3 & Out - Best of The Week: Watson was a mistake, Jerry Jones on Parsons, Geno got paid

Summary

Podcast Summary: "3 & Out - Best of The Week: Watson was a mistake, Jerry Jones on Parsons, Geno got paid"

Release Date: April 6, 2025
Podcast: The Herd with Colin Cowherd
Host/Author: iHeartPodcasts and The Volume

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1. DeSean Watson's Contract: A Failed Gamble

Speaker: Jemele Hill
Timestamp: 21:02 – 20:14

In this segment, Jemele Hill delves into the tumultuous tenure of DeSean Watson with the Cleveland Browns. Hill criticizes the colossal contract extended to Watson, labeling it an "all-time disaster" both financially and performance-wise. Highlighting Watson's extensive injury history and off-field baggage, Hill asserts that his NFL career is effectively over.

Jemele Hill (21:02): "DeSean Watson will never play another game for the Cleveland Browns. His career for the Browns is over... he's awful. Like he's objectively one of the worst players his time in Cleveland that we've seen in the NFL for decades."
[21:02]

Hill emphasizes that despite the $230 million contract, Watson's inability to perform at a high level, combined with his personal issues, makes him untouchable in the league. She argues that the Browns’ investment was misguided, as Watson’s production does not match his financial outlay, ultimately harming the team’s financial flexibility and on-field performance.

Key Points:

• Watson's performance has not met expectations.
• The $230 million contract is unsustainable given his output.
• Off-field issues and injuries further diminish his value.
• The Browns are unlikely to retain Watson beyond the existing contract terms.

2. Jerry Jones Discusses Micah Parsons' Contract

Speaker: Jemele Hill
Timestamp: 22:45 – 29:46

Jemele Hill transitions into an analysis of Jerry Jones, the iconic owner of the Dallas Cowboys, focusing on his recent comments about Micah Parsons’ contract. Hill reflects on Jones' traditional business strategies and how his current approach may be hindering the Cowboys' competitiveness.

Jemele Hill (22:45): "When Jerry Jones made the quote, 'I'd rather pay more and get it right,' there's a lot of validity to that statement... you are better off paying a little bit more and being happy with your purchase."
[22:45]

Hill critiques Jones for his reluctance to negotiate contracts efficiently, citing recent deals with players like CD Lamb and Dak Prescott. She contrasts this with the Philadelphia Eagles' early and strategic contract negotiations, which have allowed them to maintain a stronger roster. Hill suggests that Jones' aging leadership may be contributing to less optimal business decisions, potentially putting the Cowboys at a disadvantage within their division.

Key Points:

• Jerry Jones prioritizes high salaries to secure top talent.
• This strategy limits the Cowboys' ability to sign additional key players.
• Compared to the Eagles, the Cowboys have fewer high-priced starters, affecting team depth.
• Jones' approach may stem from his long-standing influence and traditional methods, which may not align with modern NFL management practices.

3. Geno Smith's Lucrative Contract Extension

Speaker: Jemele Hill
Timestamp: 29:46 – 30:16

Shifting focus, Jemele Hill highlights the remarkable turnaround in Geno Smith’s career and the financial implications of his recent contract extension with the Las Vegas Raiders. Smith's ascent from a second-round pick with modest earnings to a highly paid quarterback exemplifies the unpredictable nature of NFL careers.

Jemele Hill (29:46): "Geno Smith, who... had made $10 million. Now with his new contract extension, he's on pace to make well over $125 million... by 2027, he will have 12.5 times that minimum."
[29:46]

Hill underscores Smith’s performance improvements and his strategic contract that not only secures his position as the Raiders' quarterback but also illustrates the potential for significant financial growth in the NFL. She praises the Raiders’ decision to invest heavily in Smith, contrasting it with more conservative approaches seen in other teams.

Key Points:

• Geno Smith’s career trajectory has been highly profitable and successful.
• His new contract with the Raiders guarantees significant financial returns.
• Smith’s performance has exceeded expectations, leading to increased market value.
• The Raiders' investment in Smith highlights a strategic move to solidify their quarterback position.

Concluding Insights

Throughout the episode, Jemele Hill provides a critical analysis of key NFL figures and decisions, highlighting the financial and performance-related outcomes of high-stakes contracts. From questioning the wisdom of DeSean Watson’s massive contract to dissecting Jerry Jones’ management style and celebrating Geno Smith’s rise, the discussion offers a comprehensive look into the complexities of team management and player valuation in today’s NFL landscape.

Notable Themes:

• The impact of high-value contracts on team dynamics and financial health.
• The balance between securing top talent and maintaining a flexible, depth-filled roster.
• The unpredictable nature of player careers and the potential for significant financial rewards based on performance.

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This summary captures the critical discussions and insights presented in the episode "3 & Out - Best of The Week: Watson was a mistake, Jerry Jones on Parsons, Geno got paid," providing an informative overview for listeners seeking to understand the nuanced conversations around these prominent NFL topics.

Transcript

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[Jemele Hill]

What is going on, my people? How are we doing out there on the streets? Hopefully everyone is having a great day and wanted to do a little weekend best stuff because we had a big week of shows. Obviously the NFL got together in Southern Florida and had some owners meetings And Jimmy Haslam made a comment that was like, whoa, you're not used to hearing that. Jerry Jones also had some comments on Micah Parsons. You had owners just letting it fly. And then Geno Smith got paid this week. I got a contract extension. He got paid years ago by Seattle, but he got a contract extension and will be the Raiders quarterback at least for the next couple years. And we kind of dove into kind of a crazy turn of events when you look at his career financially, these last four or five years have been very, very lucrative to Geno Smith. So let's dive into the best of before we dive in to the old podcast talking about some football, can I tell you about my friends, my partners in the official ticketing app of this podcast? You know what I would love to do? Born and raised about 15 minutes away from Sacramento, they now have the Ace are playing in a 15,000 triple A stadium. The size of the stadium fits about 15,000 people and I think the A's are going to be pretty good. And if you live in Northern California to go to an A's game at Raley Field in Sacramento, it'd be pretty sweet. The Oakland teams love to move. You got the warriors in San Francisco, you got the Raiders in Vegas. Now you got the A's in Sacramento. So the they're spread out. But if you want to go to a baseball game, if you're a Yankee fan and want to watch these Torpedo Rocket bats, go check them out and do it on us, obviously. Comedy shows, concerts, you name it. Game Time is the best, easiest ticketing app I've ever used. I have been to more events in the last couple years working closely with these guys and using their app than I have in years. And I've got Christmas presents and birthday presents off the app. Obviously if you want to get out of the house, do something fun, go enjoy yourself, do it. And take the guesswork out of buying tickets with Game Time. Download the Game Time app, create an account, use the code JOHN for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Again, create an account, redeem the code Johan for $20 off down the Gametime app today. Last minute tickets, lowest price is guaranteed. You know owners don't talk very often and rightfully so. If I owned a team, I would not take the Jerry Jones approach. I would only speak when it was kind of mandated that I speak. Like at these owners meetings, when you really can't hide. Or after a monumental decision for the organization, a hiring of a coach, a firing of a coach, even a big signing of a Player like, ultimately, that's why I paid my GM and the head coach millions of dollars and I gave Jimmy Haslam credit. When Miles Garrett demanded his trade and who's represented by Clutch and Rich Paul and they wanted a one on one meeting with Jimmy Haslam, Jimmy Haslam simply told him, meet with my gm, he's in charge. Now. Ultimately, in a weird way, it all kind of worked because Myles Garrett got a historic contract. But I do think for a guy that has, you know, a past that's more than questionable with Flying J and the trucking company who's had a disastrous ownership, there is no disputing that no owner has spent more actual cash than Jimmy Haslam over these last four years. You know, now clearly that hasn't equated into dominating the NFL. But it's not from a lack of cutting checks. He is doing things that a lot of teams take a lot of shit in this league. Hell, Jerry Jones, who is an extremely wealthy man, is often criticized for sneaky. He pays some of his top guys, but not spending as much cash as other owners. And Jimmy Haslam spares no expense when it comes to his football team, specifically the players. Now I remember reading an article within the last month, or maybe it was within the last couple months that said you can't always buy your way to championships. Obviously culture, the right coaching, the right players, who you're actually paying really matters. So there are a lot of variables to this. But you know, it's pretty rare that you get a microphone in front of an owner, a guy that you have on your current team who you are paying a lot of money, even if it is an epic all time disaster, that you get them to be honest, that you get them to be candid because let's face it, you know, we use the term coach speak a lot. When coaches just basically say nothing, yet they're talking a lot. It's like he just talked for 15 minutes. I don't think he said anything of value. And they're good at it and I don't ever blame them for doing it. And owners and GMs do the same thing. Jimmy Haslam came out today and said in regards to Deshaun Watson, quote, it was a big swing and a miss. I was like, damn. Even though every human alive, whether you're in Cleveland, Ohio, whether you're in Scottsdale, Arizona, whether you are in the, in Dubai, if you follow football, you know that the Sean Watson trade contract has been an all time disaster. But usually they just give you a bs. Listen, we're going to keep trying to add to the football team. DeSean's doing everything possible to rehab and get his Achilles right. And you know, he has the right attitude and just all the BS cliche stuff is typically what I would have expected. If you told me Jimmy Haslam today at the owner's meetings is going to be asked about DeSean Watson. I would not have expected this. And you know what we have to acknowledge because I think with this, desean Watson will never play another game for the Cleveland Browns. His career for the Cleveland Browns is over. Because I don't think you say a comment like this without basically acknowledging like this thing is a wrap. Obviously we can't cut him because it accelerates the contract, but he's got a torn Achilles. We never plan on making him our quarterback again. And the 90 million plus we owe him we will pay over the life of the next couple years. And it is what it is. And over the next couple years he will be, I'm sure, released from the Cleveland Browns. Whether that's 26 or 27. I'd even go as far to say I don't think DeSean Watson will ever play in the NFL again. And if you've listened to me long enough, you know I'm not some moral high horse guy when it comes to the private sector, whether that's whatever industry you work in specifically. Obviously I talk a lot about the NFL. Like the job of an NFL GM and an NFL head coach is not to teach society life lessons. There have been a lot of bad guys, questionable characters who have played a lot in the NFL. Why? Because they could play. And that is the job of a team, to get the best players possible. That gives you the best chance to win. But the moment you can't play, and DeSean's clearly proven the last couple of years he can no longer play at a high level. Honestly, he's awful. Like he's objectively one of the worst players his time in Cleveland that we've seen in the NFL for decades. Now. You factor in extensive injury history, shoulder, Achilles, then you factor in the baggage off the field. I don't think he ever gets signed in the NFL again because if he had been a high level player and became available, you would be naive and ignorant to think a lot of teams wouldn't line up to acquire a quarterback. Right. That's why the Cleveland Browns gave him $230 million because they thought they were getting a star player from Houston. All the stuff off the field was being discussed. What was out there didn't matter, they didn't care. And then desean's like, I'm not going to Cleveland. And they said, what will it cost you? And they gave him the contract terms and Jimmy Haslam gave it to him. But the reason this contract has been a disaster, he's awful. And now he's injured. And now to the rest of the NFL, I think he's untouchable. When you factor in just the toxic nature of his name, you just say desean Watson. An NFL fan goes, but he can't play. It's the reason a lot of guys with questionable off the field situations, whether they are guilty in the court of law or not, that's not the NFL's job. This isn't the Justice Department. Honestly, if you are a free man walking, they don't give a shit if they think you're a high level player. It's been proven over and over and over and it will continue to be proven over and over moving forward. If you are a high impactful, talented guy, you are going to get countless shots. Deshaun Watson no longer is. And when I think you factor in the baggage and the toxicity that he brings moving forward, I think his NFL career is done. And I don't throw that out lightly. Like I said, zero moral stance coming here. It's just simple of like his production to baggage, talent rate is all out of whack and there's going to be no way to prove it because clearly he's never playing another snap for Cleveland. So I think we have seen the end of Sean Watson. You know, when you get older, I turned 40 a couple months ago, you start, I don't want to say you go through a midlife crisis, but over the course of your late 30s and anyone listening to this that's older than me, you start comparing life moments to like when individuals die or when you start seeing someone their child is 25 and in the NFL or in the NBA. Hell, I was watching the Final Four and watching Jace Richardson, Jason Richardson's son, star for Michigan State. I remember being at a Kings game, sneaking up to basically courtside a couple rows behind with my buddy Mike Ewing that I grew up with, watching a Warriors Kings game and Jason Richardson, who at the time felt like he was a first or second year player. I was in high school and him doing a breakaway 360. And I'm watching his son. It's like, God, I feel old. And part of life is aging. And as you get older, you know these people that have been in your Life kind of come down the home stretch. And if you love sports and if, especially where I grew up, 49ers and Cowboys were a really big deal. And I, Jerry Jones has been in my life like most people that follow football for a long time now. And I watched a clip of the kind of quote that went viral that discussing Micah Parsons. And you know, the main part of the quote was like, I'd rather pay more and get it right. Which I want to dive into that quote. But watching Jerry is like, God, he's, he's aging and he's aging. Of course, he's, he's in his 80s. And I think the Cowboys right now, it's just going to be a weird little stretch in Jerry's older years. There is no disputing, it's not apples to apples, but there does feel a little bit like Al Davis, Jerry Jones, two of the biggest names in the history of the league, guys that own the team and ran the team. The end got a little weird. And that's what it feels like right now with Jerry. Even if you listen to him talk and go, yeah, I'm just going right to Micah Parsons. I'm the guy cutting the check. He's the guy that has to accept the deal. Why am I wasting time talking to anyone else? That's not that abnormal. It feels kind of weird because Jerry saying it. TJ Watt did this a couple years ago when he held in and went right to Art Rooney's office. Last year when the negotiations were going on with Brandon Iuk, it was constantly, Kyle John and Brandon Iuk dealing with each other on top of the agent. Now when you make the quote, I'd rather pay more and get it right. I think there's a lot of validity to that statement. In any walk of life, you are better off paying a little bit more and being happy with your purchase. I mean, think how many things in life that if you go cheap on, end up costing you more money in the long run. It happens constantly with, you know, purchases under 100 bucks to purchases like cars and homes that you're like, God damn, I should not have done this. And it backfires. I would say Jerry has a point when you'd rather pay more and get it right. When it comes to free agents, right when you are shopping with NFL free agents, you would rather pay a guy $20 million a year and feel very good about him either become being a Pro bowl player, a high end starter and feeling good about it, even if you are making him the highest paid player at his position, then pay an average guy $16 million a year and go, we're just filling a need here. This, I'm, I'm not comfortable with it. Totally understand that and I completely agree. But when you are extending your own players, especially superstar players who are going to make an astronomical amount of money, the Miles Garrett's, you know, the Justin Jeffersons, obviously the quarterbacks, a guy like Micah Parsons, the difference of 10, $15 million on the total guarantee could be the difference of an extra starter or two. So when Jerry, the last couple deals he's had with CD Lamb, with Dak Prescott has cost him starting players, they don't have the wiggle room because of the way that he does deals. And then his arch rival, the Eagles, are known for doing deals early and saving money over the course of a couple seasons. Like, it's not like the Eagles don't have a lot of high priced players. They've extended a lot of them early, it saved them money a year or two later. And it enables them to basically have an offense that has like nine of their 11 starters or max players. And the Cowboys, like, well, we can only have three max players on the whole fucking team. Like, that's not normal. Like, that's just bad business. And I would imagine, you know, Steven's in a tough spot. I've always, I've never met him, but I've known people that have negotiated with him, not even for player stuff, but in other walks of life that speak really highly of him and they say he's pretty level headed guy to do business with. I think Sometimes when you're 80 plus years old, you are as rich as a guy like Jerry. And this would be true in any walk of life. You know, it's hard to maintain your fastball. Usually the guy that throws 100 miles an hour at 28, at 30 years old is not doing it at 45 years old. Dan Marino can throw a tight spiral, but his arm strength probably isn't the same at 60 years old. And you're watching Jerry now, one of the true mavericks and great businessmen in the history of the NFL, has been a huge part of the growth and the explosion of the marketing and the popularity of football. In terms of the mindset on the business side of the league office, he deserves a lot of credit for that. But the guy we're seeing now, and it pains me to say this, feels like a shell of himself. And you know, it goes with the Brian Schottenheimer hire. It's just a bizarre place right now. And Ultimately, he'll pay Micah Parsons and he'll give him $150 million guaranteed. Where, you know, if he would have done this early, probably could have got him for 20% cheaper. But that's not the way Jerry does business. And then he'll just complain like, we got three guys making max money. It's like, yeah, probably could have saved on all three of them and they still could have been incredibly wealthy and you would have had a better team. But that's not what happens when you got a guy like Jerry running the team as a GM in his 80s. Like, how is he going to compete against Howie Roseman and Adam Peters in his own division? News flash, he can't. The Finals for March Mania are here and the only thing for sure is it's the last time you can bet on college basketball this season. Get in on all the action expected and unexpected with DraftKings sportsbook. With live betting, exclusive content, promos and parlays, DraftKings is the ultimate college basketball destination for March 1st time. Here's something special just for you. 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We should be examining what our government spends its money on and are these jobs necessary and what are we doing here? But that doesn't seem to be what we're doing in this situation.

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I remember when I first got into radio, I was doing some stuff on the side on local television in the Bay Area, and it was really cool. It was a really big deal for my dad. You know, he could watch Living an hour away, watch me on the Comcast channel that had the warriors, the Kings, the San Francisco Giants. And I would do, like, local television shows about Oakland raiders and San Francisco 49ers topics. And I used to be really offended when they wouldn't let me talk basketball or baseball. It's like, guys, I understand I'm a quote unquote, football guy, but I got a radio show that's doing really well in the ratings here, and we're talking everything. And it used to really bother me. And eventually my partner told me, like, if you're going to get pigeonholed at anything, football is not the worst way to go. There are way worse things to get painted into a corner as, quote, unquote, the football guy. And again, like, I don't know if it was a chip on my shoulder, some anger about, like, I can talk everything. I will talk baseball and basketball. And looking back, it was such a stupid thing to get worked up on. And he was right. Like, being the football guy, you could do a lot worse in a country that is football obsessed. But I think that's true anything in life. You know, when you enter a company, people look at you. If you start as an intern, sometimes it's hard to shake the way they look at you, even if you've inevitably been there for a while. And I think that happens with quarterbacks. Once you become the backup quarterback, it is very hard to ever be viewed as, this guy can be my starting quarterback. Usually you need something extreme to happen, and that happened to Geno Smith when John Schneider traded Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos. And it by far is not only the best thing that ever happened to him on the field because he got a chance to play and he proved that he was a good player. But financially, I don't know if we've ever seen anything like this. I looked it up today. Geno Smith, who, let's face it, after a year or two early on in his career was just viewed as a guy that was going to struggle to hold on. And then he kind of had developed himself as a backup quarterback. And I was guilty of this. I just assumed Geno Smith the rest of his life was going to be a backup quarterback. And as of 2021, you know, Gino was not a high draft pick. He's drafted in the second round, had made $10 million. Now for 99.9% of 30 year olds already accumulating $10 million in the workforce, it's pretty incredible. But when you're playing in the NFL, you know, you start doing the math. You're like the position I play. But God, this guy is probably going to end his career. At the time, if you would have bet maybe a couple more contracts to be backup quarterback, I don't know, $20 million. I looked it up today. He is on pace now with this new contract extension from the Raiders that guarantees him over $65 million minimum. That, that assumes that like he plays bad, they cut him. They only have to pay him the true guarantees. He's going to make well over 125 million in 2021. He had a career earnings of $10 million. And by 2027 he will have 12 and a half X that minimum. There's a decent chance he'll be at 140 or $150 million. So not only is this guy an incredible story, he got his opportunity. He made the most of it. He became, which is pretty crazy if I would have told anyone, would you have bet that Geno Smith over the next five years would be a dramatically better player than Russell Wilson? There would have been 100% universal agreement. No chance. And I don't think not only is he a better player than Russell Wilson, every team in the league today would take Geno Smith over Russell Wilson and did not see that coming. But John Schneider, Pete Carroll benefited from that. Now Pete Carroll back with the Raiders, they make a trade for him. They have, you know, a pretty highly paid, he's better than a quote unquote bridge quarterback, but he's definitely just holding the fort down until you find a younger player, but he does allow you to not force a pick. And if Shador Sanders is there at pick six, which who knows, you could convince me that he's gone at 2, you could convince me that he doesn't even get drafted in the top 10. It's what makes the draft fascinating most years is we don't have any clue how it's going to play out. But I think it's fair to say that more like if I was a betting man, the Raiders are not going to take a quarterback in the top 10. Doesn't mean they won't. They still can. You easily could pull the trigger. How Pete Carroll did this once upon a time when he signed Matt Flynn and took Russell Wilson in the third round. Now I do think they'd be more inclined to take a guy on the second day, you know, where, you know, help John Spytak, the Raiders GM when he was in Tampa. Their last two quarterbacks, you know, one, honestly the guy they first drafted was Jameis Winston. That blew up in their face. And then, you know, found Tom Brady just as a free agent and have to give up a draft pick. And then they found Baker Mayfield for $4 million enough to give up a draft pick. So I do wonder if they're going to overextend themselves if they are on the fence assuming Shador Sanders is there and now this allows them to take another position if they want. Not that we didn't know this was coming because when they made the trade for Geno Smith, it was well reported that they're going to extend them and they did. And now Geno Smith went from $10 million to a career earnings potentially at 130, $140 million when his career's all over. Just incredible football story, an incredible business story. I mean if he was a stock and you would invested in him in 2021, you would have had pretty incredible returns. The volume.

[Jeremy Hobson]

We live in a divided country and our media couldn't be more polarizing. That's why we started the Middle with Jeremy Hobson. It's about bringing voices not from the extremes but from the vast middle into the national conversation. Each week we hear from ordinary Americans from all over the country. And when you subscribe to the Middle, you you also get an episode each week called One Thing Trump did that focuses on just one item from the avalanche of news. Listen to the Middle with Jeremy Hobson on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Julie Stewart-Banks]

What's up, everyone. Julie Swerbinks here, along with former NHL player Nate Thompson.

[Nate Thompson]

We're doing a new podcast together. Here we go.

[Julie Stewart-Banks]

The name Energy Line with Nate and jsb.

[Nate Thompson]

Each week we'll get together and talk about hockey life. All topics are fair game, right?

[Julie Stewart-Banks]

Exactly. And you'll never know who will drop by to join us.

[Nate Thompson]

Julie is pretty well connected. She has text threads going that you wouldn't believe.

[Julie Stewart-Banks]

Listen to Energy Line with Nate and jsb on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Paige DeSorbo]

I'm Camila Ramon. And I'm Liz Ortiz. And our podcast Hasta Bajo is where sports, music and fitness collide and we cover it all. The Arriba Hasta. This season we sit down with makers like the Sucar family, who became the first Peruvians to win a Grammy.

[Jeremy Hobson]

It was a very special moment for us. It's been 15 years for me in this career. Finally, things are starting to shift into a different level.

[Paige DeSorbo]

Listen to Astavajo on the iHeartRadio app Apple Podcasts for wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Elf Beauty, founding partner of iHeart Women's Sports.

[Jemele Hill]

You have to be very careful with tradition, because sometimes tradition is just dead people's baggage. I'm Jemele Hill, host of the sports and politics podcast Spolitics. On this week's episode, I talked with comedian Roy Wood Jr. About the lack of African American star power in Major League Baseball. Baseball needs an Anthony Edwards, and I don't know who that could be. Mookie Betts is Steph Curry. He's exceptional and likable. Million Dollar Smile. But you also need Chaos Negro. Listen to spoletics on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.