Best of The Herd

Summary

The Herd with Colin Cowherd: "Best of The Herd" – March 12, 2026

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Episode Overview

This episode embodies the signature style of The Herd: sharp takes, deep dives, and marquee interviews around the day’s top sports stories. Colin Cowherd reflects on the legacies of NBA greats, offers insight on NFL quarterback narratives, ranks impactful free agency moves, and sits down for a candid, revealing interview with Johnny Manziel. The episode blends analysis, storytelling, and real talk about character, growth, and the finer nuances of pro sports legacies and careers.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

The LeBron Statue Debate and the Lakers' High Standard

[04:37 – 07:48]

• Colin revisits a conversation with NBA champion Robert Horry about whether LeBron James deserves a statue in front of the Lakers' arena.
  • Robert Horry’s take: LeBron is deserving of statues in Cleveland, LA, and Miami for transforming every organization he touched, noting, “Sometimes it’s not about the wins, it’s about the butts you put in the seat.” [04:37]
  • Colin’s perspective: The Lakers’ standard is elite—reserved for lifetime “family” members like Kobe, Magic, Shaq, Kareem, Pat Riley, and Chick Hearn, who defined eras. LeBron, as great as he is, feels more like a consultant or “life preserver” than a foundational Laker legend:
    • “LeBron feels more like a consultant. He adds value, new set of eyes, polishes up the problems. And then when he leaves and the contract’s done, you’re like, alright, see ya. Nobody sheds tears, nobody cries. This is not family.” [05:45]
  • Argument summary: It’s not just about titles or popularity—the Lakers (like Notre Dame or Yankee baseball) honor players who are synonymous with the brand for years, not just transformative icons from elsewhere.
  • Memorable quote: “With LeBron, the first sentence is Cleveland’s finest, most points ever, part of the Heels. Is he really family?” [06:30]

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Quarterback Trajectories: Darnold, Kyler Murray, and Reclamation Projects

[07:48 – 13:55]

• Colin compares the NFL careers of Sam Darnold, Kyler Murray, and the concept of ‘reclamation’ quarterbacks.
  • Colin’s reputation as an early Darnold backer—validated after Darnold’s Super Bowl win.
  • He highlights Kyler Murray as this offseason’s prime “reclamation project,” similar to Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield previously.
    • “He is a more athletic, elusive version of Russell Wilson in his prime. He throws a beautiful deep ball, and because of his baseball background, he doesn’t get hit that much.” [10:00]
  • Argues that coach and organizational stability dictate if talented but embattled QBs can turn their careers around—citing Darnold thriving under Kyle Shanahan and Baker Mayfield’s revival with Sean McVay, etc.
  • Albert Breer on rumors of Kyler to the Vikings: “I think right now, things are lining up for the Vikings to bring Kyler Murray in on the minimum… the opportunity to work with Kevin O’Connell, an offensive line they’ve invested in, Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, T.J. Hockenson…” [11:48]
  • Colin’s conclusion: If Kyler lands in Minnesota, he’s set up with weapons, stability, and the best possible scenario for a rebound season: “You find your guy, you find your coach.” [12:19]
  • Quote on Kyler’s upside: “If you told me I had one drive to win a game, I’d take Kyler over Daniel Jones or Mac Jones or Geno Smith.” [13:25]

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NFL Free Agency: Top Game-Changing Moves

[19:09 – 22:52]

• Colin’s “Five Favorite Free Agency Moves”
  1. Raiders sign Tyler Linderbaum (center) and Jalen Nailor (WR) – Emphasizes the importance of pairing a young QB with a top-tier center and fast, under-the-radar receivers.
  2. Rams add Trent McDuffie and Jalen Watson (CBs) – Their defense transforms into a Super Bowl favorite with a stacked young core and veteran corner to lock down NFC West receivers.
  3. Malik Willis to Miami – Impressed by his accuracy and fit; predicts he will outperform his contract and become at least league average at QB17.
  4. DJ Moore to Buffalo – Durable, underutilized in Chicago, expects him to explode with Josh Allen.
  5. Tariq Woolen to the Eagles – Now joining arguably the NFL’s only defense with three elite-trait corners.
  • “Those were as good as it gets to me. And I will say this, I do think Bradley Chubb coming in late… solid. Trey Hendrickson to the Ravens, solid. Those are good plays as well.” [22:25]

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Johnny Manziel Interview: Growth, Redemption, and Real Talk

[26:33 – 46:21]

Learning from Mistakes: Mentorship & Advice to Diego Pavia

• Manziel on mentoring Vanderbilt QB Diego Pavia:
  • Defends the value of learning from his own failures. “...it’s that same kind of thing, like, hey, man, you don’t have to do what I did, and here’s why.” [27:11]
  • Warns Pavia of the pitfalls: “You have to do the things that I didn’t do. You have to carry yourself with a little more class. ... All the things that I didn’t do that got my ass kicked out of the NFL in two years.” [30:04]
  • Memorable moment: Manziel’s candid recounting of a club incident with Pavia and subsequent “tough love” phone call. [28:19-31:08]

Regrets, Maturity, and the Impact of Environment

• On regrets and environment:
  • “You can always go back and have fun later in your life after you set yourself up for success… I look back at a career that … I know and I’m honest with myself about how it went.” [31:52]
  • Reflects on his own lack of preparedness, regardless of team: “I had Joe Thomas, Alex Mack, Joe Haden… really good people in the building that tried to get through to me. But … I was still headed down a path where I needed to get woken up by life.” [35:06]
  • Quote: “From 2010 to 2019, only three of 29 first-round quarterbacks are still with their teams… We’re all influenced by our environment.” – Colin [34:12]

The New NIL/Transfer Era in College Football

• Johnny’s take on NIL/transfer portal: Generally supportive, but sees risk without education.
  • “If you’re a high school kid, you could get a million dollars dropped in your bank account by the first day that you get on campus. That’s crazy. ... It shouldn’t be pay-for-play.” [37:01]
  • Warns of “Wild West” dynamics and the risk of bad advice/management.
  • On the transfer portal: “The thing you can’t do as a college athlete is transfer or get into the transfer portal and then not find a new home… you may never get back.” [38:39]

Parity and What Powers College Football

• Predicts more parity thanks to NIL: “With the right coach, the right leadership, the right money of boosters, you can have Vandy have a season like they had… I like the parity of college football.” [41:00]
• Notes the Big Ten’s power over the SEC currently.

Personal Growth, Therapy, and Meaning

• Manziel on how he matured: “I’ve spent a lot of time with therapists. I’ve worked through a lot of trauma… I hold myself to my own standard. ... I have better friends that surround me. I have a passion and a purpose in my life of things that I want to do moving forward that get me out of bed every day.” [42:48]
  • Quote: “When you come into my life and you have me on your show, I want you to feel like, man, that guy is doing better in life. He has grown up.” [44:25]

Quick Hit: Evaluation of Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza

• “I think he throws a really good ball, has a lot of zip on his passes, reads coverage very well… And I feel like this kid is going to be very good.” [45:23]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Robert Horry: “He should get a statue in Cleveland, he should get a statue in LA, he should get a statue in Miami because you think about what he’s done for every organization.” [04:37]
• Colin on LeBron/Lakers: “LeBron feels more like a consultant… more consultant than family.” [06:14]
• Colin on Kyler Murray: “He is a more athletic, elusive version of Russell Wilson in his prime. He throws a beautiful deep ball… One of the great sliders in the sport, really knows how to avoid contact.” [10:00]
• Albert Breer: “I think right now, things are lining up for the Vikings to bring Kyler Murray in on the minimum.” [11:48]
• Manziel on advice to young QBs: “You have to do the things that I didn’t do that got my ass kicked out of the NFL in two years.” [30:04]
• Manziel on growth: “I’m in a great place in every sense of the way—work wise, family wise, where I live, what I have going on in my life. And I’m proud of those things.” [43:50]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• LeBron statue debate: 04:37–07:48
• QB reclamation projects and Kyler Murray: 07:48–13:55
• Top free agency moves: 19:09–22:52
• Johnny Manziel interview (his journey, mentorship, NIL, parity): 26:33–46:21

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Final Thoughts

This episode masterfully weaves Colin’s distinct perspective with deep guest conversations, mixing sharp sports analysis (from legacies to roster moves) with an inspirational, authentic look at human growth through Johnny Manziel’s journey. Not only does the episode serve up the key news and debate of the week—it offers a rare, sincere check-in on personal character, resilience, and what it truly means to learn from experience.

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For listeners who haven’t heard the episode, this summary encapsulates all the central arguments, emotional moments, and lively sports insight without commercial breaks or filler.

Transcript

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[A]

LeBron, you know him, Katie. Those guys have had the choice. You know, everybody wants somebody to be like a Dirk and a Colby and stay for 20 years. And Tim Duncan, that ain't the case with everybody. They wanted to explore options and I think if he does get a statue out there, he's deserving. He should get a statue in Cleveland, he should get a statue in la, he should get a statue in Miami because you think about what he's done for every organization. Sometimes it's not about the wins, it's about the butts you put in the seat.

[B]

Okay, so the Lakers aren't every other organization. There is simply a different standard for Notre Dame football, Yankee baseball, Real Madrid, Manchester United and the Lakers, even though they haven't been very good over the last 10 years. Right. Most of the time. And this is not the New York Mets that celebrate wild card appearances, or the Charlotte hornets or the fourth best football team in the Big 12. Miami, sure. Cleveland, absolutely. I think if you ask Laker Fans, statue in LeBron outside of crypto, it would be absolutely not. Folks. Think about the statues in front of crypto. Kobe, five rings. Jerry west six as an executive and then nine finals appearances. Magic five titles. Shaq three. Kareem five. Pat Riley, several Chick Hearn, 30 plus years of broadcasting. I mean, Elgin Baylor didn't have a title, but Elgin Baylor, who many believe was the pre LeBron, he was LeBron before LeBron, all 14 years of his career. Lakers drafted by him, stayed with them. 14 years with him. You know, 10 time all star average, 38 a game one season. He is the founding father of professional basketball in la. Is Elgin Baylor always a Laker? You know, every statue outside of crypto. The first line of it could be Laker legend Magic Johnson. With LeBron, the first sentence is Cleveland's finest, most points ever. Part of the heels. Is he really family? LeBron feels more like a consultant. He adds value, new set of eyes, polishes up the problems. And then when he leaves and the contract's done, you're like, all right, see ya. Nobody sheds tears, nobody cries. This is not family. And that's the downside to mobility. LeBron isn't Laker family. What he is, he has been a. He was a life preserver for a sinking boat. But Jerry west and Magic were the boat. Kareem and Kobe, Shaq were the boat. Jerry west was the boat. And so not a lot of rings, one Covid championship, eight years with the Lakers, last two. There's games and minute restrictions. I think the standard is way too high. I do think he's put some butts in the seats, but that's a big deal for the Clippers, that's a big deal maybe for the Mavericks, for the Pelicans, butts in seats don't count at Notre Dame, Ohio State football, you know, Tom Izzo, Michigan State basketball, there's always butts in the seats. So, and I've said this Before, LeBron was a life preserver. The five years before he came to the Lakers had the losing his record as a franchise. But they still remain the number one brand in the sport. They could still get a number they were just poorly coached and poorly run and poorly owned. So the statute thing is very interesting to me. I. I would honestly, when you look at the standard of the people out in front of crypto with LeBron, I'd probably say, yeah, more consultant than family. Okay, so, you know, there are two quarterbacks that I have always been much higher on than the consensus. One of them is Sam Darnold. And after he hoisted a Super bowl trophy, the trolls and the critics got very quiet. Apparently there was a power outage with all their Internet. The other one, and I've said, I guess I missed on it, was Kyler Murray. So the reason I always stuck with Sam Darnold and never liked JJ McCarthy is because Darnold had elite traits. Elite size, elite arm, elite athleticism, elite toughness. Well, Kyler Murray, to me, everybody keeps asking, who's the next Sam Darnold? An elite quarterback on the cheap. Who's the next Baker Mayfield? Well, guys, it's Kyler Murray. If he goes to Minnesota with Jordan Addison and a good old Line and T.J. hawkinson and Justin Jefferson and Kevin O', Connell, you got to remember, he made multiple Pro Bowls. In a playoff in Arizona, they gave him a contract extension. Jets did not to Darnold, Cleveland didn't. With Baker, Arizona gave him a contract extension, they picked it up, and he made multiple Pro Bowls and he got to the playoffs. But like Darnold, what he has are elite traits. He is a more athletic, elusive version of Russell Wilson in his prime. He throws a beautiful deep ball, and because of his baseball background, he doesn't get hit that much. One of the great sliders in the sport really knows how to avoid contact. Is he small? Do I have commitment issues? Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. But if you're looking for the next Darnold, it's right in front of you. It's Kyler Murray. And it. That's why I was never a JJ McCarthy fan. What are the traits? When Drake May came out, I'm like, oh, that's NFL size, NFL arm, two traits. Caleb Williams, okay, that's NFL horsepower, Jaden Daniels movement. I said, he's gonna look like Lamar Jackson. You gotta have a wow trait. Well, Kyler Murray has him, but, like, Sam Darnley went to a bad organization. So I worry a little bit about, you know, he's a smaller quarterback. I don't think like Darnold. I think Darnold's a better talent. I don't think he's going to peel off 14 wins. But when you look at Baker. And you look at Darnold, what they got to reinvent their career wasn't necessarily a great O line. It was a great coach. For Darnold, it was Shanahan, then Kevin o', Connell, and then Clint Kubiak. You know, for Baker Mayfield, he got little Sean McVeigh, and then he gets Liam Cohen and Dave Canales. That's what the reclamation projects all have. They find their kingpin, they find their. Their wizard. Well, Kevin OConnell was that for Darnold. He was that for Josh Dobbs, briefly. He couldn't make it work with JJ McCarthy. I think it's Kyler Murray, Albert Brer yesterday on Kyler and the Vikings. And the. And the reports are it's getting close.

[A]

I think right now, things are lining

[B]

up for the Vikings to bring Kyler Murray in on.

[A]

On the minimum.

[B]

And I think if you're Kyler Murray, you look at that situation, the opportunity

[A]

to work with Kevin o', Connell, an offensive line that they've invested in, Jordan Jefferson or Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, T.J. hawkinson. I mean, you start to add up

[B]

the pieces that you've got in Minnesota. And even though they didn't play very

[A]

well last year, a lot of those

[B]

same elements that put Sam Darnold in position to resurrect his career would still

[A]

be there for Kyler Murray.

[B]

Totally agree. So it. It's. It's. When you. Whenever you look at these quarterbacks who get tossed aside, who are viewed as busts when they. If they resurrect their career, the common thread is not a great running back or a number one receiver. You find your guy, you find your coach. It could be Clint Kubiak, Shanahan, Kevin o', Connell, Dave Canales, Liam Cohen. You find the right coach, and I think if he signs with Minnesota, that's the best possible scenario for Kyler Murray. And I think he would flourish. Do I think he'd win 14 games like Darnold did? No, but I think they'd win nine or 10. I honestly think their offensive personnel and their offensive coaching is that good. I really do. And like all of you, I think he's a little small. I worry about the video game reports, but on the market right now, if you told me I had one drive to win a game, I'd take Kyler over Daniel Jones or Mac Jones or Geno Smith or guys that, you know, keep getting second and third chances. Okay, J. Mac, team Italy beats Mexico. That's good for us. Yeah. Daryl Morey is saying what we've been saying for years. I appreciate it. And Max Crosby is officially a Raider, and it looks like Will remain a Raider. How does that sit with you? You buying that? I mean, I know he's saying all the right things. He kind of has to. A little embarrassing for him, right? To demand a trade, get traded, say goodbye and then go back there. I mean, you can't say I want out now.

[A]

Like it's a weird spot for Max

[B]

Crosby saying all the right things. He's your guy. So I anticipate. You love this move, huh? Yeah, I think it's. I said before they have 11 draft picks. They're going to get incredibly young. They only have Max Crosby and Colton Miller as old, experienced veterans. It's a really young roster and I think it's too young in that division. I think Max Crosby is somebody young players can lean on. Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd, weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1 and the iHeartRadio app

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Stigatz here.

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Please subscribe, rate and review Stu Gatson

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Co. And God bless football. Taylor's livelihood depends on it.

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Do it today and you can check

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all of those out on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast.

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Hey, this is Levar Arrington here from up on Game. This message is brought to you by Apple Card. Apple Card members can earn unlimited daily cash back on everyday purchases wherever they shop. This means you could be earning daily cash on just about anything, like a slice of pizza from your local pizza place or a latte from the corner coffee shop. Apply for Apple Card in the Wallet app to see your credit limit offer in minutes subject to credit approval. Apple Card issued by Goldman Sachs Bank USA, Salt Lake City branch terms and [e-mail]

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I've got Dan Morgan here on the pod. Say hi Dan hey, how's it going today? It's going good, man. Tell us who you are and what you do.

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I'm Dan Morgan. I'm an attorney and a managing partner at Morgan and Morgan, which is America's largest injury law firm.

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That's pretty awesome. I think I saw a billboard of yours recently that said 20 billion one 20 billion is an insane number.

[A]

Yeah, 20 billion recovered. It's actually, I think somewhere north, probably closer to 22, 23 after this year. And each year we get bigger and badder and our army grows. So the number will hopefully keep getting bigger and bigger as time goes on. Awesome.

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So how does someone get in contact with Morgan and Morgan?

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What would I do if I got into an accident? Probably the easiest way is dialing pound law. That's £529 from your cell phone. We are always open. Our call center is always waiting to take your call. 247365 wow. Dan Morgan from Morgan Morgan, America's large injury law firm. Thanks for coming by the show. Thanks for having me. Visit forthepeople.com for an office near you.

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Here we go. Our number two conference tournaments ramping up selections. Sunday is around the corner. Next week the tournament begins. Duke, Arizona, Michigan State, Michigan, Florida, Yukon, Gonzaga. So there's still a few moves being made. Bradley Chubb got picked up by the Bills. I thought that was a decent. He's going to get you about nine, ten sacks a year. I thought that was a pretty good get by Brandon Bean, the gm. They got DJ Moore, Bradley Chubb, those good, those good pickups, especially DJ Moore. So I thought I would give you. These are my five favorite moves of free agency. These are the five that jump out to me that are like game altering. Number one, I think Tyler Linderbaum and Jalen Naylor, the wide receiver for Minnesota. I think the Raiders nailed it. I think Linder Baum is second best center in the sport. This is what the Bears did. You go get your young quarterback an elite center. I also think Jalen Naylor is was the fastest Vikings wide receiver last year under the radar. Signing to go along with the Brock Bowers, Ashton Genty. I thought the Raiders nailed it. Number two, the Rams getting two corners, including Trent McDuffie made them literally in Vegas, super bowl favorites. So Jalen Watson's a good solid corner, arguably better than anybody. But McDuffie now on the Rams. But the Rams are not paying anybody on that defense for another year or two. They've drafted so well, they're very young. So they get a veteran that can match up with the top niner, Arizona and Seattle. Receivers in division and beyond. I love that move. Number three, Malik Willis. I know it's only six starts, but last season he was 30 of 35 with five touchdowns and no picks. Really accurate. Jeff Halfley, the head coach at Miami, was the defensive coordinator in Green Bay. He watched him for two years. 22 million makes him the 17th highest paid quarterback in the NFL. I think it's very realistic that at some point next year you will feel like Malik Willis is at least the 17th best quarterback in the NFL. I feel very confident saying that. The number four team. I think DJ Moore is a good get. I think he's a very good player. Never misses starts five years. Really durable, smart guy. I think sometimes late in the year with the explosion of Luther Burden for the Bears and Colston Loveland, he felt a little lost and overlooked. He will not feel that way in Buffalo. So he's going to get 12 targets a game. He can go over the top. Josh Allen like Caleb Williams, strong arm quarterback. He can get free deep. Thought it was a great move by Brandon Bean and I like Tariq Woolen to the Eagles on a one year deal. Listen, they've already got two great corners. No other team in the NFL can say they have three elite trait corners except the Philadelphia Eagles. He joins Cooper Dejan and Quinion Mitchell. So this is a stacked secondary for the Eagles. I loved all five of these moves. Those were as good as it gets to me. And I will say this, I do think Bradley Chubb coming in late. Trey Hendricks into the Ravens, solid. Bradley Chubb to the Bills, solid. Those are good plays as well. Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd, weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1 and the iHeartRadio app.

[A]

Hey, this is Levorre Arrington here from up on Game. This message is brought to you by Apple Card. Apple Card members can earn unlimited daily cash back on everyday purchases wherever they shop. This means you could be earning daily cash on just about anything, like a slice of pizza from your local pizza place or a latte from the corner coffee shop. Apply for Apple Card in the Wallet app to see your credit limit offer in minutes subject to credit approval. Apple Card issued by Goldman Sachs Bank USA Salt Lake City Branch terms and [e-mail]

[B]

I've got Dan Morgan here on the pod. Say hi Dan.

[A]

Hey, how's it going today?

[B]

It's going good, man. Tell us who you are and what you do.

[A]

I'm Dan Morgan. I'm an attorney and a managing partner at Morgan and Morgan, which is America's largest injury law firm.

[B]

That's pretty awesome. I think I saw a billboard of yours recently that said 20 billion one 20 billion is an insane number.

[A]

Yeah, 20 billion recovered. It's actually, I think somewhere north, probably closer to 22, 23 after this year. And each year we get bigger and badder and our army grows. So the number will hopefully keep getting bigger and bigger as time goes on.

[B]

Awesome.

[A]

So how does someone get in contact

[B]

with Morgan and Morgan?

[A]

What would I do if I got into an accident? Probably the easiest way is dialing pound law. That's £529 from your cell phone. We are always open. Our call center is waiting to take your call. 247365 wow. Dan Morgan from Morgan Morgan, America's largest injury law firm. Thanks for coming by the show. Thanks for having me. Visit forthepeople.com for an office near you.

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so last week on the show, I bring Matt Hassell back on during the NFL season and I had Hasselbeck on and there was a story that Diego Pavia, the wildly entertaining quarterback for Vanderbilt, you know, and he, you know, he's he's got some swag and little cocky. There was a story that he was leaning into Johnny Manziel, Johnny Football as a mentor. And I said on the air, I'm like, I don't know if I like that. And then Matt Hasselbeck, and I asked Matt Hasselbeck, I said, well, what do you make of that with Johnny's turbulence in his football life? And Matt Hasselbeck said something very interesting.

[A]

I don't. I don't actually think it's a terrible thing at all that Diego is maybe learning from Johnny Manziel. As long as it's that same kind of thing, like, hey, man, you don't have to do what I did, and here's. Here's why.

[B]

And. And Hasselbeck said he. He used Jeff George as a mentor and similarly super talented. Little bit of turbulence. So I said in that moment, you know, I think I'm wrong on this. I think you can learn from anybody in life, and whoever you learn from, if they give you good advice, take it. And Johnny Manziel found time for us to come on the show. I told my staff, I said, get him on the show. I want to go into detail on this. He is unbelievably. He's 33 years old. That is wild. When I saw that this morning. So you've got a lot of life experience. A lot. And so I looked up Diego Pavia's kind of family background, and, you know, listen, Johnny, there's some. There's some bumps with it. It's not perfect. Do you worry? I mean, do you, you know him? If I could ask this, like, what kind of advice is good advice from you to him right now in his life?

[A]

Listen, for the people who see Diego Pavia and they see our friendship, and the first thing that they say is, well, that makes sense why Diego acts the way that he does. He acts a lot like Johnny Manziel. Well, first and foremost, what he does on the field is he plays a lot like me, as I've got to know him as a person. And I've made trips to Nashville. I've gone to dinner with his family. I've got to see how his life is. Believe it or not, guys, Diego Pavia was partying before he ever met me. This guy is a leading quarterback of SEC school. I don't know if you guys know, but Marcel Reed, I don't care if it was AJ McCarron back in the day or Aaron Murray, whoever it's been. SEC quarterbacks in a town like Nashville they're going to go out, they're going to have fun. These are college kids. It's no different than what the frat kids are doing. You just have more eyes on you. So when I met Diego and I got to know how he was, I saw a guy that could very easily get caught up in the money that he's making. Could very much be out too much. So let's give you this example. After the Heisman and the weekend I was there with him, obviously I was very vocal about him wanting to win it. I think ultimately it went to the right person and what Mendoza did. But we went out, I took him and his teammates out to Marquis in New York and I started to see other people that he had known running signs and buying bottles with negative things to say about the Heisman or this and that. And that irked me. So I didn't talk to him for a couple days. After that, I let him go back home and deal with the shame that he had to for making that and doing that on his own. And then when I spoke to him, I hit him up a couple days later. I'm like, hey, listen, man, you have to do the things that I didn't do. You have to carry yourself with a little more class. You are going to be doubted. You are going to have people come at you and try and tear you apart. When you go to the combine, they may drop a binder on your in front of you with everything that you've done wrong since you've been in college. So you need to be prepared for this. Here's how I would answer these questions. With honesty and integrity and get out in front of it and do the things that I didn't do, where I was just like, oh, yeah, I'm good. What are you, what are you guys talking about? Just in college, I'll change it. You have to actually make the changes for these people to believe in you. Diego, you're not a first round pick, you're not a second round pick, you're not a third round pick. You are going to have to get into a situation, claw and fight through training camp for a roster spot. And then maybe that won't even happen. Maybe you'll be on a practice squad and you'll bounce around three different times. But life moving forward for Diego Pavia is going to have to be about a couple things. Who you surround yourself with and who you're getting your advice from. The work ethic that you put into the building, pretty much this. All the things that I didn't do that. Got my ass kicked out of the NFL in two years.

[B]

Well, people are different. I mean, Tom Brady famously didn't drink a beer during the season. That doesn't mean that everybody else has to be that. When you look back at your journey, and I've talked about with friends about this in life, is that I don't have a ton of regrets because at my 20s, I did things that I wouldn't do now, but now I'm 60, so, like, people do what they do at the time because it feels fun. And you're a free spirit and you did what you did. Is there anything through your journey, though? If there was one thing, I said, johnny, what's the one thing? If you could do it again, you'd be like, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I wouldn't do that because I do think you're a free spirit. You're different. You've got a big personality that, by the way, I think you played better with a chip on your shoulder. I think you played better cocky. But is there one thing you do regret?

[A]

I look back and people ask me this question all the time. I don't play the what if game too much, but I do play and have a point throughout my career where I wish I would have gone back to and made changes and been different. Right. You can always go back and have fun later in your life after you set yourself up for success and get your, you know, finances in order and go have a career that you can look back and be proud of. I look back at a career that I know and I'm honest with myself about how it went, do I wish I would have got to play longer? I'm watching guys who came into the league a year after me in Jamis and in Marcus Mariota, who are continuing to play. If you think I don't watch the football season and think about that and see that and have, you know, times throughout my career and after my career where I'm like, damn, I wish I was still playing. However, I very much told myself in my head and I've come to peace with what my football career was. You know, I can sit back in my life and be viewed as a legend in college football. A guy that disrupted the game, took the world by storm, did things beyond my wildest dreams and my football career. And, hey, I went to Cleveland. It didn't work out. I didn't work hard enough. But for me, maybe God has put me on this earth to not be a guy that played in the NFL for 15 years and win a Super bowl and do all these things. I still have an unbelievable gift in my life, which is to be noticed, to be recognized. And I'm at a point right now where I feel like there's a lot of good that I can do in the world with the platform I have, with the story that I have. My interactions with people since my documentary has come out has been completely different. And what people say to me on the streets and it's special, it's powerful and I am a people person. I talk to people every single day, whether it's my Uber driver, whether it's somebody at a checkout line. I feel like I am in the position now in my life to give back, to do good things and to be a positive influence, a positive impact that I necessarily wasn't in the past. So you always play and go forward with the cards that you're dealt and hopefully through time and through effort and through working on myself and helping other people, I'll look back on it one day and be proud of what football did for me rather than feel disappointed about not going to the playoffs or being in super bowl winning. Quarterback.

[B]

Well, I mean the Sam Darnold story is a great example of he went to a bad organization that did not have great leadership and then he finally goes to San Francisco, doesn't play, but he gets Kyle Shanahan and it's like, oh, this is what an organ a grown up organization feels like. Diego Pavia and yourself, if I said to you, Johnny, you would have gone to the Ravens, really well run. Lot of mentors in the building. I mean some of I could make an argument with Diego Pavia And Johnny Manziel 10 years ago, some of it was where you landed. In fact, Johnny, from 2010 to 2019, only three of 29 first round quarterbacks are still with our teams. Mahomes, Lamar and Josh. Well, those are all winning organizations. So like the bottom line is we're all influenced by our environment. Do you think if you would have gone to a place that was stable, it may have been different?

[A]

I've spoke my piece on Cleveland a long time ago and I kind of just let them be what they are and do what they need to do for themselves. But I always think about that. But the thing about me is I had, no matter who was there on a coaching staff, no matter how big of a struggling organization it was, I had Joe Thomas, Alex Mack, Joe Hayden, really good people in the building that tried to get through to me and it just wasn't able to happen. At that point in time in my life, you know, I had a lot of things that went on before the draft. I've spoke about this a lot of times. So maybe if I go to a winning organization with a different coaching staff or GM or, you know, front office run in a different way, maybe. But I was still headed down a path where I needed to get woken up by life. And that's taken, you know, a lot of time, a lot of years. I've been out of the league for 11 years. A lot of things have gone on in those 10, 11 years. Shoot. It's been 14 years since I won the Heisman. So time is flying by. I'm just growing up and getting into a lot different place mentally for what I do in my life, what I enjoy doing, and, you know, it's always a what if. And I don't know. I still think I could have. Would have had a multitude of issues with who I was as a person at 22, 23 years old.

[B]

I. I like the nil. And like anything that's new, it, you know, people don't know quite how to get their arms around it. So everybody complains about the NIL and the transfer portal, but I'm kind of like. I like the idea of college kids getting a little scratch, a little lettuce before pros, because we used to do documentaries on athletes go broke, and you don't see that as much because kids, they got a little bit of money. I like the Nil. As a kid that was around some money. Do you worry about the NIL and what it provides, or are you comfortable with it and think it helps young athletes?

[A]

I talked to Marcel Reed about this on my podcast last week, and I asked him, are the schools and the programs having financial people come in and talk to you? Are they making sure your guys are being smart about money? You have a private jet deal right now. Marcel Reed, how are you keeping from spending 40,000 to take the boys and to go on a trip and do stuff? And he said they do have people come in. I believe there's probably people in College Station and in these towns that are bankers, that are, you know, people that are managing their money, that are trying the best to make sure these. When these kids get early, early money, you know, if you're a high school kid and you're coming out, you could get a million dollars dropped in your bank account by the time and first day that you get on campus. That's crazy. I obviously had an experience with money very early on, and it Took me a long time to learn about it because I didn't educate myself. So it still has the ability to go both ways. It is a lot of money. We're seeing points right now where there's a roundtable discussion about what's happening with college football and the playoff. I know at the end of this month, as group of Heisman winners, we're all going to a location, we're sitting down, they're updating us on where the Heisman Trophy ceremony fits into this playoff. You know, where does it fit into the end of the year? Now, I think it's something that we are all very much concerned because as a former winner, we love this event. We love being back. I love being around the guys and seeing everybody who comes back. It's a special thing in the history of college football. I don't want to see that go away. But there are things that are constantly changing. It shouldn't be pay for play. Guys should get paid to do a commercial or nil deal or this. Right now, it's just a wild, wild west. You need some regulations and you need some things for these college kids to not just have all the power and run over the game that is college football right now. It's ridiculous. I think a lot of coaches are sticking up about it. You've seen Calipari talk about it. You've seen Dabo, you've seen Elko, you've seen, you know, Signetti. A lot of these guys be like, yo, this is crazy. What's going on with tampering and this or that. And college football right now is run by agents that may not have a lot of experience, but they're friends or family, friends of somebody who's got with these guys. And I don't think they're always getting the best advice. The thing that you can't do as a college athlete is transfer or get into the transfer portal and then not find a new home. And then you're back at home where you started this whole journey without a team, you may never get back. So it's tread lightly in this. And really, it's really benefiting, benefiting the top guys of college football.

[B]

The you, you went to Texas A and M, but you're right now in Austin. I've always said, I think there's three programs in college football that I love when they're good. Miami, Texas and North USC. Because I think they feel like almost like 30% NFL. They're big. A lot of college programs are rural towns, small towns. That's great. Too. But I love that Miami's good. I like that Texas is good. But I've always said Texas, for all the resources, actually underachieves. They should have like nine natties. And I said this years ago. I said, I think it's too distracting. Austin's too fun. There's the scene, there's the food, there's the women, there's the. It's just this wild, fun town. Is it possible that there's too many good things going on in Austin to be as good all time as Alabama or Ohio State?

[A]

Well, to be honest, it all kind of started in the 2010 and 2011 recruiting class. 2008, 2009 recruiting class. Texas made some iffy decisions on who they were going to give the keys to for their team. And they really, really messed up by not offering this quarterback out of Kerrville Tyvey a scholarship. They went through their downhill slide and we got to watch it from a Texas A and M point of view with a big smile on our faces as they ate it on Saturdays every year for four or five years. But look, I understand that USC is the Miami's, the Texas is. They should be better this and that. I am a bigger fan in college football right now of the Texas A and M's, the Vanderbilts, the Indianas, the teams who haven't been good in the past. But the nil landscape has allowed them an opportunity to change their program very, very fast. With the right coach, the right leadership, the right money of boosters, you can have Vandy have a season like they had. You can have Indiana come back and win a national championship. Get a quarterback in a team like Mendoza, and you go and you knock off a Miami team who's been dying to get back to that position since the early 2000s. So I like the parody of college football. Look, we'll always have the history of the Texas, USC Rose Bowl. We'll always have the history of, you know, the Miami Hurricanes, teams that are some of the best ever. I said this on a podcast a couple of weeks ago. The Big Ten is kind of running the show in college football right now. It's taken a lot of power from the sec and we'll see if that continues to shift.

[B]

I gotta end with this. It's a personal question, so you don't have to answer it, but you sound so much more mature than 10 years ago. And by the way, you're older, obviously, but in your journey, how did you get there? Was it therapy? Parenting? Looking in the mirror, you sound like a different guy. You've got a different perspective. That is really hard to do because you not only had some missteps, you were public. It's much harder to do when you're public and people are reminding you of your mistakes. How did you get to today?

[A]

Look, I think I've accepted the fact that I'm human. I make mistakes. I'm really hard on myself. If you guys don't think I was really hard on myself about things that were going on in the past that embarrass myself, embarrassed my school, embarrassed my family. I was always raised by a great group of parents who did a lot for me, who instilled great values. I went to amazing coaches in my life that instilled good morals, good values, good things in me. And now I've done a lot of work on myself. I've spent a lot of time with therapists. I've worked through a lot of trauma that we all have in our life, from the way that we grew up, from things that may have happened with your parents, from instances in life that you couldn't always control. You know, I couldn't control certain things that happened to me in my life, and there was a lot of things that I could that I didn't do right. So from there, I've taken an honest assessment and an honest look at my life and what's transpired, what I did to myself, what other people did to me. And I look at it through a very honest lens. And to be honest, I look at situations now in life from not only my perspective, but from how this may affect somebody else or if this decision is made, what does it mean for this or that. And look, I hold myself to my own standard. I was raised in a church. I feel like I have more religion in my life. I have better friends that surround me. I have a passion and a purpose in my life of things that I want to do moving forward that get me out of bed every day, and that move me. I'm in a great place in every sense of the way. Work wise, family wise, where I live, what I have going on in my life. And I'm proud of those things. And there's one thing about me is I appreciate Hasselback and what he had to say that got me here last week. I appreciate you for having the perspective that you had on things. And I'm a writer for my friends. You have always been good to me. I appreciate you having me come on the show. And more than anything, like I said, I want to spread a great message of when you Come into my life and you have me on your show. I want you to feel like, man, that guy is doing better in life. He has grown up. And if you come into into my life and interact with me in the streets, I want you to leave with a, you know, interaction with me. That was funny, that was fun, and that made you feel good and have a good time. And that's what I'm going to continue to do for the rest of my life.

[B]

Wow. Great perspective. Good for you. Hey, you know what? Let me ask you a football question before we go. Fernando Mendoza, not a great athlete. People say he's a little dorky. Whatever. So was Andrew Luck. What do you make of him? Just as a player. What do you make of him?

[A]

Yeah, I think he's going to continue to get better. I think he throws as I was watching him at the national championship game. Throws a really good ball, has a lot of zip on his passes, reads coverage very well. He obviously had some good help at the receiver point and that team that they had last year at Indiana, the situation he's going into is going to call for a lot of patience. But Brock Bowers, you know, genty rebuild some of the offensive line, get a defense, you keep Max Crosby, like, have some patience with it. And I feel like this kid is going to be very good. He more than impressed me being around him at the Heisman. We have continued our relationship since then, and I've talked to him, you know, a lot through this period of the NFL draft. He's a great kid. I wish him nothing but the best.

[B]

Yeah, good stuff, Johnny. Really appreciate it. You gave us 20 minutes. You didn't have to. And Godspeed. Good luck to you. You're always welcome on the show. If you want to promote something, call us, we'll put you on. I'd love to have you on during the season. You got great insight.

[A]

For sure. For sure. Yeah, anytime. Thank you, guys. Thank you to your staff, everybody. Thanks for letting me come on the herd. Much love.

[B]

You bet. Johnny Manzel, Johnny football, who has really turned his life around. And good for him. Good for. You know, it was funny when I reached out, I thought, you know, we've been critical of him. You know, this is. I talk. He's an athlete. I talk. I try to be fair. And I thought, yeah, he probably not going to be comfortable. And boom, he said, you absolutely. I want to talk about it. So good for him. Kind of transformational to listen to him from 10 years ago, right? Like, wow, you know, put his head down, got some therapy, looked in the mirror. Different dude. He'd be, you know, he'd be a. I'm telling you, if you didn't see him play at Texas A and M like he was. I mean, there's been a handful of college quarterbacks, Johnny Manziel, Cam Newton, Tommy Frazier at Nebraska, you know, Tim Tebow, that you're just watching them and you're not sure it's going to work at the next level, but it really works at the college level. And I mean, he was just. Dude, he was just different. He was one of the first quarterbacks that Nick Saban put his hands in the air is like, yeah, I can't. I can't stop this guy. Johnny Football. That is a great nickname. Of all the. Of all the football nicknames. Johnny Football's pretty damn strong. Think Verizon is expensive? Think again. Anyone can bring their AT&T or T Mobile bill to a Verizon store today and we'll give you a better deal. So bring us your bill. Walking, running, Hogo, sticking, teleport. If you can ride on the back of a rollerblading yak or fly in on the wings of a majestic falcon. Any way you can bring your AT&T or T Mobile bill to a Verizon store today and we'll give you a better deal on the best network based on RouteMetric's best overall mobile network performance US 2nd half 2025. All rights reserved. Must provide a very recent postpaid consumer mobile bill in the name of the person redeeming the deal. Additional terms, conditions and restrictions apply. T Mobile has the best plan on the best network. Just ask Kevin Bacon. Today, business happens virtually everywhere.

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After the Big Game. Like most people, I kept thinking about the commercials. And there was one that stayed with me. It was from the Blue Square Alliance Against Hate.

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