The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Richard Sherman Podcast - Robert Saleh to Titans, 49ers DC Talk, Bills Fire McDermott & NFL’s 18-Game Push | Richard Sherman NFL

Episode Date: January 25, 2026

Richard Sherman reacts to Robert Saleh landing the Tennessee Titans head coaching job and breaks down why it’s one of the toughest rebuilds in the NFL, from roster holes to AFC South competition. Sherm and Mitchell Green discuss what Saleh brings as a leader, how the Titans can establish a defensive identity, and why hiring the right offensive coordinator will be critical. The conversation shifts to the San Francisco 49ers’ defensive coordinator vacancy, potential candidates like Jim Schwartz and Raheem Morris, and whether Sherm would ever consider coaching himself. Sherm also gives his unfiltered take on the Buffalo Bills moving on from Sean McDermott, questions the GM’s promotion, and explains why Buffalo’s roster construction is the real issue. To close, Sherman reacts to the NFL’s push for an 18-game regular season, international games, increased injuries, and what players would need in return for that kind of workload. Insightful, honest, and straight from someone who’s lived it — this is NFL talk you won’t get anywhere else. All lines provided by Hard Rock Bet. See 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. Hey, it's Edwin Castro, also known as Castro 1021. And I'm Kunky, his best friend and business manager. And we've got a new show called The 1021 Podcast. I'm taking you behind the scenes on how I became one of Twitch's most popular streamers. We also love sports. And with the World Cup right around the corner, we'll be breaking down the biggest storylines ahead of the big tournament here in the USA.

Listen to the 1021 podcast on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Joey Dardano. And on my new podcast, Hope from a Hypocrite, I'll be changing lives, helping people in need with thoughtful solutions. Sike, I'm a comedian. I'm not qualified to give good advice. Join me and my comedian friends as we riff, rant, recommend some of the most legally dubious advice known to me. This is Help from a Hypocrite, the worst advice from the devil's. dumbest people you know. Listen to help from Hippocrite Wednesdays on the Iheart radio app,

Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome back to the Richard Sherman podcast, and I just want to say I appreciate you guys. You can be getting your NFL content from anywhere, but you're here with me. I'm thankful for you. So hit that sub button so you can get the notifications when I'm dropping a new episode. All love, hope you guys are having a great new year's, accomplish it all your New Year's resolutions and staying healthy. Welcome back to the Richard Sherman podcast. Mitchell, some head coaches finding jobs. My guy Robert Sala lands with the Tennessee Titans. My guy Jeff Hathley ends up with the Miami Dolphins.

What's going on? If I'm being honest, Mitchell, I don't love it. I don't love it. Not because I don't love Sala. And I thought he would go to establish teams like Baltimore or Pittsburgh or somewhere like that. It just felt right. He ended up with the Tennessee Titans. a job he really wanted, a job he felt like he could do great things with.

He loves Cam Ward, obviously $100 million in salary cap space is enticing to anybody. They got a top five draft pick. But for the most part, in terms of roster building, the cover is pretty bare. They got some talent on the offensive side. They got Simmons. but it just seems like things haven't gone well there. And I didn't like how things ended with Mike Vrable. I thought he was doing a really good job there.

And I thought they got rid of him prematurely for no reason after trading away his best players and getting rid of his best players. You trade away A.J. Brown. And you're like, huh, I can't figure out why you're not winning. It's like, hey, if you don't trade away A.J. Brown, it's a whole different team. You trade away the heart of the team. Derek Henry, you let Derek Henry walk. There's so many things that have happened. Obviously, they've got ownership that's trying to change everything,

change that outlook. They got Mike Burgundy from the Kansas City Chiefs to run this team, to run the process. So they got somebody who knows what championship culture looks like, who knows how to build a championship roster, who was around a dynasty of a team with Andy Reed and Patrick Mahones and all those guys. but it's just a real uphill battle with what the Houston Texans have,

what the Jacksonville Jaguars have done with Liam Cohen and that staff and that defense. And even the Indianapolis Colts early on in that season with Daniel Jones and Jonathan Taylor and that defense, they now have Sauce Gardner. And they just, it's a tough, it's a tougher division than it once was. And I think sometimes you get in a situation where you're like, I think I can do it. But it's such an uphill climb. And for his second hit coaching job to be with this team, it's him taking on a really great challenge. And if anybody can do it, he can.

He's an incredible man, an incredible leader of men, an incredible culture builder and coach. But this is tough. This is tough. They're going to have their work cut out for them in terms of getting terrible. to come to Nashville, getting guys to believe. And obviously, Mitchell Green makes people believe in things that, you know, they believe in magic. You can pay them to believe in the magic. Mitchell, you can pay people to believe.

And if they can build an offensive line and defensive line that's aggressive and sound in the secondary, you know, you can find corners and safeties that can play sound football, I'm interested to see how it goes. You know what, Richard, I think after coming from the New York Jets experience, with that being his first head coaching job in such a high pressure environment where I think expectations just are frankly totally unrealistic from that fan base on a year-in-year-out basis, I think he takes a lower pressure job in Tennessee. I think this fan base is fully aware this team needs some time to develop.

they need to get their ducks in a row from a personnel perspective. What Robert Salah is going to bring is new energy. I think his focus has got to be on making sure that defense becomes a force, you know, plays with his identity, similar to what we saw in New York. I think the right move for him, though, is who he's going to hire at OC. Because Robert Salas already mentioned that he's going to have full control of this defense. If he brings in somebody with experience, maybe a friend, maybe a former head coach.

Would that make you feel better about this Tennessee Titans team and this job? We'll see. We'll see. I've been surprised before. He got a five-year deal. I'm thankful for that. Hopefully it's life-changing money for him and his family. But he's going to do a fantastic job.

I think the Tennessee Titans fans, a lot of them don't know Robert Tala and what he brings, but he's going to have your team playing elite defense. You're going to be in just about every game. And if you're young quarterback is who. he's who he's been labeled to be and who he's been advertised to be, you guys will be in great hands. Hey, it's us, the Jonas Brothers, and guess what? We have some big news. What's the news? 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. Oh, 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 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? 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. Hey, I'm Jared Adano. You might know me as that loud guy who yells out, help on the internet. Help! Somebody! Please!

But there's so much more to me than me. I'm an actor. I'm a comedian. And recently, I've become quite the helper myself. And on my new podcast, Hope from a Hypocrite, I'll be changing lives, helping people. in need with my sage advice and thoughtful solutions. Sike, I'm a comedian! I'm not qualified to give good advice!

Join me and my comedian friends as we riff rant and recommend some of the most legally dubious advice known to man. If I'm calling you, even if you're on your phone, let it ring twice. One ring is too scary. Oh, cream a chicken suit, hey, cream, cream a chicken suit. This is help from a hypocrite, the worst advice from the dumb as people you know. Listen to Help from Hypocrite as part of the Mike Cultura Podcast Network available on the IHart

Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Will Ferrell's Big Money Players and IHeart Podcasts presents soccer moms. So I'm Leanne. Yeah. This is my best friend Janet. Hey. And we have been joined at the hips since high school. Absolutely.

Now a redacted amount of years later. We're still joined at the hip. Just a little bit bigger hips. Wider. This is a podcast. We're recording it as we tailgate our youth soccer games in the back of My Honda Odyssey with all the snacks and drink. Sidebar.

Why did you get hard seltzer instead of beer? They had a bogo. Well, then you got it. Do you want a white collar or something here? Just take it. What are y'all doing? Microphones? Are you making a rap album?

Oh, I would. Come on. I would buy it. Go. Go. Go. A hot knife through sponge cake. That sounds delicious.

Oh, you're lucky. I'm not a drug addict. You're lucky I'm not an alcoholic. You are. You are. You're lucky I'm not a killer. I love this. team and I'm really trying to be a figure in their lives that they can rely on.

Oh. Oh. Listen to soccer moms on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Now, this move leads a vacancy at the defensive coordinator position for the San Francisco 49ers. You know, obviously we've seen this play out once and there was a slide back in production from the San Francisco 49ers. So, Richard, I'm going to ask you, and we might have some break. news here on the Richard

Sherman podcast where we might not. We'll see. Richard, I'm going to pose you with a question here. Are you going to throw your hat in the ring for the defensive coordinator position at the San Francisco 49ers? I know we've got a lot of folks that follow this podcast that would love to see it. Clearly, you know football.

You bring a good energy. You know, you're in and around these teams constantly. Richard, when are you going to put your hat in the ring of a coaching job? Because I got to tell you, something you'd seem like a hand in glove fit. Mitchell, God dang it.

You commenced me. I'm about to text guy right now. No, no, no, Mitchell, my hat is not going to be thrown in a ring for the coordinator job for the San Francisco 49ers. I think they're going to go with an established coordinator. I think they tried to go with, you know, hire from within with Nick Sorensen last time and just didn't feel right about how things ended up. A great man, great coach, just didn't work out how they needed it to.

I think they try to get an established. They go out there and put feelers out. If Jim Swartz doesn't get the job with the Cleveland Browns, I'm sure Kyle Shanahan is going to throw everything, including the kitchen sink at him to try to get him in San Francisco. That would be a home run, an absolute grand slam hit if he could get a guy like that in the building. If he can't, I believe Rahim Morris would be a guy that he calls and has a conversation with. with in terms of that job.

Those are some of the names that I know they're interested in that would make a lot of sense. But you just never know how it's going to shake out. There's so many openings, so many things to still be determined, so many things up in the air, so many moving parts and staffs being assembled and phone calls being made because there's so many friends. And, hey, I owe you a favor and I owe you two favors and I owe you three favors. And I don't get involved with all that, but it would be fantastic. if they could get one of those guys.

I've heard the name Flores floated around by the fans. I'm not sure that would work out. I think he gets a head coaching job. He just looks right in Pittsburgh for him. You know, you just see it. I don't know if that's just the Tomlin in me, but I think he makes a lot of sense in Pittsburgh. And I think that's, you know, I know nothing about that process.

I have no internal information, but that would make sense for me from the outside, and so I don't think he's an option, but we'll see. We'll see. I know Kyle is going to do his best to make the right decision and get the right guy in the building that can lead this defense and help elevate it. Gus Bradley's obviously already in that building, a guy that's that that coached me in Seattle in 2011 and 2012 before going on to the Jacksonville Jaguars to be the head coach there, a guy who understands football at a high level, runs a great scheme, runs a sound scheme. I'm not sure it's aggressive enough for what Kyle Shanahan is going to want, but I'm sure

he's going to have a chance at this job and have a chance to interview for my guy, KJ. Wright, the fans want him to get a chance to be a coordinator. I think he's going to get a chance to be an LB coach and get his own room before that. But I know he's going to be a coordinator here soon. No question about that. I don't know if it'll be this year, but in the next couple years, I expect my guy Deshaun Shed, who's been out in Miami the last couple years and KJ. Wright coordinator names you hear around the world. Would love to see. We would love to see that.

In other news, the Buffalo Bills have moved on from Sean McDermott. Are you surprised to see this, you know, play out so quickly? I know expectations were extremely high for Buffalo as they are every year, and it was a heartbreaking loss to the Denver Broncos. But are you surprised at all by Sean McDermott's firing? I'm less surprised by the firing as I'm surprised by the promotion of the GM. Like, that's the part. That felt like one of those situations where if you fire the head coach, everybody got to go.

It's a house cleaning. It doesn't seem like, hey, the guy who's drafted two pro bowlers in six drafts is the one that keeps his job and the head coach goes. Hey, hey, we didn't give you much to work with out there. There's not a lot of talent at receiver. The old line is you got a great left tackle, but a little bang. up. The D-line is, hey, we're trying. The secondary, we put a lot of, we put a lot of draft capital into, but it didn't work out how we wanted it to, but hey, you need to make a

Super Bowl. And when he goes into a meeting with the GM and the ownership group and tell them, hey, you got to help me out here. Like, you're not giving me a championship. This isn't a championship roster. This isn't a Super Bowl roster. I took it about as far as you can expect it to be taken with how it's currently constructed. And they said, what? You're talking about us? Get out of here. And it's just an odd situation. And so I just don't agree with the decision because he's a fantastic coach. His winning percentage says that respect he has for his players. Sure, it's been kind of a cyclical deal with them not getting past a divisional for four of the past five years. And you feel like, hey, they're kind of wasting Josh Allen's prime. But I don't know if he's.

the problem. They don't have enough talent. I honestly would have said if you fired the GM and kept the coach, people would have been like, yeah, I think that's the right call. You need somebody else in there to make better decisions to give them more talent and better personnel. But to give him a promotion just feels like I don't get that. I don't get that at all. And I don't think a lot of the people, the fans in Buffalo get it because it doesn't make a ton of sense. I mean, they're going have to explain what happened and what he's done to earn himself a promotion with the way this roster has looked and the way this team is performed. You're not wrong about that at all.

I mean, I'm surprised as well because Sean McDermott, you feel like, like you said, he's taking the car as far as you can take it and ran out of gas because Brandon Bean hasn't been servicing it enough. We'll see. And I don't know how many other better options are out there. other than Sean McDermott. Who do you think would be the best fit? I mean, when you have Josh Allen,

I think that's really all that matters right now with a prospective coach looking at this opportunity. Who looks right in Buffalo? As somebody who's gone to Buffalo a few times and got to interact with their fan base in the city, you got to almost embody the team within the head coach. Like, you got to have a certain look about you. And the same is true with Pittsburgh and Baltimore.

Unfortunately, Mike McDaniel does not fit those, those teams. It works in Miami. No question about it. I think it could work a lot of places. I just don't think Buffalo, New York, Pittsburgh, and Baltimore are those places that it works. They need one of those grisly, hardened football-looking guys, guys that look like their football guys with the beard and, you know, just crazed look. I mean, it's, they look like football coaches. And that's what I expect them to have in Baltimore, I mean, in Buffalo. They're going to get a football coach who has experience. Richard, before we go, I got to ask, you know, Patriots owner, Robert Kraft was recently

on doing an interview, and he was talking about what the NFL is pushing for the future. He says that the NFL wants to move to 18 regular season games. They want to reduce preseason from three to two games, and ultimately they want every team to play an international game each season. What are your reaction to this? I mean, it's not surprising. It's what they've been saying for years. This is what they've been saying since before we went to 17 games.

And I was in those conversations in that CBA, and they fought their butts off to try to get 18 games. Our players did not accept it. Our players needed more than they were willing to give in order to move to 18 games and taking away a preseason game and doing the small changes that they were doing wasn't enough for us to move that needle. And obviously, I'm not as involved in these conversations anymore, but there's going to have to be a larger concession in order for them to have that. You look at the injuries and the increase in injuries and how many ACL injuries there's been this year to really premium and superstar players throughout the National Football League. And that's what's tough. You look at Nick Bolsa, you look at no further than Patrick Mahomes and what he's dealt with. There's been a lot of guys that have went down this year to major injuries.

And some of, you know, I don't think there's any one particular cause. Everybody's like, oh, man, they need to practice more. They need more, they need to beat up their bodies more and condition their bodies more. Is that the answer? Maybe, I mean, there were injuries before when they were doing two-a-days and stuff. Guys, I understand what fans want. Guys aren't going to go back to that. Guys aren't going to do it.

I'm sorry, they're not going to go back to practicing that way, and coaches aren't going to coach that way. You're not going to have successful teams. I'm sorry, I sound like an old guy, but this generation isn't built like that. And they're not built to practice like that, so they're going to have to find better solutions. and more games isn't necessarily the solution to make this game less injury prone, to make players less injury prone, putting more games on them. And there were a number of things talked about in those meetings. Obviously, they never came to fruition,

but there were talks of having a 16-game limit, which would make it really interesting to coach football games because you'd have to find a way to quarterback the other two games. Mitchell, if every player can only play 16 games, And obviously that didn't end up being something that made its way into the collective bargain agreement. But it was a conversation for a while trying to figure out ways to not put more games and more plays on these players, but still get the revenue and all that. And you just couldn't come up with a scenario where it made sense to play Patrick Mahomes and these guys 16 games. And then the other two games you're playing whoever the backup is and you know they're going to have to play two games.

It makes for a really weird scenario, but you have to do something to protect these players. That's a lot of games and a lot of wear and tear on the bodies and teams that go to the playoffs and play in the wildcard game. That's now 22 games that you could potentially be playing in a year. You know, that's an incredible difference. And that's huge when you talk about the longevity of players and the career length and what you expect to get out of them. So not to go – I'm over talking this conversation, but – But it's something that they're going to keep pushing

and the players are going to have to understand and think about what they're willing to give and what they're willing to accept to give the owners 18 games. You don't have to go into detail, but if I presented you with the option for these teams to have two by weeks, would your mentality shift of going to 18 games? No, it wouldn't change at all.

That doesn't help. I mean, especially what they're saying, every team has one international game. Like those, you know, all the travel, all the, the miles that you're putting on your body in an airplane and trying to get prepared for a game, all that wears on these kids' bodies. And all those things have to be considered. I'm right there with you. It sounds cool on its face, but I think in execution, you're going to be, you know, opening a big can of worms with injuries and just, like you said, Richard, you know, better than anybody. The exhausting level of competition you got to expect to play at all year long, playing upwards of.

the 22 games just sounds ridiculous. Richard, it's always a pleasure sitting down with you, my friend. I will let you sign us off. Well, thank you guys for joining us. This is a crazy time in the National Football League. There's winning, there's losing, there's hiring, there's firing.

But as always, you know, you can get your NFL content here, and I appreciate you. I love you guys. Here's a hug from me. Again, as always, keep those New Year's resolutions. Keep fighting. Keep fighting a good fight. This is the hardest time to keep those new year's resolutions.

This is around the time people start to fold. Don't be one of them. Love you guys. Stay tuned and hit that sub button. 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 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 I-HeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Joey Dardano, and on my new podcast, Hope from a Hypocrite, I'll be changing lives, helping people in need with thoughtful solutions. Sike, I'm a comedian. I'm not qualified to give good advice. Join me and my comedian friends as we riff,

rant, recommend some of the most legally dubious advice known to me. This is Help from a Hypocrite. the worst advice from the dumbest people you know. Listen to help from Hippocrat Wednesdays on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, it's Edwin Castro, also known as Castro 1021. And I'm Conky, his best friend and business manager. And we've got a new show called The 1021 Podcast.

I'm taking you behind the scenes on how I became one of Twitch's most popular streamers. We also love sports. And with the World Cup right around the corner, we'll be breaking down the biggest storylines ahead of the big tournament here in the USA. Listen to the 1021 podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast.

Guaranteed human.