Hour 3: Murray to Jets? - Don, Hahn & Rosenberg

Transcript

Alan Hahn (0:01)

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Alan Hahn (0:19)

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Don La Greca (0:20)

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Alan Hahn (0:24)

and every single one is Zero Sugar Tap the banner to learn more. This is the Don Han and Rosenberg podcast.

Don La Greca (0:34)

That sounds like heaven to me.

Alan Hahn (0:35)

Listen live weekday afternoon starting at 3 on 8 80, ESPN, the ESPN New York app, and your smart speakers.

Don La Greca (0:43)

Game time is brought to you by Telemar Dew Irish Whiskey. Because when it's game time, guys, it's toilet time.

Peter Rosenberg (0:51)

We're still.

Alan Hahn (0:51)

We're still doing it. You see, like, honestly, like, they, like,

Peter Rosenberg (0:53)

we don't have to.

Alan Hahn (0:54)

Like, at some point, you're gonna have to make a decision.

Peter Rosenberg (0:57)

It's totally time.

Don La Greca (0:58)

Yeah, just.

Alan Hahn (0:59)

That's it. That's it.

Don La Greca (0:59)

I made it. Start again. Start over again. Cool, man. I made a decision, but I spit in your face, right?

Peter Rosenberg (1:05)

So I'm gonna lay out. It's over, so try again. I'm a layup.

Don La Greca (1:09)

All right, Jacob, it's up to you.

Peter Rosenberg (1:10)

Hopefully Jacob will help you out here.

Alan Hahn (1:13)

Summary

Podcast Summary: Don, Hahn & Rosenberg – "Hour 3: Murray to Jets?" (March 3, 2026)

Episode Overview

This episode centers on the rumor and potential implications of Kyler Murray, recently released by the Arizona Cardinals, joining the New York Jets. Don La Greca, Alan Hahn, and Peter Rosenberg dig deep into both the quarterback market and the existential malaise of being a Jets fan. The trio segments the conversation between football analysis, organizational dysfunction, and fan psyche—with healthy doses of New York sarcasm and realism.

1. Kyler Murray to the Jets: A Serious Possibility?

News Update: Kyler Murray has been released by the Arizona Cardinals and is seeking a new opportunity where he can start, rehabilitate his reputation, and set himself up for a contract in 2027. (00:59)
The Case For the Jets:
- Don & Peter’s View: Both see little downside for the Jets in pursuing Murray on a veteran minimum, one-year deal, especially given their desperate QB situation.
  - "I don't see a downside." – Don (03:11)
  - "If all of a sudden the music stops and the Jets are the only chair and he's got to take the veteran minimum, I'm taking that chance because I don't see any real downside to it." – Don, (09:22)
- Alan’s Reservations: Alan is less convinced, citing Murray’s injuries, leadership questions, and doubts about whether a quick fix solves deeper franchise issues.
  - "I think I need to take a step away from this because I really am... I'm numb." – Alan, (04:31)
  - "He has limited options. His career completion percentage is a good number…He gets hurt a lot…He's certainly not a leader of men. And by the way, he's barely 5'10." – Alan, (03:23)
Veteran Reclamation Comparison:
- Murray likened to "a younger Jameis Winston," a once-elite prospect with a damaged reputation possibly looking for a reboot, and to late-career Russell Wilson. (05:22)
- Emphasis that the Jets wouldn't be relying on only one QB—a competition scenario is likely. (05:08)

QUOTES:

Don: “I was just painting the word picture for you that maybe he doesn't want to go to be the backup. He wants to go someplace where he's got a chance to win a job, play, change his reputation...” (02:55)
Peter: "Kyler Murray is better than Justin Fields." (12:12)
Don: "Kyler Murray’s an actual quarterback." (12:19)

2. The State of the Jets Quarterback Market

Additional Options?
- Discussion about other QB markets: Cleveland, Minnesota (considered more attractive than the Jets), Atlanta ("project-turnaround" team), Miami dismissed as an unlikely suitor. (07:45–08:24)
Malik Willis Mentioned:
- Alan: "Does Malik Willis now become second favorite out of all the available quarterbacks? Because Kyler Murray might...go ahead of him because of experience." (09:47)
- Jets seen as possibly "chairless" at the music stop, in worst shape in the QB market. (09:47–10:35)

3. Fanbase Frustration & The 'Tanking' Debate

Fan Callers Weigh In
- Howard (Boston): Calls wishing for a 3-win season to get a better draft pick, expressing long-term frustration. (12:47)
  - Alan: "The year before a good quarterback is when we suck...It never works out." (13:28)
- Matt (New Jersey): Advocates for incremental respectability, not a quick “magic pill” or tanking, and favors bringing in someone like Murray to stabilize. (23:30–24:29)
- Mateo (New Jersey): Emphatically against another tanking year, worried about lasting damage to the fanbase and business. Wants an 8-win season. (31:47–32:44)
Hosts on Tanking
- Don: Firmly against tanking, citing the corrosive effect on the organization, staff, and fans. (14:00–15:09, 33:48–34:20)
- Alan: Sympathetic to both sides but recognizes the “vicious cycle”:
  - "Fifteen years of this over and over and over again." (15:35)
  - "We deserve this. Really, we deserve this." (35:45)
- The cycle of poor timing, bad draft luck, and organizational dysfunction becomes a recurring theme—Jets can't seem to bottom out and recover at the right moments. (13:28; 26:14; 34:35+)

QUOTE:

Peter: "This is not football. These people deserve better than this." (35:42)

4. Organizational Dysfunction & Psychological Toll

Ownership/Front Office Distrust:
- Alan: "If that's the conversation, then do everybody do themselves a favor and stop being a Jet fan. Because Woody's not going anywhere, right? So let's not even talk about it then, because if Woody's going to get his fat hands in, ... you're never winning." (30:52)
- Persistent theme: Even a promising move—a la Aaron Rodgers last year—can't escape the malaise, because the organization is seen as broken at the top. (44:57–46:04)
The Sad Sack Cycle:
- Alan reflects on “Stockholm syndrome” of Jets fandom, wearing misery as a badge of honor, and how the cycle of hoping for a “miracle savior” QB perpetuates failure. (41:48–46:04)
- Don: "You're going to get what you asked for. So this is what drives me crazy. It's this stupid cycle we just keep going through." (15:35)

QUOTE:

Alan: "It's almost like we've made an industry of being the sad sack fanbase." (44:57)
Alan: "You really don't love football or care about your team or you love the idea of being part of something that is so miserable. It gives you an identity and everybody feels sorry for you." (46:04)

5. Notable Quotes & Moments

Jet Fan Identity Crisis (35:23–35:48)
- Peter: “This is not football…These people deserve better than this.”
- Alan: “No, we don’t. We deserve this. Really, we deserve this.”
What Would a Murray Move Actually Signal?
- Don: “As long as you as an organization say Kyler Murray is not my future…He’s going to use us to try to build up his numbers…He is not our guy.” (08:39)
- Alan: "There’s not many quarterbacks that are going to be available to help you…that are not via the draft, of course." (10:36)
The Poison and Cure (17:23)
- Alan: “The difference between the poison and the cure is the dose, fellas.”
Caller: Winning Not the Point
- Howard: "For the first time ever, I am praying for a three win season. And what quarterback gives us the best chance at that?" (13:12)

6. Important Timestamps (MM:SS)

[02:55] – Kyler Murray’s release and Jets angle introduced
[04:31] – Alan’s numbness and doubts
[05:22] – Veteran reclamation project debate: Winston, Wilson, Murray
[09:22] – Don on Murray-as-bridge, only for the minimum
[12:12] – Peter: “Kyler Murray is better than Justin Fields”
[13:28] – Alan: “The year before a good quarterback is when we suck…”
[15:35] – Alan on the cycle of misery: “15 years of this over and over…”
[26:53] – The risk in signing Murray
[35:23] – Peter & Alan’s existential Jets despair exchange
[41:48] – Alan: “We deserve this…badge of honor” rant

7. Tone & Style

The hosts oscillate between sarcasm, earnest fan lament, and analytical breakdown.
Callers are passionate, mostly frustrated, but with some seeking hope or incremental progress.
The show captures the exhausting tension between rebuild, tanking, and desperate hope for respectability—a raw, honest snapshot of New York Jets fandom.

Conclusion

This episode is a clinic in sports radio group therapy: news-driven speculation about Kyler Murray’s fit with the Jets quickly blossoms into a vulnerable examination of what it means to be a Jets fan in an era of perpetual disappointment. The trio offers both measured football arguments for and against the Murray move and lays bare their emotional exhaustion with the franchise’s narrative.

If you’re a Jets fan, this episode is equal parts catharsis and cautionary tale—a must-listen if you want to understand why no move, no matter how logical, ever feels like an escape.