Hour 1 - Steelers seem desperate

Summary

Summary of "The Herd with Colin Cowherd" - Episode: Hour 1 - Steelers Seem Desperate
Release Date: March 10, 2025

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1. Steelers’ High-Stakes Acquisition: DK Metcalf

Discussion Overview:
Colin Cowherd opens the episode by critiquing the Pittsburgh Steelers' recent decision to sign DK Metcalf to a substantial five-year, $150 million contract. He draws parallels between this move and desperate attempts to salvage a failing marriage by making significant, often misguided, changes.

Key Points:

• Offensive Line and Quarterback Struggles: The Steelers have been underperforming offensively, ranking 25th in both rushing yards and rushing average. Issues with the offensive line and quarterback play have been persistent since Ben Roethlisberger's retirement.

• Historical Success with Wide Receivers: Despite offensive woes, the Steelers have a long history of successfully drafting and developing wide receivers, citing Hines Ward as a prime example.

• Critique of the Metcalf Deal: Cowherd compares the expensive acquisition of Metcalf to ineffective solutions like adding premium leather seats to a broken car, suggesting it won't address the core issues within the offense.

Notable Quotes:

• “DK Metcalf to the Steelers for $150 million in five years… thinking you can solve your offense by adding another expensive, high maintenance wide receiver is like thinking you can solve your car troubles by putting in some premium leather seating.” [04:30]

• “DK Metcalf said the two things he wanted, warm weather and a solid quarterback situation. Those boxes are left unchecked.” [07:45]

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2. Rams' Strategic Acquisition: Devonte Adams

Discussion Overview:
Contrasting the Steelers' approach, Cowherd highlights the Los Angeles Rams' acquisition of Devonte Adams as a calculated and strategic move. He emphasizes the Rams' understanding of offensive culture and their alignment with quarterback Matt Stafford.

Key Points:

• One-Year Deal: Unlike the Steelers' long-term, high-value contract with Metcalf, the Rams secured Adams on a flexible one-year deal, showcasing their strategic planning.

• Offensive Culture Alignment: With Sean McVay at the helm, the Rams are adept at building around their quarterback, ensuring that acquisitions like Adams fit seamlessly into their offensive system.

• Future Super Bowl Aspirations: The Rams are positioning themselves for a Super Bowl run within the next couple of years, leveraging their strong offensive and defensive units.

Notable Quotes:

• “This is a very good fit. In fact, the Rams made another receiver move this weekend that it's a tell. They're telling you what they're trying to do.” [08:10]

• “Devonte Adams essentially on a one year deal to McVey and Stafford feels really smart.” [09:05]

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3. Free Agency Week Insights

Discussion Overview:
The hosts delve into the broader landscape of free agency, distinguishing between "Colin Wrong" (mistakes) and "Colin Right" (successful moves). They emphasize the importance of organizational fit and strategic planning over headline-making signings.

Key Points:

• Organizational Strategy Over Hype: Successful franchises prioritize renewing contracts with their existing talent and making moves that align with their long-term vision, rather than succumbing to market pressures.

• Comparative Analysis: The Steelers' and Rams' contrasting approaches serve as primary examples of what to do and what not to do during free agency.

• Impact of Front Office Decisions: The quality of a team's front office significantly influences the success of free agency moves, with good executives making calculated decisions that benefit the team’s culture and performance.

Notable Quotes:

• “This week is an indictment of bad front offices and it doubles down on the good ones.” [10:15]

• “Free agency week is about executives and owners, and you're going to see a lot of bad ones reach and a lot of good ones find fits.” [11:00]

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4. NFL Free Agency Highlights

Discussion Overview:
Jason McIntyre joins the conversation to highlight key free agency moves, including Josh Allen's record-breaking contract with the Buffalo Bills and speculative discussions around Aaron Rodgers' next destination.

Key Points:

• Josh Allen’s Contract Extension: Allen has secured a six-year, $330 million deal with $250 million guaranteed, marking one of the largest guaranteed contracts in NFL history.

• Aaron Rodgers' Potential Moves: Speculation surrounds Rodgers’ future, with possibilities including the New York Giants, Seattle Seahawks, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Minnesota Vikings. The discussion centers on organizational fit and financial considerations.

• Chicago Bears’ Strategic Signing: The Bears have signed center Drew Dahlman to strengthen their offensive line, demonstrating a focus on interior line play similar to other successful franchises.

Notable Quotes:

• “Josh Allen deserved it. He earned it.” [22:02]

• “I think this is a desperate Hail Mary to solve an ailing offense, and the Rams move feels very substantive.” [22:16]

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5. NBA MVP Controversy: SGA vs. Nikola Jokic

Discussion Overview:
A heated debate erupts between Cowherd and Joy Taylor regarding the NBA MVP race, specifically whether Stephen A. Smith (SGA) should be favored over Nikola Jokic.

Key Points:

• Team Context vs. Individual Performance: Taylor argues that MVP should consider team performance and context, favoring SGA for leading a better team with a younger roster. Cowherd counters that MVP should reflect individual excellence, pointing out Jokic’s superior statistics.

• Historical Precedents and Biases: The discussion touches on historical MVP selections and perceived biases within the voting process, questioning the fairness and criteria used.

• Impact of Injuries and Team Dynamics: LeBron James’s injury and its impact on the Lakers’ performance are analyzed, drawing parallels to how team dynamics influence MVP considerations.

Notable Quotes:

• “It's called Most Valuable Player. It is not best player. It's not even most productive player.” [26:00]

• “He's a bigger, stronger version of Mahomes with a bigger arm. Like, I'm going to pay him whatever the market.” [22:25]

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6. LeBron James’s Injury and Lakers’ Season Outlook

Discussion Overview:
LeBron James's recent groin injury is scrutinized, with the hosts debating its significance and the Lakers' ability to navigate their challenging schedule without their star player.

Key Points:

• Impact on Lakers’ Performance: LeBron’s injury has led to increased skepticism about the Lakers' depth, especially with other key players like Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura also missing time.

• LeBron's Leadership and Resilience: Despite his injury, LeBron's leadership remains pivotal, and his strategic rest periods are defended as necessary for his longevity and the team's success.

• Future Prospects: The conversation highlights the Lakers' slim chances of winning the championship given their current roster issues and tough schedule ahead.

Notable Quotes:

• “LeBron got a little tweak and said to himself, daddy's going to take a couple weeks off. And I don't blame him.” [19:50]

• “If my young, vital, dynamic, viral dynamic staff was missing as much time as some of these guys missed for the Lakers, I'd be bitter, too.” [20:15]

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7. Chicago Bears’ Offensive Line Strengthening

Discussion Overview:
The Bears' recent signing of Drew Dahlman is lauded as a smart move to bolster their offensive line, drawing comparisons to successful strategies employed by other franchises like the Rams and Tampa Bay.

Key Points:

• Focus on Interior Line Play: Emphasizing the importance of a strong offensive line, the Bears have secured three interior linemen, enhancing their protection and run game.

• Strategic Similarities with Successful Teams: The Bears’ approach mirrors that of the Rams and Chiefs, who prioritize offensive line stability as a foundation for offensive success.

• Impact on Team Performance: Strengthening the offensive line is expected to provide greater stability for the quarterback and overall offensive efficiency.

Notable Quotes:

• “This is when Andy Reid went and signed Joe Tunney to a big deal a few years ago. He was obviously a very fair argument.” [32:10]

• “This is the kind of sophistication you see with really smart offensive coaches.” [33:00]

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8. Final Thoughts and Takeaways

Discussion Overview:
As the episode draws to a close, the hosts reflect on the week's free agency moves, the importance of organizational strategy, and the broader implications for team performances in upcoming seasons.

Key Points:

• Organizational Fit Over Flashy Moves: Reinforcing earlier discussions, the importance of making strategic, well-fitted acquisitions over high-profile but potentially mismatched signings is emphasized.

• Long-Term Implications: The decisions made during this free agency period are seen as pivotal for the future success and stability of the franchises involved.

• Audience Engagement: Encouragement for listeners to stay engaged with the ongoing sports narratives and to analyze team strategies critically.

Notable Quotes:

• “This is what you get in the free agency period. And it's why I love it.” [08:56]

• “Don’t confuse two people driving two nice cars. Like did you need it? Is it smart? Is it thoughtful? Does it work for your budget?” [09:10]

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Conclusion

In this episode of "The Herd with Colin Cowherd," the hosts provide an in-depth analysis of key free agency moves, highlighting the strategic differences between franchises like the Steelers and Rams. The discussion extends to broader themes such as the criteria for MVP selections in the NBA and the impact of player injuries on team dynamics. Through insightful commentary and critical evaluation, Cowherd and his co-hosts offer listeners a comprehensive understanding of the current sports landscape and its implications for future performances.

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Notable Timestamped Quotes:

• “DK Metcalf to the Steelers for $150 million in five years… thinking you can solve your offense by adding another expensive, high maintenance wide receiver is like thinking you can solve your car troubles by putting in some premium leather seating.” [04:30]

• “This is a very good fit. In fact, the Rams made another receiver move this weekend that it's a tell. They're telling you what they're trying to do.” [08:10]

• “It's called Most Valuable Player. It is not best player. It's not even most productive player.” [26:00]

Transcript

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[Joy Taylor]

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[Colin Cowherd]

To 3 Eastern, 9am to noon Pacific. Find your local station for the [e-mail] or stream us live every day on.

[Joy Taylor]

The iHeartRadio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR. Now let's get this party started. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Oh it is one of my favorite days and weeks of the Year starting right now, you're gonna see announcements, rumors, meetings, free agency in the NFL. Live in Los Angeles, it's the Herd. Wherever you may be, however you may be listening, thanks for making us part of your day. We have a great show today. Calling Right Colin Wrong an hour from now, as is customary on Monday. So a little bit of fool's gold in free agency. Most of the great teams will resign their own players. You know, Kansas City resigns. Nick Bolton, terrific linebacker. Nobody wants to pay linebackers, but he's been so good for them. That's a real smart move. That, to me, is what you want to do during this, like, week period. But what happens is a lot of swings by a lot of desperate teams. J, Mac and I'm going to start the show with that. I'm going to start the show with that today. There's an old adage, struggling couples often have a baby to save a marriage or they buy a house to save a marriage. And it doesn't work. The marriage was in trouble. DK Metcalf to the Steelers for $150 million in five years. That's buying a house to save the marriage. The Steelers can't get the offensive line right. They can't get quarterback right. They spend too much money on defense. Defensive culture, 25th in rushing at rushing average, 25th in the NFL. So let's throw a Hail Mary to save our offense. What's ironic is the one position that the Steelers draft and develop exceedingly well on offense is wide receiver. They've been great at it for 20 years. To go back to Hines Ward, they always draft and develop wide receiver, so why spend 150 million on it? And the Steelers thinking they can solve their offensive issues, which have been awful not only since Big Ben retired, but about the last two years of Big Ben. Thinking you can solve your offense by adding another expensive, high maintenance wide receiver is like thinking you can solve your car troubles by putting in some premium leather seating. Yeah, that ain't it, man. George Pickens and D.K. metcalf. Okay, you know how A.J. brown was reading a book on the sidelines in Pittsburgh? They need a. They need a library card. I mean, these guys want the ball now. I mean. Oh, yeah. There's another rumor out there with the Steelers. Aaron Rodgers is talking to him. Good. Hell, what are you trying to be, a rock band that trashes the hotel room? I said this last week, DK Metcalf with a very solid quarterback in Geno Smith. Geno's very solid quarterback. I'll get to him later. He only accounted for 35 first down catches. Okay, that, that's half Omar on St. Brown and the Steelers are not very solid at quarterback. They've been experimenting, it feels like, for the last five or six years. So I'm not, I am not player hating. I'm situation hating. If you went to a team like DK Metcalf went to Kansas City where they've kind of struggled. I mean, Rasheed Rice is good but in trouble. Xavier worthy good, but in trouble. They've had several misses. You go DK Metcalf to Kansas City in that strong culture, offensively, you could talk me into it. How about Houston and C.J. stroud? You could talk me into it. But Pittsburgh doesn't know. Offense doesn't have a feel for it. They're not good at quarterback. They're not good on the offensive line. Again, this is a team the last two seasons that has been Pittsburgh, 31st in pass attempts, which has driven George Pickens crazy. So let's add another receiver that's expensive and is going to demand the football. I say it out loud. DK Metcalf said the two things he wanted, warm weather and a solid quarterback situation. Those boxes are left unchecked. So not all wide receiver acquisitions are the same. It's about, it's about feel, it's about fit. It's about does your organization do offense well? And I'll go from that because I, I think this is a desperate move. Let's go from that to the Rams getting Devonte Adams. Now DK Metcalfe is in his prime. Devonte Adams isn't. So I wouldn't like this move. No, it's different. I do like this move because of Sean McVay, the offensive culture. They've already got a number one in Puka Nakua. So if Devonte now is a 1A or a 2, it fits. This is very much this move by the Rams. It's essentially a one year deal. It's very similar to Jimmy Butler going to the Warriors. The Rams are lining up all their offensive pieces around Matt Stafford because the Rams feel like, hey, we've got one to two years of great Matt Stafford left. That's what the warriors felt. We got a couple of years of Steph being great. Let's get him a legit 2. So Sean McVay knows offense. The Rams have a feel for offense and they've got an incredible defense that is young and super cheap. So they're flexible. This is a totally different move and that's why I Wanted to juxtapose the Steelers move, which feels like a desperate Hail Mary to solve an ailing offense, and the Rams move, which feels like a very substantive one, maybe two year deal to line up in an excellent offensive culture with Sean McVay and Matt Stafford.

[Colin Cowherd]

That's the difference.

[Joy Taylor]

Remember, the Rams have said publicly we're moving off Cooper cup and now I don't know if devonte is in his prime. I think he's probably just left the prime. He's definitely not twilight, so he's somewhere in between prime and twilight. But in the last three years, devonte Adams is tied for second in the NFL and touchdowns for wide receiver. That's with Derek Carr, Gardner Minshew, Aiden O'Connell and Aaron Rodgers off an Achilles surgery. So this is a very good fit. In fact, if you look at the Rams, they made another receiver move this weekend that it's a tell. They're telling you what they're trying to do. They resigned to a one year deal. Two. Two. Atwell, who's been a little bit of a semi bust. Why did they do that? And they even paid him 10 million for one year because they're thinking, they're telling you this next year we think we can win a Super Bowl. So why bring in a young receiver when we got devonte Puka, Tyler Higby, the excellent tight end, probably a B plus tight end, running back, o line set. They resign their left tackle. They're going for the super bowl because The Rams and McVeigh are thinking in a snowstorm against the best team in the league. On the road in Philly. We're at the 13 yard line looking to go in with a tying touchdown. Pat wins it and we're going to the NFC championship. So these are, this is a classic example. DK Metcalf to a huge long term deal to the Steelers feels desperate. Devonte Adams essentially on a one year deal to McVeigh and Stafford feels really smart. So don't confuse the two. You know, don't, don't, don't confuse the two. Lot of nice cars on the freeway. Some take an exit to a nice neighborhood where they can afford it. Some take an exit to an apartment where they can't. Don't confuse two people driving two nice cars. Like did you need it? Is it smart? Is it thoughtful? Does it work for your budget? So this is what you get in the free agency period. And it's why I love it. In fact, there's a similar situation which I'll get to on Geno Smith I thought it was time to move from Seattle. I think he's a really good fit with the Raiders because one organization's really good and feels like they've hit a ceiling, and the other one's a mess and needs stability. This week is not just about the players. There is no week in the NFL where you can really figure out who knows what they're doing in the front office and ownership and who doesn't. This is not about the players. Free agency week is about executives and owners, and you're going to see a lot of bad ones reach and a lot of good ones find fits. This is fit week, not free agent week. That's what it is. Steelers, let's throw a Hail Mary. We got no feel for it. Rams, we can get Devontae for one year. We got two great years of Stafford left. Totally different acquisition, totally different sensibility and mindset. So, J. Mac, we got so much stuff. We got. I, I. You know, I had a LeBron theory about a week ago. Got a lot of feedback on that one. I've got another one. Sam Darnold looks like he's going to Seattle. I got my MVP vote in the NBA all settled up. Calling right? Wrong. Next hour. And as you well know, you're betting Dayton and Creighton and Xavier games. You know, March Madness is right around the corner.

[Jason McIntyre]

I just fired on Furman tonight. You got to get in on action.

[Joy Taylor]

Furman. Furman.

[Jason McIntyre]

Big game against. I believe it's Winthrop.

[Joy Taylor]

Yeah, I don't even know where either of those schools are located.

[Jason McIntyre]

By the way, I forgot to ask, who's quarterbacking the Pittsburgh Steelers next season? It's got to be Aaron Rodgers, right?

[Joy Taylor]

Really?

[Jason McIntyre]

And is Pickens on the roster in, like, three weeks, or do they trade him for a pick?

[Joy Taylor]

I mean, again, Pickens gets frustrated in Pittsburgh. He's a huge talent. You put Pickens in Kansas City, it's like, oh, that. That would be interesting, you know, given.

[Jason McIntyre]

What happened over the weekend with Xavier Worthy getting in trouble with the law. Maybe that's a great fit for Pickens.

[Joy Taylor]

Yeah, Worthy fans tend to think we're picking on their teams, and it's like, it's just like you. There are some jobs, if you're watching or listening to my show, there are some bosses and jobs that are a great fit for your personality. And then there are places that aren't right. Like, like. And so it's just the same thing with players. Everybody thinks this is about players this week, and it's really about the organizations. Know what the hell they're doing or they just making Hail Mary's to solve previous decisions. And that's what I think you see with Pittsburgh. I mean they're, they're lost offensively 150.

[Jason McIntyre]

Mil and they gave up a second round pick. I don't love that deal.

[Joy Taylor]

No. Be sure to catch live editions of.

[J. Mac]

The Herd weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am.

[Joy Taylor]

Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1 and the iHeartRadio app.

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[Joy Taylor]

Well, I told you last week, you know, the Celtics were going to beat the Lakers on Saturday. They're a better team. And then when Jackson Hayes didn't play and Rui didn't play and you lost all your size, it's in your length, it's like, yeah, this thing's not going to, this isn't going to work. Lakers have had a hard schedule, flying cross country. They ran out of gas in the second half. Boston's a better team. Boston's in my opinion, Boston's going to win a championship. The second best team in the league is Cleveland. It'll be a six or seven game series. I'll take Boston. But there was a moment when LeBron in the second half, you know, got hurt. A lot of people were giving him crap. That wasn't much of an injury. You want to know my theory on this? I have a theory on this whole thing with LeBron, and I totally defend him. So he's been carrying the Lakers all season. At 40 years old, young Austin Reeves has missed time. Young Jackson Hayes has missed time. Semi young Rui Hashimora has missed time. Dorian Finney Smith isn't young, but he's missed a lot of time. Luca, who got torched in the first half against the Celtics, he's still playing himself back into shape. And LeBron got a little tweak and said to himself, daddy's going to take a couple weeks off. And I don't blame him. I think it's remarkable that LeBron isn't more bitter about having to carry this roster this year. He's 40 years old. He looked at the schedule and said, Six games in eight days, and the young guys are telling me they can't play. I'm going to pull up to my March mattress. Okay, forget it, guys. I don't blame him at all. I carried us to a number two seed. Luke is not even in shape, and he's a liability defensively and he got torched against Boston for most of the game. LeBron leads the Lakers in minutes, second in game played, and he's 40. And Austin Reaves is missing time and Ruiz missing time, and Jackson Hayes is missing time. And I listen, I'm the old guy on my team. If my young, vital, dynamic, viral dynamic staff was missing as much time as some of these guys missed for the Lakers, I'd be bitter, too. I'd be taking Fridays off for the next two years. And LeBron's carry the franchise. So I'm not saying LeBron isn't hurt a little when you get older, especially like calf injuries or groin injuries, like, sit it out. But LeBron in the first half, they've gone through a rough stretch. This is the roughest stretch for the Lakers in terms of their schedule. He gave you 14, 8 and 7. And Luca did a lot of watching players drive by him. And so I'm a hundred percent with LeBron saying, and I'm not saying he's faking it, I'm saying he could probably play after two days off this. If you look at the schedule, they get this. They don't play like one game in the next four or five nights. And then they got an onslaught of Denver Nugget games. This is the perfect time. You'll see this with really great baseball teams.

[Colin Cowherd]

You'll.

[Joy Taylor]

You'll see this with like the Dodgers or the Phillies in August. And all of a sudden, you know, a pitcher sleeps on shoulder and he's like, you know, I'm going to take a couple of four starts off because he's getting ready for the postseason. I don't have a problem with it. And here's LeBron after the game on his groin injury.

[LeBron James]

Can you point to a player sequence that caused the. Yeah, it was the last play, the last score. I had spun on Jaylen Brown. You know, for me, they extended a little bit too much, a couple pivots, and then when I landed, I felt it. So that was the last pass score. Not much concern. Obviously. We're going day to day, look at it each day, see if it gets better and then, you know, take the proper measurements and see. See what we need to do going forward.

[Joy Taylor]

Yeah, Daddy's taken a couple of weeks off and it's well deserved, by the way. The Bucks have resigned Chris Godwin, Hassan Reddick. So Jason Light, one of the smarter GMs in the NFL with Tampa's getting his guys signed. That's why I said what I said 15 minutes ago. This week is an indictment of bad front offices and it doubles down on the good ones. The good ones are resigning their guys. It's good for culture. They know the system. You don't have to overpay on somebody you don't know. Absolutely fits personality and playing profile. J. Mac with the news.

[LeBron James]

No, no, no, turn on the news.

[J. Mac]

This is the Herd line news.

[Jason McIntyre]

Yeah, a lot of moves happening, fast and furious. Some minutia. We'll get to all of it. Let's start with Josh Allen. The big winner over the weekend, won the MVP this season and the Bills just rewarded him with a six year, $330 million deal keeping him in Buffalo through 2030. The deal includes 250 million guaranteed. My gosh, the largest guaranteed ever given to a player surpassing DeSean Watson, who people probably forget, got 230 guaranteed from Cleveland. Allen goes from being the 14th highest annual average at 43mil to tied for second at 55mil. Listen, what can you say? Allen deserved it. He earned it.

[Joy Taylor]

There's four quarterbacks in this league. Just pay him. Burrow, Lamar, Josh and Mahomes, whatever the market is. Same with, like, Miles Garrett. People freaking out. I'll get to that later. He's the best pass rusher in football. Pay him.

[Jason McIntyre]

I mean, Josh Allen is on the doorstep of a Super Bowl. I get that.

[Joy Taylor]

He's the most talented player arguably in the league.

[Jason McIntyre]

He's up there.

[Joy Taylor]

I mean, he's a bigger, stronger version of Mahomes with a bigger arm. Like, I'm going to pay him whatever the market.

[Jason McIntyre]

Bears, I agree. Yeah, they're right there. They're close. That this deal makes sense. Buffalo is going to be relevant as long as Josh Allen is breathing. Next up, let's go to another quarterback who's not got that much of a market, and that's Aaron Rodgers, still waiting. Interestingly. Colin, you know, we like to kind of try to read the tea leaves out there. There's like, no, it doesn't seem like there's a big market for Aaron Rodgers or they're keeping it super quiet. The Giants seem to think he could stay in New York and play for them. The Seahawks, they need a quarterback. The Steelers need one. And then. And I don't know if I buy this, the Minnesota Vikings are a dark horse. I don't know. I feel like that's a reporter throwing a dart. Come on. You think he's following Brett Favre from the jets to the Vikings? There's no shot he's doing that. No way.

[Joy Taylor]

Yeah. I mean, that.

[Jason McIntyre]

That would be embarrassing. Come on.

[Joy Taylor]

Well, that wouldn't be embarrassing following Brett Favre.

[Jason McIntyre]

What's wrong with you?

[Joy Taylor]

Well, you know what you're. I mean, that's like saying. That's like saying. Well, I mean, Luca followed AD to Los Angeles and. No. And Shaq. Shaq followed great Laker players to Los Angeles. LeBron followed Shaq to lot. Listen, there's a lot of great NBA players that want to play for the Lakers.

[Jason McIntyre]

Oh, yeah. Everybody wants to play for the Vikings. Huh?

[Joy Taylor]

Well, Kevin O'Connell's a damn good coach. If I was Aaron Rodgers and I got to pick a team of the three or four, I'd want Minnesota. Yeah. So if Aaron. If Aaron talks his way into Minnesota, I'm not blaming Aaron at all. That's a great. I got Justin Jefferson. I got that coach.

[Jason McIntyre]

I would rule out Seattle because it seems like they're rebuilding, right?

[Jonas Knox]

Yeah.

[Jason McIntyre]

Geno, DK and lock.

[Joy Taylor]

This all comes down to numbers. I've been told the Seahawks. I was told this last week Seattle wasn't going to re sign Gino. I was told last week the Seahawks wanted Sam Darnold. But if Darnold's going to say 43 million and Aaron's going to say a lesser number, they may go Aaron. I'm told the Seattle situation is all about the number.

[Jason McIntyre]

So The Vikings won 14 games last year with Sam Darby.

[Joy Taylor]

Yeah.

[Jason McIntyre]

You think he's going to go to like a six win team just to chase a couple bucks, like $10 million extra?

[Joy Taylor]

I think Seattle's roster. I said this this morning to the team when Tom Brady went to Tampa. The coach and the roster were fine. They couldn't get quarterback. Right. I like the coach in Seattle. I love the gm and I think the roster is really good. I think they have a quarterback situation. I think they thought Gino. Gino wanted more money than the Seahawks were willing to go. And I think Darnold's a better version of Geno. But they're similar in terms of size, mobility and recklessness. So I think it comes down to. I think I've been told the Seahawks want Darnold, but the numbers gotta be right.

[Jason McIntyre]

Listen, if you're paying me 45 million a year, sure, I guess I'll go to Seattle. But the Seahawks are clearing cap space. I don't know if you saw this. They have the most cap space next year.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yes.

[Jason McIntyre]

In the league now, here. This isn't the NBA. You can't go out and get Giannis. You know, there really isn't anyone to go spend all that cap space on. So do they take a quarterback now? Do they soft tank?

[Joy Taylor]

Well, DJ MacFurg's paying all the DK Metcalf salary, so they can look at it that way. I think they. I think. I don't think Cap's going to be a problem for Seattle. I think Darnold's a better geno and I think they felt they hit a ceiling. But the players that are now out there, the quarterbacks, it's all a number business. If Aaron Rodgers says, hey, I just want to play with a better roster, Aaron would do very well in Seattle.

[Jason McIntyre]

You think Seattle has a better roster than Pittsburgh?

[Joy Taylor]

No, but I've been saying the Steelers have a top five roster for five years. I don't think they have that kind of. But I don't think it's a mile behind. They. Both teams have two good running backs. Both teams have offensive line talent. Both teams have receiver talent. Both teams have an edge or both teams. I mean, both teams have a very good interior defensive lineman.

[Jason McIntyre]

Okay, final question. NFC West.

[Joy Taylor]

Yes.

[Jason McIntyre]

Darnold or Rodgers were to go to Seattle. Rank the teams in that division. Go ahead.

[Joy Taylor]

Rams are going to win it. Niners second. Seattle third. Arizona four. Sure.

[Jason McIntyre]

Seattle third. Positive. I think Arizona is probably going to have a last push. I don't. I think Seattle is tanking. I know you don't want to hear that or anything too good to take.

[Joy Taylor]

Really.

[Jason McIntyre]

How are they? Where are they? Good. Give me one offensive thing that's good. They fire their oc. They dump their top receiver. They dump their locker room guy and lock it. Offensive line was.

[Joy Taylor]

Dude. Running game like Lockett and DK Metcalf moving off those guys. You saved a lot of lettuce.

[Jason McIntyre]

You're saving money, but you're not a good wide receivers.

[Joy Taylor]

They'll be fine. They have a number one wide receiver in the room right now.

[Jason McIntyre]

I like JSN a lot. Yes. Final story is the Niners. Now, this one is kind of interesting, Colin. The Niners, they had a lot of financial decisions to keep their core together. And they did move off Debo Brock. Purdy's still Negotiating his deal. But the athletic report San Fran is having an organizational reset regarding giving out extensions. I think this dates back to Brandon Ayuk last year and the Niners are attempting to be cold, calculated and analytical. Do you think that's coming out as Purdy may have wanted? 55 million?

[Joy Taylor]

Yes. And by the way, we touched on this last week. That's what the Rams are. The Rams told Stafford, here's the number. They told Cooper cup, here's the number. I think John lynch and the Niners and Kyle have been way too permissive with contracts. And I and I said this before, they've Debo Samuel. It's like he's a chess piece. He's not a foundational. Go to number one receiver. I'm paying. Trent Williams, Christian McCaffrey, Fred Warner, George Kittle has been terrific. There are pieces I I'm not paying. I'd move off their corner. I would move off. They got too many receivers. They're fine with Jennings and Kittle and Christian and Iuk and Pierce. Pierce. They're fine.

[Jason McIntyre]

Probably too hot of a take for the first hour, but Sam Darnold still hasn't signed anywhere and he does have experience with the Niners. If Brock Purdy's agents drive too hard of a bargain, do they say, brock, sorry, we're not willing to go to 45. We'll do Sam Darnold for 35 million a year and he's our guy.

[Joy Taylor]

This is what is that in place? This is what I've been told by an executive I trust greatly. It is all numbers with Darnold, Aaron Rodgers, it's all about the number. They're all kind of the same guy. Geno and Darnold are the same guy. I think Darnold's in his prime and more athletic. Aaron's not in his prime, but throws a prettier ball probably than Gino or Aaron. He's also a little prickly. But if Aaron takes less, I would have no problem with the 49ers or the Seahawks saying Aaron wants $12 million a year less than Purdy. Absolutely.

[Jason McIntyre]

I'll take it. I agree. Again, this is just a hot take I'm firing out there. That being said, I would rank Brock Purdy ahead of all those guys you just named currently Geno, Rogers, Darnold.

[Joy Taylor]

Not physically.

[Jason McIntyre]

I don't care about physically. I want my quarterback. What are you getting, like a Herculean superstar? No, we're not throwing the javelin, Colin.

[Joy Taylor]

I struggle with guys who aren't the same quarterback when it's Overcast.

[Jason McIntyre]

Here we go. Go ahead.

[Joy Taylor]

Get.

[Jason McIntyre]

Get fire off your face.

[Joy Taylor]

I'm just telling you what I see. Anytime I have to go to the local weather to see if my quarterback rating will be over 80. Oh, drizzly.

[Jason McIntyre]

Okay, let's just file that away though. That's kind of spicy though. Would they.

[Joy Taylor]

I'm just saying this is all about numbers for the Niners, for the Seahawks because there's no a quarterback on the market. Aaron used to be. He's closer to B plus now, which is not a shot. I mean, he's an older guy.

[Jason McIntyre]

The other guy we haven't mentioned is Justin Fields. Now. There's just some stuff popping off online right now about that.

[Joy Taylor]

Wait, wait till you hear this story of God. Yeah.

[Jason McIntyre]

Getting wild right now.

[Joy Taylor]

J. Mac with the news.

[J. Mac]

Well, that's the news.

[Jonas Knox]

And thanks for stopping by the Herd line.

[Joy Taylor]

I'm going to say something right now for Chicago Bear fans and you're going to laugh, but you shouldn't. The Chicago Bears are getting really smart really fast and they just signed another brilliant piece. And he's a center. I love this. The Falcons. Former Falcons center Drew Dahlman signed a 3 year, 42 million dollar with the Bears. Deal with the Bears. I love it. So they've gotten two guard starters and a center starter. This is what the Rams do with Stafford. They clean up the middle. This is where Philadelphia is great. This is where the Chiefs are great. I love this move. So the. You know who this is not good for? Ryan Poles, the gm. He spent all that draft capital on offensive linemen and the new Bears coach walked in and went, yeah, none of them are any good. We need a new guard. Center, guard. Not good for Ryan Poles the gm very good for Caleb Williams. So this is something that you started noticing about three years ago in the NFL. The really smart offensive. By the way, when Brady went to Tampa, where was Tampa? Really, really good in the O line. Guard, center, guard. By the time Brady left Tampa, they'd had some injuries in those positions. I didn't think they were quite as good. So now they hit on Tristan Wurfs, but they, they weren't great when Brady got there at left tackle, they weren't great there. They were great. Jensen. Guard, center, guard. So I think this is really smart by the Chicago Bears. Last year, the Bears were wide receivers. Sexy headline. Chicago Tribune didn't mean anything. Guard, center, guard. This is. This is when Andy Reid went and signed Joe Tunney to a big deal a few years ago. People were like, what? No, this is what The Rams did when they got Dotson from the Steelers. Remember Dotson for the Steelers was going to be a backup. Sean McVeigh gets him, puts him at guard. He ends up being ranked the number one guard in the league or top two over the last couple years. So I love this move by the Chicago Bears. This is the kind of sophistication you see with a really smart offensive coaches. And also the Bears coach comes in and says, what did we have in Chicago? Great culture, great online. Boom. He'll create the culture. He'll buy the offensive line. Really smart by the Bears. So here are the free agent signings today. I just want it. So Khalil Max going to stay with the Chargers. It's one year, 18 million. He's been terrific for them. Chris Godwin, Hassan Reddick stay with the box smart GM And JC Horn gets paid for Carolina. Drew Dahlman goes to the Bears. You know, I got. I got to be honest. I'm getting real wonky on this stuff. We never, you know, we never talked. A lot of offensive linemen all J. Mac did. J. Mac, believe it or not, Mr. Muscle Beach Guy. A lot of sizzle on the beach in Manhattan Beach. He's become a fan of interior line play as well.

[Jason McIntyre]

By the way, Bears now have added three guys to their interior line. And I don't want to be too negative on. On a team we love at this network, but the Kansas City Chiefs offensive line right now is in shambles. It is Colin. It is really ugly. And they're talking about moving the kid that they drafted from byu. He's not working a tackle. Let's move him inside and try that. They overpaid their tackle. Just contrasting styles out there right now. I know it's not sexy like you said. Offensive line, I'll tell you right now, people are probably changing the channel now, but if you're a gambler and you watch NFL closely, right. Offensive line significant.

[Joy Taylor]

Okay, we got a bunch of stuff happening today. Colin right. Colin wrong. And Hasselbeck, top of the hour. I made it official who I'm voting for NBA MVP and why. Geno and the Raiders works for me. That's coming up. If you feel like owning a home is out of reach. Rocket Mortgage says. Hold on a second. We want to give you the keys to the American dream. Visit rocket.com or call 804Rocket live in Los Angeles, it's the Herd. Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd.

[J. Mac]

Weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific.

[Steve Covino]

Hey, Steve Covino. And I'm Rich Davis. And together we're Covino and Rich on Fox Sports Radio. You can catch us weekdays from 5 to 7pm Eastern, 2 to 4 Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and of course, the iHeartRadio app. Why should you listen to Covino and Rich? We talk about everything. Life, sports, relationships, what's going we have a lot of fun talking about the stories behind the stories in the world of sports and pop culture. Stories that, well, other shows don't seem to have the time to discuss. And the fact that we've been friends for the last 20 years and still work together, I mean, that says something, right? So check us out. We like to get you involved, too. Take your phone calls, chop it up, as they say. I'd say the most interactive show on Fox Sports Radio, maybe the most interactive show on planet Earth. Be sure to check out Covino and Rich live on Fox Sports radio and the iHeartradio app from 5 to 7pm Eastern, 2 to 4 Pacific. And if you miss any of the live show, just search Covino and Rich wherever you get your podcast. And of course, on social media, that's Covino and Rich.

[Jonas Knox]

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[Colin Cowherd]

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[J. Mac]

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[Colin Cowherd]

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[Jason McIntyre]

The Indy 500 runs through Thermal as IndyCar heads to the California desert. The fastest racing on Earth is back. March 23rd live on Fox.

[Joy Taylor]

By the way, not to bore you with o line talk, but the Chiefs agreed to a two year expensive deal with Jalen Moore as a left tackle who was a backup in San Francisco. He got some starts late in the year. That's what happens when you pay the quarterback all that money. You can kick the can down the road, but they're taking a big swing. Not a huge swing, but a big swing on a left tackle that's never been a starter in the AFC where you got a lot of good pass rushers. And by the way, Chargers have them and Denver's got him and the Raiders have Max Crosby. So that is a big ass for a guy that's never been a starter. So there was a move over the weekend and I touched on this to start the show is that it's a lot of your life and my life and professional athletes life is fit. So Geno Smith is leaving Seattle and he's going to the Raiders and he's going to sign a long contract. It's pretty expensive. I actually like the move Geno Smith in Seattle to a better roster was played out. It's a very good Seattle roster. He couldn't take him to the next level and and I would have let him go. It was a nice story. He's a nice player. But the Raiders is a much different situation. They haven't won a playoff game in 22 years. They have no stability at all at quarterback and it's a really bad quarterback draft class. So Gino Smith with a coach he knows and respects, Pete Carroll, and with a quarterback coach slash coordinator Chip Kelly, who likes his quarterbacks to be accurate and move well, Gino's a great fit. He's going to end up this year with the Raiders having a mid or better 97 passer rating. He'll complete 67, 68% of his throws, he'll have a ton of yards and he'll give you stability and production. So what's interesting is if you go back since 2022 to Geno Smith and a quarterback I really like, Justin Herbert, it's kind of the same guy. If you look at the numbers, it's the same guy. Now I think Herbert has a much higher ceiling than Geno Smith. Obviously most people would agree with me, but they're big, they move well and they're accurate at throwing the ball. So and again, Genoa with Chip and Pete Carroll is going to be fine. Life is all about timing. Pete Carroll is not at the age at 73. He's got great energy, but he doesn't want to be a babysitter at quarterback. And Geno's an adult, comes in, gets it done. Tom Brady, it should be noted, also signed off on this move. So I have no problem with it. Tom knows quarterbacks. Gino's Also, interestingly, Geno's 34 years old, but Gino hasn't played as many snaps as a lot of 34 year olds. So he's like a young 34 year old. He hasn't taken nearly the hits as most 34 year old quarterbacks because he did some backing up. I think he backed up Eli Manning at one point. So again, Geno's 34. He's probably got a 30 to a 31 year old body more than anything. Pete is stability. Chip Kelly, Geno Smith, that's what they need. Seahawks have been stable forever. Same ownership group, they don't run through coaches. Pete Carroll was there forever. Now they have Mike McDonald. John Snyder has been the GM. He's been in the front office forever. Seahawks have all sorts of stability. It's a very good organization with a good roster. But they're looking at their division. They're looking at the Rams and going, all right, we're not as good as the Rams. They're looking at the Niners and thinking, I'm not sure. We're as good as the Niners. And they're looking in Arizona thinking, well, Kyler Murray's a playmaker, they got their coach. We don't want to end up fourth. And we kind of feel like we kind of hit a ceiling. Absolutely. Hit a ceiling. Like the move. All right. So yesterday OKC in Denver played. So I'm not really an awards guy. I've always said I used to have a Heisman vote. I think it's silly. It's too regional. So I'm not, I'm not really into awards. They don't really. Very subjective. You know, a lot of these awards have included media members who all have biases. They're, you know, not. I mean, and again, we all have. I have biases. Everybody does. Politics, sports, every regionalism, everybody's got that. But I thought yesterday was kind of that, you know, hammer meets nail. Sga, Oklahoma City, I thought wrapped up the MVP over Jokic and I think Jokic is the better player. But there's three reasons I would give it to sga and number one is his team is much better and they're 12 games ahead of Denver in the Standings. And so let's be honest, it does matter how good your team is. How valuable can you really be if your team is. Isn't very good? Denver is. Is a good team. Oklahoma City favored to get to the finals. So the team is better. Number two is SGA is playing with a much younger team. Their average age is only one year older than the Auburn, and it's harder to play with young players. Young players, especially on the road, are much less consistent. So SGA is. Team is better. He's playing with a much less experienced roster. And the other thing is, and this is probably only about 20% of it, SGA is a much better defender. Jokic in their championship year, you know, that playoff run was pretty good defensively, pretty inspired. He's not a very good defender. And Denver is atrocious defensively, so that matters a little too. And the other thing is, words matter. It's called most valuable player. It is not best player. It's not even most productive player. Jokic is more productive, and he is the best player in the world. I think there's a real argument. SGA is either second or third. I mean, if you need a bucket. Not a lot of guys in the league right now. I mean, right now he's better than Luka because he's in much better shape and he's a much better defender. So Jokic is the world's best player. There's an argument SGA is number two. And again, this is. And this is another component. I think OKC and Denver play again tonight. OKC's beating them two or three times. And when you watched SGA put 40 burger on Denver, it's something. It's 6%, it's 8%. So remember this about MVP. If MVP was about best player, why does Michael Jordan have only five? If MVP is about best player, why does LeBron have only four? If you would have taken every year that LeBron and Michael were the best player, you'd have about 24 MVPs. 22, 20 minimum. They've got nine. Phil Jackson, how many Coaches of the year does he have? You have to contextualize it. He had Shaq. He had Kobe in their prime. He had Michael Jordan. He had Scotty Pippen. So I always thought that was ridiculous that, you know, Phil only won, I don't know, one or two Coaches of the year award. He was obviously a very fair argument. He's the greatest coach of all time. You know, in a very short list of maybe two other guys, you could argue, but one of them Being Red Arbok. So I, I to me that game yesterday, and I, I'm a Jokic fan, I said, years ago, everybody gave Embiid an MVP over Jokic. Jokic was a much better player. But everybody kind of felt like, you know, he's already won back to back. I kind of feel here is we can keep giving it to Jokic, but SGA is caring the youngest team in the league. And here's the other thing. His second best player, Chet Holmgren is hurt regularly. So there are a lot of nights he's babysitting this offense. Jokic has Michael Porter, Gordon, Jamal Murray, veteran coaching staff, not a bunch of kids here. So yeah, Phil Jackson, I'm told one coach of the year once. Here's SGA after the win over Denver in the MVP race. I love MEPs, I love all Stars, I love all the accolades that comes with it, but none of it matters.

[LeBron James]

If you don't win.

[Joy Taylor]

And that's where I hang my hat.

[Jason McIntyre]

And I'll be pleased with the outcome.

[LeBron James]

Tonight because we won.

[Joy Taylor]

Yeah, listen, I'm not an anti Jokic guy. He's the best player in the world. But you know, again, you could have given Kareem like eight straight MVPs. Like a lot of you watching are 20 or 30 years old. I mean, there's about an eight year stretch where, I mean, Kareem was stoic, he didn't talk, he wasn't very joyful. He's very much an intellect and academic. A lot of you can appreciate that. But we, we don't give it. I mean, didn't Carl Malone win an MVP in Jordan's prime? What are we doing right? Look, we all know the game here and it's just Michael's got five total, LeBron's got four. Phil Jackson has one. Coach of the year. What are we doing here? So my take is you, not me. You have created that. We gave Russell Westbrook at MVP because of triple doubles and we felt like it was a good story because kd, you know, jettison the Thunder and went to the Warriors. That's okay. I didn't lose any sleep over it. Wouldn't have been my pick, but I didn't lose any sleep. But SGA is carrying a bunch of kids and Chet Holmgren is number two player, misses a lot of action. There are a lot of nights he's looking at Lou Dort to hit a jumper. I'm sorry. I got Michael Porter, I got Jamal Murray. If Chet Holmgren's out, who's sga? Have that is dependable veteran guy on the road he can count on. They don't have a lot of it, so that matters. J Mac doesn't like it, but that's the way it works sometimes.

[Jason McIntyre]

I'm just disappointed, man. We were rolling in that first hour. It was popping off. And then you had to put this nonsense out there. Colin, I mean, first of all, did you. We kept showing the highlights. SGA, they showed him, by the way, Carl. He was 2 of 11 from deep. He doesn't play great defense. He's a good defender. Never been all NBA defense. Well, this is just like the NFL mvp. The numbers said Lamar Jackson, historic season. But the narrative was it's Josh Allen's turn. Jokic, by the way, third in points, third in rebounds, second in steals. Just had a 30, 20, 20 game. Historic stuff. Yeah, he's got the numbers. The narrative is SGA. They're young, they're fun, they've won 50 something games. Go ahead, give it to SGA. He's not the best player in the league.

[Joy Taylor]

He's not Carl Malone. My bad. Got two MVPs in MJ's prime. I thought it was one. Oh, what was MJ out of the league for one. Yeah, they should. They still should have given it to Michael Jordan because the ratings tanked.

[Jason McIntyre]

Kobe. I think Kobe has like one mvp. He should have more. He was upset. Steve Nash got it. Remember you.

[Joy Taylor]

You see it as narrative. I see it as contextual.

[Jason McIntyre]

It is a narrative. The NBA writers are admitting as much. When Joe Ellen beat had never won the mvp. Noel, you know, we got to give it to Joel. You can't give it to Jokic. It's almost like they're afraid to keep giving the honor to a guy like Jokic, who's been best player in the league right there with Luka for like the last five years. Yeah.

[Joy Taylor]

Again, Kareem was the best player eight years in a row when I was a kid. When I'm not a kid, but when I was younger, Kareem was the best player.

[Jason McIntyre]

He'll give the MVP every year.

[Joy Taylor]

They did the best player, but the precedent was set. They didn't. They probably should have.

[Jason McIntyre]

It's a dumb award.

[Joy Taylor]

Well, no awards are. You see this in Hollywood. You see this in Hollywood where sometimes there is like, you know, we all know that Martin Scorsese's been along with Spielberg.

[Jason McIntyre]

Yeah.

[Joy Taylor]

Christopher Nolan. There are a handful of Cameron. There are a handful of directors that are otherworldly and they don't clean up and they. In Scorsese forever. You're like, how in the blank does this guy not have an Oscar? And then he gets an Oscar and you could argue it's not his best movie. And so sometimes there is. It's okay. I'm still waiting for the Tom Cruise Oscar.

[Jason McIntyre]

Oh, gosh, come on.

[Joy Taylor]

I mean, that's. That's outrageous. That's why I postponed. A lot of people postpone the Oscars because awoke I postponed for the lack of respect for Tom Cruise.

[Jason McIntyre]

Put some respect on his name. It just, it feels like the ink stained wretches are having their moment. We're not giving another one to yoga. We're not doing it. Guy's freaking good. He's so good.

[Joy Taylor]

Yeah, so is sga. He's pretty good too. Meh meh.

[Nikki Glaser]

This is Nikki Glaser from the Nikki Glaser podcast. On a more serious note, I'm still thinking about that commercial with Tom Brady and Snoop Dogg hating on each other. Because when you listen to the reasons for hating someone or something, you realize just how stupid they really are. There is too much hate in this country and it's gotta stop. So join us at iHeart in standing up to it. If you see hate, speak up, call it out and you can learn more by following ot'supwithhate Hi, everybody.

[Colin Cowherd]

This message is brought to you by the official Whiskey of the Herd with Colin Coward podcast, Green River Whiskey. As you know, we've been having some fun getting to know Green River Whiskey, and we just learned they've launched their first advertising campaign in more than 100 years. You see, it seems the team from Green river in reviving the whiskey have accidentally also revived its resident ghost. So if you want to see the ghost of Green river come to Life, check out greenriverwhisky on their YouTube channel or head on over to greenriverwhiskey.com here's to green River Whiskey. Raise your spirits. Product of Green River Distilling Company, Owensboro, Kentucky. Alcohol by volume varies by product. Greenriverwhiskey.com Please drink responsibly.

[Greg Rosenthal]

What's up, everyone? It's Greg Rosenthal and I'm teaming up with the king of spring, Daniel Jeremiah. He requires me to say that we're going to be bringing you 40s and free agents the only podcast you'll need this NFL draft season. From DJs, mock drafts to my top 101, free agents will have it covered for you with all new episodes every Thursday keeping you up to date as we head to the NFL Draft, listen to 40s and free agents starting on March 6th on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast.

[Jeremy Hobson]

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