. Like, you've never made a trade. And it's not like they've been shitty that whole time. They had a lot of good teams with Marvin Lewis. They had multiple really good years with Joe Burrow.

They could have used that capital to get aggressive, but they've always refused. And this was the first time, I think internally they went, what's the point of spending all this money? It's like, you know, spending a bunch of money all you have on a house and be like, yeah, I'm just, we're not going to redo it all, but we're not going to install the toilets. It's always like they would kind of do it. They've been taking little steps, but they've never been willing to go all the way. They always have felt like, and they still kind of do.

They have a coach who doesn't make that much relative to the league, and we'll see if Zach Taylor is good enough. But I do commend the mindset. I've said forever, I admire people in society, in business, in sports, in any walk of life that are unafraid, that are willing to put their nuts on the table. Whether you're at a casino, whether you're at a negotiating table, whether you're talking to someone about making a trade in the NFL. Sometimes you have to do things that are uncomfortable. And I can imagine this was an uncomfortable moment for the Cincinnati Bengals,

given they never do this. And let's face it, when it's pick 10 overall, that is a lot. Right. Think about this. There are players who are traded for multiple ones. If that team is good and both the picks are picked 25, you wouldn't trade pick 10 for two 25s. Like the value is extremely high.

Right? And I'm talking 25, one year and 25 the next. You wouldn't do that because more than likely, especially most of these drafts, They're viewed as like 10 to 15 high-end players, and then the rest is a complete crapshoot. And even we know between those 10 to 15 highly graded guys, that's a crapshoot too, because it's the NFL draft and it's not a, you know, it's an exact science. You're dealing with human beings. So I totally understand where the Bengals are coming from.

They are living in the moment. Their goal is in these next couple years to win 22 to 25 games and be able to make noise in January. because you go, well, what about the value of his contract? What if you get an impact player? What if you don't? And depending on how this draft shakes out, for them specifically, who I'm probably going to pick him to win the division. Actually, I think I am.

I'll say it right now. I'm picking the Cincinnati Bengals unless something crazy happens. Obviously, part of this would be based on Joe Burrow. If you tell me he plays 15 plus games, like I'm 100% picking him. if you tell me Dexter Lawrence who I saw today, which I appreciate him saying. I understand they gave up a lot to get me. Like, so there's self-awareness there.

They give him a contract extension. He's under contract for the next three years. You get a motivated guy. And let's face it, when you think, close your eyes and you look at Dexter Lawrence, he fits in in this division in these freezing cold games in November and December. And he's the type guy that can help you win if he's right, because if he's right, he's a dominant. dominant player.

He's, as a buddy of mine, scout in the league, texting me because I asked him what he thought. He's like, listen, if he's right, he's a blue chipper. And you're not getting, you know, you're not getting a better player at 10 if he's right over the next couple years. It's like, well, what if he's not? Well, part of life, you know, that's part of making the risk. There's huge, the, the Green Bay Packers traded two first round picks, which honestly feels like not that much for Michael Parsons. And it was working. He was kicking ass into, he looked fantastic.

And then he tore his ACL. Like this is football. There are enormous risks and variables that are outside of your control as an organization. But I commend the Cincinnati Bengals for finally doing something outside of their comfort zone, outside of their history, and doing something that you would envision Sean Payton doing. You would envision Sean McVeigh doing. This is not something you could see Mike Brown doing until now. And I'm excited to see if this works.

that they've added a lot to their defensive line. They still have a high pick in the second round. Their offense is loaded. The division is more than in question. I saw Warren Sharp tweeting about one thing Dexter Lawrence dealt with in the division in which he played him for a couple of years is for a long time, the interior offensive lines for the Cowboys and the Eagles were really good.

That might not be the case in his division coming up. I mean, we'll definitely see with the Browns. The Ravens just lost. They're all pro center, and we don't even know who the quarterback is for the Pittsburgh Steelers. So I like this move for the Bengals. We talk a lot of football on the show, but the NBA playoffs are here. And here's the thing. If you want to bet on LeBron's point total.

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Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of IHeart Women's Sports. This is one of the rare moves where I can honestly say like, not only do I see both sides, I like both sides. I think this one's pretty simple for the New York Giants. I use this analogy all the time because it's the most relatable. But you could use this for your car, your house, if you're a business owner. Most of us, if we have something that we like, are not entertaining selling it, right? If you live in a house, you like the house, you got a good mortgage rate, you wouldn't entertain

selling it. If you have a profitable business, let's say a seven-figure business. Let's say you run a business and you're making $5 to $10 million in revenue a year and you live through it, you're living great, life's good. I don't want to sell this business. I think it's going to grow. But if someone knocked on your door and offered you four or five X what you would even, you know, a number that is so big

that they said in the Godfather I'm going to make him an offer he can't refuse it's hard to say no right I like my house if someone knocked on the door and offered me 3x what I think it's worth I'd fucking give him all the papers he needed

he'd have it by the end of the week it wouldn't be a complicated transaction I'm also not that emotional when it comes to assets the older I get I realize I'm really only emotionally attached to like my immediate family and my friends there aren't many material possessions in my life that emotionally I care that much about

right besides I guess if you consider my podcast but even my podcast right I think it's pretty valuable I mean I see the numbers and I think the growth potential is really high but I got a number if you wanted the rights to have the feed

and have me do a podcast for you and then you could say hey you could do whatever you want it with it after the contract ended there'd be a number it'd be pretty high but I got a fucking number and I think the Giants, when you think about Dexter Lawrence, you think the Baltimore Ravens. He's that type player.

He would be the type guy that John Harbaugh would like. And a couple weeks ago when they were negotiating, John Harbaugh even said it. Like, this is part of professional football. Every team deals with contracts every single offseason. It's part of the gig. And they were clearly at a little bit of an impasse. But do I think that they were just planning on trading him for pick 31

or, you know, a second and a couple thirds? Like, I don't. Maybe I'm wrong. call me naive. I don't know, their interpersonal dynamics between the player and the coach. But I would imagine that John Harbaugh, when he took the job, was like, I'm fired up

to work with this guy. Dexter Lawrence and my pass rushers. We're going to have a sweet defensive line. Something historically, like when you think about the Baltimore Ravens, not the last year, but over the course of his tenure, like they were a dominant physical football team at the front on defense. Like that's part of the

Harbaugh's thing. And I think they got a call with a pick that they couldn't have envisioned when they first probably had a meeting that, hey, Lawrence wants to trade, like, what would we be willing to trade for him? Like, is it even worth getting rid of them for a pick in the late 20s? Pick 10? Like, I can imagine it's like, hey, Mike, are you sick? Pick 10? They got a number so high they couldn't refuse it.

And whether they planned on just playing it out, whether they're like, we'll get a contract done. This is the type offer you get because the majority of players, not the quarterbacks, are tradable. I would say they all are in the NFL. Beside a handful of quarterbacks, every player is tradable. And Dexter Lawrence surely is, especially when you go, hey, pick 10, brand new coach, still a lot of holes on defense. See you, buddy. Adios. We appreciate your efforts. Wish you the best of luck. We also get to get pick 10 and trade you outside the conference. It'd be one thing. It's like, hey, the Dallas Cowboys, let's just hypothetically say,

pick 12, right? Let's say pick 10 wasn't on the table. And the Cowboys had called and said, we will give you pick 12 for Dexter Lawrence. That's probably an offer that's too good to be true too, but do you feel comfortable trading them within your division? It'd be one of those like, I don't know. This one is like the Cincinnati Bengals? It's got to, it's, I would imagine one of the easier trades in the history of the New York Giants. And I think it gets back to, in business, when you have assets and that's what the players are, you've got to be able to remove the emotion. Because if Dexter Lawrence is right and everyone's picking the Giants, he 100% would be a big

key if the Giants were going to turn it around in 2006 and be a team that most people are going to pick as a wild card. He would be pretty important. Because you remove him and you look at their defensive tackle room, it's not great. And who knows, is Kavon, you know, is he going to be there? long term. I love Abdul Carter. Last year was a disaster. You know, on and off the field. It wasn't terrible on the field, but off the field, a lot of weird stuff going on. Brian Burns is really good. But, you know, the rest of their defense, Google their duty. This ain't exactly

2011 or 2007. You know, this unit isn't exactly stacked. So I think this is one of those decisions of like, this is just too good to, you know, to pass up. And we just move on and now we got two picks in the first round or the top 10. And I think I saw someone on the Everything app say, Joe Shane's got to be the only general manager in NFL history to have multiple times with multiple picks inside the top 10. And it's really over what, a four-year span. And the last time it did not go that well.

They took Kavon and they took Evan Neal. Now, Kavon's still on the team. And obviously Evan Neal was re-signed. But the expectation now is going to be, To me, between 5, 10, and pick 37, you got to get three guys over the next couple years who are going to be starters, obviously. And two of those guys, like if pick 10 doesn't quite live up to the hype, but with pick 37, you get an impact guy, you're going to need two impact players.

And this is the draft kind of numbers game that you play. The more A-Bs you get, meaning at-bs, the more swings, the more chances you have for. hits. Because if I gave you seven picks in the first round, if I just had a team right now, it's seven picks in the first round, well, probably three of those guys wouldn't live up to the hype at all. And maybe only two of those guys become impact guys. The other two guys are just good starters. That's the way football works. It's the way this draft process works. And now they give them themselves two more swings at it. They also, I think when you really take a step back, they're not quite as close as people made them out to be when you look at their roster,

but if they have an unreal draft and, you know, let's say they take sunny styles at five and at 10, take Caleb Downs or an offensive lineman, and then take a defensive tackle or a wide receiver with, you know, their high pick in the second round. And in a couple years, that could be the core with Malik neighbors, with Jackson Dart, with Abdul Carter, with some other guys, maybe some late. around guys that you hit on, they play in the back seven on defense, then you have a team that can sustain winning for a long time. But this was not a team to me that was going to be just like the more I looked at their

roster, still a lot more questions than answers. Now, if they have a good draft, they could turn this thing around quick, right? And when I say quick, like by 2007, which if you're a Giants fan, we just see to get the train back on the tracks, impact players, really good coach, and get this thing rolling. and this gives you opportunity. Because the key with the Giants, now they have options. And that's, you know, I pick five. You know, they're probably going to stick and pick there.

But, you know, I think they could really, really remake the defense, which was awful. Because offensively, let's face it, they got a good running back room. They, Malik neighbors, when he's on the field, should be a top six or seven wide receiver in the league. They bring over Isaiah likely from the Ravens, who is a playmate. They have multiple other wide receivers who are more than serviceable.

You can draft a wide receiver in this draft sometime on the second day if you don't take with one of your first round picks. To me, I would not take a wide receiver with five or ten. I would not. I would take defensive players. Now, in a perfect world, you would replace Dexter Lawrence with one of these two picks. The problem is, there's not a defensive tackle that's viewed as a top 20 guy. So the value in these picks are probably

Sunny Stiles, Caleb Downs, and cornerbacks. And you never know maybe one of the higher end, maybe Ruben Bain is there, maybe there's a guy that you feel comfortable, but it's like you already got edge rushers. So there's not an interior defensive line that you would feel comfortable doing a tent. You could always go offensive line,

one of the right tackles, if you think they can play guard as well. But to me, I would lean heavy, defense defense with both these picks. And this is one of those trades that like, this is awesome. This is awesome. Now, when the Minnesota Vikings traded Randy Moss for pick seven,

they didn't exactly nail that one. So, and then a couple years later, Randy Moss went to the Patriots, I think, for a fourth rounder. So part of this for the Giants, it's all going to be determined on how they use this 10th pick. And obviously for the Bengals, it's like he's got to be healthy. he's got to be playing at a high level. But he's proven that. Because a couple years ago, I think it would have taken multiple first round picks

to acquire Dexter Lawrence. And that's my argument. Like the 10th pick is the equivalent to multiple first round picks at the end of the round. This is just a fantastic trade. It's a fascinating trade. It's an intriguing trade.

And, you know, the Bengals, I'm telling you, if their defense is solid and their defensive line, here's the other thing with Dexter Lawrence. Last year they took Shamar Stewart, who was a pretty polarizing controversial pick. Right, it's like, is he that good? He's obviously a physical freak, big-time workout guy, but production in college just wasn't there.

I think he had, what, career under five sacks? What's the easiest way to free him up, right? Add other edge rushers around him and add an interior guy that they have to focus multiple offensive linemen are. So you just go, Shamar, just fucking bull rush, play fast, and just go run after the quarterback. We don't need you thinking here, buddy. Just when the ball snapped, go.

Dexter Lawrence will eat people alive. And that's where I would imagine their mindset was with this trade. So props to the Bengals for doing something interesting on a slow weekend. And congrats to Giants fans because now, you know, the Browns, the Jets, some of these teams with two first rounders, even the Chiefs, like they got two first rounders, but one's not until the end of the first round. Two bigs in the top ten?

That doesn't happen very often, right? As Joe Shane, it does. But massive, massive draft for the future of the Giants. Okay, Zachariah Branch, wide receiver, pretty sure he transferred from USC as brothers on the team of Georgia. Very talented wide receiver for Georgia, just kind of playmaker. Was arrested at like one in the morning.

on Saturday night technically Sunday morning. And clearly not a good thing, right, to get arrested right before the draft. Now, the police report comes out seems pretty stupid. You know, I would imagine intoxicated, in a crosswalk, pissing off a cop, seems honestly of anything to get arrested for pretty freaking harmless. But that's not really the point here. When you are in a position to get drafted in less than a week, your decision making is really important because the moment you show all these general managers and teams

I have to question your decision making even if it is as trivial as like messing with a cop in a crosswalk right I have to question can I trust you on my team because if I'm the Dallas Cowboys if I'm the Minnesota Vikings if I'm the San Francisco 49ers if I'm whoever and you get arrested even if within a week the charges are dropped and it was stupid, you still get a headline, so-and-so was arrested, Cowboys player, New York Giants player, Philadelphia Eagle. We don't want that. I think one of the biggest things when it comes to picking players,

especially guys who aren't going to go really, really high where it's like, I'll just deal with the problems. I don't want to draft guys in the second and third round who are going to be an issue. I want to draft guys in the second and third round who I can trust, who are guys that I can lean on, right? Because clearly you going there means you are not a perfect player. You clearly have some strengths to go in the top 75 picks,

but you also got some weaknesses. And I just think this is the type situation that you have to avoid. There are no excuses. Like, you just can't make this mistake. And Herm Edwards once said this, and listen, I'm not trying to be a hypocrite, when I was young, like most people, out late at night. But not much good happens late at night.

That's when dumb decision happens. Why? Because you've probably been drinking. You probably been smoking the little weed. You're probably not in the greatest frame of mind. And yesterday was Georgia's spring game. I'm sure he was having a lot of fun with his college teammates. And there's nothing wrong with that.

But you cannot get in trouble. And when you get in trouble, even for something as stupid as this, it just sends off alarm bells. It just makes people that were probably pounding the table for you, people that wanted to draft you, scouts and scouting coordinators, and hell, maybe even general managers, convincing a coach or an assistant coach,

a wide receiver coach, or a coordinator, trying to convince their head coach or their general manager, not have as much juice behind their argument. And I think this is a good life lesson for any young person, like you're making good decisions, especially obviously in a public job, can have big ramifications and can cost you some money.

So, like I said, we've all done stupid shit. But when you have a draft a week away, a little bit of an indictment into your decision making. Will Anderson, he just got a massive extension from the Houston, Texas. Now, some of the guaranteed money, I'm sure I haven't seen all the details from the contract,

is also mixed into his fifth-year-old. option. So it's like $130 million guaranteed, but his fifth year option was like 25. So it's probably like 110 in new guaranteed money. Bottom line is he's making a ton of money and he's worth every penny. And when you make a big move, and this is back to the Dexter Lawrence New York Giants trade, if you are going to have the stones to go from pick 12 to pick three, and here's what they included in the trade when Nick Casario made it, and it's going to go down is one of the best trades he'll ever make, probably the best trade he'll ever make. He gave up pick 12, pick 33, the following year, pick 27, and pick 90. That's a lot. Here's what I know

Nick Casario would not do today. He would not trade Will Anderson straight up for pick 12, pick 33, the following year is pick 27 and pick 90. Why? Because Will Anderson's more valuable than that. obviously in the NFL in 2006, non-quarterback guys under 25, he's probably a top two or three player. He is a complete ass kicker on and off the field. He's everything you would want.

So when you look at the Jets and you look at the Cardinals and you look all these teams, looking at Ruben Bain and Averal Reese and Bailey, they want to get a player of that ilk. Maybe not even as good, but type of guy that you're going to give a second contract to can be a pro-bull guy. That is the point.

But at least when you're just sitting there, hey, we took who we thought. We thought Reese was better than Bailey, and we felt good about it. But when you trade back up and you do that, you better be right. And here's the reality, when you look at the players, the Cardinals picked, the Texas not only won that trade. It truly is one of the better draft day trade you'll ever see. Now, here's the other kind of elephant in the room with this bad boy. Would the Houston Texans right now copy and paste the contract they just gave Will Anderson to C.J. Stroud.

And I think that answer is no. Now, that's not necessarily an indictment on like, they still got time. He's going into his fourth year. But I do think this shows that, like, they got the Will Anderson thing right. they don't know about C.J. Stroud. Now, if they had taken Will Anderson at 2 and traded up for C.J. Stroud, it would be more controversial to me.

Like, they just stood there at 2, they took the quarterback, and then they traded up for the guy that I would imagine was the number one guy in their draft board. I actually feel pretty good, know some people. They liked Will Anderson more than C.J. Stroud.

But they had been in quarterback purgatory. They had just been a disaster. They had been an embarrassment. I totally understand why they didn't. But this does show, and they've hit on a lot of players. Stingley, Nico Collins, Will Anderson. I mean, the DeNeil Hunter Free Agency several years ago, and they just resigned them again to some crazy all-guaranteed deal,

has been incredible, right? And they just need CJ Stroud to step up. They just needed to be more consistent. I mean, that's really it. And I think one thing C.J. Stroud needs to embrace is like, you're a quarterback. Even if you don't turn into Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, one of those type guys. Alex Smith, that version makes a shitload of money. Ask Jared Goff what his direct deposits look like.

Being a quote-unquote game manager with some flair pays a lot of money. And over the course of those last couple games, I did feel like CJ tried to do too much. You see this in basketball a lot, right? It's like, bro, you're not LeBron or Luca. You know, pass the fucking rock sometimes. Sometimes just check the ball down. Just play under control. We don't need to play hero ball here.

And I would imagine, like, I've said this about Caleb. I would guess Caleb's entire off season is just fundamentals. Working matching up my feet with my timing, being a little more accurate on the underneath. It's pretty basic stuff. I'd say the same thing about CJ. Like, what we're asking you to do is not to be a hero down in, down out. Like, we're okay, four-yard gain. We're cool with it.

can't have these crazy interceptions. We can't have you scrambling around like 2014 Russell Wilson thinking you're going to make some play out of your, you know what? Be a game manager. We have a team. Kyle Shanahan said this during the Super Bowl, or maybe the week before. He thought there were two teams that if their quarterback just did not screw it up, could win the Super Bowl. There were only two of them because their special teams and their defense were so good. And that was the Texas in Seattle. and Sam had moments where he rose above and he had moments where he just played under control. And sometimes playing under control and not turning the ball over is playing good football,

is playing smart football. Not everyone is Brett Far over Aaron Rogers, right? Alex Smith and Jared Goff and Dak Prescott, like those guys make a lot of money too. So I think the pressure now with this contract, Will Anderson's an easy deal for them to make, puts a ton on CJ Stroud. because I think this team is ready-made to kick ass and take names. And last year in the playoffs, even the game they won against the Steelers, I mean, the turnovers, if they were playing a better team, they would have lost.

And clearly the New England game speaks for itself. But props Casario, you know, took a huge swing, trade it up, and nailed it. Right. What do we say about the Bengals situation? Inherent risk. Anytime you acquire a player. Anytime you draft a player. don't know. I've been to

hundreds of NFL OTAs, training camp practices. You see guys laying there on the ground all the time. He just tore his ACO. He just did he just tear his ACO? What just happened to him? Why is he lying? Why is he screaming? Then the cart comes and this season's over. You never know.

I say this in training camp and it's just a sad reality is when you see a guy laying on the ground when you're at an NFL camp. The first thing you think of like, I hope it's not one of their impact starters. I hope it's just some random second year camp body. And then you realize, oh, it's not.

It's just some random guy. You kind of breathe a sigh of relief. But when word starts to travel, it's like, oh, that's their star wide receiver. That's their star defensive linemen. The whole place goes silent. And, yeah, crazy league. Hey, it's us, the Jonas brothers. And guess what?

We have some big news. What's the news, dude? huge news. We created our own podcast called Hey Jonas. We invented a podcast. Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to a... We're the first people to do podcasts. Pretty, yeah, pretty wide range of podcasts throughout there. But this one's extra special. So how do we actually come up with a name Hey Jonas, guys? I honestly don't remember. I think it was on a call about what we should call it. Well, we were thinking I'm originally calling it one of the early names of our band before Jonas. brothers.

This is how you guys remember it going down? Yes. I have a very different memory of this. We were talking about a thing, a bit for the podcast, where people could call in and say, hey, Jonas. And then I wrote down on my little notepad, Hey Jonas, and offered it up as a potential title for the podcast. But thanks for remembering that, guys.

Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. Another podcast from some SNL, late-night comedy guy, Not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and Friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, S&L's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel help an a cappella band with their between songs banter.

Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. The French Open is one of the toughest tests. in tennis. And I know firsthand because I competed there myself. I'm Renee Stubbs, and on the Renee Stubbs tennis podcast, I'm breaking down everything happening at Roland Garris, every match, every upset,

and what it really takes to win on Clay. Jenchian went. I mean, she went down at three to Rabakina, but I'm delighted. She's an outsider to win the French for me. And she likes Clay. Listen, Lena Rubakina is arguably the best player in the world right now, and I actually can win on any surface because if she's serving, well, good luck. Consider this your court side seat to the French Open. Listen to the Renee Stubbs Tennis podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Presented by Capital One, founding partner of IHeart Women's Sports. Another thing, a couple more things before we get out of a little shorter Sunday show, is I read this ESPN article about Vrable and Rusini. It's like, guys, I said this from the jump. You don't need to be a magnum PI to look at those pictures and know what's going on. But that the NFL had to tell like ESPN.com or some of the journalists, we are not going to do a review. You think the NFL does reviews on coaches or players infidelity?

Like, that's a Vray Bowl and his wife problem. Like, do a review on what? What positions they were doing? What are we talking about? Diana got fired because the New York Times and the athletic have like ethical, integrity, rules and operations in which they abide by because that's the world they're in. They're all big Js. Mike Vrable's business is to have a football team ready to play on Sundays.

Someone asked me, maybe it was a DM, maybe I answered this last week, but I've seen this a couple of places. I saw someone in the internet be like, he's got an answer to his team. He's got an answer to his team. You think his team gives a flying, you know what? What Mike Vrable does with a woman? I could not disagree more. Now, I don't know if whenever, I don't know if they report,

I would imagine if they haven't already, they report tomorrow or Tuesday, that Mike Vrable is going to address his team about what went on. He might, but I don't think he needs. needs to, because if every player had to address their team about what was going on in their marriage, this is pro sports. Say it all the time. You, me, most of us, we are in, uh, our marriage is a lot like baseball, ton of unwritten rules, right?

These guys ain't many rules. Infidelity goes pretty strong in pro sports. And that's not just the players. That's the coaches, the GMs, the owners. Like, there's no rule. for them. A lot of them. I'm not saying everybody, but a large percentage of them. Kind of do whatever they want, whenever they want. Because they walk in the room, they're the most famous guy, they're usually the rich guy, they're usually a good looking guy, and definitely

a big guy, so they stand out. So I just think this notion of like, what's going to happen to Mike Vrable? He's a football coach, right? What the fuck you think's going to happen to him? Nothing. And whether that's fair or not, their jobs are completely different. If Mike Vrable, if the roles had been reversed, like, yeah, it would be an issue for him and not for her. And like, what's going to happen between them, like, this is kind of between them and their marriages now. And I, at this point in time, I cannot give a shit any less. I'm just ready to move on from this story. But I would imagine something will come out.

He either addressed it or he didn't, and that will cause a story next week. We'll end on this. When Brody got drafted by the Lakers, a lot of people freaked out. and my stance was pretty simple. When you lose a father, I remember Scott Van Pelt said this, like on his radio show or a podcast, a long time ago,

and I'll never forgot it. You like, you officially become a man when your dad dies. I don't necessarily depending on what you're doing in life. And there is some truth to just speak in your mom. It's a little different when it's like, especially you come home. It's just,

it's a different dynamic in your life when your father is no longer around. So when I see situations of, fathers and sons, I do get a little sappy. Like, I get a little emotional. I'm also pro people in life. When you dominate whatever you do, you're going to have more juice. You're going to have more power. It's like, why did the CEO hire his kid? Because he's the fucking CEO. If he was the random sales guy, maybe he wouldn't have the juice. He wouldn't be able to. Why did LeBron force the Lakers to draft his son? Because he's LeBron fucking James. know, if he was Rui Hachamura, they're probably not picking up that call.

Janus Anzicompo's seven brothers and three cousins aren't on the 15-man roster and in the G-League team if he's the eighth man. It's kind of how the world works. The more talented you are, the more juice you have, whatever field you're working in. Welcome to life. So it didn't. It's like, what's the point of being this great if you don't yield your power? Now, if we wanted to have a bigger picture conversation about over the course of his career,

him taking advantage of some of the power and some of his decisions, okay, right? But in this specific one, it's like late second round pick, most of these guys in this round will never be heard of ever again. Who really cares? Now, once he forced them to guarantee the four years, like, I understood the nepotism. Like, clearly it was true what was happening. But last night, I'm watching this playoff game, which was a tough watch, right? Durant got hurt in practice, I guess.

Lucas hamstring got injured a couple weeks ago. Austin Reeves has an injury. So it's just a lot of store players not playing. It's like LeBron against a bunch of dudes you're supposed to be really good on Houston. They don't look that good. And all of a sudden, I have this TV on mute. I look up and Bronny's checking it. And I don't care where you stand if you think LeBron's a douche.

If you think this whole situation is an embarrassment, I do get it. Like I do. But if you can't watch that in a playoff game, You think JJ Reddick is throwing him out there to make LeBron happy? Probably not. Kind of needs him. And he played four minutes, and I just thought, like, that's pretty freaking cool. And then I saw LeBron say after the game, like, highlight of my career.

I played with my son during a playoff game. Like, I thought that was pretty cool. And if you don't, maybe you're just not as sappy as me. I mean, I'm a die-hard Michael Jordan fan. Didn't this kid like a year ago get caught with a bunch of blow and a Ferrari over like a railroad track? Like, I mean, I'm a big Michael guy. I'm not sure he's the most buttoned up individual when it comes to the family life. So that's maybe LeBron's got him there.

But I just thought that was for a moment that is a little contrived and obviously a little forced. Like I think if Bronny James was named Bronny Middilkoff, he's probably not on the Lakers. I'm not denying that. But he is because he's Bronny James. He's LeBronskid. And I can't even imagine being 41 years old, playing in a playoff game where you're winning. And your star teammates are both in street clothes on the bench

next to JJ Reddick. And your son gets to come in in a win. Because I would get it too, like, hey, you're coming in, you're getting blown out by 40. Your team's going nowhere. Like, honestly, they'll probably win the series of Kevin Durant's injured. So I thought it was really cool. I don't really have a take besides I thought it was really cool.

The Volume Hey guys, it's us. The Jonas Brothers. I'm Joe. I'm Kevin. And I'm Nick. And guess what? We created our own podcast called, Hey Jonas.

Nice. We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it. We're the first people to do podcasts. We get to ask other people questions because we're sick and tired of being asked questions. Well, sick and tired is a strong way to put it. But, you know, tired and sick.

Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. Another podcast from some SNL, late night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform?

We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Michelle McPhee, and I've been unraveling the strangest criminal alliance I've ever reported on. A Mormon polygamist and an Armenian businessman. Multi-million dollar house, Ferraris and Lamborghinis, private jets, a billion dollar fraud. But how long can this alliance last? Tell me what you know.

is somebody coming after me. Listen to Kingdom of Fraud on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo, and every episode,

we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the biggest moments in sports and giving you the real story behind the headline. And we're going straight to the source, the athletes themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions in the moment, and the stuff nobody gets to hear. Listen to SportsSlice on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slical Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. This is an IHart podcast.

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