Hour 1 - Arch Manning's future

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Herd with Colin Cowherd Episode: Hour 1 - Arch Manning's Future
Release Date: July 30, 2025

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1. Introduction: Setting the Stage

Host Danny Parkins opens the episode by highlighting the excitement surrounding the upcoming trade deadline and a significant college football game between Texas and Ohio State. He sets the primary focus on Arch Manning, positioning him as the most compelling story in college football for the year.

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2. Arch Manning's Future: Hype vs. Reality

Danny delves into the unprecedented hype surrounding Arch Manning, a quarterback at Texas and a Heisman Trophy favorite. He emphasizes that while the anticipation is comparable to legendary athletes in other sports, the expectations may be disproportionately high given Arch's relatively limited college production.

Notable Quote:
"He is the most compelling story in college football this year. A Manning is playing quarterback as the Heisman Trophy favorite for the team that is the second favorite to win the national championship."
— Danny Parkins [04:25]

Key Points:

• Arch Manning has made only 95 career college pass attempts.
• Comparisons are drawn between Arch and basketball prospects who enter professional leagues with minimal college experience.
• The pressure of living up to the Manning legacy adds an extra layer of expectation.

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3. Expert Insight: Steve Sarkisian on Arch's Work Ethic

Danny introduces insights from Steve Sarkisian, Arch Manning's coach, who praises Arch's dedication and work ethic both on and off the field.

Notable Quote:
"His work ethic is incredible. Whether it's studying tape, studying film, studying the playbook, working at his craft... that lends itself to the teammate that he is, too."
— Steve Sarkisian [09:27]

Key Points:

• Steve attributes Arch's success to his relentless dedication and teamwork.
• Emphasizes that Arch's arm talent, athleticism, and deep-ball capabilities are byproducts of his hard work.

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4. Potential NFL Draft Prospects and Comparisons

Danny compares Arch Manning's situation to other athletes like Kyler Murray and Trevor Lawrence, discussing the challenges of meeting high expectations with limited early career production.

Notable Quotes:

• "Normally when it's a guy that gets all the hype beforehand, it's tough to live up to."
  — Danny Parkins [08:00]

• "Arch Manning has 95 career college pass attempts. Arch Manning was on the sideline for a long time behind Quinn Ewers, but he's a Manning."
  — Danny Parkins [05:00]

Key Points:

• Historical parallels with players who entered the NFL amidst high expectations.
• The importance of sustained performance to validate early hype.
• The role of team dynamics and organizational support in a player's success.

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5. Cleveland Browns and Jimmy Haslam's Interest

Discussion revolves around the speculation that the Cleveland Browns, led by owner Jimmy Haslam—a Tennessee booster with ties to the Manning family—might be interested in drafting Arch Manning to rejuvenate their struggling team.

Notable Quote:
"Terrible NFL team quarterback starvation, multiple first-round picks. Go get, go get Saban, go get Arch Manning, put the band back together and try to save the Cleveland Browns."
— Danny Parkins [05:45]

Key Points:

• The Browns' historical lack of effective quarterback options.
• Jimmy Haslam's potential strategic moves to acquire top talent like Arch Manning.
• Skepticism expressed by Ken Rosenthal about the likelihood of Arch heading to Cleveland.

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6. NFL Contracts and Player Negotiations: The Trey Hendrickson Case

Shifting focus, Danny discusses the evolving landscape of NFL contracts, using Trey Hendrickson as a case study to illustrate how inflated contracts are becoming the norm, reducing the likelihood of player holdouts.

Notable Quotes:

• "NFL contracts now have so much money attached to them that holdouts are a thing of the past."
  — Danny Parkins [12:50]

• "Trey Hendrickson, he's drastically outperformed his contract where he's expected to make $16 million this year... he's got the argument to be north of $30, $35 million per year pass rusher."
  — Danny Parkins [14:30]

Key Points:

• The diminishing instances of holdouts due to substantial contract offers.
• Hendrickson's performance justifies a significant increase in his salary.
• The broader trend of escalating player salaries in the NFL.

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7. MLB Trade Deadline Insights with Ken Rosenthal

Ken Rosenthal, a renowned MLB insider, joins the discussion to analyze the upcoming trade deadline. The conversation covers the dominance of the Los Angeles Dodgers, the surprising resilience of the Milwaukee Brewers, and the potential moves by teams like the Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Phillies.

Notable Quotes:

• "The Dodgers are the favorite, better than 3 to 1 odds to win the World Series. It's crazy that the next nine teams are bunched up between 8 to 1 and 13 to 1."
  — Danny Parkins [23:15]

• "Philadelphia, I would say the Cubs... I have to say, it's a fascinating year on a number of levels in baseball."
  — Ken Rosenthal [30:48]

Key Points:

• The Dodgers' status as the top favorite despite recent performance inconsistencies.
• The Brewers' ability to sustain success despite roster changes and injuries.
• Anticipated active participation from the Cubs and Phillies in the trade market.
• The cyclical nature of player availability and team strategies during deadlines.

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8. NFL Negotiations and Media Strategies: The Cowboys Phenomenon

Returning to NFL discussions, Danny and Ken delve into the Dallas Cowboys' unique approach to contract negotiations and media engagement. They explore how the Cowboys' high-profile management style influences public perception and negotiation tactics.

Notable Quotes:

• "The Cowboys have a little bit of a leg to stand on on the not dragging out deals thing."
  — Ken Rosenthal [42:24]

• "They absolutely play the media to get into the news cycle."
  — Ken Rosenthal [46:00]

Key Points:

• The Cowboys' frequent and candid media interactions compared to other NFL teams.
• The strategic use of media to manage negotiation narratives.
• The impact of executive decisions and public statements on team dynamics and player relations.

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9. Travis Hunter: The Versatile NFL Prospect

Danny highlights Travis Hunter, a highly touted NFL prospect known for his ability to play both offense and defense. He discusses the skepticism surrounding Hunter's dual-role potential and expresses confidence in his capabilities, citing advancements in sports science and athletic training.

Notable Quotes:

• "He will do it and I expect him to do it coming up next."
  — Danny Parkins [51:15]

• "Athletes have just gotten better. So why can't Travis Hunter be a great defensive player and a great offensive player in the NFL?"
  — Danny Parkins [49:40]

Key Points:

• Hunter's impressive college stats and versatility.
• Historical precedents of dual-role players like Bo Jackson and Deion Sanders.
• The role of modern training and sports science in enabling players to excel in multiple positions.
• Potential impact of Hunter's success on future NFL player development and team strategies.

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10. Conclusion: Anticipating Future Developments

Danny wraps up the episode by reiterating the immense potential and high expectations surrounding Arch Manning and Travis Hunter. He emphasizes the evolving dynamics in both the NFL and MLB, anticipating significant developments as the trade deadline approaches and players like Arch and Hunter make their professional strides.

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Notable Final Quote:
"It feels like we are still years away from him [Arch Manning] in the NFL. Not at all. One season away from Arch Manning being the number one overall pick."
— Danny Parkins [11:30]

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This episode of The Herd with Colin Cowherd offers an in-depth exploration of Arch Manning's burgeoning career and the broader implications of his potential entrance into the NFL. Coupled with analytical insights into MLB's trade dynamics and nuanced discussions on NFL contract trends, the episode provides listeners with a comprehensive understanding of key sports narratives shaping the current landscape.

Transcript

[Danny Parkins]

This is an iHeart podcast.

[Colin Cowherd]

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[Ken Rosenthal]

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[Danny Parkins]

Now let's get this party started. You're listening to FOX Sports Radio. Welcome in. It's the Herd. I'm Danny Parkins in for Colin from the great city of Chicago. It is an honor and a thrill to be here. We're ahead of the trade deadline tomorrow, so we'll talk to Ken Rosenthal later on this week. Sour see if any team can bridge the gap between them and the Dodgers. And if a Cowboys personnel person is speaking, they're probably saying something weird, so we'll get to that as well. But I want to begin with noting the calendar. It's July 30, and on August 30 there's a pretty big college football game, Texas and Ohio State. Which means we get to see for real if Arch Manning can live up to and begin to even attempt to live up to this ridiculous and dare I say, unprecedented level of hype. Because I can't wait for the game. He is the most compelling story in college football this year. A Manning is playing quarterback as the Heisman Trophy favorite for the team that is the second favorite to win the national championship. I am not at all surprised that there is a lot of hype around Arch Manning, but the hype around Arch Manning to me for now should be college football hype, not NFL hype. And if I'm saying that I'm more of an NFL guy than a college guy. So I just think the place that we're in here is Jimmy Clawson esque and I'll explain what I mean. In basketball all the time before you've played a minute of college ball, we are talking about you in the NBA. Cooper Flag, Zion Williamson, Victor Wembanyama, whatever. We've seen it time and time and time again in basketball. In football, you normally have to have college production and college hype in order for us to talk about you as a pro. There aren't that many guys who came out of high school before they really played any college ball and that guy's gonna be the number one pick in the draft. And Arch Manning has 95 career college pass attempts. Arch Manning was on the sideline for a long time behind Quinn Ewers, but he's a Manning. If his name was Arch Jones, which is kind of a cool name. We wouldn't be talking about him as the number one overall pick. And I loved Collins theory. Jimmy Haslam, owner of the Browns, knows the Manning family. Terrible NFL team quarterback starvation, multiple first round picks. Go get, go get Saban, go get Arch Manning, put the band back together and try to save the Cleveland Browns. So there's been a ton of speculation on this show and elsewhere about Arch Manning to Cleveland. They asked Jimmy Haslam about it and he's not exactly fan in the flames.

[Ken Rosenthal]

I think if you know the Manning family, I would bet that. And I don't know Arch at all. Okay. I bet he stays in college two years.

[Unknown Speaker]

So that's.

[Ken Rosenthal]

I don't even think that's worth discussing.

[Danny Parkins]

I don't even think it's worth discussing, he says, which, oh, maybe he's a secret operative agent for the Manning family and he's doing their bidding. I, we need to see if this kid is legit. He might be, I don't know. Touchdown interception ratio in college is great, but this is a different animal. This level of hype, this level of competition, this level of expectation, all of it is way different than anything we've ever seen him do before. Shador Sanders had a lot of hype because of his last name. Arch Manning is obviously going to have an extra level of hype because of his last name. But there are just not a ton of examples in college football where with this level or this amount, this lack of college production, we're already slating you to be the number one pick in the draft. Garrett Nussmeier at lsu, Drew Aller at Penn State, supposed to be a good quarterback class. There are other guys that are way more accomplished in college than Arch Manning is at this point. Kyler Murray, when he came out of high school in Texas 42 and, oh, talks about, oh, man, this best high school prospect in the state of Texas. Maybe he's going to be the number one pick. And he ended up being the number one pick, but he had to transfer. He had to sit out. There were questions about his size. It wasn't a lock from day one. And then he had to go out there and ball out and win the Heisman Trophy and actually earn it. Arch is going to get that chance. But normally when it's a guy that gets all the hype beforehand, it's tough to live up to. Jimmy Clawson obviously didn't. Trevor Lawrence ended up being the number one overall pick. Certainly hasn't lived up to the Hype thus far, even though the Jaguars gave him that second contract, it's just much more of a basketball thing. And while an owner saying something at a training camp press conference isn't the biggest deal in the world, when you figure Jimmy Haslam, Tennessee booster, brother, governor of Tennessee, knows Peyton, knows the Manning family has a terrible team, would absolutely be interested in drafting a Manning. On its surface, it's not nothing. And so this isn't like, protect the kid like, he's a Manning. He's at Texas. He's gonna have hype. He'll be able to handle it. It's part of the deal, and it's part of the burden of carrying that last name. But I'm actually almost more interested in seeing if he's good. How good is he? He looks good. His coach says he's good. His coach, by the way, when he was on with Colin, made him sound a lot like his Uncle Peyton. Here's Sark.

[Steve Sarkisian]

His work ethic is incredible. Whether it's, you know, studying tape, studying film, studying the playbook, working at his craft, you know, in the weight room like that. That is whether it's innate in him or it was, you know, handed down from his uncles. Whatever, whatever it was, his work ethic is really pretty incredible. And that lends itself to the teammate that he is, too. And again, that's not to take away the arm talent, the deep ball, the athleticism, all that. I think all those things are a byproduct of how hard he works at his craft and how hard he works at being a great teammate.

[Danny Parkins]

So that obviously sounds a lot like a Manning, but let's just learn from history. This time last year, Carson Beck was the number one pick, and he ended up going back to school. Peyton Manning went back to school reportedly because he didn't want to be drafted by the Jets. And we know about Eli skipping out on the Chargers to go be a Giant. Maybe that's fair, maybe it isn't, but there is a long way to go here. This story is way closer to the beginning than the end, and I have no idea if he'll play one year of college football, two years of college football, end up being the number one overall pick, live up to the last name or ultimately fall short. It's a tremendous amount of hype, almost impossible to live up to. Hey, you've thrown 95 passes in college, but you're expected to be in the national championship game and win the Heisman Trophy. And, oh, yeah, by the way, you're a Manning. Both your Uncles were number one picks at quarterback. Almost impossible for this kid to live up to the hype, but it feels to me like we are still years away from him in the NFL. Not at all. One season away from Arch Manning being the number one overall pick. You know, it's not terribly often when you're in this business that you get to be proven right that quickly. But earlier in the week and it's only Wednesday, so you know we're in the middle of the week, I said NFL contracts now have so much money attached to them that holdouts are a thing of the past. Disgruntled players are not a thing of the past, but they're holdouts are like an endangered species. They're not gone, we'll see them again. But way less common in a post le've on Bell world. I think that was like a real turning point for players. Leon Bell sat out a bunch of games. It seemed to impact him when he came back and he was never the same player since. It hurt him financially, reputationally and with production on the field. But as the money in the NFL continues to grow and grow and grow and skyrocket, it's no reason to hold out. And I bring that up because Trey Hendrickson was so wildly disappointed in how the Bengals were handling him that he was in Florida when the team reported to camp and then yesterday he reported to camp and so will Trey Hendrickson sign? I don't know. When will he sign? I don't know. But it feels inevitable that this thing will get done. Because if you just think about it, Trey Hendrickson, he's drastically outperformed his contract where he's expected to make 16 million bucks this year. Holding out from camp and not being there. He was getting fined $50,000 a day. You go to camp, that stops. He wants to make presumably what TJ Watt got, what Miles Garrett got because his sack production is similar to those guys. His age is similar to those guys. He's feels like based on production he's in that class even if athletically he isn't. Maybe he has more pure pass rushing situations because of the talent of the offense, that sort of thing. I don't think any say he's a better player than Myles Garrett, but he's got the argument to be a north of 30, $35 million per year pass rusher. No question about it. He is underpaid relative to his production. But so let's say the Bengals in his mind are lowballing him and they're only offering him $33 million a year, well, that's doubling his money from 16 million. And in a non guaranteed sport, not many people are in a position to turn down $33 million per season. And those numbers are just hypothetical. That there is so much money now that it's going to be very difficult for guys to take a principled stand and feel tremendously slighted when we're talking about tens of millions of dollars a year to play football. And so I think ultimately this gets done. Post Leon Bell. Chris Jones was a high profile one. Jonathan Taylor, you know, missed a couple of games. But for the most part, guys hold in, Guys make noise, guys leak things to the press, guys go on their podcasts. But ultimately all of these deals get done. And in Cincinnati, they look at it like, hey, we've got an offense that is super bowl ready. Scored nearly 28 points per game last year, 27.8 last five years. If you've got an offense that scores more than 27 points per game on average, you win 12 games per year. Bengals won nine. And that was all because of their defense. So what do they do? They went out and hired Al golden to be their defensive coordinator. They drafted Shamar Stewart. Three of their first four draft picks were on the defensive side of the ball and probably pay Trey Hendrickson. I'll be shocked if they don't pay Trey Hendrickson because they have the money to pay Trey Hendrickson and he's by far their best defensive player. So assuming Trey Hendrickson is back and then they have this influx of draft talent plus a new defensive coordinator bump, and the offense stays the same, the Bengals feel like we can win the AFC north and in the playoffs, we've got Joe Burrow and we can score 30 a game and we can go out there and make a run. And that's where the leverage for a guy like Hendrickson helps, because he'd be like, hey, you guys are trying to win a Super bowl for Joe Burrow, right? I'm your best defensive player. Let's go get this thing done. And so when you see contract stories in May, June, July, players are supposed to be unhappy during negotiations. That's just kind of how it works at this point. So I was not surprised at all to see Trey Hendrickson report to camp. He says, or the reports are that it's a good faith effort to jumpstart negotiations. Smart play, don't get fined, jumpstart your negotiations, ultimately be a little disappointed by what they offer you, double your salary at least, and go try to win 12 football games and be a double digit sack guy once again. Huge time of the year in baseball right now. The Dodgers are clearly the best team, but can one of the teams in that next group, which is very bunched up, make a big trade to close the gap? Ken Rosenthal in a bit. I'm Danny Parkinson for Colin this is the Herd. Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd, weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1 and the iHeartRadio app.

[Covino]

Hey, we're Covino and Rich, Fox Sports radio every day 5 to 7pm Eastern. But here's the thing. We never have enough time to get to everything we want to get to.

[Rich]

And that's why we have a brand new podcast called Over Promised. You see, we're having so much fun in our two hour show. We never get to everything honestly, because this guy is over promising things we never have time for.

[Danny Parkins]

Yeah, you blubberlip. Blaming me.

[Covino]

Well, you know what it's called? Over Promise. You should be good at it because you've been overpromising women for years.

[Rich]

Well, it's a Covino and Rich after show and we want you to be a part of it. We're gonna be talking sports, of course, but we're also gonna talk life and relationships. And if Rich and I are arguing about something or we didn't have enough time, it will continue on our after show called Over Promised.

[Covino]

Well, if you don't get enough Covino and Rich, make sure you check out Over Promised and also uncensored, by the way, so maybe we'll go at it.

[Ken Rosenthal]

Even a little harder.

[Covino]

It's gonna be the best after show podcast of all time.

[Rich]

There you go. Over Promising. And remember, you could see it on YouTube, but definitely. Join us Listen to Over Promised with Covino and rich on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

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[Colin Cowherd]

Life moves fast. A new home, a new baby, a new chapter. But without an estate plan, your future's still vulnerable. With trust and will, you can name guardians, start a trust, create health care directives and more. All online in about an hour. It's attorney designed, state specific and built to protect what you love. Plans start at just $199 and every plan is safe, secure and kept completely private. From families with young kids to adults caring for aging parents. Trust and will makes it simple to take control without a law office, paperwork, stress or court delays. Go to trustandwill.com and use code RADIO to save 20%. Start your plan today. Don't wait for life to force your hand. Estate planning is one of the smartest, most loving things you can do. Do Trust and Will is an online estate planning service. See website for details.

[Ken Rosenthal]

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[Danny Parkins]

Back in on the herd. I'm Danny Parkins, in for Colin. Trade deadline is tomorrow in Major League Baseball. Ken Rosenthal, the terrific Fox baseball reporter and insider, will join us in just a little bit. Who's in play, who's not. What are the big teams going to do? Because this is a fascinating year on a number of levels in baseball, the Dodgers are the best team. They're the World Series champs. They're the deepest organization, both in overall talent and with prospects. But they've got some flaws. They're 7 and 13 in their last 20 games. They got swept by the brewers, who are. We'll get to them in a little bit. As a Cubs guy, it's annoying how consistently good they are, but like they're clearly really good. Second best run differential in baseball for the brewers. And the Dodgers have some serious bullpen problems. But if you look at the odds and I, I often try to based this on the gambling perspective, the Dodgers are the favorite, right? Better than 3 to 1 odds to win the World Series. It's crazy that the next nine teams are bunched up between 8 to 1 and 13 to 1. Phillies, Tigers, Mets, Yankees, Blue Jays, Astros, Cubs, Mariners, Brewers. Like the fact that there are nine teams between 8 to 1 and 13 to 1 to win the World Series shows how truly wide open it is. And I tend to agree that the National League is ahead of the American League, especially because of the Dodgers at the top. But no one wants to play Detroit in a playoff series. The Yankees were in the World Series last year and we'll see what they do at this deadline. You know, they can always add the Blue Jays are out in front of of the Yankees. So even though I would give the lean to National League over American League, I agree with that conventional wisdom. It's not like there's a cakewalk for a team to go through the American League either. There's just, there's a lot of very good teams, albeit teams with flaws. The brewers, for example, they are amazing in terms of it just seems like they always get it done. Like runners in scoring position, late inning wins. It's remarkably impressive and again, frankly, kind of annoying how many close wins they would have and just like they just are a great organization. Lose your gm, doesn't matter. Lose your manager, doesn't matter. Turnover, talent, doesn't matter. Don't pay guys and trade them at the end. And when you're in contending windows like hater doesn't matter. It's very impressive what they're able to do, but they don't hit the ball out of the park. 24th in home runs, 28th in extra base hits. That's like an obvious place where the brewers can try to add at the deadline. The Cubs, who've lost back to back games to the brewers, are an awesome offense. They, they have speed, they have power, they have versatility with lefty righty, it's a really, really star power. And Kyle Tucker say Suzuki, Pete Crow, Armstrong. Like it's a very balanced, tough lineup to navigate through. And they've had guys who have been very impressive pitching. Imanaga and Boyd most notably. But do you really feel good about them lining up in a playoff series with their 1, 2, 3 and I know it's more out getters and bullpen games and all of that, but ever since the Justin Steel injury, do you feel like the front end of your rotation can stack up through the National League in your playoff series? It's a very tough situation to navigate and I'm fascinated. Ahead of this deadline, who in that group of teams behind the Dodgers is going to make a big move in order to bridge that gap? The man who might have the answers, the terrific baseball insider for fox, Ken Rosenthal, kind enough to join us on a very busy time ahead of the deadline. Ken, thank you very much for the time. You're as plugged in on this as anyone. Who do you expect to be the most active among the contenders in the next 24 hours?

[Unknown Speaker]

Danny, first of all, I want to preface this by saying the problem we're seeing in this deadline is that there are not enough good players available. Now, when you ask me who I expect to be the most active, the Chicago Cubs would be at the top of the list, along with the Philadelphia Phillies. Other teams will be active as well, but those two in particular, the Phillies with their bullpen, the Cubs with their rotation, possibly third base. They are, as you mentioned, powerful teams with decent enough odds to win the World Series. I expect those two teams to be active. The Yankees are going to continue adding bullpen help, possibly a starter, but we're going to see activity. I just don't know that we're going to see the quality of player trading that we are accustomed to in the past.

[Danny Parkins]

So that's interesting. In terms of quality of players, why do you think it is? Why are there not as many good players available.

[Unknown Speaker]

It's just cyclical, Danny, and which guys are at the end of contracts. That kind of plays into it as well as other factors like just guys coming off injuries. Sandy Alcantara is coming off Tommy John surgery. He's already pitched a lot of innings this year. Our team's going to really be willing to meet the Marlins price for him. Each case is kind of individual, so there's really not one answer to your question. But we're looking at a deadline where the best hitter available is Eugenio Suarez. Great this year, no question, all those home runs. But beyond that, there isn't much offense out there. There isn't much starting pitching out there beyond Alcantara. Zach Kellen, Zach Allen, Merrill Kelly, Mitch Keller. It's not a great group. There are a lot of bullpen arms and that's where you're going to see a lot of intense activity.

[Danny Parkins]

So you don't think Mackenzie Gore or like a blockbuster thing like that is going to happen.

[Unknown Speaker]

Mackenzie Gore is an interesting name because he's of course, the Washington Nationals All Star left hander. But the Nationals have just changed general managers. They've hired an interim Mike DeBartolo to replace Mike Rizzo. Are you going to let an interim general manager trade Mackenzie Gore? Now, Mackenzie Gore is at the same level of service that Juan Soto was when the Nationals traded him in 2022. So from that perspective, you can justify it. But there's a lot going on with the Nationals right now, a lot in flux, and I don't know that they're going to see this as the right time. That said, the qualifier to everything I'm going to say is they get the right offer, they'll make the trade.

[Danny Parkins]

No doubt about it. Deadlines make deals here. As you know, the Yankees are in an interesting spot with the Judge injury and the fact that the Blue Jays have been so impressive. How active, if at all, do you expect the Yankees to attempt to be?

[Unknown Speaker]

They've already been active and They've acquired Ryan McMahon today, Austin Slater. They're looking for bullpen help as well. Ahmed Rosario is another player that they've added. They're going to add at least one reliever, most likely multiple relievers. They probably will add a starting pitcher in addition to all that. The interesting part about the Yankees is that they don't want to trade any other top prospects. I don't know that they see their team this year as worthy of that kind of play. And also they want to protect some of their top prospects and keep them, but they're going to compete. They don't see the judge injury as particularly serious. Could be minimal time on the injured list. So they're going to be quite active. You're going to hear their name a lot in the next two days.

[Danny Parkins]

What about the other New York team? What about the Mets?

[Unknown Speaker]

Aggressive as well. And the Mets recognize that they certainly need bullpen help. Outfielder would be a possibility, center fielder preferably. They are a team that is quite interesting because they built their talent level now to a point where they've got three young third basemen or three players who play third base. That one of them could go in a trade. There's no question about that. They've been linked to Luis Robert Jr. That's one player from a position standpoint that they've clearly had interest in. But the bullpen is their biggest area of need and maybe a starter as well because their rotation is a little bit wobbly. To say you've got Kodai Senga who has an injury history, you've got Clay Holmes who probably should be in the bullpen in the playoffs because this is his first year starting. So the Mets are going to be busy. I can see them doing multiple things as well.

[Danny Parkins]

Talking to Ken Rosenthal ahead of the trade deadline, I showed the odds before you came on. There's the Dodgers and then there's a group of nine teams between 8 to 1 and 13 to 1 to win the World Series. It's very bunched up. Ken, do you have a non Dodgers favorite as the second best team in baseball?

[Unknown Speaker]

Danny I watched that and I thought wow, that's way too much credit to the Dodgers. They have not played the level that we thought they would and they still might. Of course it all might come together for them. They're kind of in a post World Series season. They've had a lot of injuries so this malaise that they seem to have been in could end very quickly. But if you ask me about other teams, I would say Philadelphia, I would say the Cubs. And in the American League I'm not quite as certain. But if the Texas Rangers make some moves here to fortify their bullpen, get another right handed hitter, they're coming. They've had a horrible season so far for the most part, but they've played much better of late. If they get their offense going again, they've got the best pitching staff in the major leagues so I would consider them a dark horse.

[Danny Parkins]

So I love hearing you say my Cubs. I'm a die hard Cubs fan, but they've just Lost two to the Brewers. The brewers are in front of them in the standings. The brewers had a better record than them last year. It doesn't seem to matter what the brewers lose. They continue to do it. I find it to be tremendously annoying, frankly. But how are the brewers continuing to do this?

[Unknown Speaker]

Danny, it's not annoying, it's fascinating. It's one of the coolest things about the game. They've got the best record in the majors right now. And you're right. In the off season, they lost Willie Adamus to free agency, they traded Devin Williams, they had Brandon Woodruff coming off of surgery, and yet here they are again. And if you remember going back to the first series, the torpedo bats and the Yankees crushed them and they had all these pitching injuries at the time. Well, they acquired Quinn Priester, they signed Jose Quintana and suddenly they have something of a pitching surplus, a starting pitching surplus. Now, I don't know that they're going to leverage that at the deadline, but they should. And I believe you mentioned this earlier, they need power. Ayo Hanger Suarez would be perfect for them, but it's not the kind of move that they normally make. They put her along. They do things on the margins and they keep going and keep winning.

[Danny Parkins]

So the average you said, or not as many good players available right now, but we were looking it up. Final two days of the deadline. Last four years, on average, 36 trades made. Would you expect this to then just not as many? We're not going to see as many moves.

[Unknown Speaker]

That's a good question. I would expect not as many. Now I could be proven wrong with that. But part of the problem here, from what I can see is that some of the sellers, Cleveland in particular, Pittsburgh as well, Minnesota to some degree, these teams have reputations as not being that easy to deal with. Now that's coming from the buyers. And you ask those teams, they would say, hey, we're just setting our prices and we're not moving off them. We're staying disciplined. That's how we have to run our clubs. Of course, it just depends on your perspective. But that element of it kind of leads me to believe that we may see less, that some of those Twins relievers might not move, that the Guardians though, they have every reason to do some things now with the two guys on non disciplinary paid leave for gambling or the investigation of gambling, they are not going to add. Obviously they could do some things, but I'll believe it when I see it in all those cases.

[Danny Parkins]

What about the Tigers, who comfortably have the best, the biggest division lead of any of the division leaders in baseball. Rich going to get richer there.

[Unknown Speaker]

They added Chris Paddock the other day. He's starting today. And they still need bullpen help. Their strikeout rate in the bullpen is not nearly where it should be. They need a high leverage, big time guy, maybe two in that pen to kind of get them to a place where they need to be. And it's a shame they just lost Rhys Olson, one of their better starters. They did replace them with Paddock, but they're a little bit more fragile than they've looked in the last month or so. They haven't played as well. They're starting to come back now to what they were. I expect them to be busy, but we'll see how aggressive because this is a team that does not like to trade its top prospects.

[Danny Parkins]

How have you seen, if at all, the fact that there are more teams that make the playoffs, like teams can convince themselves? Well, I can just, I can make the wild card. I can get hot at the end. Have you seen that kind of push the action closer to the deadline?

[Unknown Speaker]

No question. And there are teams even now that are not quite sure what they're going to do. Tampa Bay falls into that category. San Francisco, we're not exactly sure where they're going with this. They've played poorly of late. Los Angeles Angels, always unpredictable. So yes, the expanded playoffs has given people with these teams the thought that, you know what if we just hang around, maybe we can get in like the Tigers did last year. Obviously it's not going to go that way for every one of these teams, but it is harder to concede when you've got some percentage chance of making the playoffs.

[Danny Parkins]

All right, last one, prediction time. The biggest name that will move between now and the deadline is who?

[Unknown Speaker]

Ayoeno Suarez. He is the Diamondbacks third baseman. He is a guy that obviously has had an amazing season so far, has been an All Star. I don't know that Mackenzie Gore, Joe Ryan or even Sandy Alcantara is going to move. So I'll go with Suarez.

[Danny Parkins]

Ken Rosenthal, Terrific. Fox MLB Insider, thank you so much for making time ahead of the deadline. Ken, thank you very much.

[Unknown Speaker]

Thanks, Dan.

[Danny Parkins]

That's Ken Rosenthal. It's fascinating because that's that grouping of teams like the Mets, the Cubs, someone step up and maybe overpay the market. It feels like a trip to the World Series is right there for you with the vulnerabilities and the flaws, frankly, of all of those teams that are bunched together at the top. So the deadline coming up tomorrow afternoon. Of course we'll be all over it. But coming up next, cowboys executives, they're saying things and it's leading to eye rolls. Do they have a contract problem on their hands? Danny Parkinson For Colin, this is the Herd. Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd, weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific.

[Unknown Speaker]

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[Colin Cowherd]

Life moves fast. A new home, a new baby, a new chapter. But without an estate plan, your future's still vulnerable. With trust and will, you can name guardians, start a trust, create health care directives and more. All online in about an hour. It's attorney designed, state specific and built to protect what you love. Plans start at just $199 and every plan is safe, secure and kept completely private. From families with young kids to adults caring for aging parents. Trust in will makes it simple to take control without a law office, paperwork, stress or court delays. Go to trustinwill.com and use code RADIO to save 20%. Start your plan today. Don't wait for life to force your hand. Estate planning is one of the smartest, most loving things you can do. Trust and Will is an online estate planning service. See website for details.

[Ken Rosenthal]

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[Danny Parkins]

We roll on on the Herd. I'm Danny Parkins in for Colin at the top of the hour. Why do a top five or a top 10, a favorite over under, when you could do all 32? It's gambling season in the NFL because it's always gambling season in the NFL. And when Cowboys executives speak, it's apparently silly season. I love this organization. They're the best. It's so fun. It's 30 years since the Super Bowl. 31 teams and one television production. Everyone has an opinion. Love them or hate them, they have star players. They have legitimate hype and expectation. Cause it's not like they're. They're not bad. We sometimes talk about them like they're a terrible organization. They aren't. They've drafted and developed more Pro Bowlers than any team in the last decade other than the Ravens. Micah Parsons is elite. CD Lamb is elite. Dak Prescott, highest paid quarterback, was second in the MVP a couple of years ago. But Steven Jones went on the radio in Dallas and he pushed back against a very common media narrative. I have a theory that maybe you guys drag out the deals to get engagement from the media and it's like the best 2 million bucks you can spend, having to give Dak a few more.

[Ken Rosenthal]

Well, let's Just start, start off. We don't agree on that. We don't drag deals out. We do deals when there's an opportunity.

[Danny Parkins]

To do a deal.

[Ken Rosenthal]

And certainly no one knows what goes on internally with a particular negotiation. But you know, sometimes agents and players aren't ready to pull the trigger till they see other cards play.

[Danny Parkins]

So this is one of those weird times where I'm going to try to operate in the area of gray. Multiple things can be true. I think the Cowboys drag out deals and it costs them some millions of dollars on the margins. I also think we overstate how big of a deal that is. And he is correct, Stephen Jones is correct that we do not know what these players are doing. And sometimes the best players at their position who really do not have any risk of getting paid are very interested in waiting things out. Dak Prescott had a no tag clause and a no trade clause. We haven't seen a player have that kind of leverage since Tom Brady. Like it is super rare. Hey, I'm second for mvp. We led the league in scoring. I could walk. You'd, you'd get me. You'd get nothing for me. Now they did that after that four year, $160 million deal. Was smart by Dax agent to put the no tag, no trade clause in. But Dak, of course, he's like, I want to get paid before me. I want Jordan Love to get paid before me because I want to set the bar higher and I've got the Cowboys over a barrel. CD Lamb, he didn't have the no tag, no trade clause, but the guy who's the only part of the Cowboys offense got 180 targets, superstar player. He wanted to see what Justin Jefferson was gonna get. He didn't wanna risk low balling himself and then be passed over by like Devonte Smith or something. He, he wanted to wait it out as long as possible. Micah Parsons says that he would've signed last year. We have no idea if that is true or not. And we have no idea if Micah Parsons would've accepted Nick Bose's at the time record setting deal for an edge rusher. Seems like he would have reasonably, but we don't really know whether he would have or would not have. But the Cowboys, I do think whether they would call it dragging it out or not because of the access that we get to Jerry Jones to Steven Jones. Like that clip that we just played you was from local radio in Dallas. Jerry Jones goes on local radio in Dallas weekly during the season. He did a press conference with Cowboys cheerleaders behind him. He talked about Micah Parsons at the beginning of training camp and took a shot at Dak Prescott. We don't, we don't hear from Howie Roseman like that. We don't hear from Brett Veach like that in Kansas City. We don't hear like from Ryan Poles like that in Chicago or John Schneider like that in Seattle. We do not hear from these people with the same degree of frequency that we hear from them in Dallas. And I think that is what directly leads to what that radio host was talking about. Like, you guys eat this up. Whether you call it dragging it out or not, you absolutely play the media to get into the news cycle. Because as I pointed out earlier in the week, I think Jerry Jones gave away the game in the Netflix stock in the trailer. It's a soap opera 365 days a year. His words. So I actually think the Cowboys have a little bit of a leg to stand on on the not dragging out deals thing. We don't know what the players are doing in those negotiations. And the best players with the most leverage do tend to want to wait till the final moment in this era of the NFL because they already are financially secure. They make a ton of money from endorsements. They make a ton of money from media deals. Dak Prescott had already been paid that they are willing to be last because the last guy to sign gets the most money. So I actually think they have a leg to stand on with that, but they have no leg to stand down on. But we're not really perpetuating this narrative and we don't talk about. Yeah, you do. You drag it out as much as anybody and you just say funny things like, Brian Schottheimer's already exceeding expectations. You haven't played a preseason game yet. How is he exceeding expectations? He rearranged the lockers. In the locker room, people are like sitting next to different people. He hasn't done anything yet. So that with all of that access, with these weird personalities, you say weird stuff and that's what gets the narrative going. That's what gets the news cycle going and that's what keeps you out there. So I'm here for it. Keep talking. Because I actually legitimately do find them fascinating. I know a lot of people like, well, I've got Cowboys fatigue.

[Unknown Speaker]

I don't know.

[Danny Parkins]

They won 12 games three years in a row, fired Mike McCarthy and hired a guy who was already on the staff with the highest paid quarterback in the NFL, a top five defensive player in the NFL and a top five receiver in the NFL. They are objectively interesting. Keep talking. Jones family. I absolutely love it. I want to talk now though about a guy who I wish was a cowboy. Because as much hype as Travis Hunter is getting, I actually do not think it is nearly enough for what he is trying to do and what I believe he is about to accomplish. We know that Travis Hunter is special, but for some reason people keep asking the same question about Travis Hunter. Can you play both sides? Is it possible to do this in the NFL? Doesn't matter what the Jaguars say, doesn't matter how they drafted him, doesn't matter how they're working them out. At practice, he every time he speaks, he keeps being asked these questions. And here's the latest on how Travis Hunter responded to it.

[Travis Hunter]

I need to be able to progress everything fast, quick. If the offense change on, on defensive, when I'm on the defensive side, the offense changed the strength. I got to know what I'm doing right away and if the offense, if we change the play, I got to know what I'm doing right away. So I like that we starting off slow, getting me adjusted, making sure I know where I need to be on one side of the ball each day and then it all come together.

[Danny Parkins]

He says that the people that doubt that he can do this, the haters make him smile. I just want to be very clear and on the record, Travis, I do not doubt that you can do this. I am firmly in your camp and I don't think it is as crazy as many people are making it out to be. And I understand that someone who looks like me questioning the analysis of the former NFL players who say this is impossible feels a little ridiculous. But I think a place that media, common people and even ex athletes are way behind on is how incredible the modern athlete is and how incredible sports science is. We've seen great athletes before, right? Bo Jackson, historically great athlete. Deion Sanders, historically great athlete, best cornerback in the NFL. Played receiver, his best year as a receiver. He has like 36 catches. It was the year he took off from baseball. We've seen guys try to play both ways before, but nowadays sports science, sleep science, nutritionist, massage therapy, everything that these guys can do, it's different. It used to be, hey, you're a running back. Once you hit 27, you fall off the cliff. Now we've got Derrick Henry at 30, approaching 1800 yard seasons. It's just a different era. These guys are better. LeBron is playing 22 years in the NBA. Tom Brady is winning MVPs and Super Bowl MVPs into his 40s. Aaron Rodgers is still playing. Athletes have just gotten better. So why can't Travis Hunter be a great defensive player and a great offensive player in the NFL? When in college he was a great defensive player and great offensive player. He won the Blitnikov award and the Bitneric award. He won the award for the best receiver. He won an award for the best defensive player in college. And this is one of my favorite stats because I feel like this is going to fall this year. This record, most snaps played by a single player in a season. It's not a household name, but Malcolm Jenkins in 2014 and 2015 was over 1350 snaps. He played every game as a corner and then he also would play on the coverage units on special teams. So it was 1357 snaps is the record for most snaps in a season by an NFL player. Travis Hunter played 1483 snaps in 13 games last year. In 13 games. So if Travis Hunter shatters Malcolm Jenkins, his record for most snaps in a season as a rookie, and at the rate that he did it in college, if he did it in the NFL he would break it by like 400 snaps. But let's assume that they're going to slow play it a little bit. He can change the sport, he can change how we think about what a world class athlete in football is able to do. And that to me is exciting because in baseball with Shohei Ohtani, it's, it's blowing all of our minds. But you've got to do it from a young age. You got to keep doing it from a young age and maybe we will see the next shohei Ohtani in 10 or 15 years. If Travis Hunter proves that he can do this, we're going to see it much quicker in the NFL. Hey, you're an awesome athlete. Can you catch? Let's put you out there on both sides of the ball. And I think that the possibilities and the expectations of what Jacksonville is trying to do with this kid is so potentially game changing and landscape shifting that if he just wasn't in Jacksonville, we'd be talking about it way more. He's by far one of the most interesting stories of this upcoming NFL season. And I just want to be very clear. He will do it and I expect him to do it coming up next. I went 65% against the spread in the NFL last year, so I may as well Last day in for Colin. Pick every NFL over under next. The herd.

[Colin Cowherd]

Life moves fast. A new home, a new baby, a new chapter. But without an estate plan, your future's still vulnerable. With trust and will, you can name guardians, start a trust, create health care directives and more. All online in about an hour. It's attorney designed, state specific and built to protect what you love. Plans start at just $199 and every plan is safe, secure and kept completely private. From families with young kids to adults caring for aging parents. Trust and will makes it simple to take control without a law office, paperwork, stress or court delays. Go to trustandwill.com and use code RADIO to save 20%. Start your plan today. Don't wait for life to force your hand. Estate planning is one of the smartest, most loving things you can do. Trust and Will is an online estate planning service. See website for details.

[Ken Rosenthal]

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[Danny Parkins]

This is an iHeart podcast.