The Herd with Colin Cowherd – Podcast Summary

Episode: Colin Cowherd Podcast – BEST OF Nick Wright – Joe Burrow In TROUBLE, Cowboys Big Mistake, Baker Is Underrated
Date: August 28, 2025
Host(s): Colin Cowherd, Nick Wright
Podcast by: iHeartPodcasts and The Volume

Episode Overview

This lively episode features Colin Cowherd and guest Nick Wright diving into the current and future landscape of the NFL's elite quarterbacks, dissecting franchise management pitfalls, and reflecting on the cyclical nature of sports stardom and media coverage. Key topics include the challenging outlook for Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals, the Dallas Cowboys' risky personnel decisions, and an in-depth defense of Baker Mayfield's value and underrated success. The conversation also touches on broader sports media trends, the mechanics of team building, and the underrated impact of environment and perception on athlete legacies.

Main Discussion Points & Insights

1. The AFC Quarterback Bottleneck and Joe Burrow's Future

• Talent logjam: With Mahomes, Allen, Burrow, Lamar, Herbert, and coming generations, not everyone will win a Super Bowl.
  • "At least one of those guys is never making, much less winning a Super Bowl, like, moving forward." (Colin, 02:32)
• Burrow’s unique problem: Bengals' ownership & financial limits:
  • Bengals' lack of resources limits their ability to surround Burrow with talent.
  • "The Bengals don't have any money...They're the opposite of the Eagles. They are anti risk and reward...a Triple-A operation in Major League Baseball that happens to have Joe Burrow." (Colin, 04:06)
  • Bengals started shedding players even before paying stars like Ja’Marr Chase.
  • "The only time to really be great with him was when he was on the rookie contract, when they paid Jamar Chase. They're out of money." (Colin, 05:00)
• Contrast with Raiders and AFC: Vegas flush with cash, better positioned for player retention.

2. Quarterback Psychology & Legacy Pressure

• The Patrick Mahomes hurdle: Beating Mahomes in a playoff series isn’t just physical, but psychological; the next big game is often tougher.
  • "Will those guys be able to play Patrick Mahomes, beat him...and then psychologically be able to recenter and be like, that wasn't the Super Bowl?" (Nick, 05:52)
• AFC-NFC quarterback disparity significant for legacies.
  • "I can't remember a time when it felt this disproportionate in quarterbacking talent conference to conference." (Nick, 06:22)

3. Baseball's Changing Landscape: Parity, Brands, and Events

• Loss of Regional Sports Networks has concentrated talent and visibility:
  • Now, only a few teams (Dodgers, Mets, Phillies, Yankees) have the resources to attract stars.
  • "All the riveting players play for the Dodgers, the Phillies, the Mets or the Yankees. And I think we're going to have a renaissance in baseball..." (Colin, 09:04)
• Big markets and dynasties good for TV and sport:
  • "Dynasties aren't bad. Great players on great brands are not bad for the league." (Colin, 09:49)
• Eventification of sports media:
  • The need to make regular games feel like ‘events’ for cultural relevance.
  • "The media is moving towards an events model where things have to feel like an event." (Nick, 12:41 quoting Maverick Carter)
  • Examples: NFL games, College Football Playoff, UFC, Field of Dreams game in MLB.

4. 'Know What Job You're Interviewing For': The Horses Parable & Shaduer Sanders

• Workhorse vs. Show Horse:
  • Nick recounts a seminal radio career lesson about knowing your role—money horse, show horse, workhorse.
  • "If you don't know the job you're applying for, how do you nail the interview? And so I think that is something I've just carried with me forever." (Nick, 18:17)
• Shaduer Sanders’ draft slide:
  • NFL teams wanted a workhorse, Shaduer projected a show horse, hurting his status.
  • Lack of honest feedback due to Deion Sanders' intimidating status and media relationships.
  • "The downside to being forceful and intimidating...you actually get lied to by everybody in your life because nobody wants confrontation." (Colin, 24:00)
• Superstars and truly honest feedback:
  • Celebrities, superstars, and bullies often don’t receive real criticism.
  • "Bullies get lied to more than anybody...superstars and celebrities...nobody ever told George Clooney in his prime, ‘Eh, you’re not really...’" (Colin, 24:00+)
• Sports journalism's transactional turn:
  • Instant news trumps deeper, contextual information.
  • "We have traded as a sports public, true insiders for instant transactional gratification." (Nick, 27:00)

5. Cowboys’ “Big Mistake” and The Overrated Talent Trap

• The George Pickens trade:
  • Colin critical of Dallas for acquiring a problematic player Steelers and Tomlin gave up on.
  • "If Mike Tomlin, who is a great motivator and incredibly patient with immature players, says, ‘I’m out’... Jerry’s like, ‘I’m here. I’ll make it work.’" (Colin, 33:17)
• Overrating talent vs. undervaluing intangibles:
  • "Talent has become wildly overrated...You need a requisite level of talent, but talent is not a cure-all." (Nick, 35:39)
  • A player's off-field issues, commitment, and intangibles matter as much as raw talent—see Pickens, Kadarius Toney, etc.

6. Baker Mayfield: From Over-discussed to Underrated

• Mayfield’s narrative arc:
  • Once the subject of constant debate, now outperforms his reputation.
  • "He was over discussed when he was in Cleveland. He’s now under discussed." (Colin, 43:50)
• Comparative value:
  • Colin: Baker is better right now than Dak, Tua, Geno, Aaron, Russell, Cousins.
  • Noted as durable, a team leader, and delivering top-10-level production on lower salary.
  • "It's hard to make a top 10 and not include him." (Nick, 45:24)
  • "Because he was talked about so much when he wasn't yet that good, now that he is, people are just like, okay, yeah, that's Baker...but he's more than that at this point." (Nick, 45:24)

7. Quarterback Evaluation – The Uncertain & The Developing

• Jordan Love and C.J. Stroud:
  • Both discussed as "unknowns" needing another year of full evaluation.
  • "Jordan Love is the last. I'm not really sure what he is in the league." (Colin, 47:56)
  • "I think CJ's really good, but...in the modern NFL, it's hard to be really good if you hate running." (Nick, 48:44)
• Sam Darnold and Geno Smith — late blooming as a possible reality in the NFL.

8. Justin Herbert: Talent, Coaching, and Big-Moment Narratives

• Herbert’s Ceiling:
  • "Five years in the league, you need more than 'he throws an amazing ball.'" (Nick, 48:31)
  • Still ultra-talented, but playoff failures cast long shadows.
• The role of mentorship and luck in sports success:
  • "We tend...to worship other men and we just forget that Michael Jordan for years didn't do shit without Pippen...You just need so much help." (Colin, 56:57)
  • Success requires not just talent, but the right coach and circumstances (Herbert finally gets Harbaugh).

9. Parsing Credit and the Brock Purdy Conundrum

• "So much of, all right, who is it? ... When people with Purdy, people will say you would feel differently if he were the number one pick. And my answer is yes, of course." (Nick, 61:40)
• The system, coach, and context matter—a QB's legacy can’t be parsed cleanly from team environment.
  • "They literally replaced [Garoppolo] with the last pick of the draft, had the exact same level of success." (Nick, 62:25)
  • Paying Purdy big after a brief sample = media frustration on evaluating system QBs.

Notable Quotes & Key Timestamps

• On AFC QBs and Super Bowl windows

  • “At least one of those guys is never making, much less winning a Super Bowl, like, moving forward.” — Colin (02:32)

• On Cincinnati Bengals’ financial restraints

  • “The Bengals had to sell naming rights to the stadium to pay his contract...they are essentially a Triple A operation in Major League Baseball that happens to have Joe Burrow.” — Colin (04:06)

• On legacies and Mahomes' dominance

  • “Will those guys...beat him, and then psychologically be able to recenter and be like, that wasn't the Super Bowl?” — Nick (05:52)

• On the rise of superteams and event culture

  • “All the riveting players play for the Dodgers, the Phillies, the Mets or the Yankees. And I think we’re going to have a renaissance in baseball…” — Colin (09:04)
  • “The media is moving towards an events model where things have to feel like an event.” — Nick (citing Maverick Carter, 12:41)

• On career success and knowing your organizational role

  • “If you don't know the job you're applying for, how do you nail the interview?" — Nick (18:17)

• On the downside of stardom/bullying for honest critiques

  • “Bullies get lied to more than anybody...superstars and celebrities...nobody ever told George Clooney in his prime, ‘Eh, you’re not really...’” — Colin (24:00+)

• On Cowboys’ approach with Pickens

  • "If a rehab center's like, yeah, we're out, we're done—exactly right. It's insane." — Nick (39:34)

• On Mayfield now being undervalued

  • "He was over discussed when he was in Cleveland. He’s now under discussed." — Colin (43:50)
  • "It's hard to make a top 10 and not include him." — Nick (45:24)

Memorable Moments & Analogies

• Radio ‘Horses’ Parable: Nick credits a radio mentor for advice—know if you’re a money horse, show horse, or workhorse; applies it to both careers and athlete evaluations (18:17).
• Cowboys ‘wildcatting’ analogy: Jerry Jones’ approach likened to oil wildcatting—constantly gambling for undervalued assets despite league evidence it rarely pays off long-term (34:00+).
• QB Legacy Narrative: The first big playoff win (or loss) casts a career-long shadow—illustrated by Kobe, Brady, Russell Wilson, Peyton Manning (53:00+).

Summary Table: Quarterbacks Discussed

| Quarterback | Context/Insight | Take | |------------------------|------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------| | Joe Burrow | Bengals’ financial constraints; window may close | Needs to be “superhuman” to win again | | Patrick Mahomes | Benchmark for rest of AFC; psychological barrier | The gold standard; too dominant for others | | Justin Herbert | Ultra-talented, pressured legacy, finally gets Harbaugh | Needs playoff run soon; talent needs translation | | Baker Mayfield | Now undervalued, top 10 performance on a bargain | Better than Dak, Tua, Geno, more | | Jordan Love / C.J. Stroud| Still needs more tape/experience; are they “it”? | Love is last "unknown," CJ’s running a concern| | Dak Prescott/George Pickens | Cowboys keep gambling, overrate talent/problems | Organizational blindness, lack of discipline | | Shaduer Sanders | “Show horse” mistake; lacked honest evaluation | Damaged NFL draft stock | | Brock Purdy | “System QB” debate; evaluation colored by context | Product of Shanahan system; context key | | Jimmy Garoppolo | Looked good with SF, not elsewhere | Proves system importance |

Closing Thoughts

This episode is rich with context, candor, and classic Cowherd/Wright analogies. The discussion critically examines not just the talents, but the environments, systems, and psychology that define both superstar and forgotten players. It also offers biting commentary about the modern sports media landscape and its fixation with transactional “scoops” over real, contextual insight.

Recommended for:

• NFL fans fascinated by team building and quarterback legacies
• Listeners interested in the business and media side of sports
• Anyone looking for engaging, honest takes on why some stars sink or swim

For deeper context, jump to these segments:

• AFC QB dilemma and Joe Burrow: 02:32–07:13
• Event culture in sports: 11:19–14:28
• Horses parable & Shaduer Sanders: 15:05–19:53
• Honest feedback for stars and the Deion/Sanders draft story: 24:00–33:15
• Dallas Cowboys and overvaluing talent: 33:17–39:37
• Baker Mayfield & QB evaluations: 43:50–48:31
• System QBs, Purdy, Garoppolo: 61:40–64:45