Will we see Aaron Donald and Patrick Mahomes in uniform week 1?

Summary

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Episode Overview

Title: Will we see Aaron Donald and Patrick Mahomes in uniform week 1?
Date: July 28, 2026
Hosts: Seth Payne (former NFL player), Sean Pendergast (Houston sports radio veteran)
Theme:
This episode of Payne & Pendergast dives deep into two of the NFL’s biggest question marks for the upcoming season: Will future Hall-of-Fame defensive lineman Aaron Donald return to play for the Rams? And what is the latest on superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ health and readiness for the Chiefs? Amid sharp NFL analysis, the hosts also tackle relatable off-field topics like fine dining etiquette with babies, peppering in candid, humorous banter true to H-Town sports radio.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Steakhouse Etiquette: Kids at Upscale Restaurants

• [00:31–02:57]
  • Payne and Pendergast open with lively banter about how non-sports topics—like encounters with babies at expensive steakhouses—spark huge listener engagement.
  • Notable moment: The hosts tease a possible cameo/opinion from fellow Houston sports radio personality, John Lopez.
  • Discussion revolves around etiquette: if a baby gets fussy in a fine-dining setting, should the parents take the baby outside?
  • Sean points out that everyone will face the situation at some point—either as the couple with the baby or as fellow diners.

“I think the easiest play is just step outside.” — Seth Payne [02:08]

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2. Aaron Donald’s NFL Future: Will He Return to the Rams?

• [03:05–06:37]
  • Sean McVay’s recent comments spark speculation: “For those of you guys that do know Aaron, he’s very diligent. Anything he does, he does all in. And so he’s going through a very strict regimented process…” — (quoted by Seth Payne).
  • Both hosts agree that all signs point to Donald “at least giving it a go” for a return.
  • Seth suggests Donald might follow a “midseason return” model, similar to what Ndamukong Suh did with the Eagles: come back fresh, mid-year for a playoff push.
  • Insight: Donald isn’t motivated by money at this stage; returning midseason would be a strategic move for the player and the Rams.
  • Huge point: The Rams recently traded for Miles Garrett, meaning Donald could line up next to another elite pass rusher—an “embarrassment of riches” for the team.

“I don’t think if he’s coming back, he’s coming back for the money...” — Seth Payne [03:57]

“Just the idea that those two guys [Donald and Garrett] could line up next to each other—some version of Aaron Donald...that’s scary, man.” — Pendergast [04:48]

- Pendergast and Payne discuss the domino effect: The Garrett trade potentially draws Donald out of retirement, like the Sixers’ Jalen Brown trade lured LeBron James.
- Payne: “It’s almost like the Cleveland Browns traded Miles Garrett and Aaron Donald to the Los Angeles Rams.” [06:04]

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3. Analogies to NBA Moves

• [05:01–06:37]
  • The synergy between lineup decisions and player movement is paralleled to NBA moves—specifically how trades set the table for stars to join via free agency.
    • Payne: “If Miles Garrett is the Jalen Brown in this analogy... it’s an over the top, genius move by Les Snead.”

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4. More on Aaron Donald’s Preparation

• [07:52–08:42]
  • The hosts compare Donald’s prep to previous speculation about J.J. Watt returning to Houston.
  • Consensus: Unlike Watt’s openly playful post-retirement coyness, Donald is “very football specific” and genuinely preparing for a return.
  • Pendergast: “He’s already a maniac in the gym. He’s going the extra mile of being like an NFL maniac in the gym.”

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5. Patrick Mahomes’ Health & Chiefs’ 2026 Prospects

• [08:47–10:14]
  • Seth Payne breaks the news: Mahomes is “full go” for Chiefs camp, a faster recovery than initially expected after his knee injury.
  • Pendergast recalls, “...when they signed Justin Fields, I remember doing a segment with Seth: What’s that going to look like for the first few weeks with Justin Fields in an Andy Reid offense?”
  • They note the Chiefs’ struggles last year: “They were 6 and 6 when the Texans played them in week 14.” — Payne [09:19]
  • Both marvel at how quickly athletes recover these days compared to their playing days: “...injuries are...much more likely to recover from or recovering much sooner than you did in the past.” — Pendergast [09:55]

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6. Listener Feedback – Babies at Restaurants: The Debate Continues

• [10:14–12:21]
  • Payne reads a listener text: The dilemma of how to handle a fussy baby in a restaurant, and the different spousal attitudes.
  • Both share personal anecdotes; Seth recounts his own avoidance of fancy restaurants when his kids were young, favoring family-friendly chains instead.
  • The conversation takes a humorous gender divide turn:
    • Pendergast: “I do feel like the stances on this fall along gender lines... the men who cross over to the woman’s side have been convinced and conditioned by the woman's position on this thing.” [11:45]
    • Seth: “Happy wife, happy life.” [12:13]; “But a man got to draw the line somewhere. And the baby crying at the steakhouse... is the line for me, dog.” [12:14]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “If you’re going to spend $400 or $500 on a dinner, [you want] to make sure that you and Jan are having the perfect experience.” — Seth Payne [02:43]
• “Can you imagine adding...Aaron Donald at the trade deadline for nothing?” — Payne [04:25]
• “They were already a good team. This is a little bit like…the dynamic you and I talked about…I think, yesterday with LeBron James and the Jalen Brown trade.” — Payne [05:01]
• “The way that Sean McVay is talking about Aaron Donald…doesn’t seem like Sean McVay is playing into any joke. No, that sounds like an actual breakdown.” — Pendergast [07:52]
• “Homes getting hurt just cratered [the Chiefs'] season and allowed them to pick in the top 10 in the draft.” — Payne [09:08]
• “A man got to draw the line somewhere. And the baby crying at the steakhouse... is the line for me, dog.” — Pendergast [12:14]
• “Gotta go outside with that.” — Payne [12:21]

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Key Timestamps

• 00:31–02:57: Banter on relatable non-sports topics; etiquette at high-end steakhouses
• 03:05–06:37: Aaron Donald’s potential NFL return; impact of Rams’ recent trades
• 07:52–08:42: Difference in how Aaron Donald is prepping for return compared to J.J. Watt speculation
• 08:47–10:14: Patrick Mahomes recovery update, Chiefs’ 2025 struggles, and improved athlete recovery
• 10:14–12:21: Listener feedback on kids at restaurants; hosts’ personal and gender-tinged takes on etiquette

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Summary

This episode of Payne & Pendergast skillfully blends sharp NFL analysis with everyday life relatability. Sean Pendergast and Seth Payne break down why it seems likely Aaron Donald will return and why Chiefs fans can exhale: Mahomes is ahead of schedule. They draw insightful parallels between NFL roster decisions and recent NBA moves, giving listeners a multidimensional understanding of player motivations and front-office tactics. Their off-field foray into the etiquette of crying babies in fine-dining settings brings in both humor and unexpected depth, buoyed by honest personal stories and playful gender politics. Whether a die-hard Houston sports fan or a casual NFL observer, this episode delivers wit, wisdom, and watercooler-worthy takes.

Transcript

[Sally Helm]

Sometimes it feels like the news is full of things that have never happened before. And that is not exactly true. In fact, it may have happened this very week, hundreds or thousands of years ago. I'm Sally Helm, host of the podcast History this Week from the History Channel. Trade embargoes. Thomas Jefferson tried them. Rent too high. We've been arguing about that for a while. Each episode is proof the past isn't that far away. Listen to History this Week, available now on Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts at work.

[Seth Payne]

Sports Radio 610 presents live from the West Point Lincoln and West Point Lincoln of Sugarland Studios. Here's Pain and Pendergast. Hi, Pain and Pendergast. B. Scott, in for. B. Scott. In for. In for Seth Payne. All right, we got a lot of takes on my restaurant experience that we'll read in just a little bit. Appreciate everybody tuning in. It is funny to me that the football talk generates its fair share of texts, but when we talk about a black squirrel getting loose on a baseball diamond, in my experience at an expensive steakhouse, sitting next to a couple that brought a baby in, that that's what generates most of the back and forth.

[Pendergast]

Well, because they're just slightly more relatable. Like somebody pointed out on the YouTube chat, you know, we might have solved racism earlier in the show.

[Seth Payne]

Well, you know, the squirrel talk.

[Pendergast]

The squirrel talk. And then in this case with the high end restaurant, what to do with the baby thing. At some point, everybody is gonna run into a situation like this, whether you're the parent or in your case, you're just the couple that's going out for a nice, quiet evening. Yeah, yeah.

[Seth Payne]

I'm just a diner there, man. But I will say that the conversation about the upscale steakhouse etiquette has only made this even more important. An episode.

[Pendergast]

Yes.

[Seth Payne]

Of Pain and Pendergast.

[Pendergast]

Because I do feel like we need to come to a resolution.

[Seth Payne]

It's very special episode.

[Pendergast]

We. We do need to solve this issue. We got. We got to solve this problem. What. What is the right way to handle this? Because I think the easiest play is just step outside.

[Seth Payne]

You know who I'm very anxious to get their take on this?

[Pendergast]

Who's that?

[Seth Payne]

John Lopez.

[Pendergast]

Oh, yeah.

[Seth Payne]

I am anxious to see. I think Lopez's take on this could be all over the map.

[Pendergast]

Yeah. The. The. The delta between what the possibility could be seems to probably be massive.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah.

[Pendergast]

Cause you could see Lopez being the. The heartwarming type, saying, oh, no, just let the. He's a grandfather. He's a grandfather, so just let the baby in.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah.

[Pendergast]

But also Lopez well traveled, probably been to his fair. Not. Probably has been to his fair share of fine dining experiences. High end.

[Seth Payne]

Like a normal person, if you're gonna spend 400 or $500 on a dinner, wants to make sure that he and Jan are having the perfect experience.

[Pendergast]

A parent himself, obviously, a grandparent and a parent himself.

[Seth Payne]

Like, I have no idea. He's. It's. It's a total wild card to me,

[Pendergast]

but I do feel like he's going to have a solid answer. Whether you agree with it or not, it's going to be a solid lived experience. Answer from Lopez.

[Seth Payne]

Do you think Aaron Donald is coming back to play football this year for the Los Angeles Rams?

[Pendergast]

I do. Based off of how Sean McVay talked about it and talked around. Sounds like he's gonna at least like. Whether he does or not. It does sound like he's gonna at least give it a shot, give it a go.

[Seth Payne]

This is the quote you're talking about. This is from Sean McVeigh just a couple days ago. For those of you guys that do know Aaron. Aaron Donald, he's very diligent. Anything he does, he does all in. And so he's going through a very strict regimented process that was similar to what he did when he played end quote. That says to me, he's coming back.

[Pendergast]

He's trying.

[Seth Payne]

He's trying. Now I think this, if I had to predict because we've seen other players do this, most notably in Dominican, sue did this with, I think the Eagles back in the day and got to a Super bowl with them doing this.

[Pendergast]

Yeah.

[Seth Payne]

Is he came back in like week 10. I could see Aaron Donald doing something like that. I don't think if he's coming back, he's coming back for the money. So it's not like he needs. Well, I got to get, you know, 17 game checks. You know, got a max out here. No, I think Aaron Donald coming back with fresh legs in the middle of the season.

[Pendergast]

Scary proposition.

[Seth Payne]

Scary proposition. And I think the smart proposition, if you're Aaron Donald and the Los Angeles Rams, they're already going to be a good team without him.

[Pendergast]

Yeah.

[Seth Payne]

Can you imagine adding. It's like adding Aaron Donald at the trade deadline for nothing.

[Pendergast]

Yeah.

[Seth Payne]

It's depending how much Rusty has to knock off.

[Pendergast]

You know, this is a fair. It is fair to call this an embarrassment of riches if they're able to get this guy back because they don't need Aaron Donald. They did by the Way, just trade for, I don't know, Miles Garrett.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah.

[Pendergast]

Didn't they do that?

[Seth Payne]

Yes.

[Pendergast]

So. So, like, what do you need Aaron Donald for? Just the idea that those two guys could line up next to each other. Some version of Aaron Donald. I don't even know what it's going to look like, but you got to figure he's going to still be a bad a. That's scary, man.

[Seth Payne]

You know what it's like, because I don't think we'd be having this conversation if the Miles Garrett trade hadn't gotten made. I think there's something to playing alongside Miles Garrett. Yeah. And certainly something that. I mean, they were a Super bowl contender, even with Jared Verse. They were a game away from getting to the super bowl last year, the Rams. So they were already a good team. This is a little bit like the dynamic you and I talked about, I think, yesterday with LeBron James and the Jalen Brown trade. LeBron chose the Sixers, and Jalen Brown being there was a. Reportedly a big part of that. Like, if Jalen Brown weren't on the Sixers, there's a good chance LeBron James is not on the Sixers as well.

[Pendergast]

Clear domino effect.

[Seth Payne]

So the trade. And he signs for a minimum contract.

[Pendergast]

Yeah.

[Seth Payne]

So the trade that the Sixers made for Jalen Brown functionally included LeBron James in a way. Yeah. It's almost like they. They got LeBron James in the Jalen Brown trade in addition to Jalen Brown.

[Pendergast]

Yeah.

[Seth Payne]

It's like this for Paul Frank freaking George.

[Pendergast]

It's like The Celtics traded LeBron James to the Sixers despite him being a Laker.

[Seth Payne]

Yes.

[Pendergast]

Yeah.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah. But functionally, that is.

[Pendergast]

Yeah, I mean, that's it.

[Seth Payne]

This is kind of similar in that if. If Miles Garrett is the Jalen Brown in this analogy, if he's the big reason Aaron Donald wants to come back and play, it's almost like the Cleveland Browns traded Miles Garrett and Aaron Donald to the Los Angeles Rams.

[Pendergast]

Dude. What. Just. What a wild.

[Seth Payne]

If one is tied to the other inextricably, and I think these are. Yeah. Pretty close to that. Then. Then it's. It's an over the top, genius move by Less Need.

[Pendergast]

Yeah. I don't think you're reaching at all here. Like, this is. This is two plus two equal and four to me.

[Sally Helm]

Yep.

[Pendergast]

Or two plus one plus one equal in four, if you want to do it that way. But nonetheless, you still get to four. Yeah. And I'll point out to me this is different because your original question is like, do we think he's coming back.

[Toba Neath]

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[Pendergast]

Way that Sean McVeigh is talking about Aaron Donald is even different from remember a couple of years ago we kind of did this from a Texan standpoint with J.J. watt. Like, is he going to come back and play for his old teammate in d'? Amico? He's still only just a year or two removed from playing. He talked about himself, hey, I'm only going to be working out like this for a certain amount of time. I'm not going to do this forever. What that seemed to be like they were kind of playing coy a little bit tongue in cheek. Like they were just playing into the joke. This doesn't seem like Sean McVeigh is playing into any joke. No, that sounds like an actual breakdown.

[Seth Payne]

The part where he's talking about there being a regimented process. Yeah, like, well, he's doing something then.

[Pendergast]

Yeah.

[Seth Payne]

You know, and I know Aaron Donald's been keeping in shape in retirement. I know that he looks amazing. All that stuff. This feels very football specific the way he's talking right now.

[Pendergast]

He's already a maniac in the gym. He's going the extra mile of being like an NFL maniac in the gym.

[Seth Payne]

Patrick Mahomes is going to be full go for camp with the Kansas City Chiefs.

[Kristen Press]

Yeah.

[Seth Payne]

So he is going to looks like. Did the. Did the league miss its window here to smack the Chiefs around a little bit?

[Pendergast]

I mean, they might have.

[Seth Payne]

They got smacked around last year. People forget the Chiefs were already kind of an average team even before Mahomes got hurt.

[Pendergast]

Oh, yeah.

[Seth Payne]

Homes getting hurt just cratered the season and allowed them to pick in the top 10 in the draft.

[Pendergast]

Yeah. Their odds were pretty slim that, like, they were at a point where they were going to have to run that after showing that they were a 500 football team.

[Seth Payne]

They were 6 and 6 when the Texans played them.

[Pendergast]

There you go.

[Seth Payne]

In week 14.

[Pendergast]

And they got to a point where as well, we got to run the table if we want to have a shot. And then the quarterback gets tears his knee.

[Seth Payne]

So Mahomes is going to be back for week one, which is. And he's going to be full go for camp, which is very different than what the forecasts were when he first hurt the knee.

[Pendergast]

Yeah.

[Seth Payne]

I mean, there was talk. I remember we'd, you know, when they signed Justin Fields, I remember doing a segment with Seth. We're like, all right, well, what's that going to look like for the first few weeks with Justin Fields and in Andy Reid offense? Because it was going to be necessary because we thought Mahomes was going to miss some time.

[Pendergast]

Yeah. And this now goes back to our conversation about how the injuries are. I don't want to say easier, but much more likely to recover from or recovering much sooner than you did in the past when we were growing up with sports.

[Seth Payne]

Yep. Except Tankdale. Year and a half.

[Pendergast]

Yeah. Which you can see why physiologically, why that. Why that checks out.

[Seth Payne]

Yep. Text message. My name is Ryan. It's my first time texting in.

[Pendergast]

All right.

[Seth Payne]

Oh, welcome to the show, Ryan. But you said something that's very polarizing in my home. My wife will say, quote, it's a baby thing. It's what babies do. Talking about either, you know, crying or breastfeeding at the table, whatever.

[Pendergast]

We're familiar with that.

[Seth Payne]

I'm the complete opposite. When our son was an infant, I avoided doing anything. If we did go out and he lost it, I'm paying the tab and I'm leaving immediately.

[Pendergast]

Yeah.

[Seth Payne]

Now I. And there's people wondering, like, well, what would you do, Sean? Like, you have three kids back in the. You know, I have three kids now, but they're all in their 20s. We rarely went out. You got to understand. I had twins, and then Sammy was born 17 months later.

[Kristen Press]

Yeah.

[Seth Payne]

So we had three little kids. The fanciest thing we would go to would be to go to like, a Buffalo Wild Wings or. Or a Willy's Ice House. Not Willie G's, the fancy seafood place, like a Willy's Ice House, where you go and it's very casual. And my Kids were always really good about not crying at the table.

[Toba Neath]

We.

[Seth Payne]

We never brought them when they were infants. Now it would look like a food bomb went off around our table. They'd all be sitting in high chairs and they'd be eating and it was a mess for the staff to clean up. But those places are built for that sort of thing.

[Pendergast]

Yeah. And that. That is normal.

[Seth Payne]

That's normal.

[Pendergast]

That is what babies do.

[Seth Payne]

Yes. There was never breastfeeding going on at the table, I can tell you that. No, but I know it's everybody's right to do that. I looked. I asked chat. GPT. It's perfectly legal.

[Pendergast]

I do feel like. And of course, our audience is fairly male dominated. I do feel like the stances, the stances on this fall along gender lines and the men who cross over to the woman's side have been convinced and conditioned by the woman's position on this

[Seth Payne]

thing and probably lead happier, more cordial marriages. Yeah, I get it. You're caving. You know they'll cave at some point.

[Pendergast]

Happy wife, happy life.

[Seth Payne]

Absolutely.

[Pendergast]

But a man got to draw the line somewhere.

[Seth Payne]

Yep.

[Pendergast]

And the baby crying at the steakhouse or at the high end restaurant is the line for me, dog.

[Seth Payne]

Absolutely.

[Pendergast]

We got to go outside with that.

[Seth Payne]

Got to. Got to. All right, 9 o' clock hour coming up. Let's circle back to the Astros. Maybe the most improbable win of the season, certainly the most improbable win of this little run that the Astros are on here. They've won six out of seven now, so they're working their way back in it. We'll get you updated on the standings, and if you missed it last night, holy smokes, what a wild ninth inning for the Houston Astros that is. Coming up next, Lemonade.

[Toba Neath]

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[Pendergast]

Oh, nuts.

[Seth Payne]

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[Kristen Press]

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[Toba Neath]

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[Seth Payne]

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[Toba Neath]

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[Kristen Press]

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[Pendergast]

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[Seth Payne]

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[Pendergast]

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[Seth Payne]

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[Sally Helm]

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[Seth Payne]

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[Sally Helm]

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