The Herd with Colin Cowherd - The Herd - Hour 3 - Aaron Rodgers is going dark

Episode Date: February 7, 2023

More thoughts on the big game this Sunday Aaron Rodgers is going on darkness retreat   Guest: Ed McCaffreySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

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Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to Learn the Hard Way with your favorite therapist and host, Kear Games. This space is about black men's experiences, having honest conversations that it's really not safe to have anywhere, but you're having them with a licensed professional who knows what he's doing. How many men carry a suit or armor it? It signals to the world that you're not to be played with.

And just because you have the capability that doesn't. not mean that you need to. Listen to learn the hard way on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. Thanks for listening to The Heard Podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday from 12 to 3 Eastern, 9 to noon Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and FS1. Find your local station for the herd at Fox Sports Radio.com

or stream us live every day on the IHeartRadio app by searching Heard. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Ed McCaffrey played for 13 years in the NFL, got to three Super Bowls, two of the Broncos, one with the Niners, and his teams won all of them. Of course, the dad of Christian McCaffrey, he's got four sons, by the way. Let me ask you, because Christian is such a unique player. You were a great receiver. He runs routes like a receiver.

And you know Mike Shanahan, because you played under Shanahan. Did you know instantly when Christian went to the nine, I mean, God, he was there an hour and a half and he was always already productive. Did you know that was going to work as quickly as it did, Ed? Yeah, I knew that he was going to a great organization from Jed York on down, John Lynch, a former teammate of mine, to Kyle Shanahan, and Bobby Turner and at running back coach and Anthony Lynn. So he was going to a class organization with a lot of talents on their team. They had struggled. I think they were three and three at the time, but I think Kittle was banged up.

I knew that if they had everybody healthy, he could really add a lot of value to the team and to the offense. And, man, it was great. I mean, they pretty much went undefeated with him as a starter throughout the rest of the season, right up until they lost the Eagles in just a tragic fashion with Purdy getting hurt, three plays into the game. But he loves his teammates, loves his team.

It was a real good situation for him. Did you, I mean, obviously, I always think Christian's ability to catch, really he's just too fast for linebackers. You were a star receiver. At one point you had three or four straight thousand yard receiving. I remember it well. It was three straight thousand yard receiving years.

So at some point he had to get some of that receiving talent from you. Is it something you worked on a lot early with Christian? Yeah, well, you know, every kid's like this crazy hybrid mix of their parents and have certain genetics. So he got my hands, for sure. He got a lot of Lisa's. Lisa was a soccer player in college. And he got a lot of her quickness and ability from her as well.

But definitely got my hands. And, you know, as a former receiver, I guess that's one thing I could work with him with throughout his career. But he's always had good hands. You know, he does a phenomenal job. And Coach Shanahan does a great job of moving him out at receiver. Actually played as much receivers he's ever played this year, just lining up in the slot. But they had another guy like Debo Samuel who you can line up in the backfield. So I think those are two of the most dynamic and versatile players in the league.

And one of the big challenges defenses have is most of the time they bracket Christian out of the backfield because they don't want to leave them one-on-one with anybody. But now you've got to choose between Kittle, you know, your tight end and Christian. And if Debo's in the game, there's a lot to decipher if you're a defensive coordinator. Three Super Bowls for you. You are also with the Niners and the Broncos. Forget Super Bowls. You're in a lot of big games, a lot of playoff games.

I've had players I've talked to like legendary tough guys. They're like Super Bowl, I was nervous. And I said, Jalen Hertz has not been in one. Mahomes and Reed been in several. Take me to your first Super Bowl, Ed. I mean, you played in big college games, NFL games. Were you nervous?

Were you distracted? Did you sense the anxiety? I think there's a eustress or like a good energy or good nervousness that everyone feels. If you don't have a little bit of butterflies, in terms of excitement. There's probably something wrong with you. But my first Super Bowl was Super Bowl 29. I was backing up Jerry Rice with the San Francisco 49ers and playing special teams.

So I wasn't starting. And I remember feeling that really cool energy going on to the field. But then by the time they were done singing the National Anthem and making announcements, I was almost like, let's go already. I mean, it's taken forever. So it's the longest game you'll ever play in. And I was excited. Had one catch for five yards in the game when Jerry had to come out for a play

and thought I might be going to Disney World, but I had a tackle on special teams. But I remember I wanted just smiling and just being so excited. I mean, that's every player's dream is to win a Super Bowl. I think every player that plays the game dreams of themselves playing in the Super Bowl. I was catching the winning touchdown of my dreams, not making a tackle on the kickoff team. But nonetheless, it was really, really fun.

I was so blessed. What a great team that 49ers team was. And it was so blessed to be part of it. But then followed that up a couple years later, with the back-to-back Super Bowls in Denver, you know, I was prepared for it, and a lot of my teammates were prepared for. We had guys that were free agents assigned with the team

that were, you know, Hall of Fame caliber, all-pro-calibre guys that wanted to be part of something great. Yeah, so you played with Elway and Steve Young. And so, and by the way, those guys were ahead of their time, Ed. They extended the pocket. They were very, I remember watching Elway. There wasn't a lot of Elway in the league. So now Hertz moves.

Mahalms moves. Let's take Mahomes. Do you see any Steve Young or Elway, or is he totally a unicorn 101? No, I definitely do. I mean, we're talking about two Hall of Fame quarterbacks. Those guys were phenomenal. And Steve Young, just a leader, incredibly athletic. I mean, he still might have some rushing records as a quarterback in the league.

And if he was in an offense that obviously ran the quarterback intentionally, you know, he could have played in any system. And then John Elway reminds me a decent amount of, you know, Him and Mahomes are decently similar in that he was incredibly mobile, especially when he was younger. By the time I was playing with him, he was still mobile, and he was missing all the cartilage in his knees. But he was out there competing doing the helicopter. But he also had the rocket arm. And so Mahomes has that combination of mobility and arm strength, where he can scramble around to buy time.

And then if there's someone down the field, he will gun it. Elway did the same thing throughout his entire career. Yeah, no, Elway was remarkable. So you were in, you live in Colorado. So you, we all watch the Denver mess. I was shocked by it. I mean, Russell had been good for four years and then it was just awful. Some of it's coaching, obviously.

When you were watching it, and I threw this out, you're a Stanford guy, you're smarter than me, so I'll throw this out to you. I said this, is that Hackett had an offense in Green Bay, went to Denver, and he brought that offense. but Russell didn't work in that offense, and he kind of stuck with it. And that's what it looked like to me, because I kept asking myself by week three, move Russell, move the pot. Well, what do we do? And they didn't. I mean, when you watched it, it just never got better.

What did you see? Well, you know, I felt sorry for Coach Hackett. I really did. I mean, they lost their star running back in Williams. They lost their left tackle. They lost Patrick at wide receiver. And instantly, you didn't have the team that. you thought you were going to battle with to start the season.

And some of the receivers got banged up throughout the year. They had to shuffle their offensive line. So it was not an ideal situation. You can't just lose a few starters and think things are going to go as planned. So you do need to adapt the script. You do need to find a way to put your players in a position to have success. And, you know, Coach Peyton talked about that a little bit. A little more run game, a little more play action, do some things that helps him out maybe a little bit more.

but no coach thinks they're going to be in it for one year or less than one season and be gone. So I think he got caught in a really tough position where he wanted to install his system and do some things that he was comfortable with and familiar with. And then guys started dropping like flies that wasn't working. And honestly, the expectations in Denver is sky high, man. It's like win a Super Bowl or bust. And, you know, Matthew Stafford, spoiled us, Tom Brady, spoiled us. All you need is a free agent quarterback, right?

That was the talk of the season. Well, we found out that, I don't care how good. a quarterback might help win you a game or two. They're not going to get you to the playoffs or win a Super Bowl. You need a team. Yeah, yeah. Well, we'll see how Sean Payton works. He's obviously a dynamic offensive guy.

I want to ask you finally, Ed McCaffrey joining us, if you could have stayed healthy, and obviously a receiver's career is much different than a quarterback's career. But a player said this to me once about Brady. He said, even if I would have stayed healthy, I just don't know if I wanted to be that committed for 20, three years. That's what I was, that's what amazed him about Brady is that he took hard coaching the off-seasoned. He didn't drink a beer in the season. He's like, that's a lot of commitment.

What struck you about Brady? Is that something that struck you? Or could you have, if you could have run to the very end, would you have played 23 years? Yeah, I think I would have. Back when I was playing, there weren't a lot of guys that took a year off. It was almost like once you're retired, you were kind of done. Yeah. And for me, my body was a wreck. I'd had three surgeries back-to-back-to-back seasons and missed three off-seasons in a row,

had a concussion at the end of my career. And I'm like, you know what? I've got to think about my long-term health here. You know, I'm done. But, you know, had there been the ability like Bronk did where you take a year or too off and come back and play another couple years, I would have probably tried out to see if my body could still do it

because it's a great game. And it's incredible. And you can't play forever. And Tom Brady has busted through so many different barriers, including longevity and being able to play. for as long as you did. Honestly, I'm kind of sad that he retired. I wanted him to keep playing. I was fun to watch. Yeah. So you missed the game. You miss the camaraderie. You miss being out there on Sunday. Don't get me wrong, if you'll excuse the gratuitous plug. I do like being a house husband and being the runner for Lisa and actually on the Your Mom podcast. I'm learning to like this life of eating lunches and working out during the day and taking hot tubs.

But I do miss playing. I still get a little energy. game day. It's just I know how hard these guys work, how much they put in the camaraderie, the brotherhood, the self-sacrifice that you put into this game. It's addicting. I think that's why Coach Payton got back in it. I could see in the broadcast booth in his eye. He had an edge. You could see it, right?

You could tell he was liking it, but something about him wanted to be back on the sideline. And so he's coming back as a coach for another round. But I think a lot of players think, I talked to Steve Young, we mentioned him earlier in the show. It took him three, four years to get used to not playing. And he's still broadcasting.

close to the game, right? Because you spend so much of your life in this sport, it's hard to give it up. Ed, what a pleasure. We wish you the best and your mom podcast with your wife. Say hi to Christian. He's terrific. Been on the show a couple of times. And thank you so much for giving us 10, 15 minutes. Colin, it's been my pleasure. Thank you for having me on the show. Thank you. All right. Ed McCaffrey was a great, great player. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. 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. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Clivert Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media.

Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated.

One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast, it's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me, or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok.

Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down,

and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont, Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so you all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now.

Thank you finishing that sentence. Yes. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. to look back at it on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts,

or wherever you get your podcasts. Yeah, I asked a NFL guy years ago, a corner, and I forget who it was. I said, who was the most underrated player in the league? He said, Ed McCaffrey. He said, McCaffrey was a long strider. If he got ahead of you, it was over. You'd never catch

Ed McCaffrey, who his body kind of fell apart, but was a really, really good player. Simplysafecone.com. 20% off. Keep your home. Safe front yard. Backyard. Great. app as well to check on things when you're out of town. SimplySaveCollin.com. J. Mack with the news. No. No. No. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. Wouldn't be a show if we didn't mention Aaron Rogers. Now would it, Mr. Calhurt? We haven't mentioned him today. I don't think you have. Now, got to get him in the mix.

Okay, I'm not getting him in the mix. You are. Well, you're going to say his name here shortly unless you talk around that. But his future, it's weird. He's got a contract. It's not like he's a free agent and everybody's speculating about his future. So Josh Jacobs, the running back of the Raiders, was asked about the potential of Aaron Rogers replacing Derek Carr next season and said, if he were to come, it would change the aspect of a lot of things. I'm not sure what Josh Jacobs means by that, but Colin, your thoughts on Jacobs, Rogers, Waller. There's a lot of financial things. So they're paying Darren Waller, Max Crosby, Chandler Jones, Colton Miller, Josh, did I say Josh Jacobs. Well, we'll see if they pay Jacobs. I think he's up in the year.

Oh, Devonte Adams. Devonte Adams, obviously. So if you bring in, they have a good backup tight end, so if they moved off wall or they'd have to draft one. But is this a jab ultimately at Carr? Like, we're getting a massive upgrade, you know, without taking a big jab at the quarterback. Um, yeah, I guess it is a little. It's kind of. These guys are getting microphones shoved in their face all week for Super Bowl. Right. And I think guys, some guys are going to pop off and say some stuff they were well and sometimes you inadvertently say stuff i mean if if i was the football player okay you're the reporter you asked me about aaron rogers coming to my team so colin you are a splendid backup tight end what do you think about adding erin rogers to the team

well i mean that and i would change some things that's a headline is that a dig it car that's clicks on social media but that doesn't feel like a dig at car so i again but in reality it would change some things. He's a different quarterback than Carr, right? Yes. You can't win. It's like it's Super Bowl week if you're asked, boy, McIntyre, I don't know about his edition of the show. And you said something and I read it, I'd be like, hey, what are you taking jabs at me for, Coward?

I don't know that Carr is going to reach out to Jacobs and would care. No, I just, I don't think it's anything. Criticism is if the player says, yeah, I mean, Aaron's obviously would take us to places that Derek

couldn't. Then you're naming names. But I think a lot of times, I think we do a bad job in the media making something out of nothing. There's enough. That's half the job description of this stuff. Yeah, there's enough something that we don't have to make nothing something. There's plenty of something. I mean, the Kyrie Irving stuff. That's been three years of something.

Yeah. We don't have to create a nothing out of, like I saw this. A couple days ago, people were banging on, there was a LeBron topic. about scoring and everybody had a bunch of different opinions and I thought like LeBron's when he talked about the scoring thing was it Michael Wilbon or something probably there was nothing in that that was in Cindy but they're trying to pull something out he's just saying it's amazing I never thought of myself it was never like on my thing be the best score ever that's a totally authentic answer it's never I never thought LeBron would be the best score in league history I don't think any of it's

I never even thought of that so but and I'm not again I've done this before too where I've taken something that's nothing and probably made it in something. I got three hours to fill. But I think a Super Bowl week, you're going to be asking a bunch of former players things. Somebody, you want to crowbar your way in to the discussion? You want to be relevant? Say something crazy. An incendiary.

Why don't we go to the next topic, which is kind of incendiary? So the 49ers last week, Shanahan basically said he's seen Joe Scenario where Jimmy Garoppel is with the team next year. But don't tell that to Joe Montana, the Niners legend, who believes the Niners should keep Jimmy Garoppel. Even saying that he should start. Here's Joe Montana. I start Jimmy. Longest time, yeah, the questions were out with Jimmy for a while,

but we've made games for those guys. And, you know, you make a mistake here and there. But some of those things, you know, I don't just put on Jimmy. Yeah, he made crazy throw and mistake in the playoff game a few years ago. But he has won a lot of games. I can't say the same for Trey. You don't know that from them. This is just my thoughts.

You start the guy who's wearing all the games for you. See, I don't think this is crazy. If tomorrow, okay, I'll throw one at you, tomorrow, or after the Super Bowl, the Niners, somebody, Houston says, we're going to give you a fourth for Trey Lance. And the Niners are like, a fourth. A fourth. A third, a fourth. And you do it.

And next year you went in with Garoppolo and Brock Purdy. they're both capable of going on long winning streaks. Trey Lance, we have no idea. You'd go with two certainties. But you'd be selling Trey Lance low because I think they trade it up for. What do you have to do in this league? We all make mistakes in this league. Don't double down on it.

Well, it's not double down it because you've got to then pay Garapolo a ton of money to be your starter. Do you? Yeah. If you have Purdy and Lance, you're paying like nothing for the started quarterback, both on the rookie deals. Garapolo is at least, I know you don't want to believe it. At least 30 to 35 million years. Oh, I'm not paying him that. Stop! That's how it works.

You have to pay him that. They're talking about Derek Carr getting 40 million a year. Derek Carr's better than Gropolo. And he never gets hurt. Are we certain? He never gets hurt. Just on availability, he's worth more. He's worth six to eight more a year just because he never gets hurt.

You're sure Derek Carr's better than in group. Derek Carr leads the NFL in fourth quarter comebacks. Over every other quarterback in the league, Mahomes, Rogers, Stafford, since he entered the league. I'm not saying he's You know, I'd love if he was an inch and a half taller with a bigger arm But he's mobile enough He's accurate He wins late

Why isn't he playing well in the first three quarters Why does he always have to come back? Maybe he's a... Maybe it's because the organization can't draft their way out of a brown paper bag Okay Seven first round picks for the Gruden group Five were whiffs That's that Derek's fault

That's not great By the way JNC consulting I think it's time. Final story. Ah, yes. Now, there's a team we can all talk about. The New York Jets.

Expect it to pursue a veteran quarterback this off season. All right, here are the names. Aaron Rogers, Derek Carr, and Jimmy Garoppolo. However, don't, you know, don't get too concerned about Zach Wilson. Because according to the reports right now, they do not intend. Intend is the key word, to trade Zach Wilson. Okay, I think this is a big mistake. It's a big mistake by Sala.

Here's why. It's not that he struggled. It was bad in the locker room. It was bad in the press. There is a stink. Unfair, unfair. There's a stink around it. If I'm the Arizona Cardinals, this is who I go get.

Kiner Murray is not around the building. Zach Wilson, with a fresh start, with a good coach, let's say he gets Kafka. Can he literally come back out west, mature a little bit. You don't have the New York media. I'll drive him to the airport. You got a brand new head coach. Please. But this didn't work on like eight levels.

It didn't work in a city level, a locker room level, a playing level. Get him out. Let the kids start over. And I think Arizona is where you take him. I'm with you. Now, the art of negotiation, you've got to say this, right? I don't intend to trade Zach Wilson. I don't intend to eat any Girl Scout cookies after work today.

I'm probably going to eat a bunch. So the Jets are probably going to end up trading Zach Wilson. But they cannot come out and say this, right? Probably. Yeah. But this didn't work on a million levels. So if you get Zach closer to home, smaller media, lower expectations with a new coach,

not a coach that has to win or he's out. A lot of heat in New York right now. Like, Salah's got to win some games now. The GM has drafted great except that quarterback. They don't know how to pick a quarterback, and you know that's the most important position in American sports. Yeah. Can't pick a quarterback. I don't know how good you are.

JMAQ with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The herd lie news. It's okay. You just can't in this league, if you make a mistake at quarterback, and people much smarter than me have. Got to move off it. You're like, made a mistake.

Happens. We're done. Like Zach Wilson. It doesn't work football. It doesn't work city. It doesn't work locker room. It doesn't work with this offense. It just doesn't work.

And by the way, you know, play inside, play out west, give him an offensive coach. If Kafka gets the job, he gets an offensive coach, refine him a little bit. No pressure because Kyler Murray can't play for eight or nine weeks. So it's his job. He's not battling Mike White or if they bring in Garoppolo or car. I don't battling anybody. It's his job. Bring him in.

Yours, kid, let's just be positive. Offensive coach, arms around him. Kid, this is yours, you've got a second chance in life. A lot of people don't. I think Zach Wilson could be a better version of what we saw. I just thought New York never, I don't love him, but it won't be that bad. How about that? Won't be that bad.

Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1 and the I-Hard Radio app. Hey, what's up, everybody? It's me, three-time Pro Bowl of LaVore Arrington, and I couldn't be more excited to announce a new podcast called Up On Game. What is Up On Game, you ask? Along with my fellow Pro Bowler, T.J. Hushmanzada and Super Bowl champion. Yep, that's right.

Plexico Burris. You can only name a show with that type of talent on it. Up on Game. We're going to be sharing our real-life experiences loaded with teachable moments. Listen to Up on Game with me, LaVar Arington, T.J. Hushman Zada, and Plexico Burris, on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast from. 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. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media.

Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast. The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment,

and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast, it's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me, or you're just chasing down a dream, This is right where you need to be. Listen to The Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes,

follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam Jek. And I'm Alex English.

Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack, so I'm starting to see that there's a through line.

We also have AIDS on the table right now, so. Thank you for finishing that sentence. Yes. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

New Year, new wireless plan. Go to consumer cellular.com slash the herd. 25 bucks off the package. You can change without changing your phone or number. Okay, so this story, it's different, okay? So I had some streak. I don't go on Twitter enough. Apparently there's a bunch of websites that track how often I talk Aaron Rogers.

I think it's funny. If you watch, I don't care if you like. So hate me regularly, 9 to 2. 9 to noon Pacific, Monday through Friday. So apparently there's a story. I thought I was going to go to the day without talking about Aaron Rogers. But this story just emerged. and Jason McIntosh. I've never seen him cry before, but he was laughing so hard. He was crying.

So just report the story that just came down today. I thought I was going to get through this show, clean, no Aaron Rogers topic. Yeah, we had a good topic set to end the show. Yeah. And I got a text from a buddy with a screen grab saying, Aaron Rogers is one of the Pat McAfee show today, as he does. It's on YouTube. And Aaron Rogers said he's going to be going on a darkness retreat in a couple weeks. I've never heard of that. Okay. So instantly I'm like intrigued. What's a darkness retreat?

According to Rogers, it's four days, complete darkness, just himself in a little house. Aaron Rogers, his quote on the Pat Mac of the YouTube show, I've had a number of friends who've done it and they've had profound experiences. He expects to make some sort of decision after that, maybe about his football future, whether he demands a trade, I'm going to stay in Green Bay. So I was just poking around on the internet. Have you ever heard of a darkness retreat? I have not.

But I've never done ayahuasca and I saw that crew that Aaron was hanging out with. I saw a picture of them. It was a blue ivy. It was a narcissism retreat, but be that as it may. It was a collection of interesting people. According to the internet, which is never wrong, a darkness retreat is like a spiritual journey. A lot of yogis and Buddhists do it. And your training.

for, I don't know what, and adding discipline to your life. And I start thinking a darkness retreat. Like, what is Aaron? We've talked about this. He is a wanderer. He is searching for something. Yeah. The ayahuasca drug is supposed to help you see some clarity.

What is he so unclear about it? I don't know. He, you know, I don't know. So he's a single rich guy, and it does feel like some would argue he's getting a little kookier. A little? Well, every, you know. Any other quarterbacks have talked openly about doing ayahuasca and going on a darkness retreat?

Shouldn't we appreciate his authenticity? Oh, I love it. Great for content, right? Yeah, I mean, I like that he's willing to talk about stuff. It's not terribly relatable, but he's rich and single and doesn't care. He doesn't have kids where sometimes in life I would not necessarily do something thinking, how would that land for my kids? He didn't have to worry about that.

He's not terribly close with his family, according to multiple reports. courts. They've called him out. So, like, he, Aaron is loyal to his friends. That is a large part of his connectivity. Joe Rogan and those. Like, well, whoever it is. He's, he's, he's not terribly close. It sounds like to his family. He's not married, no kid. So Aaron lives in an errand bubble. He's not close with many of his teammates, right? Well, we don't know that he could be. No, no, no, no, no. They've talked, uh, the Romeo Dobbs and these guys talked about, I don't hang out with him outside of this. Well, the young guys, he can't really connect with. Okay. Well, do you think 20, five-year-olds are going on darkness retreats? Well, no. So Aaron, as you get old and rich,

and you're not married, no kids, you're not a lot of sacrifices. Also, the Packers don't have an owner. There's nobody to answer to. He's got far more power than Matt Lafleur or Gundkunkunst. So he lives in a world where Aaron makes decision based on what Aaron wants to do. And so I think he's being authentic to who Aaron is at this stage in his life. He's seeking. I get answers all the time. my wife. Aaron doesn't have that relationship. So I think sometimes as you get older, you're single, you're wealthy, you don't need a lot of other people.

You are searching for things. I don't think it's a bad thing. It feels a little like a Hollywood thing. Yes, it's very interesting. A lot of his friends are Hollywood people and music people. He's an artist. Remember we talked about fun friend, fun guy who wants to go to Vegas and, you know, 3 a.m. He's like, oh, let's at the, you know.

What is Aaron, Ron? Rogers. What guy is he in your crew? Do you have anyone of that ilk who is way into ayahuasca and has ever mentioned a darkness? There's an old joke about Hollywood. People that moved to Hollywood just thought they were too good for their hometown. Sometimes I think Aaron would be kind of the friend that connected on his terms, not readily available. He's available when he wants to be available. Sometimes sort of vanishes from the circle, but that's okay. Everybody's different. There's that that friend can be, you know, can be a very valuable friend. I don't, I don't want to get too deep into why he's doing this. He did say, according to this story, that he would have an answer after this.

I don't think I would like being in a small cabin by myself for four days. I need my dogs. But no, it's not just a small cabin. It's dark. Yeah, I wouldn't like that either. I'm sure the windows are blacked out. I could hang out for a couple days and if I got like a good movie and I could read. No, no. There's none of that in the darkness retreat. There's no TV and books. You're just sitting there in darkness. Now, I'm not, I'm not willing to do that. I'm not willing to do that for an hour. Now, I've got a problem. I am working on trying to meditate more. That apparently is really good. I do that once in a while. Yeah. I like that. What's a heck of a way to end the show. We're going to go into total darkness. I bet you open the show with this tomorrow. I bet you do. I'm to

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