The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Richard Sherman Podcast - Texans-Lions Montgomery trade reaction, Seahawks & 49ers free agency, NFL Combine | Richard Sherman

Episode Date: March 3, 2026

The NFL offseason is heating up, and Richard Sherman is breaking it all down. In this episode, Sherm reacts to the Houston Texans trading for David Montgomery from the Detroit Lions, what it means for C.J. Stroud, and how it alters their playoff potential. He then keeps it real on NFL combine hype, 40-yard dash times, and why tape still matters more than testing for draft prospects. Next, Richard dives deep into the Seattle Seahawks’ free agency decisions involving Kenneth Walker III, Rashid Shaheed, and how paying stars fits under the modern salary cap. Then, the focus shifts to the San Francisco 49ers, Brandon Aiyuk’s future, potential landing spots, and how a split could reshape the NFC. Sherm concludes with the league-wide quarterback carousel, Malik Willis’ next team, Kirk Cousins rumors, and a raw breakdown of the NFL franchise tag debate.Tune in if you're following NFL free agency, trade rumors, draft buzz, and all the biggest football storylines this offseason. All lines are provided by Hard Rock Bet. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an IHeart 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. Every family has its secrets. But what happens when you discover that your dad has been living a double life? That is not the look of an innocent man. Is everyone lying to me about who they are? I felt such desperation. I felt it was what I had to do. Listen to Deep Cover the Family Man 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 dumbest people you know. Listen to Help from a Hypocrite Wednesdays on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcast. or wherever you get your podcast. 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 come in 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 IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. And we're back all offseason long. We're going to give you a free agency, NFL draft,

and everything else that's going on in this incredible NFL offseason. Stick with us. Be here. Hit that sub button if you're new and also notification game so you can be notified when everything's going down. Appreciate you. Welcome back to the Richard Sherman podcast. and this offseason's been kind of quiet, a few franchise tags, a few trades.

But another trade that's happened, the Texans get running back David Montgomery from the Detroit Lions for a fourth round pick, juice Scruggs, and a seventh round pick. This seems to be a move. The Texans felt like they needed to make strength in their running back room. Obviously, David Montgomery grew kind of disgruntled in Detroit just because obviously what Jemir, Gibbs has become, he's become one of the big time playmakers in the National Football League and their true number one running back. And I don't think David Montgomery wanted to rotate, but it's concerning for me if I'm Joe Mixing, because I want to know what's going on with Joe Mixing. Joe Mixon was their captain. One of their best players obviously got banged up. It's still

kind of ambiguous what happened to Joe Mixing. And, uh, you know, what his future holds with the Houston Texans, but they got some insurance with David Montgomery and everything he brings, consistency. He's a good back. He's a premier back and can be a thousand yard running back when he's at his best. And he gets a new home in Houston and a team that runs the ball really well, got a quarterback that's been up and down and had some struggles as playoffs.

but I think it's going to be a really good player in this league, and this only helps CJ shroud in this offense get better. Today's show is brought to you by our presenting sponsor, Hard Rock Bet. Florida's sports book, March is here, and that means college basketball takes center stage. The stakes are rising, the shots are falling, and now's the time to hit the hardwood with Hard Rock Bet. With hoops on every night,

every night is a shot to build a same game. parlay and score a major bucket and if you ever miss tip-off of the big game don't worry hard rock bet lets your live bet all game long from the first bucket to the final buzzer so you're never too late to find a winner or grab that player prop that you had circle sign up today and double your winnings on your first 10 bets max $50 that's right if you would have won a hundred bucks on your same game parlay Make that $200 bucks. The Hard Rock Bet Sports app is the only legal sports book for whenever you're in Florida.

And it's also live in Arizona, Ohio, New Jersey, Indiana, Tennessee, Virginia, Illinois, Colorado, and Michigan. Coming soon to more states too. And look, I played corner my whole life. And even I can't stop what Hard Rock Bet is doing. They're letting promos run wild. You'll find new ones on the app every day. Download the Hard Rock Bet app and make your first deposit. It's Combine season, and I know you guys are watching the Combine,

and everybody's like, oh, my God, what are these guys doing? There's corners running 4-3. There's the linemen doing well. There's linebackers jumping out at the gym. Everybody's falling in love all over again in Combine season. And I love it. Some of these players are going to come on, go on, be really, really good NFL players, but a lot of them aren't. And that's the problem I have

with the combine, and I think it needs to be revamped, and there has to be a better evaluation, because the way they're evaluating, the things that they're valuing don't always translate the way people expect them to translate, and it's leading to people being drafted higher than they should be, and scrutinized more than they should be. And I think Anthony Richardson is a perfect example of that. You know, his college tape, wasn't really that great, but he went out there and had an incredible combine. Then the hype train got a hold of him. Then he was all of a sudden a top five pick, and now he's not panning out.

Now they're giving up on him early because, you know, the issues and flaws that were there in college are still there in the league. And so tape has to matter. And then you're getting receiver prospects not running as well as people thought they were supposed to because I think he might have moved his hand a little early. or whatever it is. But don't get too caught up in the combine is my advice. There will be players that perform well, that go on to have great NFL careers. But a lot of times it's not the fastest guy at the combine.

It's not the guy with the greatest score at the combine. A lot of times it's the guy with the best tape or a combination of both of great tape and a great combine. and those things marry into great football players. But if one of them's missing, be careful, be cautious. Because Sadiq had a great combine, and it looks like, according to everybody, this is going to be the greatest idea to ever play in the National Football League. But it doesn't always work out that way.

And it's not necessarily anybody's fault. It's just football is such a variable game. And those qualities and traits sometimes make for great football players. But football IQ, right situation, injuries, all these things factor in the guys' careers. So that's why I always caution people after a combine because they go from making reasonable picks about, hey, I watch this guy's tape. It looks really good to say, hey, this guy isn't even a first round. Carnell Tate isn't even a first rounder anymore because he ran first round. four, five, and go get the guy that ran four three.

Get the quarterback that's six, six, and ran four three from Arkansas. He can be a receiver. He could probably be a first-round receiver. And it's, it's tough. It's tough. Football is still played by football players on a football field, and it's not a 40-yard dash. It's not a broad jump. It's not a vertical jump.

It's football. And it's still about running and hitting, catching and throwing, possessing a ball, running the football, all the fundamental things. that make this game great. The combine has a place, but they got to adjust it to football, more football-specific things that translate. And what does that look like to me? I don't know. Maybe there's a mirror drill for corners. You know, you try not to make it competitive one-on-ones because that wouldn't make sense. And I don't think guys would sign up for that. But you need things that show the guy's actual football playing strengths. Is there something that,

you can show football IQ the ability to see two to one from a corner, the ability to read motions for safety and call the right checks. You know, things like that, that wouldn't necessarily be the most entertaining for fans, but would be really informative for coaches to see how these players respond in actual football situations that translate. You know, running a 40 doesn't always translate. If you look at the all-time 40-yard dash, how many Hall of Famers are you going to see in the top 10?

Not a ton. Not a ton. A bunch of Hall of Famers are 4-5s and 4-3s and a couple four-threes, and Dion was apparently a 4-2. And I think Darrell Green was a 4-2 day and night. But there's not a ton of guys running 4-2 that end up being a Hall of Famer, 4-3. Now, maybe that'll change in the near future,

but, you know, it just has to change in some way. And that's my personal opinion. That's my two cents about it coming from a guy who went in the fifth round who had an all right combine, but had a great football career. So take with that what you may, take it with a grain of salt, grain of sand. It doesn't matter to me. And it's the offseason, so we got to talk about free agency. We're going to start with the Seattle Seahawks and their own free agents. Kenneth Walker, Jr., the MVP of the Super Bowl, will he be back in the blue and green?

In my personal opinion, I think it's going to be tough. I think it's going to be tough. From the conversation that John Snyder's already had and the things being said on both sides, money's going to be an issue. And the shelf life for a running back isn't very long here, fans. So stay with me and stick with me and try not to get upset with the player here

because for a running back, it's hard to get your money in general. They're still the position that's whose salary is growing the slowest in regards to the salary cap and how it's grown and how other positions. I mean, receivers are making, what, almost $40 million, $40 million now at the top of the top. cornerbacks are going on our approach 35 million offensive linemen 35 million defensive ends for Micah got 40, 43 or so

and I think there's 45 in there so you got to you got to really really have patience with a guy when the team is saying hey we're we're going to offer you potentially single digit a single digit number per year. And there's a likely scenario that he's offered double digits literally everywhere else.

You know, I think the Kansas City Chiefs are desperate for a running back that can be a game changer and dynamic. I think he'd be a huge difference maker in that offense. There's a number of offenses around the league that could use speed and explosiveness at the running back position. And the Seahawks gave a proof. formula that, hey, if you take some of the carries off of him early in the season, he can continue to be productive and strong throughout the off season, I mean, throughout the postseason and throughout late in the regular season. He literally got stronger as he went on later in the year. But right now, the top running back is Sequan Barkley at 20.6 per year

with 36 million guaranteed. Do I think Kenneth Walker will get 20 million a year? No, I don't. But do I think $14, $15 million is not a question for him? Yeah, I think $14, $15 million probably gets it done for a team who wants him, maybe with $35, $38 guaranteed somewhere around there. So I think it's going to be tough for the Seattle Seahawks to really justify paying him when they got to pay Jackson spend.

and Jigba top of the market money. They got to pay. They just paid Charles Cross good money. They paid Abe Lucas. They're going to pay Devin Witherspoon top money. And so you got two guys who are going to take up more than, more than likely, $70, $75 million per season between those two guys. It's going to be tough to retain guys like Kenneth Walker.

And then you go forward and you look at Rashid Shaheed and his situation. situation. I'm not sure he comes back just because of the usage rate that he had with the Seattle Seahawks. Not that he's a number one receiver. Obviously, you got to get a lot of targets to Jackson Smith and Jigba, but he had quadruple the amount of catches with the New Orleans Saints. He had 44 receptions in nine games with the Saints and nine games with the Seahawks during the regular season. he had 15. As a receiver and the way they think and the way they're built, you got to touch the rock.

And a guy who was used to touching it a lot more is going to want to touch it a lot more. And it may be more valued other places. Other teams may look at him and say, hey, we know what you can be. We know how explosive you can be and may offer him more money than the Seahawks are willing to pay him just because of the explosiveness that he's shown

both in the return game and as a receiver with New Orleans. Now, he showed some of it with the Seattle Seahawks, but it just seemed disconnected for some reason, in my opinion. I don't know if Kubiak just didn't feel like he wanted to take those targets away from JSN or if he wanted to break the offense up like that. But in the playoffs, you saw it, how explosive he could have been. obviously Christian Gonzalez made an incredible play in the Super Bowl, but that would have been another explosive.

He had an explosive in the NFC championship game early. I think it was first drive of the game. Explosive pass to start that game and put the Seahawks in scoring position. So he shows he can get it done. The issue that I think for the Seahawks is he got there in the middle of the season. he didn't have time to grow a rapport and people don't understand how important training camp he is in a receiver building a rapport with quarterback

and so they didn't jail like they probably would of if they would have had the full off season. Now, what is his price tag going to be? And that's the one I really can't pay. How are people categorizing him? Because even number two receivers in a national football league, Not that he's T. Higgins, but T. Higgins is that $25 million a year? So as at number two, it's still, I mean, it may be approaching high teens for a guy like Rashid Shahit, potentially.

I don't know, especially with the return game as a factor. He's not a bad receiver. And I know people are like, he hasn't put up crazy numbers. He's been on some New Orleans teams that haven't necessarily been great. and he's been on them consistently. And he does have a huge impact in the special teams game, which he's shown. He won at least three games for the Seattle Seahawks this season with his return game.

I think I want to say the first, the second Rams game is the one that comes to mind. He had a huge punt return for a touchdown that really turned the momentum in that game and brought the Seahawks roaring back and started their comeback, being in that game. And I think that value can't be understated. But again, I don't think the Seattle Seahawks really make a huge play for him. I think, you know, even if he doesn't come back and play another down with the Seattle Seahawks, the impact that he made during the Super Bowl season is profound.

I think he was worth the trade. I think John Snyder made an incredible move. And I think everybody's happy in that. I think the Seahawks are happy. I think New Orleans is happy. I think Rashid Shahid is happy. I think the Seahawks fans are happy. everybody wins, but I don't think with how free agency can go and how the bidding wars can go,

I don't see John Snyder getting involved in a bidding war for Rashid Chaheed unless Rashid is just like, hey, I want to come back to Seattle and I'm willing to take a lot less than these people are willing to give me. And that's not usually how it goes, people. I'm sorry, it's not. But potentially, and especially for a guy who hasn't made a ton of money, it's not like he's coming off of huge deals and he's gotten big-time. paydays and he's like, hey, I made my money.

I'm just trying to win and be consistent. These guys got to make as much money as they can while they can. I know everybody's always happy to hear team friendly and things like that. But in this day and age, in this economy, it's hard to be team friendly, baby. The salary caps at $300 million. And for a running back who may have, you know, 6, 6, 7, maybe 8 good years, in him to take our team friendly deal that'll take him four or five million dollars a year off of what he could potentially make in the in the in the free market I don't think

he's going to do it but those are the big ones for the Seattle Seahawks a well-built wardrobe is about pieces that work together and hold up over time that's what Quince does best premium materials thoughtful design and everyday staples that feel easy to wear and easy to rely on even as the weather shifts. Quince says the everyday essentials I love with quality that last. Organic cotton sweaters, polos for every occasion, lighter jackets that keep you warm in the changing seasons. The list goes on and on and on. Quince works directly with top factories and cuts out the middleman so you're not

paying for brand markup, just quality clothing. Everything is built to hold up to daily wear and still look good season after season. Plus, they only partner with factories that meet rigorous standards for craftsmanship and ethical production. The cashmere pants I got from Quince are really helping me stay cozy during these cold weather here in Michigan. They're warm, well-made, and look much more expensive than they actually are. Gashmir, huh?

Very much. Very much, so, Richard. They are straight, 100% cashmere, and they look freaking awesome. I love a little cashmere myself. Get your wardrobe sorted and your giftless handled with Quince. Don't wait. Go to quince.com forward slash Richard for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns. Now available in Canada too.

That's Q-U-I-N-C-E dot com forward slash Richard. Free shipping and 365-day returns, quince.com forward slash Richard. for the San Francisco 49ers. Obviously, the conversation is going to be about when they release Brandon Iuk. I think that it's been clear at least late in the season and throughout the season that as soon as they can get rid of him, they're getting rid of him. Where he goes, I'm not sure. I'm not sure how his market goes. He hasn't played in a while.

Nobody has seen him. If he's healthy and he's moving well. I'm sure teams will work him out and see, and if he looks good, and if they can get a good feel for him, you know, I still think he's on a one-year prove-it deal for potentially the Washington commanders because he's been rumored there for a number of reasons. Adam Peters said he loves the player. He loves the person, can't comment on the player at the combine. So there's a relationship there, obviously.

He came from San Francisco. there's a relationship with Jaden Daniels. And so that that's an obvious spot that people think he lands. There's a lot of places that need receiver help. And, you know, at his best, he could play. He can move well. He can catch the ball in traffic. He's a good receiver.

Obviously, things didn't end well in San Francisco. And so it's to be seen, to be seen. You know, it's a unique situation that we, haven't seen very often where a guy kind of goes MIA on the team who's getting paid $30 million a year and says he doesn't want to play for that team anymore. And the team says, hey, we don't understand, but we're going to take your guarantee. It's just an odd situation, unfortunate situation, but we'll see how it plays out. Juan Jennings, could he potentially get a nice, nice, Chuck, $15, $16 million deal similar

to what we were talking about for Rashid Shahee, no question about it? There are some teams out there that would pay him that kind of money, and he deserved it. He can play football at a high level. He's played big in the biggest games. He would have been Super Bowl MVP, had San Francisco 49ers beat the Kansas City Chiefs a couple years ago. A guy that does things the right way, plays hard, plays through injury, tough player, great hands, just does things the right way. So I expect him to get his payday, deservedly so. could he potentially come back to San Francisco?

Yeah, but I think it's a long shot. I think it's a long shot. Another guy that's been linked to the San Francisco 49ers, Mike Evans, I don't really see that happening. He says he needs to go to a place with these criteria. It was QB he believes in, chance at a Super Bowl, top shelf offensive coordinator, high-value touches. Now, San Francisco checks off a lot of those boxes, but the high-value touches, I think he's going to have a hard time finding in this National Football League just because of the point he's at in his career and the criteria that he's looking for.

A QB you believe in and a chance at a Super Bowl, top shelf offense as a coordinator, those are, there are only a few places with all those things, and you're usually not getting high-value touches when you get there. I think Kansas City Chiefs are a destination that makes sense for him. But again, high value touches. That's debatable. And then Patrick Mahones is coming off a major knee injury. I'm not sure. I'm not sure if that would make sense for him with Patrick Mahones, not with the uncertainty surrounding Patrick Mahones right now.

Do you believe in C.J. Stroud and what he's put on tape? You know, is he a guy that you think is a QB that he believes in? I can't answer that question, but a defense that gives you a chance at a Super Bowl. You know, is it a top shelf offense coordinator? You know, to be debated. Could you get high-volume touches? Not really with Nico Collins there. You know, Nico Collins is there.

He'll get most of the touches. You guys are kind of a similarly built receivers. But it'd be a match-up nightmare for defenses for sure. The other really good quarterbacks in this league is Buffalo a chance. chance for you at a Super Bowl, I'm not sure. I think their best chance was last season when none of the quarterbacks were there. There was no Lamar Jackson. There was no Patrick Mahomes. There was no Joe Burrow in the AFC. And you would have thought that's the year that Josh Allen could make it to the Super Bowl. He made it to the AFC championship or he made it to

the divisional. And it most be, you know, it was controversial how it went down. We're not going to argue and relitigate that game. But probably should have made it to the Super Bowl that season. And Bo Nix gets hurt at the end of that game, and the rest is history. But I also think the Seattle Seahawks and the 49ers, I mean, they all could be in play here, but it just depends on the kind of money that he's willing to take and taking a bit of a backseat. You know, those teams have established guys.

What, 49ers don't have an established guy. He'd be the established guy there. it's just not a lot of targets going to be coming his way. And Kyle Shanahan kind of spreads the ball out. Whoever's open, he's not really focused on one receiver. And I think that was one of the things that kind of rubbed Brandon I. You threw it wrong way is, hey, I'm not being featured in a way I thought I should be featured, and I'm going to be a little frustrated with that.

And that's just how they run offense. You know, it's productive. It's winning football, but it's not receiver-friendly necessarily. but those are the places I think he could potentially go. He could also potentially go back to Tampa Bay if things aren't perfect. If things aren't ideal elsewhere, I think he can come back to Tampa Bay and things be fine. Another big time free agent might be the biggest free agent this offseason is Malik Willis. It seemed like LaFleur did a great job of fixing the issues that he had.

And Malik Willis responded well, really productive and efficient in the time. that he was out there and had a chance to play the last couple seasons. The potential landing spots for him are Arizona with the uncertainty of what they're going to do with Kyler Murray. They're trying to trade him. The only problem with trying to trade somebody is there got to be somebody willing to trade for him is that is Kyler Murray a player that a team wants to sign up for? I think that all depends on the price tag and how much compensation they're going to

They're going to want to trade for him. Obviously, he's a really explosive player, been productive in this league. But there's a lot of uncertainty surrounding his preparation, you know, his leadership ability, the kind of team AEE is, things like that that make it risky for a team to say, hey, we're going to invest in a second or third round pick for a guy like that. But who knows? This league is kind of crazy in that way. the Dolphins, Jeff Hathley, who was the defense coordinator in Green Bay where Malik Willis was. They're moving on from Tuatunga Vailoa. It's a conversation that we've heard, obviously trying to trade for him,

unlikely to trade a quarterback with that kind of price tag, who hasn't necessarily been seen as successful outside of Mike McDaniels system. Maybe there's a team that says, hey, we can do something with that. We don't have a quarterback right now, and we can make something to shake with that. But I don't see a team trading for his salary and making him a franchise quarterback right now. Obviously, Mike McDaniel is now in L.A. with the Chargers and Justin Herbert and going to try to work his magic with him. But could Malik Willis go with Jeff Halfley to the Miami Dolphins and get a payday? I think so.

I think him understanding what he has and what he was able to do and how he functions in his offense, him going with his offensive coordinator, having the same offensive coordinator from Green Bay with him in Miami helps out. And I think that's an ideal landing spot for him. Obviously, there's talent. And I mean, they're getting rid of Tyree Keel, which is a little bit crazy, which changes the dynamic of that office dramatically. but I think Jeff Hathley is going to do a great job putting together a really good defense, having a good playing, a good running game, and Devin A Chain, and they'll get more receivers. I'm sure they'll draft well, and they'll be more competitive than they were this year.

And if they give him the same kind of guard rails that he had in Green Bay, he could be successful. He was efficient, he was smart, he made plays with his legs, made the right plays with his arms, pushed the ball down the field. So I think there's a potential marriage there for Malik Willis. Other potential release rumors, people are saying Aaron Jones is potentially out in Minnesota, Javon Hargraves as well, Gino Smith with the Raiders, Kirk Cousins, with the Falcons, with the Cardinals, all those make sense. Some of them for cap reasons, some of them for performance reasons.

Kirk Cousins didn't pan out the way people probably thought he should have in Atlanta. I thought it was a crazy move when they drafted a quarterback in Pinnock at nine overall and paid him $50 million. I thought that was a disastrous move. Now they're potentially getting rid of Kirk Cousins and saying Pinnock's may not be the answer in Atlanta. That's kind of crazy. That's kind of crazy. That's just a disaster.

But that's how the general manager loses his job. job and the head coach loses his job because of a decision like that, which is, which is inevitable if that doesn't go the way you think it should go. But one weird crazy thing that I think could potentially happen if the San Francisco 49ers trade Mac Jones, which I think is unlikely unless a team is just desperate and a team like the Minnesota Vikings who have uncertainty at the quarterback spot say, hey, we're going to make Mac Jones our guy and we're going to go all. in for him and we believe

a high second round pick in the player is that enough? Depends on the player I guess or a high caliber player for a Mac Jones I think to San Francisco 49 just move him

for a really high price, something that they just can't say no to, an offer they can't refuse. I think that's the only way they get rid of Mac Jones but if they do get that offer and they do move on for Mac Jones, and send him to Minnesota or New York, I think Kirk Cousins is a viable option. And anybody who's followed Kyle Shanahan or followed Kirk Cousins knows that there's

symbiosis and there's a good relationship there. And I think Kyle would feel very comfortable with Kurt Cousins as the backup to Brock Purdy going forward. If they happen to lose Mac Jones, obviously these are a lot of what-if scenarios. but I think that's a situation that should be watched if Mack Jones does get traded and the San Francisco 49ers get an offer they can't refuse. It would make sense on all fronts, not that, hey, Kurt Cousins is going to ask for a ton of money. Kirk Cousins is made a ton of money. He's Hall of Fame in that regard, Hall of Fame moneymaker in the National Football League,

and in the business of football, as they say. But I think that the way Kyle Shanahan works and how highly he thinks of Kirk Cousins and how well Kirk Cousins is played under Kyle Shanahan, I think that's a situation that would make sense. He's also played well under Kevin O'Connell for those few years that they were together. It makes sense to me.

And I think it will make sense to Kyle. And obviously they think a young quarter, would be in the mix somewhere in there, but I think he always wants a veteran backup that if things go awry, like they did last season, obviously they would never want this scenario that they had last season where Brock Purdy misses the amount of games that he missed. But if they did, they want a competent backup that could come in there

and still win them games and keep him on track, and that's what Mac Jones was able to do. And I think they would think that Kirk Cousins, obviously, Kirk Cousins struggled last year. Let's not forget that. But within Kyle Shepard, Sandahehan system, I think he would feel comfortable with him. So, I mean, you guys can feel how you want about Kirk Cousins, but I think Kyle Shanahan

likes him. I think, you know, if Mac Jones is gone, that's a feasible move for Cal Shanahan. That makes sense for a low price. I don't think Kirk's going to be looking for a ton of money. But he is a guy that is familiar with something we're about to talk about. And that's the franchise tag because Kirk was under a lot of franchise tags and made a lot of money doing it. And there's been a lot of discourse about the franchise tag this all season. George Pickens just got franchise tagged. Kyle Pitts got franchise tagged. Are those good moves?

I think those are great moves. And different players react different ways to it. It seems like George Pickens is excited about it. I would expect Kyle Pitts to be excited about it. I mean, it secures you with that team, continues the negotiation, shows the team values you. But it's a weapon for teams to keep guys and to prevent guys from getting their free agency. And I hear so many people out there saying, oh, man, the NFLPA, you got to get rid of that. And they got tricked. And every time that lives on, they're getting, they're getting tricked into a deal.

No, they're not. Like, you know how leverage works? Let me explain to you something. In order for the NFLPA, which is the players, which is the players, there are players negotiating these deals to get rid of the franchise tag, the players would have to be willing to show the NFL and the 32 owners of these teams that they are willing to exercise their ultimate like emergency nuke button. And that's missing games.

Show solidarity that, hey, we will change the whole lands. of all your TV deals and everything you do by collectively coming together and deciding, hey, we're not going to show up one Sunday. That's pretty much it. Outside of that, what leverage do the players have? And I was a part of the NFLPA and I was a part of these negotiations and I set in these meetings with the owners back and forth negotiating CBAs. What leverage do you have for a group?

that is getting paid either way. They have negotiated these TV rights deals and with these with these networks where the networks are going to pay them and then the money's going to be split with the players. So in order to harm them, like they got they got money in hand and the players do not.

The players need the money to be paid by those people with the money in hand. And that's why the collective bargaining agreement is there. And maybe college needs to move to a version of that. But that's a story for a different day. But in order to take something like the franchise tag away from teams who really value it, and it only affects four or five, maybe six guys a year, if that, you know, on a high year. It's not affecting.

It's not in a league of 2,100 players or so, or 25, depending on the time of the year, something that affects six is going to be a hard thing to sell to the other 24, 2496 or 2494. Like, you can't sell something that doesn't affect the majority of the players. And you could say, oh, it affects everybody because it limits how high the top get paid. No, it doesn't. Because guys get to free agency. and a lot of these guys negotiate before they ever get to free agency,

really high deals. But again, if the players felt that strongly about it, then they would say, hey, guys, we got to come together and we got to change this. And we got to, we got to exercise our right and show them that, hey, we could come together and work together as one, one mind, one word, one team. And that would show the left, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, owners, hey, these players aren't to be messed with. Hey, we got to, we got to negotiate that way.

Hey, they, they are our partners. And the league for the most part, to their credit, negotiate that way. They move that way. Like, they negotiate their deals with, I, it's a fair. I guess nobody's always happy. Everybody's not always happy. But they negotiate deals that, that work, nobody's happy at the end. Nobody's too happy about how things went.

Nobody's too frustrated about how things went. But in order for the players to move the owners off of the spot that they're on, which is an immense amount of leverage that they have because they don't believe the players will shoot the bullet they have in their gun. And if you're negotiating with no bullets in the gun, then it's a tough negotiation to have. So every time I hear people say, oh, the players should get rid of the franchise. tag. Players should negotiate. They're doing a bad job because they won't get rid of the franchise

tag. Explain to me how they do it. Please, please, as somebody who's been in those meetings, it doesn't go how you think it goes. And it's easy to speak from your couch or from in front of your screen. You know, it's not easy to speak when you're sitting there negotiating with them and you're going back and forth and you're arguing and you're sitting there going back to your players having conversations with them and they're not agreeing and they're saying, hey, I don't want to miss games. I don't want to miss checks. I can't afford to do that. I'm not doing that. We're not doing that. I want to just sign a deal. Like, it's much different conversation that people think it is. So I just, I, I, that discourse just gets frustrating to me because it's not rooted in in facts

fundamentally. It's not something where, where they, people understand the dynamics between the, the NFL and the players and, and something is missing internally. where there's, oh man, they missed this great point. No, they didn't. No, they didn't. The only person that missed the point is the people not in the room, the people that don't understand the leverage points in this. So at the end of the day, that's where I stand on it.

I know it's not the most fun point, but it is what it is. The franchise tag isn't going anywhere. The league will not let it go anywhere, and unless something drastically changes in that regard, it is what it is, and it's just a necessary evil that the players got to deal with. and that's fine.

But that's the end of my show. As always, I appreciate you joining me. You could be anywhere in the world, but you're here with me, and I greatly appreciate it. Thank you so much. As I said before, stay tuned for off-season news. We're going to have a couple guests this week. It's going to be a fun off-season. We're going to finally have a few of those Broncos on to see what they're talking about with this whole secondary debate.

That really isn't a debate at all. See you next time. 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. 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. Every family has its secrets. But what happens when you discover that your dad has been living a double life?

That is not the look of an innocent man. Is everyone lying to me about who they are? I felt such desperation. I felt it was what I had to do. Listen to Deep Cover the Family Man on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Joey Dardano. on my new podcast, Hope from a Hippocrat, 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 a Hypocrite Wednesdays 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 part of you. You just understood. That's how personal it got. Wow.

Then after that Game 7, 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 IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an I-Heart podcast.

Guaranteed human.