Free Agency Day 4 Recap and Teams We Want to See More From

00:00:05
Speaker 1: Welcome to NFL Daily, where we just asked Siri, what phase of free agency is it when we're leading the show with Mason Rudolph. I'm Greg Rosenthal. I'm here in the Chris Westling podcast studio with my friend Patrick Clayban.

00:00:19
Speaker 2: It's it's the it's the phase where Aaron Rodgers' ears start to perk up.

00:00:22
Speaker 1: It's like, Okay, now it's my time. There's too much attention going to other people.

00:00:26
Speaker 2: But when Mason Rudolph is leading the show, yeah, Aaron's like, Okay.

00:00:29
Speaker 3: Maybe it's Tom.

00:00:30
Speaker 1: That's not a great tease for this show. But and yet this show is gonna be fantastic because we're gonna hit there's a decent amount of news. I just find like that Steelers quarterback situation interesting, so I decided hilarious. Yeah, hilarious would be another. Depressing would be another way to describe it, Embarrassing, a lot of a lot of different ways you could describe it. So we're gonna hit the news. There's definitely less of it here, and we're gonna listen to some sound of some players in new places, and then we're gonna get you out of here by telling some teams. We want a little more from them. They've just been a little too quiet. That feel like some holes are out there.

00:01:07
Speaker 2: It's almost the converse of because you debuted, you better be right on Insiders this week, where we chatted decisions.

00:01:15
Speaker 1: That you better be right about you better be right, better be right about Sam Darnold.

00:01:19
Speaker 3: Yeah, you better do something. Yes, what we're doing.

00:01:22
Speaker 1: We don't even have something to say. You better be right to these teams. They haven't done anything. Do something. At least the Seahawks are. They were bold, Yeah, like you can. I don't remember who else I said they better be right. The Cowboys for just kind of not really doing a lot. They would fit in this segment as well. But let's start the news with Mason rudelf. I just I just think it's funny we're at the backup quarterback situation and he signed on Thursday for two years, eight million dollars. He played pretty well whenever he got the chance for the Steelers over a long stretch of being their second and third receiver, I mean third quarterback, and his carved out himself a nice little career. Was definitely better than Will Levison Tennessee. For what it's worth last year, although didn't look as good the longer that he played, which happens with Mason Rudolf. But the reason I'm leading is just like, what does this mean, Patrick? Does this mean there's less of a chance center of Aaron Rodgers? Is Russell Wilson potentially competing with Mason Rudolph. What are the chances of Mason Rudolph week one? Starter?

00:02:23
Speaker 3: I would have to.

00:02:24
Speaker 2: Think that maybe russ coming back would supersede Mason Rudolph week one. I think Mason Rudolph is a signing that you can do either way. Yeah, But the ultimate thing it's a sign of is how being in the Aaron Rodgers game can set your season development back purely because you're having to wait and make decisions with this big unknown that and you don't know what he's gonna want to do once he decides to sign, right, So if you're in that game, you put yourself in this situation where like, yeah, you got to sign Mason Rudolph for an X amount of money, which I guess we get the backup quarterback value, Like so Daniel Jones is worth Rudolph plus Johnny Hecker or something like that. That's how you get into the backup quarterback range. But yeah, it's it's makes some Rudolph on February, I mean on March thirteenth.

00:03:10
Speaker 1: Yeah, it's it's not a big deal. And yet while they wait for Rogers, it just it just strikes me how did they get into this position? And I do think there is absolutely fair criticism that Mike Tomlin and their GM now Omar Khan and going back to their last GM Kevin Colbert, don't know how to build an offense that's consistently productive enough. It's just I mean, you have a Hall of Fame quarterback, you do, and this is true of a lot of franchises. But they just haven't had a clear idea for them to be sitting here just waiting for Rogers to throw up the bat signal.

00:03:48
Speaker 2: Yeah, eventually it would happen on accident, right like we have tho we had the hot Joe Flacco stretch in Cleveland. Sure, Like what period of Steelers offense these past four years? Have we really seen an offensive explosion?

00:04:01
Speaker 1: Yeah?

00:04:01
Speaker 3: You can.

00:04:01
Speaker 1: You can go all the way back to twenty nineteen. I would say when it was sort of the end of Big Ben, when Mason Rudolph actually played quite a bit for them. Kevin Stefanski, I think, does know how to build an offense. Actually, I don't know if the entire organization does. They they've brought in the wrong personnel, not just that quarterback, but like, if you put Kevin Stefanski as the offensive coordinator for Pittsburgh, I think you could fly and we'll see. I think the chances of Mason Rudolph starting Week one are thirty seven percent. I think it's higher than people.

00:04:33
Speaker 3: That's a dangerous number.

00:04:35
Speaker 1: Maybe that's if Aaron Rodgers doesn't come back, I mean, doesn't choose Pittsburgh, which I have to think the longer this goes on, he is just seeing if there's any chance that Minnesota will take him, because we keep seeing these national reporters saying, well, Minnesota's They've talked about it a little, they're kind of considering it, and clearly it's the best option if he was given a chance to start in Minnesota. Between Pittsburgh, New York and Minnesota. There is reporting that offers are on the table for Rogers from Pittsburgh and New York, so it's not the team's waiting around. They've offered him a contract, I just have it. If I just think he looks at Minnesota's like, is there anyway I can get in there? Maybe that's it? Or you just think he wants to dominate the new cycle.

00:05:18
Speaker 2: Well, well he did wants to dominate the new cycle regardless, right, as you pointed out, this week, he starred in a reality show about himself titled Enigma. This is a person And again, like I'm on TV, like I'm okay with things I say and do being disseminated. I like attention. I think Aaron Rodgers likes it a little bit more than I do, and so it doesn't hurt. I don't know if it's basing his entire process off it. He may just not care about the implications it means for other people.

00:05:43
Speaker 1: Right right, And I've thought, Look, I live in Santa Monica. PCH is closed for the most part to non residents above Intrata, which is just about a mile from a house that go running down there. So I don't know if I have access to go up to PCH, but I could. If Rogers just walking back and forth on the beach in Malibu, I could probably find them. It's what it says twenty seven miles of you have unencumbered beach or whatever, like, that's not that long. You can see it all from the road.

00:06:17
Speaker 3: Yeah, I don't.

00:06:18
Speaker 1: I don't really think he'd be out there very long. Oh he's not just yeah banging because you.

00:06:23
Speaker 2: Know those familiar with the you know, the Bay of Los Angeles, you could almost see every spot from.

00:06:28
Speaker 1: What I'm saying, the other spot, that's what I'm saying. I could go find him. Maybe he's he's lower. Most of the people don't live way up there, but maybe he does. Who really knows. Let's stick with the quarterbacks, even though these aren't the biggest stories. I just like for the sake of the show, keeping them together. Kyle Shanahan finally got his guy. Melra Jones is a San Francisco forty nine.

00:06:45
Speaker 2: Er Destiny I saw Ian ask like what the universe would be like in the Butterfly Effect where he did get mac.

00:06:51
Speaker 3: Jones and not Trey Lance.

00:06:52
Speaker 1: It's pretty nice.

00:06:53
Speaker 2: I think we'd be in the same exact scenario, except mac Jones would currently be like a former Cowboys quarterback.

00:06:58
Speaker 3: Like, I don't think anything would have changed.

00:07:01
Speaker 1: Wait, mac Jones drafted by the forty nine ers.

00:07:04
Speaker 3: Go ahead, Yeah, go ahead and flip flop both of them. Okay, I don't think anything changes.

00:07:08
Speaker 1: I think because Kyle Sheanahan is incapable of not helping his quarterback get seven yards per attempt, like that's the baseline, maybe even seven point four, that they would have had a modicum of success and he would have had a better career overall. But he would be an X forty nine er by this point because he would have shown himself to be Mac Jones.

00:07:32
Speaker 2: Yeah, he would have been far more successful because that forty nine ers team was very good.

00:07:36
Speaker 1: Right.

00:07:36
Speaker 2: I think the reason that Brock Party is about to get this money is because we would finally not see somebody have that success like with this edition of the forty nine ers. Yes, I don't think you could just plug any old person in and have seven yards per attempt anymore.

00:07:50
Speaker 1: Right, But maybe Brock Party doesn't get signed. Ye, maybe it's still all all happens. I'm out there having said when Jones had that rookie season, after that year, I would take him long term at that point over Russell Wilson, which for like a minute looked like a pretty good tape take, and then went back to a bad take and now it's just kind of an irrelevant take. But if mac Jones is ever gonna fulfill his destiny and get back to the player he was as a rookie, which was like pretty solid, It was pretty solid. It was it was a guy who was going to have a long career, which after his last year in Jacksonville, was not convinced was gonna happen. So Kyle Shanahan can try to help him out. The Titans also signed a quarterback. It's Brandon Allen. But I put this in the news because it supports my growing suspicion, based on nothing other than logic, that they will take cam Ward number one overall. And I think if you're taking Cam warrener overall, cam Ward number one overall, are what are the types of moves you might make in free agency? How about at quarterback where you have no one? How about nothing except signing Brandon Allen? Isn't that what you would do?

00:08:56
Speaker 3: Yeah?

00:08:56
Speaker 2: Probably, you know, get Kevin Zeidler in right, sure, operate things such that you know, Dan Moore is a body that plays a position.

00:09:07
Speaker 3: Right, you have fifty.

00:09:08
Speaker 1: Million dollars guarantee because other teams are trying to sign him. The Titans weren't the only one.

00:09:11
Speaker 2: So so if we say, hey, paying fifteen million dollars to a player on the offensive line, these are all moves that I would make if I was going to draft cam Ward number one, I'll probably do some more stuff.

00:09:22
Speaker 3: But why, you know, why push it?

00:09:24
Speaker 1: I think Brandon Allen is actually the biggest signifier of any moves they've made, because I really believe eight you would have either brought back Rudolph or you would have been aggressive in the Jamis Mariota like someone that would be a real bridge option, and they just didn't go that route. They went with a guy who's a career number three who would kind of make sense as a backup if they end up dumping Will Levis, And that to me, I really, I really think kme Ward is by far the best quarterback in this draft. Why would the Titans not take that quarterback? And I think I think it's hitting that, Yeah.

00:09:59
Speaker 2: You have a two in place, there's no reason like the value for him elsewhere unless somebody's really taking a flyer on the potential of Levis at this point, Yeah, you go ahead, sign a three, You draft your one problem solved.

00:10:12
Speaker 1: And I would guess if that scenario happens, will Levis is traded for a fifth round pick in August. It's like something like that.

00:10:18
Speaker 3: I mean, fifth will be nice.

00:10:20
Speaker 1: They take a five, right though, would they? I mean will Levis Isn't you got a chance with will Levis at least to have a career. I mean, if Blaine Gabbert lasted ten plus years. There are guys who figure it out a little bit, that have physical talent that you know.

00:10:34
Speaker 3: I just mean relative to the value of other trades.

00:10:36
Speaker 2: Fair five feels like like they'd run up to be.

00:10:40
Speaker 1: Like, yeah, yeah, thatay, okay, you're probably right. Here's our Cooper Cup date of the show. We didn't mention on Wednesday show with Nick Schook that officially Cooper Cup is a free agent. He is on my top one oh one. He's in the seventies. I think he's a role player. I have him ahead of Keenan Allen, for instance. I had him behind Mike Williams, who will get to in a second. His market, according to our insider Ian Rappaport, is about eleven to twelve million dollars a year, so I think that supports what I'm saying, like, that's a little above where Diami Brown in two two out, Well got that's a that's a number three receiver type of guy. Ian mentioned three teams specifically. He said the Seahawks, which there's been a lot of buzz about, feels like they might be the favorites, the Texans, who have a former RAM staffer, Nick Kyley, taking over the offense, and the Jaguars, who have a former RAM staffer as the head coach and as the GM. Is there anywhere you would you would like to see Cooper Cup?

00:11:38
Speaker 2: Well, initially when the story first drop, I'm thinking Baltimore Raven Cooper Cup where And I know the idea that people see if Cooper Cup is him in motion and it's shocking a defensive end before like coming back into the route. I want to see less of that from Cooper Cup at this stage of his career, just running routes, getting open, just being able to do the traditional things, which is why I kind of want him out of the McVeigh tree and like.

00:12:07
Speaker 1: The Ravens don't happen after that Hopkins move, Yeah, that's like you only have one of those. Probably, I guess you'd never know there hasn't been any buzz, but it just feels like you have one of those slots and they filled it with DeAndre Hopkins.

00:12:19
Speaker 3: Arizona would be fun.

00:12:20
Speaker 1: Yeah, they could use another receiver. I've been surprised how quiet they've been on offense. So that's a big name, so is Trey Hendrickson. A report from Diane Rassini of The Athletic from other teams saying that the Bengals asking price for Trey Hendrickson is quote ridiculous, which, if you know how the Bengals have done business in the past, is not surprising to me at all, because I think their endgame here is to be like, yeah, we tried to trade you, but you know, it'd be great if you just kept playing for the Bengals and we have you under contract, and we have shown the willingness to stare our players down if they don't want to come to terms with the contract we are willing to give them. So it's not surprising to me that they're probably by ridiculous. They're probably asking for a first is what I would guess would be classified as ridiculous.

00:13:08
Speaker 3: Would a first be ridiculous?

00:13:11
Speaker 1: Maybe some team thinks so if they were in the top half of the draft. Maybe it's not ridiculous, but he is an aging pass rusher. Plus the contract you have to give him. If DK Metcalf can't get more than a first I don't think Trey hendrick that's true. I just GINO got a late third.

00:13:26
Speaker 2: Whether it's whether it's whispers of like who's interested in Rogers or a trade being ridiculous. I know I'm old fashioned. I could just go for some quotes these days.

00:13:36
Speaker 1: I would.

00:13:36
Speaker 3: I'd like to I'd like to know what ridiculous is. I don't know.

00:13:39
Speaker 1: This was my attempt of sprinkling in a little spice with a big name into the news Rundown, you know, going with this ridiculous story.

00:13:49
Speaker 3: No is it spice.

00:13:51
Speaker 1: It's a little spicy, just to just to talk about Hendrickson, just to say where he's at might remind the people. It's been quiet on the Hendrickson's front this week. And yes, I think the Bengals showed their hands where when at the combine? I believe certainly it was to the media. They said, look, we want to give Trey Hendrickson a new contract, but it takes two sides to agree on that. Contract, but we would be happy to give him a new contract. And I was like, Okay, it's gonna take a while. Like they're just gonna they're just gonna stare them down. They'll say they'll try to trade him. Yeah, and we'll see.

00:14:25
Speaker 2: And I know it's it's improper because nobody, you know, it seems like nobody would ever do it.

00:14:30
Speaker 3: But Duke Tobin like, tell us what the price is, Like.

00:14:33
Speaker 1: Okay, what's the gap?

00:14:34
Speaker 2: Okay, Like Trey, let us know what you're asking for, and Duke, let us know what you would like to pay him, and then we'll try we'll try to meet in the middle. That that feels like, you know, sometimes it seems like these things were nebulous and like, oh, it's hard to do.

00:14:48
Speaker 3: Is it?

00:14:48
Speaker 2: Like the player wants a price, right, the team wants a price, and let's just let's figure that out.

00:14:53
Speaker 3: Because I don't I don't necessarily think it's that complicated.

00:14:55
Speaker 1: I would love nothing less than the Bengals starting training camp with t Higgins, Jamar Chase, and Trey Hendrickson all holding out. I just don't want that future. And yet it seems on the table I'm gonna actually make a prediction here on March thirteenth, Jamar Chase will have signed and will be there, but t Higgins and Trey Hendrickson will not. That's my that's my very very early prediction. You know who's going to be back in a familiar training camp. How about Mike Williams coming back to LA There's a new facility now, Mike. Yeah, was Mike Williams ever in San Diego? No, he's not that. No, there's not many San Diego Chargers left.

00:15:36
Speaker 3: Yeah. In fact, I think they're all gone.

00:15:37
Speaker 1: I think they're all gone now. I like that six million dollars Betty on a bounce back from a guy that didn't look one hundred percent recovered from his torn acl last year. Makes sense for a guy who never built his game off speed anyways, that he could be in a better spot at less money. He's obviously familiar and I'm sure got a good referral from one Justin Herbert who loved thrown to that man.

00:16:02
Speaker 2: And he comes from like it was Nathaniel Hackett mode Jets offense to like the falling apart Steelers offense. He was also coming back off of an injury. Yeah, there's cause to believe that this could be like a similar version to the mic at the end of the Los Angeles run the first time, the one that was playing very, very good before he got hurt.

00:16:23
Speaker 1: Yeah, he's not that old. He started his career in twenty seventeen, has certainly had a lot of injuries. But they needed to add another receiver. They didn't get em an Ingram signed, which was something I was looking forward to. Maybe for the Chargers, they don't have like a ton of firepower still on offense they had and Naja Harris will see what else they do. Speaking of firepower, I think if you look at the rundown, it'll probably give it away. But I'm going to give a test here. Don't look, Okay, what receiver led the NFL in EPA per route run last year route run? I believe EPA per route is that even a stat I might be messing this up. No, Adam Feeling, it's Adam Feeling, all right. Yeah, well you looked at the rundown.

00:17:17
Speaker 3: I didn't look at.

00:17:19
Speaker 1: Oh my god, Well then I'm really impressed. Patrick is so happy. I don't think he's a good enough actor or his eyes were up the whole time. Look he looked straight up. But you could have looked at it earlier in the day and Feeling's there. But I'll give you, I'll give you some credit. That's amazing. They actually gave Adam Feeling a raise. I was wondering when I saw that they were restructuring. I was like, what, like, they're giving this man a okay cut after what he did it. No, it was the opposite. He has been so good at such a low price there that he was like, yeah, I'll continue to play football, but what can you just give me a raise? And so they gave him a rare one year raise and he'll be a free agent if he chooses to keep playing football. He did say publicly he was kind of thinking about whether to walk away or not. And so they gave him a nice raise. What a great signing.

00:18:08
Speaker 3: He's a raise in this year?

00:18:09
Speaker 1: Yes, yeah, a rare one where so it's.

00:18:11
Speaker 3: Not like it's hurting the cap.

00:18:13
Speaker 1: Yes, wow, yeah, they well they have nothing but cap space. Yeah. They did the the Gronk move. The Patriots did a couple of times the Edelman like where they were the guy was was on such a bad contract. Every once in a while they would just like give him a raise. Max Crosby got one of these last year and it was five million dollars. Just, hey, you deserve more money saque. It's not the same thing because they extended saque out. They moved the money around and this is just like we don't know what the terms are, but he has more in his pocket. He deserves it.

00:18:44
Speaker 3: I think it's indicative of like a value.

00:18:47
Speaker 2: And shout out to them for rewarding Adam Thalen for his contributions, because I think there's a viability that people with BRYCE that might not have ever happened if not for Adam Thielen are we really might not ever ever seen that run last year.

00:19:05
Speaker 1: I can't find the stat that I'm looking for, but I'm really gonna try. I just probably made it up the cards. Right after we taped last night's show, after I castigated them for not spending enough money, they signed Dalvin Tomlinson two years twenty nine million, so they spent some more money. They haven't done a lot on offense. I think they've swung and missed on a lot of free agents where they were second or third in the bidding. But Dalvin Tomlinson was one of those guys that got cut, you know by the Browns. He's making a lot of money and then got picked up within a second and was playing at a very high levels last season.

00:19:41
Speaker 2: Yeah, a nice finish to the season. And it's a guy that you know, we're not necessarily going to have to google. And so this is not that name value is what the Cardinals were missing. They really need a playmaker honestly out on the edge, which is something that you know, they go out and signed Josh Sweat. I'm sure they're going to draft, you know, draft an edge as well, but it's still a need.

00:20:02
Speaker 1: Brought back Baron Browning. He was going to be in our segment later where we listened to some players in new places, but he's not in a new place. He's actually been in Arizona. So why don't you listen to Baron Browning about why he decided to stay in Arizona?

00:20:16
Speaker 3: Why signed before free agency? And I had to see what your value was and give the market. I mean, if you got a girlfriend who's a team, why play around?

00:20:24
Speaker 2: It's true and honestly, in terms of answering the question, right, you satisfy a couple of things. Baron Browning significant other feels a little more secure, okay after hearing that. So that's job number one. And yeah, it shows that you can be faithful to a thing. There's a lot of people out there that that doesn't not necessarily a fly for.

00:20:44
Speaker 1: I liked your take before the show, which was, you know, there's more than just physical appearance to consider.

00:20:49
Speaker 2: Well, yeah, you have to evaluate the whole thing. And I think that's what he's saying that circumstances. You know, you can find somebody that uplifts you, that you enjoy being around, that you liked their smile, and it's not just an outward physical appearance. There are folks who you know, like to branch out. They may see more than one ten out there and you know got out to them as well. But Baron Browning is a faithful person. I just hope the Cardinals will be faithful.

00:21:17
Speaker 1: Well, they gave him fifteen million dollars over two years. That's solid. Who is the guy, you know, Daniel, you know from Love is Blind. I thought you just were saying, like, you know, there's more than appearances there, not that he has a bad appearance, but he was a little worried about it, and he got it done. In the end, he won that Seaton.

00:21:35
Speaker 2: He overcame the barrier and shout out to all the short kings out there. If you were on reality TV, do not mention that you're short, because they will play it because other people don't see being short the way that.

00:21:45
Speaker 1: Short he led with it. He could have not led with it. But the love is blind.

00:21:50
Speaker 2: Producers were like, always insecure because he's short, because we don't like short people, so we'll make.

00:21:54
Speaker 1: Him damn wow. Patrick, always sticking up for the groups that are unfairly treated. And we appreciate your support.

00:22:03
Speaker 3: Patrick, you for being a speaker for the shorts.

00:22:07
Speaker 1: The Raiders signed Raheem Moster, the man their backfield does not look great on paper. He didn't look one hundred percent for most of the last year. Definitely a red flag that the Dolphins let him go. The Commanders signed another former Patriot, Dietrich Wise. They also had brought in Jonathan Jones. kJ Osborne is on that team, by the way, too, They brought him back. Speaking of Patriots former Patriots, the Patriots released David Andrews, one of the few guys left from a few Super Bowl winning teams. He was a rookie I think the year before they they had the twenty eight to three comeback, a great longtime Patriots. Sounds like he's going to retire. They got a lot of people to put into that Patriots Hall of Fame. But I suspect David Andrews will be there eventually, a team captain from very early in his run. And then the Eagles, they keep picking at the margins. They got a lot of dead cap money, they got a lot of contracts to worry about. I thought they'd be a little more aggressive and free agency. See if there's a trade. They did sign former Patriot josh uch.

00:23:05
Speaker 3: Just getting getting value.

00:23:07
Speaker 2: We gotta we gotta find out where the where the meat of this goes.

00:23:10
Speaker 1: But yeah, josh Uja is your dude. I just well when he did, you know, Needle not necessarily move, but no, not moved. But it's similar to AJ Dillon landing in Philadelphia, which is that if these guys are ever gonna get it done again at the NFL level, they found the perfect spot. I mean, if if can't be a situational pass thresher with the Eagles, he's not gonna be able to get it done. He's had a very strange career. Reportedly turned down a lot of guaranteed money last year to stay with the Patriots and then couldn't get on the field that consistently, which was a theme of his time in New England. But he did have that, you know, one year and if you look at pass rush, you know, production per snap over the course of his career, it's outstanding. And yet teams haven't really trusted him. He went to the Chiefs and couldn't get on the field for them.

00:23:59
Speaker 3: Well, this is the spot for it.

00:24:01
Speaker 2: This is the rotational spot in that Fangio defense where you know they're cycling guys in and out of the line, and if you have to deliver on eight pass rushes and he's a very efficient pass rusher, you know, there you go, here's your eight snaps.

00:24:14
Speaker 1: Yep. Maybe taking that Bryce hoffspot, although he's still there making like twenty million dollars a year. I think that's one of those contracts it's just not worth even cutting. Just see see how he shows up to camp and see if he's better, because he's shown a level that made them give him that money. Then and see if he can get better. And if camp really doesn't go well, maybe he doesn't make that team. Alexander Madison, the running back, helps to replace Raheem Moster in Miami. And the Titans, who have been making a decent amount of moves. They signed Draymont Jones, the defensive lineman who's a bit of a free agent bust for the Seahawks for ten million dollars. We're gonna take a quick break and when we come back, we're gonna listen to a little sound from some of the players in new spots, and we're gonna go back and forth and choose some teams we'd like to see a little more. For me, it's like, show me something a little more open up that component. Back on NFL Daily, I asked what phase of free agency this is. It's the one where the big names who were signed are now showing up and you got four or five different Patriots holding up jerseys. Robert Splane's got a fourteen. Milton Williams I liked, was just like kind of wearing an old polo, you know, don't get dressed up. What the it's a nice polo?

00:25:41
Speaker 3: Was fine.

00:25:43
Speaker 1: Let's listen to some of the comments that we heard with players showing up in their new spot, and we'll start in Seattle where they obviously made the big move that they got to be right about Sam Darnold, let's hear from him.

00:25:55
Speaker 3: Yeah, I think you.

00:25:56
Speaker 4: Know, first and foremost. I think maybe Clint could talk a little bit more about that in detail, but I know it. Foundation is the run game and we're gonna we're gonna run the rock. I know Clint's big on running the rock and you got to do that and building that off of play action keepers and dropping back when you have to.

00:26:13
Speaker 1: Well, yeah, that's what you want to hear from the guy who just gave fifty five million dollars guaranteed too. What do you do well, Sam, Well, we got to run the football.

00:26:23
Speaker 2: I think the issue is because it was asked about how he is going to excel in the offense.

00:26:27
Speaker 1: Sure he still said, like, oh yeah, the running game's gotta be.

00:26:30
Speaker 2: Sam quickly quickly provided the correction like, hey, you should ask the offensive coordinator these questions. I'm Sam Donald, But if you're asking me about the offense, Clint likes to run the ball.

00:26:40
Speaker 1: But I'm saying today that I'm Sam.

00:26:42
Speaker 2: I go out there and I execute whatever because I'm yeah, I'm one hundred million dollars, Sam darl.

00:26:46
Speaker 1: I'm the type of quarterback that you got to build a great running game for. So I'm not gonna work. Oh no, sorry, the Hive has destroyed Greg. Yeah, it's gonna rip Sam Donald apart seventeen. It's not an inspiring way to answer a question. Although Darnold was beloved in Minnesota and never strikes you as a guy who's gonna have inspiring quotes or speeches, but beloved by his teammates throughout the NFL.

00:27:13
Speaker 3: I think that.

00:27:14
Speaker 1: I think it was fine. Kenny Pickett is a Cleveland Brown that kind of slipped under the radar, and this for good quote from him caught my eye.

00:27:25
Speaker 5: I just think it's a great opportunity to go compete again. That's really all you can ask for, and that's what I was told here. You know, coming in here, I'm having an opportunity to compete again. So I'm very excited for that. But do you view myself as a starter? You know, I'm sure they're going to bring in another veteran and who knows what else, But you know, I'm just excited to be here and compete with whoever.

00:27:44
Speaker 1: M who's it going to be Kirk. I don't like the idea that he if Kenny Pickett's competing to start, I don't know if that's going to happen, but he thinks it's gonna happen. Yeah, he's a competitor. I like that out of Kenny Pickett.

00:27:57
Speaker 2: I do feel because I feel strongly that was going to be Kirk Cousins early on. The longer it takes, the less likely I feel it is. I feel like it if a trade were to happen, we're gonna we're kind of losing the momentum on that.

00:28:13
Speaker 1: Yeah, it could happen after the draft or something like that though. That's what the the insiders are saying. Kirk wants to find make sure that they're not going to draft a quarterback over the top of him. I think he's lost that he has no trade classe, he has a no trade class. He kind of does have that privilege. It's crazy, but it's true. Yeah, I guess. I mean, right, he could exercise that and they could say, well, we're not going to wait a round for you. That's that's a potential way that the a team like the Browns could push him on that. But he does have a no trade class.

00:28:44
Speaker 2: I did see his strategic move where he wanted to talk to to mister blank right, and then that didn't pan out, and then he was in the Oval office what felt like moments later, like posing up with with Don.

00:28:56
Speaker 1: We really yeah, I didn't know that. It was like one story immediately to another.

00:29:00
Speaker 2: It's like, okay, there's there's a strategy. I guess we'll see. We'll see what Kirko chains comes up with. I guess masquerading all that culture only meant so much to some people.

00:29:09
Speaker 1: That is funny. Uh, you're breaking news to me. I love that. Joey Bosa speaking of guys from political families, let's listen to him in Buffalo.

00:29:22
Speaker 6: Really enjoyed my years in LA but coming to a team back like you know, the Ohio State days where you're really living in a football town with an unbelievable fan base, it's it's really got me excited.

00:29:38
Speaker 1: Was a shot at Los Angeles maybe a little one, A little one, I get it. I mean the Chargers. You shouldn't be taking any shots at their fans, and I don't think that's what he meant. But Joey Bosa nothing else. He's a football guy. Yeah, and so maybe he wasn't feeling that love up there with real football people, unlike the people here are fake. No, we're there's a I mean, look, Chargers fans, they're real ones, and a lot of them.

00:30:06
Speaker 3: I think so. I think Joey Bosa is the persons that come.

00:30:09
Speaker 1: He was a San Diego Charger and so he knows the heartbreak that those fans had and a lot of them have traveled up to the games and whatnot. But it's not I wouldn't say the Chargers have overtaken the city in the sense that, like you know the city that you feel that you feel the buzz around La about the Chargers as much as maybe Joey Bosa wants, well, he's he'll feel it in Buffalo.

00:30:33
Speaker 3: He's found He's found his place.

00:30:35
Speaker 1: He says, they will love him there. DeVante Adams spoke to the Rams and as of this taping, for some reason, the video is not available literally anywhere. It's true. I can't believe it. I'm sure it will be later, but we will show a beautiful picture that our colleague Jordan Rodrigue took herself very professional and I like the item of news that she put out there on Blue Sky. Not not a great look for Eric who put this together that he's not following Jordan on Blue Sky. It's asking I'm not on Blue Sky.

00:31:10
Speaker 7: I actually get a little annoyed when you send me Blue Sky stuff because I'm like, I have to go like it's a weird crop.

00:31:15
Speaker 1: Well, then just sign up for it, at least to help your job.

00:31:18
Speaker 7: I do have your Blue Sky up on a permanent tab on my computer.

00:31:21
Speaker 1: I'll give you that. Now you're going out of your way to not It doesn't matter. What's the last app you put on your phone? What's the last monopoly?

00:31:29
Speaker 3: Monopoly?

00:31:30
Speaker 1: Yeah, it's at this point, right, it's part of the job. Sometimes I'm going to be asking, well, the links where Jordan is tweeting, you're open your settings, how much storage space do you have?

00:31:41
Speaker 7: The links work? Greg, It works. It just I don't need the app on my phone.

00:31:44
Speaker 1: It hurts my eyes to see plus follow in the corner of the of the graphic, which people can check out by the way, I phone storage on YouTube twenty four gigs keeping twenty five. All right, can we have the graphic up and you check gears settings at the same time? Sorry, So she told a great story or Davante told the great story that Jordan relayed about how Sean McVay narrated and detailed highlight cutups of DeVante's game as he was recruiting him, about ten minutes worth of highlights in McVeigh content. I want that content, And Adam said it was a big factor, just like how clear it was that that they really wanted him and having a vision for it, like I would love to watch that ten minutes.

00:32:33
Speaker 2: And I bet that it wasn't something special that Sean McVay had to do.

00:32:37
Speaker 3: I bet he just had one.

00:32:38
Speaker 2: I bet he had a Davante Adams cut up that he had narrated already.

00:32:43
Speaker 1: Stuff. I don't know. I feel like that would be narrating. I'm sure he has cutups, but why would he be narrating.

00:32:49
Speaker 2: I think it was a cut up And he pulled it up on his phone, hit voice memo and was like right into it.

00:32:55
Speaker 1: I mean, that's your idea. I know. There was negotiations between Sean McVay and Amazon. Reportedly he could have made ten million dollars a year to have the job. That ultimately went to why am I blanking out his name? Curb Street, and that's how memorable Kirk's you know, broadcasting for Amazon has been. McVay would have been amazing, But he would make more than ten million dollars if he just had his own YouTube channel of him narrating highlights. Yeah, you know what I mean.

00:33:29
Speaker 2: There would never be a question of if the video would make it long enough to get to profit bbility profitability like Sean McVay could yap, and it was not even yapping from Sean McVay.

00:33:40
Speaker 1: No, it would just knowledge. You don't even need to go to the studios. You don't need to fly around the country if you do a ten minute video McVeigh on your own YouTube page three or four times a week. You saw what it did for Gruden. Mcveay would blow that out of the water. Watch out, Brett Coleman trying to think of who else does that on YouTube? Watch out? All right, let's break down the teams that we would like to see a little more from. So it's just frequency is not over. There's gonna be a lot of players that are signed and traded for between now and the season, starting even now and the rest of the month that have big impacts on the twenty twenty five season. So it's far from over, but I think we are at the point there's not a lot of signings happening right now, not a lot of players left in the top fifty, that there's a few teams out there that we can point to and say, like, I want to see, what can you do a little more? We're at we need a little more from you. Why don't you get us?

00:34:37
Speaker 3: Go on?

00:34:37
Speaker 2: Patrick, I would like to start with the team that we mentioned earlier. They decided to honor the contributions of Adam Thlen. I think the Carolina Panthers could do a little bit, really be a little bit more aggressive to the extent that they were last year. We saw the improvements that they made on the interior, and I know Adam Thielen's contributions have been great that youth. If you're talking about addressing other spots of receiver through the draft, they're good there. Let's get Bryce another veteran target with the ones that are available. I just feel like it's an obvious move.

00:35:06
Speaker 1: The wide receiver market has been slow to materialize for a lot of these guys, so in terms of name value, they are the best players out there in terms of Amari Cooper and Stefan Diggs and Keenan Allen. There's got to be some receivers that help teams. So that that's well said, they have been active. I will give him that pack.

00:35:25
Speaker 3: I love Rico as a signing.

00:35:26
Speaker 1: I think that's great, mostly on the defensive side, but Tarron Morigg. They re signed Mike Jackson. They brought in Christian Roseboom, the former Ram. They signed Bobby Brown, the former Ram, Tshaun Warreon. So they have been spending a lot of money, most of it on defense. They gave Tommy Tremble a surprisingly good deal to come back. I'm gonna go with the Bengals. They're outside free agents so far are Sama, JP Ryan, who they're familiar with, TJ. Slayton, which is just kind of a lottery ticket from the Packers just see what happens. Oron Burks, maybe they just thought, well, Aaron Burks has been in the Super Bowl, the last Championship, DNA couple of years, but that's like a rotational special teams guy, not going to be starting for you. And then BJ Hill they brought back. That was their biggest signing. If your whole offseason plan is just to save up the money for Hendrickson and t and Chase. Like, if you can execute that, I'll accept it. But it's also not a route to get better those guys who are already on the team.

00:36:24
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's time to do more, but it can't just all be arguing and fighting with the talent that you've been able to recrue a.

00:36:34
Speaker 1: Little more, and I think they will. They are kind of a late in the game free agency type of team. Baltimore is very often one of those teams.

00:36:40
Speaker 3: Too.

00:36:41
Speaker 1: Give me another one.

00:36:42
Speaker 2: A team that's back on this list after a great offseason in terms of splashy acquisitions.

00:36:47
Speaker 3: The Green Bay Packers, Oh.

00:36:50
Speaker 2: Went out and got it, got close to leading the NFL in interceptions, a top five rusher and former rushing leader, and here we've got Aaron Banks and Nate Hobbs. There's there's still this discussion about the impending breakup with Jyry Alexander They you know, Miles Garrett got brought back to Cleveland. There's still need to add a big spot where they can create some sort of distance between the rest of the league and the best of the league.

00:37:17
Speaker 3: And they're just kind of there. Still Okay.

00:37:21
Speaker 1: I like that you're focusing too on one side, primarily the offense, because I did think about that with a few teams, like I guess you said Garrett, the defense as well. But like the Seahawks and the Patriots have mostly just got defense, they could go after offense, but I didn't. But since they've been aggressive. You know, the Packers, they signed two players from my top hundred and a lot of people's probably top fifty in terms of you know, Aaron Banks and Nate Obs. But you're not impressed. No, I'm going to go with the team that kept Miles Garrett. Okay, I actually think trading Miles Garrett would have made sense if you could get good draft picks, and if it somehow would have opened up space to fill more holes. Because at this point, it's keeping Miles Garrett and then Joe trying Chayanka you brought in for five million dollars. Malik Collins keeps getting more and more money. Solid player, but a lot of guaranteed money for him, and then it's it's Pickett, it's bringing back Devin Bush hasn't been great, and that's it.

00:38:15
Speaker 3: Okay.

00:38:16
Speaker 2: So we talked about all of the moves they've made currently makes sense. Yeah, the Tennessee Titans have seventy two million dollars in cap space. I understand if you put on drafting cam Ward number one. Overall, that's not an excuse to not go out and try to acquire talent.

00:38:33
Speaker 3: It's just not They need to be in.

00:38:34
Speaker 2: More of these discussions and more of these conversations to where, yeah, I know, you get into a bidding war. Dan Moore's still fifteen million dollars, Like, there's no the money needs to be spent. That's why it's there, so go spend it.

00:38:49
Speaker 1: Okay, they've tried. They brought in Harder Zeitler. These are some surprising picks from you, and that's why I like having this exercise. We came up with three different teams entirely. They signed Draymond Jones and Spas and Joseph David just a couple. It just feels like no matter who's running the Titans, they all have the same sort of players that they bring in, Like Draymond Jones could have been a Mike Rabel Titan, he could have been a who is the GM that was with him? John Robinson GM Titan and now he's here like two gms later and they just signed the same sort of players. I'm going with the Falcons. You gave Leonard Floyd a bonus. Leonard Floyd at this point is diminishing returns. You gave pretty good money to Devon Diablo. You gave Jake Matthews huge money. I know he's never missed a game, but that was kind of a cap procedure. They seem like they're paying the piper for the Kirk Cousins deal, and they pushed hard last year to bring in players, and I get it, you can't every year, but I really think this is them idiot because of the Kirk Cousins dead money that's going to be on there.

00:39:58
Speaker 2: Yeah, just trying to find Hllary books, having to pay a premium for the bargain players where you still have to acquire the talent, but you don't know if you're going to be sitting there left at the end of this game and musical chairs. So you gotta you feel like, oh, well, we got to go here for Leonard Floyd, and we have to do it now because otherwise we're we're still sitting here with the Curse of John Abraham and having nobody at the end.

00:40:21
Speaker 1: Yeah, but he's not. He's not breaking the curse. Good player, not breaking that curse. So those are six teams we just we just want to see a little more from. And I opened the show saying, if you wanted to know what phase of free agency it is, it is the phase of free agency where we have Russell Wilson leaving the Cleveland brown Is facility in a big chevy suburban. It looks like, is that what that is? What do you?

00:40:48
Speaker 3: Let's see see if we get any logos there.

00:40:51
Speaker 1: He's not driving, which makes sense.

00:40:53
Speaker 3: I think it was a range Rover.

00:40:55
Speaker 1: I think it was too, So there we go.

00:40:57
Speaker 3: Congratulations for us.

00:40:59
Speaker 1: That's fun. I don't really see him as a fit in Kevin Sefanski's offense, but.

00:41:04
Speaker 2: No, and over the years I've developed questions about Kevin Stefanski's offense.

00:41:09
Speaker 3: But this is this is the year.

00:41:11
Speaker 2: This is the year that we find out and going through that exercise, I'm kind of wondering as draft evaluation, as player evaluation, has become more like centralized, Yes, did you think that's impacting.

00:41:23
Speaker 3: Free agency a little bit?

00:41:24
Speaker 2: Where everybody has almost the same grades on everybody else and we're seeing teams like reach for guys because it's pretty much common thought about how everybody feels about every.

00:41:35
Speaker 1: In terms of the draft and how that likes free agency.

00:41:38
Speaker 2: How they evaluated these guys in the first place, and how they've evaluated.

00:41:41
Speaker 3: Them in the league. M just popped in my head.

00:41:45
Speaker 1: I like that. That is a topic, honestly, we could talk about on Friday on forties in free agency. Yeah, that's that's you, and that's a you and DJ, me and Daniel Jeremiah. I really appreciate all the feedback I got from NFL Daily listeners and some new listeners picked up. The reaction was awesome, and we are going to be airing that show every Thursday except for this week. It is coming out on Friday afternoon, so stay tuned for that. I'm going to pose that do it to our our draft guru.

00:42:10
Speaker 2: Yeah, because a lot of those a lot of those common thoughts are because people everybody listened to DJ, which they should because DJ's voice you should listen to.

00:42:17
Speaker 1: It's true, I don't is there more common thought. That's where I would interrogate him, like, is that a thing? I don't feel like I'm in a position to know, but I like that. I also like that Russell Wilson is trying to force the hand of the Giants and Steelers or whatever somebody should whatever he's doing in Cleveland, because remember last year he went and visited the Giants, but he invited himself there. I've never heard of such a thing, Like he was like, can I come visit? And it kind of spurred action with the Steelers. He was sick of waiting around for the Steelers to make.

00:42:43
Speaker 3: The good somebody's being proactive.

00:42:45
Speaker 1: Yeah, it's true. At least Russell Wilson does want to work. He's just waiting. We're not waiting any longer. Big week for Clay Bot. NFL Daily did work, NFL Network, he did work.

00:42:56
Speaker 2: Thank you, sir, because I got to do it with you, man, that's what makes it big.

00:42:58
Speaker 1: It was a lot of fun. Look, when we're complaining about the Bengals and the Falcons and they're off season, that's when you know football is back seat ry.