The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Hour 1 - Tough decisions

Episode Date: March 11, 2025

Colin gives the 49ers credit for making tough decisions ahead of free agency and what this means for their Super Bowl chances. He believes the Bears reshaped roster is sending one clear message under their new head coach Ben Johnson Thoughts on Justin Fields signing with the Jets   Guest: Jordan SchultzSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. 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.

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. Tired and sick.

Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you. 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 ice.

Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano. It's our favorite time of the year on our podcast, Point Game, the playoffs. We're digging into the biggest surprises of the season. And I'm looking back on some of my greatest playoff moments. If we didn't talk ever again, I was hungry.

You just understood. That's how personal it got. Wow. Then after that game seven, Marquis' keep coming to you. He's like, you know, I love you, dog. You know, it's all love. This was just playoffs. This was just basketball.

So listen to Point Game on the, iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This week on Crimless, Rory and I welcome a very special guest. When I did podcasts, I wear my sleep masks. I like where this is going. So if you guys will indulge me. That's right, the incredibly talented and hilarious Will Ferrell on an episode dedicated to crimes committed by people named Will Ferrell. You're good for 300 crimes?

Yeah. We got two. I'm ready to go. right up to present day. Listen to Crimless on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Thanks for listening to The Heard Podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday on Fox Sports Radio

and noon to 3 Eastern, 9 a.m. to noon Pacific. Find your local station for the herd at Fox SportsRedia.com or stream us live every day in the IHart Radio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Oh, we got a Tuesday show. Can it be as good as the Monday show? Urban Meyer is going to stop by to talk about all those Big Ten players at the top of round one.

Nick Wright, Jordan Schult stops by as well. Live in Los Angeles, it's the herd, wherever you may be, and however you may be listening. Thanks for making us part of your day. So yesterday was wild. It was nuts. A lot of guys getting overpaid. a lot of quarterbacks who aren't going to translate to wins, changing teams, musical quarterbacks.

J-Mack, yesterday we predicted it before the show. We said this is one of the days that we absolutely love. And it turned into a wild day. We're still waiting for Aaron Rogers, that shoe to drop. Pittsburgh Steelers out there. Does it kind of feel like, you know, when you're at recess, dividing up teams and that somebody's got to be the last pick? And it feels like Aaron Rogers is the last pick right here.

Well, let's talk about teams. So San Francisco's had a great six-year run before this past year. So San Francisco yesterday and over the last couple of days has done what's very hard to do. They walked away from really, really good players and acknowledged, yeah, we worked really hard. We got to a bunch of Super Bowls and NFSA championships. We didn't get a trophy and we're not going to get one with this group. So they let good players go. Kyle Uschecks, spent a pro bowl.

were eight years. Greenlaw, the linebacker, Ward the Corner, Aaron Banks, who funga the safety, Debo Samuel. They just said, listen, we had a stacked roster. We got close, a bunch, we didn't win. I would have done this last season. I said, going into this year, the Cowboys and the Niners, regression was going to begin, and they have both

absolutely peaked. So I think they did it a year late, and I think one year from now, they have 12 draft picks this year, San Francisco does. And I think next year at this time, Trent Williams, Kittle, Christian McCaffrey, maybe Fred Warner, are in the same space that these guys, they all let go or in. They got bloated, they got loose in negotiations, and the Los Angeles Rams, their primary rival running a tighter ship sailed by him. I think signing Debo and Brandon Ayuk to big deals is a mistake, and they would acknowledge it now.

Both guys are talented, but a lot of injuries and their business. you know, they're chatty. The moral to the San Francisco story. So what's the moral to this? Great quarterbacks win Super Bowls. You can have a very good head coach, Kyle Shanahan. You can have a great roster last five or six years, San Francisco. And you're going to come up empty.

The Rams, it's different. Rams had a two-time Pro Bowl quarterback in Jared Gough. A quarterback that got to the Super Bowl, Jared Goff, and they did not settle. That's why the Brock Purdy negotiations are vital. Garoppolo, not great. One pass, win a Super Bowl, missed. Brock Purdy, smaller, injured a couple times. Not great in inclement weather, which you often get in December and January.

So a six-year run, no trophy, a lot of Super Bowls, conference championship games, Stack roster, great coach, but just good at quarterback. To me, that's the moral of the story. And I think San Francisco, there's another opportunity here that they're going to settle at quarterback. For the last guy picked in the seventh round, not big, not super mobile, not huge arm, more than capable. But I think they've fallen in love with Kyle Shanahan's coaching. McVeigh is every bit as good as Kyle Shanahan, and he won't settle at Quarterback. quarterback. Andy Reed is better than Shanahan, the coach, and he upgraded from a Pro Bowl quarterback

Alex Smith. So that's the moral to the story. You can have the great coach. You can have the stacked roster. If you're good at quarterback, there's an opportunity here to just have to reboot and rebuild. That's what the Niners are doing. It's not a total rebuild, but I think in one year from now, McCaffrey, Trent Williams, George Kiddell, I think those guys a year from now, maybe even Fred Warner, who's the best linebacker, arguably in football, they'll be moving on as well. So I found yesterday fascinating that, you know, it's, I said this yesterday, and I'll say it again today, what this two to three day period is, it's about the front offices. It's not necessarily about the players. Everybody's getting overpaid. I mean, Milton Williams signed a contract with

New England that something Aaron Donald sort of signed. He's, you know, and it was very predictable as the best defensive tackle on the market. The Eagles letting him go. Eagles are like, you guys overpay him, we're not doing it. You can do that when you're Philadelphia and when you nail your draft picks. And that gets me into the Chicago Bears. So the Chicago Bears are a good news, bad news story over the last two days. So let's look at the good news. They have really, really upgraded on the offensive line, guard center guard. I love Joe Tuning. I love Drew Dolman.

Drew Dolman's arguably the best signing potentially over the last two days. They upgraded. Jared was on the market. Okay, here's the bad news. So the good news is your O line and your D line, they're better. Here's the bad news. Yeah, none of those players were your draft picks. You had to overpay for all of them.

And I liked some of them a lot. But it tells you, yeah, your GM, The young guy, probably not it. We don't know if your quarterback's it yet, I think he is. We don't know if your head coach is it. I think he probably is. We know you have one of the poorest ownership groups. So right now, the Chicago Bears, even though I love the upgrades, it's a lot of finger

crossing and hope and optimism. That's all it is. Go look at Philadelphia's stacked roster, especially their O lines and D lines. That's homegrown stuff overwhelmingly. Look at the Lions' O line. great front office, mostly their guys. Look at the Kansas City defense. Their guys.

Look at the Rams unbelievable defense. Cheap. Their draft picks. Green Bay, historically, over the last 20 years. New England during the Belichick era, his own line. His draft and development guys with Dante Scarnacia. The Packers overpaid for a guard yesterday, but historically, they draft and develop offensive lines.

So when you got to go buy, somebody else's good players, yes, you can absolutely upgrade. I am not denying that. But eventually you'll pay a price for overpaying for O-line and D-line guys. Remember, guys hit the market. I like Grady Jared a lot, but Atlanta's like, we've probably got the most out of you, little age here, getting really expensive, so the bears have to overpay. I mean, Kansas City moved off Joe Tuny.

They're telling you something, and they liked him a lot, but they're telling you deep down, we think probably the peak, the erosion, starts now. So I can like what the Bears did, but make no mistake. The best two defenses in the NFL at the end of the last year you could argue were like, Kansas City, the Rams in Philadelphia, it is a lot of draft and develop guys. It's not buying somebody else's used car. And there are a lot of good used cars on the market. But you don't know the odometer.

Did they toy with it? Did they tweak with it? You don't really know when you go to a used car lot. So San Francisco, hey, you can have a stacked roster. Got to get the quarterback A-A-plus, or you're not holding up a trophy. In Chicago, good news, you really upgraded your O&D lines, but that's what you do when you whiff on a bunch of picks. And they did. I mean, you start looking at last year's team for the Bears.

Who was their pick that was great. Jalen Johnson the corner, that's their guy. So that's a good story. But, you know, Keenan Allen is somebody else's guy, and DJ Morris, somebody else's guy. And even if you win a trade on the market, you're overpaying for people. Even the teams, I like what they did, New England. They massively overpaid for defensive tackle. That's not the way to sustain greatness.

The way to do it is the way Detroit's front office, Rams front office, Kansas City's front office, Philadelphia's front office, and you could argue those four teams I just named could be the four favorites next year for the Super Bowl. So there you go. And it's a carousel of quarterbacks

bouncing all over the place, and we're kind of waiting for Aaron Rogers. Yeah, is he going to be the last guy chosen in the pickup game? He's like the last shoot of fall. All the stories are he's going to go to Pittsburgh, which is, It's a weird fit, isn't it? I think it's a better fit than Minnesota.

By the way, Minnesota is stacking up some players. I don't know if you noticed what they've done in the trenches, Colin, but they are loading up. I like Minnesota's offseason. I just don't like the prospects for Aaron Rogers at all, like any of the options. I wonder if he'll just decide, I'm going to retire. I don't need this. I don't need to be the last pick.

Nobody wants. The Colts would rather have Daniel Jones than make a run at me. If I asked you, what's the single best? acquisition. I think Drew Dalman, the center for the Bears, when you consider what it will do to the O-line, the quarterback, I think that's about as good a pick. That's as good a pickup as I've seen. I think Devonte Adams to the Rams is really strong. He'll fit in seamlessly with McVeigh and Stafford. They get offense. Your guy, Sean Peyton, has grabbed 249 or defenders. Well, it's interesting. Two injury prone defenders. I have a theory on what Sean

and is doing in Denver. Yeah, I would say of all the moves I've seen, Devonte Adams to the Rams and Drew Dalman, the center for the Bears. And again, I think Joe Tuny to the Bears, again, you're overpaying in a lot of eyes, but he's also a really good off. I mean, they went and got two elite offensive interior linemen.

That is something the Bears generally don't do offense and interior all line. Are we counting trades or just free agency? because I think Washington grabbing Laramie Tunsell and Debo Samuel. Nice moves. Those are huge moves. I like Washington a lot. I got a new NFC championship game for you in January of 26. No, it is so much fun.

And, you know, listen, I know, it was my favorite part yesterday is coming into free agency, we're all like, it's not a very good free agency class, and then it arrives, and we're all like, unbelievable. But the Bears did trades before free agency. So, I mean, it's not just free agency. I'll be honest with you. Devante Adams to the Rams and Dalman to the Bears, I was like, whoa.

Anytime you're like, oh, whoa, those guys are going to fit instantly. Let me hit you with one last one. Who wins more games next year? Sam Darnold Seahawks or Justin Fields' Jets. Oh, oh, Darnold Seahawks, easy. Like, slam-dum. Jets are going to be a four- or five-win team. And Seattle's going to be more than that?

Seattle's going to be an eight-nine-win team. I see a lot of negative with Sam Darnold. He's going to fall off a cliff. Who's his OC, by the way? What do they got going on in Seattle? Kubiak, who by the way... Flamed out after a hot start last year.

Okay. Well, all right. We'll see. If you feel like owning a home is out of reach, Rocket Mortgage says... No, Rocket Mortgage says no, no, no. We're going to give you the keys to the American Dream.

You deserve a shot at owning the dream. Go to Rocket. or call 8004 rocket. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1 and the IHeart Radio app. Hey, it's us to Jonas Brothers, and guess what? We have some big news. What's the news, new?

Huge news. We created our own podcast called, Hey Jonas. We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it. 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. 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, 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 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. Jenchen won. I mean, she went down in three to Rabakina, but I'm delighted. She's an outsider to win the French for me. And she likes Clay. Listen, Lina Rabakina 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. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games.

Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. You see a lot of bad teams reaching at quarterback.

And I've said this before. Where you land as a quarterback, unless you're like Andrew Luck, where you land as a quarterback is about 80% of your success rate. Go look at Baker Mayfield. Finally got a good roster. Finally got a team that believed in him in Tampa. go look at Sam Darnold in Minnesota. 80% of this stuff for quarterbacks is where you land. Very rare that Joe Burrow can overcome a frugal front office and ownership,

bad old lines. Those are historic outliers. So Justin Fields signed a two-year deal with the Jets. It's basically a one-year deal and an $8 million cap hit. So Justin Fields, think about this. Starts his career with a broken franchise, a defensive head coach, and a defensive culture in Chicago. and then he goes to a solid franchise with a defensive head coach and a defensive coach

in Pittsburgh culture and coach Pittsburgh and now where does he go with another defensive coach another broken franchise i know how this will end not good if he would have landed a sean payton or a Sean McVay out of college i think you'd have seen the very best of Justin fields i don't know how good that is but it's better than what you've seen what you've seen. And so here's a fact. The really good young quarterbacks, even with average rosters like the Washington commanders or the Bengals with Joe Burrough, they make it look easy. The accuracy is easy. The fluidity. Just they move. I mean, Burrow and Jaden Daniels, bad rosters, lots of wins. Justin Fields, everything looks hard. And the other thing is that Jaden Daniels, shockingly, his best quarter is

the fourth quarter. He is an unbelievable fourth quarterback. Justin Fields, Jaden Daniels, is great in the fourth. Justin Fields, a career disaster. His passer rating in the fourth, 67, completes 56% of his throws. So Justin Fields is over 22 in his career when his team allows more than 20 points. So he gets his third defensive culture. He gets his third defensive coach, and we've talked about this a lot, is it just matters where you land and who you land. You don't think Bo Nix was helped by Sean Payton. You don't think Cliff Kingsbury help Jaden Daniels.

All this stuff matters. I mean, Sam Donald was dead and buried, gets Kevin O'Connell. He was fighting for the MVP in week 14, 15. So I don't know what Justin Fields would have been had he landed McVeigh. but it's better than what I've seen. He's a bad fourth quarter quarterback. He's not good on third down.

He doesn't feel, you know, he looks the part like big, athletic moves, but very few guys pop in year four. And if they do, it's because they landed in a really good organization or with a great offensive coordinator or a great offensive culture, like Baker got a great O.C. Or Donald got a great offensive head coach a great receiver. This for Justin Fields is just more the same.

It's the Bears, it's the Jets, it's the broken offensive culture in Pittsburgh. I just know how it's going to end. J-MAC with the news. No, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. All right, Colin, our Lakers took a tough loss last night to the Nets. They did cover in the first quarter again.

It is the best bet in sports right now. Lakers cover first quarter, but lose the game. Listen, they only had nine of them. available players last night. Yeah, yeah. LeBron out with the groin, Rui out. Jackson Hayes did not play, but JJ Reddick did not use that as an excuse. He was actually pissed and blamed low-level communication,

among other things for the poor showing. Here he is after the game. I'll think being shorthand is an excuse for how we play basketball tonight. I think it was just an overall mentality. Just take shortcuts tonight. We just wanted to take shortcuts. They scored 20 points on us gambling. They had 16 offensive rebounds.

We ball watched all night. We said no dare shots. Just shortcuts. Don't be a good team. You want to win in the NBA. You got to do the hard stuff. We could even pass to each other. We can enter our offense running ball screens at literally at half court.

Yeah, that's going to end up in a turnover. I don't know what we're doing. I love his blunt nature. For the record, I know I'm a LeBron guy, but you know what you never criticize a team for when LeBron plays? Communication. LeBron's coaching on the bench, he's coaching on the floor, and that's another value of LeBron James. Luca's not, you know, Luca may be taunting people, but is Luca a great communicator during a game?

I couldn't say the last time LeBron played in the game, and the complaint was nobody's communicated. That's because LeBron's so good at it. Luca's also probably still getting to know half these guys, Alex Lenn, Trey Gemison, like, come on. Listen, they're missing three starters. Obviously, this is a stinky loss. Fair, fair, fair. You know, it's Brooklyn, and you needed this given the next,

I think their next six games are in eight days. Yeah. They have, I think, two back-to-back. It's really brutal. Yeah. Might be three. And I don't know. It's probably going to fall out of the top three.

Maybe they'll have the four or five seed in the West. Luca was not great, shooting at 22 points on 26 shots. We have to be honest about Luca. He has not been consistently great as a Laker. We know he's playing himself in a shape. We know he's bad defensively. A month? Yeah, I mean, but when I watched Luca, he doesn't look like Luca two years ago.

So he'll play himself potentially into it. It's very difficult to play yourself into shape when you don't play until like February. Yeah. So I don't think we're going to see the great Luca this year. I think we'll get a better version of this, but we won't see the very best of Luca. He needs an off-season to get in better shape. Wait, wait, wait. In the playoffs, you don't think we'll see a great Luca?

Remember, Rui will be back. He's a huge cog. Did you see the Nets basically blitzing Luca every time there was a ball screen? Like, we're just doubling Luca. Somebody else beat us. And Austin Reeves was 3 of 14, Colin. That's not going to cut it. Next up, let's go to the NFL.

A lot of mock drafts have the Browns taking a quarterback second. I've got that. I've been steadfast. However, reports out of Cleveland are saying the Browns are still likely to search for a veteran bridge quarterback this season. Now, they traded DTR for Kenny Pickett. I think that was yesterday. So Kenny Pickett will be the backup. He comes from the Eagles.

My problem is, what are we doing? Who is this veteran? I'm going to defend Cleveland for the second day in a row. So I thought the Miles Garrett deal. I love the coach. Love Miles Garrett. Those are two of the four things you have to win in this league. You've got to have a great coach.

You've got to have a great pass rusher. Okay. If your scouting department is like, listen, we don't think Shadour is a top 20 player in this draft. You're not picking him second or. or third. So my take is this. You trade that pick down because you know somebody is willing to go up and get it. Yeah. You trade that pick down, get multiple picks because of what you're paying Deshaun and because of what you're paying Miles Garrett, you get two or three or four more picks.

I think Andrew Barry's one of the smarter young GMs in the league. You get a bunch of players on the cheap. And then Deshawn Watson, still a brown. You figure out him and some random journeyman, and it's not a season. You're not a Super Bowl team. But the thing is, if you drafts Sodor and you're scouting departments like, we think he's the top of the second round guy, which there are scouting departments in this league that feel that, you're going to have to plan for two or three years, and it's going to set you back.

Average quarterbacks aren't winning Super Bowls. So trade the pick down, get a bunch of picks, hit on as many as you can, play the numbers game and go big game hunting at quarterback next year. So, first of all, they didn't have number one picks the last three years due to the Dushan Watson deal, right? However, last year's draft stunk for them. I'm looking at pro football reference. They hit on nothing.

I like Andrew Barry as well. I don't know about that scouting department. Colin, they're not going to be picking this high again. They're not going to be that bad. If they get Kirk Cousins, what's another veteran option besides Kirk Cousins? Aaron Rogers ain't going to Cleveland. So who else is there? like Russell Wilson, like I think this is the year you've got to take a quarterback.

Deshawn Watson's probably not coming back from the Achilles till maybe all the weekend. But remember, if you reach on a quarterback, then you've got to commit to him for three years. So you're just putting yourself behind the eight ball again. I'm always a big believer in bottom out. Next year's a much better college quarterback class. Now, if you can go in the, here's another example. And I'm believer in this. Let's say you move down in the draft and you get an.

extra two. Kyle McCord, Syracuse, who I think could end up being the second best quarterback in this draft. They already ran them out of Ohio once, okay? That was harsh. But it did happen at Ohio State. Listen, we disagree. That's fine.

The Browns have had eight different starting quarterback since 2022, Colin. Most in the league. My jets are second. If I was the GM of the Browns, I would move down, I would accumulate picks, I would take a quarterback, either a Jackson DART or a Kyle McCord in the second round. And then, by the way, once you're a second round quarterback, you don't face that pressure that you can just draft the guy in the second and go, yes, he's not going to be what we think. But if you draft the quarterback in the top two or three, you got to play him for three years. Otherwise, it's an indictment of you in the

scouting department. Yeah, definitely. Final story, Colin, is the Colts-inked Daniel Jones, Danny Dimes, a.k.a. Danny Loose Change. He got a one-year, $14 million deal. Remember, the Giants dumped him last year, and he was on Minnesota's practice squad. He is going to contend with Anthony Richardson for the starting QB job in Indy. Shane Steichen is a good coordinator. We knew that in Philly. He's a sharp offensive mind. He's now got two inaccurate, is that a good word, inaccurate of quarterbacks in Anthony Richardson and Daniel Jones. This is probably the least appealing quarterback competition that I can recall in recent years. If you're indie, if you're a fan, you've got to be disappointed.

Are you surprised Daniel Jones got 14 mil from the Colts? No, it's a one-year deal, and I'll be honest with you. I think in a weird way, Daniel Jones got last year, got some Kevin O'Connell coaching, and now he gets Shane Steichen coaching, is, I would keep your eye on Daniel Jones, actually, this being a value acquisition, because I believe they will move off Anthony Richardson by October, and Daniel Jones will have a great offensive coach. And I think, unlike the Giants, a really good roster. So I think the winner here, this looks like a nothing burger. And I'm not saying Daniel Jones is taking into the promised land.

The winner in this is Daniel Jones. You say, oh, it's a one-year deal. It's a great offensive coach. And it's also a situation where he may beat out. Anthony Richardson in camp. Would not surprise him. He's a better quarterback. I mean, he got to the playoffs. If you want to be optimistic, put on your Colts, whatever color they are, glasses,

this is sort of a similar setup to the Giants. Smart offensive mind, Dave Old Steichen. Really good running back, Sequin and Jonathan Taylor. Colts roster's better. I would agree. And wide receiver, you don't have Malik neighbors, but you got Pitman who's very good. And they're in position here to draft an impact player early. I think the Colts could be okay next year.

Yeah, no, I mean, in this division, and again, the winner is a guy that's taken a beating Daniel Jones. This is basically betting on yourself. I'm going to go, I mean, I think Daniel went to Duke. He's a pretty smart guy. He looked around, and he had Day Bowl, but the roster was bad. And then he goes, hangs out with Kevin O'Connell and goes, God, look what he did, to Darnold. And I think he saw the value of that offensive coaching, and he's like, yeah, I will absolutely, that's really interesting. There are a lot of places in this league that have people that.

don't know offense, running the show and the culture. I think the winner here is, I don't know if the, I don't know if the cult of the winner, but Daniel Jones is the winner. This is a great landing spot for him. That division is officially up for grabs, the way the Texans are handling their offensive line. They just traded another guy. It looks like there are going to be four new offensive linemen for C.J. Stroud. Remember, the offensive coordinator was jettisoned.

I think that division's up for grabs. Tennessee, Indie, maybe even Trevor Lawrence. I don't know. This is so much fun. It is, yeah. Speculation. It's so much fun. Our job's not bad.

Not bad. Shame Act with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Heard Line News. Well, you always want me to have an opinion. So the story is Jordan Schultz around the corner that Aaron Rogers and the Steelers could have a deal in place by today. So if it happens, you know, my guess is today, 70, 30, it's going to happen.

I said yesterday I thought D.K. Metcalfe was reeked of desperation. It's like buying a house to say. the marriage, they can't get offense right, let's massively overpay. At a position, the Steelers have actually draft and develop really well, wide receiver. This, I mean, I think Aaron Rogers and D.K. Metcalf in Pittsburgh would win about nine games, and so Mike Tomlin's streak would be alive. But you know what? When you keep finding stopgaps for the leaky roof, you end up with a bunch of buckets inside the house instead of just replacing the roof. The Steelers have been great twice in my life.

Terry Bradshaw in his prime, Big Ben in his prime. Outside of that, they've had buckets around the facility. A Bubby Brister here, a Neil O'Donnell there, a Mitch Trubisky here. Aaron five years ago would not be buckets around the house. He would be a new roof. That's not the errand you're getting. So, and, you know, what's interesting here, kind of a cautionary tale, and I know I'm always Mr. Anti-Aaron, but it's ending this way because.

I mean, Minnesota was looking for a potential quarterback. Seattle was. Vegas was with Chip Kelly. The Colts were a return to the Jets. And they all said, no, no. So, you know, the Jets and the Steelers swapping quarterbacks feels like two C-minus students cheating off each other on a test. Hey, we'll take your guy that didn't work.

And we'll take your guy that didn't work. I think Aaron's talented. but I think both the Jets and the Steelers have shown, as we've noted multiple times, they just don't have a feel for offense. And it's not because the Steelers don't have talent. So maybe D.K. Metcalf and Aaron, the tight end I like. I mean, there's players here. But I've been saying this for like five years.

I've loved the Steelers roster for five years. I've been saying this for years. I love the players. They just don't get offense. So, you know, Aaron, there was a lot of people out there that could have had Aaron, and all of them were like, nah, and the Steelers got him. So it feels a little desperate to me. That's how it feels. And in my life, the Steelers have been great twice when they had Hall of Fame quarterbacks in their prime.

I think Aaron six years ago to Pittsburgh, that's something to get excited about this. I mean, it's big. Steelers brand Aaron Brand. We'll talk about it a lot. I see no value in talking about New York football team. so Aaron at least went to a place that's interesting. There's something there. Nick Wright, top of the hour,

Urban Meyer, Jordan Schultz around the corner. Denver Broncos, what are they doing getting a couple of guys on the defensive side that are a little injury plagued? The commanders get Laramie Tunzel. That feels good to me, a great pass blocker. A lot of penalties, but a great pass blocker. More than a second live in L.A., it's The Herd. Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd, Weekdays,

and noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. Hey, it's Steve Kavino. And I'm Rich Davis. And together we're Kavino and Rich on Fox Sports Radio. You can catch us weekdays from 5 to 7 p.m. Eastern, 2 to 4 Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and, of course, the IHeart Radio app. Why should you listen to Kavino and Rich? We talk about everything, life, sports, relationships, what's going on in the world? We have a lot of fun talking about the stories behind the stories in the world of sports and pop culture.

Stories that, well, other shows don't seem to have the time to discuss. And the fact that we've been friends for the last 20 years and still work together, I mean, that says something, right? So check us out. We like to get you involved too. Take your phone calls, chop it up as they say. I'd say the most interactive show on Fox Sports Radio. Maybe the most interactive show on Planet Earth. Be sure to check out Covino & Rich live on Fox Sports Radio

and the IHeart Radio app from 5 to 7 p.m. Eastern, 2 to 4 Pacific. And if you miss any of the live show, just search Covino and Rich wherever you get your podcast. And of course, on social media. That's Covino and Rich. Hey, it's us, the Jonas Brothers. And guess what? We have some big news. What's the news, name?

Huge news. We created our own podcast called Hey Jonas. We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it. 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 was... 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 guide, 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 in three to Rabakina, but I'm delighted. She's an outsider to win the French for me. And she likes Clay. Listen, Lerabakina Rabakina is arguably the best player in the world right now, and I actually can win on any surface. 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. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential.

Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all. embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. All right, NFL Free Agency, it's a lot of fun. You know, we thought it's a weak draft, and it's not a very good free agent class, but I don't know, it looks like to me the Chicago Bears have improved.

improved. If you can get four or five starters and not get hosed, I think Milton Williams got, you know, overpaid in New England, but again, they have so much cap space. Their take is, we're going to bring in six or seven guys. We're going to get value on some, but we're going to

overpay for some. If you're the best defensive tackle on the market, like Milton Williams was, you're going to get paid. I mean, if you're the best left tackle on the market, you're going to get paid. So with that, Jordan Schultz, NFL Insider, is joining us live. What have we learned in the first 24 hours, Jordan of free agency. What have we learned?

I think it's really interesting, Colin, that last year's top three picks, Washington, New England, these Chicago, these teams are spending big, big money. You talked earlier about Milton Williams, Carolina tried to get them. They thought they had a deal done, ultimately signed Cheroshan Wharton. You know, you look at Washington going out and spending big. You look at the bears going out and getting Drew Dahlman in the center trying to fortify their offensive line. I just think it's really fascinating. Even a team like New England with a ton of cap space, some teams look at that cap space and say, you know what, we're going to be patient. New England with Elliot Wolf and Ryan Cowden, who comes from the Giants, comes from the Titans,

said we are going to be ultra-aggressive. And I think that's probably the biggest surprise. I didn't necessarily anticipate all three of them going out really heavy. Also, you talked about the quarterbacks. Daniel Jones goes to the Colts. We're still waiting on Russell Wilson. We're still waiting on Rogers. But I think Justin Fields, that was a big one because the Jets now have a guy that they believe is going to move the needle in a much different way than Aaron Rogers did. Why? Because Justin Fields can move the pocket. When I spoke with the Jets as they were exploring the Justin Fields possibility, that's what they kept bringing up. The leadership, yes, the age, yes. He's obviously not hyper-expensive.

But the fact that he can manipulate the pocket, move it, it gives him the type of athleticism that obviously they didn't have with Aaron last year. So I was surprised being from the Northwest. Everybody freaked out when the Seahawks moved off Gino Smith. And my takeaway is, let's slow down here. Sam Darnold's like six or seven years younger. The contract is very team-friendly in Seattle with Sam Darnold. He's coming off a very good year.

Like I think Darnel is an upgrade. if nothing else, he's just a younger, more mobile athlete than Gino Smith. What did the Darnold contract tell you about Darnold, the Seahawks, going forward? Well, let's rewind it a little bit. Friday night, I'm actually at dinner trying to get the one night with the wife in two months, Colin. Gino Smith gets traded, obviously that tattoos, the date night, Colin, but you know what? That's part of the business. We deal with it.

Why did that happen? Gino Smith tried to get a contract extension with the Seahawks. That was on Friday night the actual trade. To go back to Monday, they couldn't get the extension done. Thursday night, he requests the trade. Pete Carroll says, you know what? You're my guy, Gino. They've always maintained that great relationship.

The Raiders really were in on Darnold to a degree, but pivoted away when Gino became available because of the connection with Pete Carroll. And then Seattle steps in and says, you know what? Sam Darnold, in many ways, is kind of like, think Gino Smith was a few years ago. A Reclamation Project, obviously cheaper than Gino was, or Gino will be with the Raiders, because he's going to get a multi-year deal over 40 million.

And also in Darnold's case, an opportunity to restart his career somewhere else. You talk about Minnesota last year, all the success he had with Kevin O'Connell. Seattle is really hoping that he can now lead that new offense. Obviously, no D.K. Meckaff, no Tyler Lockett, but you have Jackson Smith and Jigba. They're going to build around him and Kenneth Walker.

and then Donald's a guy that they actually think, as it's been told to me, as good as he was last year, his best football is still ahead of him. You know, the Brock Pretty stuff is interesting. So, you know, this was the Niners Division years ago, and then the Rams started hitting on their draft picks. The Rams are very tough negotiators. They told Matt Stafford, that's the number. See ya.

Cooper Cup, we're moving off. So the Rams, meanwhile, the Niners got very loose. They started paying Debo and Brandon Ayyuk. Well, word comes out because they wanted it out. Those days are over. We're moving off guys. Negotiations are going to be much more firm. So I believe the Rams over the last two years have moved past San Francisco.

They've drafted better and they've been tougher on negotiations. And I think all this is a signal to Brock Purdy. We watch what the Rams are paying Stafford. You think you're getting 50 large, double Matt. you're not going to get, we're not paying a double Matt Stafford. What do you think the Brock Purdy number looks like and the deal looks like? Yeah, I don't think Brock Purdy is going to get what maybe he anticipated. And I agree with you on the Rams being smart and shrewd.

And I like the move going out and getting Devonte Adams. I love that move. But in terms of Purdy, Purdy's not going to get the 50, 55, 60 that he thought. Not after the year he just had. And I think the diners really saw what life was like for Brock Purdy when he didn't have the full arsenal. You know, Brandon Ayuk's not healthy. Debo didn't have the best year. McCaffrey's not healthy.

They looked at Brock Purdy and they said, look, you're our guy, but you're not our guy at 50 million. You're not our guy at 55. I'm not even sure he gets to 48, 49. I think the right number for Brock Purdy is right in the mid-40s. That's the number that gives you enough roster flexibility. This is a negotiation that's going to take some time because both sides, I think right now, are pretty far apart. The question becomes, Colin, does Brock Purdy take a hometown discount and allow the Niners to have more flexibility elsewhere? I'm not sure he's going to do that, but I also know definitively he's not going to get the 50 plus that maybe he would have a year ago.

Aaron Rogers, it looks like he's been reduced to the last guy getting picked in a pickup game. Everybody signed a deal. every quarterback's got a spot except aaron can you give us an update on that so you know Aaron and Russell Wilson are the two veteran quarterbacks left that we're really looking at right and in terms of Aaron he has to make a decision on what type of franchise what type of structure he wants it comes down to Pittsburgh and New York now as it's been told to me both teams have had talks active talks with him but nothing is necessarily imminent I I look at Aaron Rogers, and I think the absolute best scenario for him is the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The reason being is they have Pickens, they have Medcaf, they have a committed coach that's going to harness him. And I look at the Giants, and I say that's the absolute worst case for Aaron Rogers. They don't have enough weapons. They don't have an offensive line other than Andrew Thomas, and they don't have a culture that's predicated on winning. With all due respect to Brian Dayball and Joe Shane. So I think right now, I would say the leader, I'm not saying it's going to happen, but the leader to me is the Pittsburgh Steelers. They give him the best opportunity to have the most amount of success. And in terms of the market for Aaron Rogers, he has a market.

It's not robust. But if I'm him, I've taken the job before Russell Wilson says, you know what? That's what I want. You know, it's interesting. Generally, the coach gets power over a GM. Like McVeigh's got ultimate, say, or Sean Payton in Denver and Los Angeles, because the coach generally makes two to three times what the GM does. So I think it's interesting.

Ben Johnson comes in for the Bears and basically says, yeah, Ryan Poles, your draft picks on the O-line stink. I'm going to go pay guard, center guard. I love the moves by the Bears, but you know what it tells me, Jordan? Ben Johnson now is running the organization, and I don't think that's a bad thing. Colin, you hit the nail on the head, my man. This is why the bears are going to start having success. Look at that list right there.

They get Joe Tuni, a fantastic four-time all from KC. They get Drew Dalvin, one of the best four or five centers in the league. They get Dio, a fantastic young interior defender who will be on the edge. Grady Jarrett's obviously a pro bowler, and then you saw the trade with Jonah Jackson. All five of those moves. Trenches, trenches, trenches. Why do I bring that up? That's the success.

That's the criteria. That's the blueprint that we saw in Detroit with Ben Johnson. So if you're Ryan Poles, if you're Kevin Warren, you look at Ben Johnson, and you say, what do you need to be successful? Ben Johnson says, yes, I love having talent on the perimeter. I love having speed. But my quarterback has to have a fortress around him. And I have to be able to attack the quarterback, especially in this division. I have to stop the run, Brady Jarrett.

I just think this is exactly what the Chicago Bears have needed and what they've been missing for so long. Doesn't mean it's going to be instant success, Colin, but I look at this team, I look at this roster, I look at his coach, and I say that should be a playoff caliber team in 2025. So Sean Payton, I've got my own theories, but they get Hufunga and Greenlaw from the Niners, three-year deals, both guys are injury-prone, both guys are excellent playmakers. What did you make kind of a risky move or not? Hufunga, I liked a lot, not necessarily at the price. It surprised me.

Now, San Francisco wanted to keep him, they didn't have the money. So to get him at, I think it was 45, does that sound right? Yeah, I got to look at the numbers. It was. That's a big number for a guy that is a fantastic all-pro player, but has come off the injuries. It's a gamble worth taking if you're Denver because you were in the safety market. You were looking at Trayvon Mourag. You were looking at Javon Holland.

all these guys may be a little bit too pricey, especially at the top of the market. So you bring in Hufunga. And then Greenlaw, that's the move I really loved because Greenlaw, at his best, is a phenomenal player. And a lot of teams really, really liked and sought after Drake Greenlaw, Colin, because they saw the type of backer that can call the defense. That was what was told with me that Drake Greenlaw gives you an opportunity to increase your intelligence defensively, your acumen, so you add those two together who can obviously play on a street to an otherwise really good defense. Obviously, Patrick Certan, the best in football.

I think this is exactly what they ever needed, but it's a little bit surprising to me that Sean Payton goes out and pays two defenders, especially the safety. Not saying I don't like it, but it did surprise me a little bit. Well, they're not paying the quarterback for several years, so that's the advantage of drafting a quarterback, hitting on him early is Chicago spending money, Washington, New England spending money, you can take some chances. Denver, that's the advantage of hitting on a quarterback. It gives you three years to line up some really nice players. Yeah, one note on Denver, that's the team that I think a lot of teams were looking at

what were they doing this offseason to build on last season's success going to the playoffs. They did exactly that so far. I really like what the Broncos did out into the defense. Sometimes, Colin, you want to go strength. on strength. They already had a good defense. Now let's make it a great defense in that division with all those offenses. Jordan Schultz, good stuff, live joining us.

We appreciate that. NFL insider. Nick Wright, Urban Meyer, stopped by as well today. So, yeah, I mean, his point to start that interview was New England, Washington and Chicago, who all drafted quarterbacks last year went big into free agency. And I think that's smart

because what you're basically saying is, like in Washington, they know they got the right guy. But what you're saying in Chicago is let's give Caleb Williams a great old line. If he can't do it then with me as a coach and an excellent line, then we got the wrong guy.

I want answers on these quarterback, like Drake May. Let's go spend some money. We're going to make our defense better. We're going to hold team to 2021 points. If we can't win nine games with that, then we don't have a star quarterback. Like in Washington, you already know the answer to that.

They view themselves as let's get to the Super Bowl. We think we could get there very quickly like the bingles thought with Burrell very early is we can take some swings here um all right hour one once again free agency flies by in LA hour two next 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 we invented a podcast well we didn't invent it we just contributed to it 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.

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 Smigel 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 IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas.

And I'm C.J. Toledano. It's our favorite time of the year on our podcast point game, the playoffs. We're digging into the biggest surprises of the season. And I'm looking back on some of my greatest playoff moments. If we didn't talk ever again, I was hiring you. You just understood. That's how personal it got. Wow.

Then after that game seven, Marquis come in to, he's like, you know, I love you, dog. You know, it's all love. This was just playoffs. This was just basketball. So listen to Point Game on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Therapy is fantastic. But once again, it does not have a monopoly on healing. That's why I create the resources and that's why I create the community because I really just want you to have more access.

On the podcast, cultivating her space, Dr. Dom and Terry Lomax create a space where Black women can show up fully and be heard. It's tough because we're suppressing our emotions and so many of us are like high achieving individuals. Listen to cultivating her space on the IHeart radio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.