Joy Taylor (3:34)

Does it kind of feel like, you know, when you're at recess dividing up teams and that somebody's got to be the last pick and it feels like Aaron Rodgers is the last pick.

Colin Cowherd (3:42)

Well, let's talk about team. So San Francisco's had a great six year run before this past year. So San Francisco yesterday and over the last couple of days has done what's very hard to do. They walked away from really, really good players and acknowledged, yeah, we worked really hard. We got to a bunch of Super Bowls and NFC championships. We didn't get a trophy and we're not going to get one with this group. So they let good players go. Kyle Jus checks, been a Pro Bowler eight years. Greenlaw the linebacker. Ward the corner. Aaron Banks. Who? Funga the safety. Debo Samuel. He just said, listen, we had a stacked roster, we got close a bunch. We didn't win. I would have done this last season. I said going into this year, the Cowboys and the Niners regression was going to begin and they have both absolutely peaked. So I think they did it a year late and I think one year from now they have 12 draft picks. This year, San Francisco does and I think next year at this time, Trent Williams, Kittle, Christian McCaffrey, maybe Fred Warner are in the same space that these guys they all let go are in. They got bloated, they got loose in negotiations. And the Los Angeles Rams, their primary rival, running a tighter ship sailed by him. I think signing Debo and Brandon Iuk to big deals is a mistake and they would acknowledge it now. Both guys are talented, but a lot of injuries and they're, you know, they're chatty. The moral to the San Francisco story. So what's the moral to this? Great quarterbacks win Super Bowls, you can have a Very good head coach Kyle Shanahan. You can have a great roster, last five or six years, San Francisco, and you're going to come up empty. The Rams, it's different. Rams had a two time Pro bowl quarterback in Jared Goff. A quarterback that got to the Super Bowl, Jared Goff, and they did not settle. That's why the Brock Purdy negotiations are vital. Garoppolo not great. One pass, win a Super bowl. Missed Brock Purdy, smaller, injured a couple times. Not great in inclement weather, which you often get in December and January. So a six year run, no trophy, lot of Super Bowls, conference championship games, stacked roster, great coach, but just good at quarterback. So and that to me that's the moral of the story. And I think San Francisco, there's another opportunity here that they're going to settle at quarterback for the last guy picked in the seventh round. Not big, not super mobile, not huge arm, more than capable. But I think they've fallen in love with Kyle Shanahan's coaching. McVeigh is every bit as good as Kyle Shanahan and he won't settle at quarterback. Andy Reid is better than Shanahan, the coach, and he upgraded from, from a Pro bowl quarterback, Alex Smith. So that's the moral of the story. You can have the great coach, you can have the stacked roster if you're good at quarterback. There's an opportunity here to just have to reboot and rebuild. That's what the Niners are doing. It's not a total rebuild, but I think in one year from now, McCaffrey, Trent Williams, George Kittle, I think those guys, a year from now, maybe even Fred Warner, who's the best linebacker arguably in football, they'll be moving on as well. So I found yesterday fascinating that, you know, it's, I said this yesterday and I'll say it again today. What this two to three day period is, it's about the front offices. It's not necessarily about the players. Everybody's getting overpaid. I mean Milton Williams signed a contract with New England. That something Aaron Donald should have signed. He's, you know, and it was very predictable as the best defensive tackle on the market. The Eagles letting him go, Eagles are like, you guys overpay him. We're not doing it. You can do that when you're Philadelphia and when you nail your draft picks. And that gets me into the Chicago Bears. So the Chicago Bears are a good news, bad news story over the last two days. So let's look at the good news. They have really upgraded on the offensive line. Guard, center guard. I love Joe Tuney. I love Drew Dahlman. Drew Dahlman's arguably the best signing potentially over the last two days. They upgrady Jarrett was on the market. Okay, here's the bad news. So the good news is your O line and your D line, they're better. Here's the bad news. Yeah, none of those players were your draft picks. You had to overpay for all of them. And I liked some of them a lot. But it tells you. Yeah. Your gm, the young guy, probably not it. We don't know if your quarterbacks it yet. I think he is. We don't know if your head coach is it. I think he probably is. We know you have one of the poorest ownership groups. So right now, the Chicago Bears, even though I love the upgrades, it's a lot of finger crossing and hope and optimism. That's all it is. Go look at Philadelphia. Stacked roster, especially their O lines and D lines. That's homegrown stuff. Overwhelmingly look at the Lions O line, great front office mostly. Their guys look at the Kansas City defense. Their guys look at the Rams, unbelievable defense. Cheap. Their draft picks, Green Bay, historically over the last 20 years, New England during the Belichick era. His own line, his draft and development guys with Dante Skarnecchia. The packers overpaid for a guard yesterday. But historically they draft and develop offensive lines. So when you got to go buy somebody else's good players. Yes, you can absolutely upgrade. I am not denying that. But eventually you'll pay a price for overpaying for O line and D line guys. Remember guys hit the market. I like Grady, Jared a lot. But Atlanta's like, we probably got the most out of you. Little age here getting really expensive. So the Bears have to overpay. I mean Kansas City moved off Joe Tuney. They're telling you something and they liked him a lot. But they're telling you deep down. We think probably the peak, the erosion starts now. So I can like what the Bears did, but make no mistake, the best two defenses in the NFL at the end of last year you could argued were like Kansas City, the Rams and Philadelphia. It is a lot of draft and develop guys. It's not buying somebody else's used car. And there are a lot of you. There are a lot of good used cars on the market, but you don't know the odometer. Did they toy with it? Did they tweak with it? You don't really know when you go to a used car lot. So San Francisco, hey, you can have a stacked roster. Got to get the quarterback a A plus or you're not holding up a trophy. And Chicago, good news, you really upgraded your own D lines. But that's what you do when you whiff on a bunch of picks. And they did. I mean, you start looking at last year's team for the Bears, who was their pick? That was great. Jalen Johnson, the corner, that's their guy. So that, that, that, that's a good. That's a good story. But, you know, Kenan Allen is somebody else's guy and DJ Moore is somebody else's guy. And even if you win a trade on the market, you're overpaying for people. Even the teams, I like what they did. New England, they massively overpaid for defensive tackle. That's not the way to sustain greatness. The way to do it is the way Detroit's front office, Rams front office, Kansas City's front office, Philadelphia's front office. And you could argue those four teams I just. I just named could be the four favorites next year for the Super Bowl. So there you go. And it's a carousel of quarterbacks bouncing all over the place. And we're kind of waiting for Aaron Rodgers. Yeah. Is he going to be the last guy chosen in the pickup game? He's like the last shoe to fall. All the stories are he's going to go to Pittsburgh, which is. It's a weird fit, isn't it?

Joy Taylor (12:04)

I think it's a better fit than Minnesota. By the way. Minnesota is stacking up some players. I don't know if you noticed what they've done in the trenches, Colin, but they are loading up. I like Minnesota's offseason. I just don't like the prospects for Aaron Rodgers at all. Like any of the options. I wonder if he'll just decide, I'm going to retire. I don't need this. I don't need to be the last pick. Nobody want the Colts would rather have Daniel Jones than make a run at me.

Colin Cowherd (12:27)

If I asked you, what's the single best acquisition? I think Drew Dman, the center for the Bears. When you can. When you consider what it will do to the O line, the quarterback, I think that's about as good a pick, that's as good a pickup as I've seen. I think Devonte Adams to the Rams is really strong. He'll fit in seamlessly with McVeigh and Stafford. They get offense guy.

Joy Taylor (12:53)

Sean Payton has grabbed two 49 or defenders.

Colin Cowherd (12:56)

Well, it's interesting. Two injury prone defenders. I have a theory on what Sean Payton is doing in Denver. Yeah, I would say of all the moves I've seen Devonte Adams to the Rams and Drew Dallman the center for the Bears. And again, I think Joe Tuney to the Bears. Again, you're overpaying in a lot of eyes, but he's also a really good off. I mean, they went and got two elite offensive interior linemen. That is, that is something the Bears generally don't do. Offense and interior, all line.

Joy Taylor (13:28)

Are we counting trades or just free agency? Because I think Washington grabbing Laramie Tunsil and Debo Samuel.

Colin Cowherd (13:34)

Nice moves.

Joy Taylor (13:34)

Those are huge moves. I like Washington a lot. I got a new NFC championship game for you in January of 26 now.

Colin Cowherd (13:41)

It is, it's so much fun. And you know, listen, I know, you know, it was my favorite part yesterday is coming into free agency. We're all like, it's not a very good free agency class. And then it arrives and we're all like, unbelievable. But the Bears did trades before free agency. So I mean, it's not just free agency. I, I, I'll be honest with you. Devonte Adams to the Rams and Dolman of the Bears. I was like, whoa, anytime you're like, oh, whoa, those guys are going to fit instantly.

Joy Taylor (14:14)

Let me hit you with one last one. Who's who wins more games next year? Sam Darnold Seahawks or Justin Fields is Jets.

Colin Cowherd (14:20)

Oh, oh, Darnold Seahawks. Easy, like slam dunk. Jets are going to be a four.

Joy Taylor (14:24)

Or five win team and Seattle's going to be more than that.

Colin Cowherd (14:27)

Seattle give me eight, nine win team. Yeah, I see a lot of negativity with Sam Darnold. He's gonna fall off a cliff.

Joy Taylor (14:35)

Who's his O.C.

J. Mac (14:36)

By the way?

Joy Taylor (14:36)

What do they got going on in Seattle?

Colin Cowherd (14:38)

Kubiak, who, by the way, flamed out.

Joy Taylor (14:41)

After a hot start last year.

Colin Cowherd (14:42)

Okay, well, all right, we'll see if you feel like owning a home is out of reach. Rocket Mortgage says no. Rocket Mortgage says no, no, no. We're gonna give you the keys to the American dream. You deserve a shot at owning the dream. Go to Rocket.com or call 804 Rocket. Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd, weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1 and the iHeartRadio app. This one's for the food obsessed, for the phone eats first person. For the influencer who knows about a new spot before it's popping. And for the person who's all in on dining out With Amex Gold, you can earn four times points at restaurants up to $50,000 and up to $100 back annually in statement credits on eligible purchases at US resi restaurants so you can get rewarded for eating what you love. That's the powerful backing of American Express. Terms apply. Cap applies. Learn more@americanexpress.com withamx you can count on T Mobile to help keep you connected from big cities to small towns on America's largest 5G network. Switch the T Mobile keep your phone and they'll pay it off up to 800 bucks per line via prepaid card. Learn more@t mobile.com heap and switch up to four lines via virtual prepaid card. Allow 15 days qualifying unlock device credit service port in 90 plus days with device and eligible carrier and timely redemption required. Card has no cash access and expires in six months this is Jonas Knox from Two Pros and a Cup of Joe and today's podcast is brought to you by Ferguson Home. Whether you're a homeowner working on a remodel or a pro managing multiple projects, Ferguson Home is where great ideas become stunning spaces. It's designed for the way you want to shop. Explore the best selection of kitchen, bath and lighting products online or visit a local Ferguson Home showroom and get one on one support from an expert consultant. Go to FergusonHome.com to shop the latest styles from top brands like Kohler or find a showroom location near you. This message is brought to you by Apple Card Choosing the right credit card can be daunting. Among the countless credit card options, Apple Card stands apart. You get up to 3% daily cash back on purchases every day. That daily cash can automatically earn interest when you open a High Yield Savings account through Apple Card. Apply for Apple Card in the Wallet app on iPhone and see a credit limit offer in minutes, subject to credit approval. Savings is available to Apple Card owners subject to eligibility. Savings and Apple Card by Goldman Sachs.

J. Mac (17:22)

Bank USA Salt Lake City Branch Member.

Colin Cowherd (17:24)

FDIC terms and more@applecard.com you see a lot of bad teams reaching at quarterback. And I've said this before, where you land as a quarterback. Unless you're like Andrew Luck, where you land as a quarterback is about 80% of your success rate. Go look at Baker Mayfield. Finally got a good roster. Finally got a team that believed in him in Tampa. Go look at Sam darnold in Minnesota. 80% of this stuff for quarterbacks is where you land. Very rare that Joe Burrow can overcome a frugal front office and ownership Bad old lines that. Those are historic outliers. So Justin field signed a two year deal with the Jets. It's basically a one year deal and an $8 million cap hit. So Justin Fields, think about this. Starts his career with a broken franchise, a defensive head coach and a defensive culture in Chicago. And then he goes to a solid franchise with a defensive head coach and a defensive coach in Pittsburgh. Culture and coach Pittsburgh. And now where does he go with another defensive coach, another broken franchise? I know how this will end. Not good. If he would have landed a Sean Payton or a Sean McVay out of college, I think you'd have seen the very best of Justin Fields. I don't know how good that is, but it's better than what you've seen. And so here's a fact. The really good young quarterbacks, even with average rosters like the Washington Commanders or the Bengals with Joe Burrow, they make it look easy. The accuracy is easy. The fluidity just, they move. I mean, Burrow and Jaden Daniels, bad rosters, lots of wins. Justin Fields, everything looks hard. And the other thing is that Jaden Daniels, shockingly, his best quarter is the fourth quarter. He is an unbelievable fourth quarter quarterback. Justin Fields, Jaden Daniels is great in the fourth. Justin Fields, a career disaster. His passer rating, the fourth 67, completes 56% of his throws. So Justin Fields is over 22 in his career when his team allows more than 20 points. So he gets his third defensive culture, he gets his third defensive coach. And we've talked about this a lot is it just matters where you land and who you land with. You don't think Bo Nix was helped by Sean Payton. You don't think Cliff Kingsbury helped Jaden Daniels. All this stuff matters. I mean, Sam Darnold was dead and buried. Gets Kevin O'Connell, he was fighting for the MVP in week 14 15. So I don't know what Justin Fields would have been had he landed McVeigh, but it's better than what I've seen. He's a bad fourth quarter quarterback. He's not good on third down. He doesn't feel, you know, he looks the part. Like, big athletic moves. But very few guys pop in year four. And if they do, it's because they landed in a really good organization or with a great offensive coordinator or a great offensive culture. Like, like, like Baker got a great OC or Darnold got a great offensive head coach and a great receiver. This for Justin Fields is just more the same. It's the Bears. It's The Jets. It's the broken offensive culture in Pittsburgh. I just know how it's going to end. J. Mac with the news. No, no, no, turn on the news. This is the Herd line news.

Joy Taylor (21:02)

All right, Colin. Our Lakers took a tough loss last night to the Nets. They did cover in the first quarter again, it is the best bet in sports right now. Lakers cover first quarter but lose the game. Listen, they only had nine available players last night. LeBron out with the groin. Rui out. Jackson Hayes did not play, but JJ Redick did not use that as an excuse. He was actually pissed and blamed low level communication, among other things, for the poor showing. Here he is after the game.

J. Mac (21:30)

I don't think being shorthand is an.

Colin Cowherd (21:31)

Excuse for how we play basketball tonight. I think it was just an overall mentality just to take shortcuts tonight. We just wanted to take shortcuts. Too many. Yeah. Score. They scored 20 points on U.S. gambling. They had 16 offensive rebounds. We ball watched all night. We said no dare shots, just shortcuts. Don't be a good team. You want to win in the NBA, you gotta. You gotta do the hard stuff. We could even pass to each other. And we can enter our offense running.

J. Mac (21:56)

Ball screens at literally at half court.

Colin Cowherd (21:59)

Yeah, that's gonna end up in a turnover.

J. Mac (22:00)

I don't know. I don't know what we're doing.

Colin Cowherd (22:03)

I love his blunt nature for the record. I know I'm a LeBron guy, but you know what you never criticize a team for when LeBron plays? Communication. LeBron's coaching on the bench, he's coaching on the floor. And that, that's another value of LeBron James. Luka's not, you know, Luka may be taunting people, but is Luka a great communicator during a game? I couldn't tell you the last time LeBron played in the game and the complaint was nobody's communicating. That's because LeBron's so good at it.

Joy Taylor (22:33)

Luca's also probably still getting to know half these guys. Alex, Len, Trey, Jemison, like, come on, listen, they're missing three starters.

Colin Cowherd (22:41)

Obviously.

Joy Taylor (22:41)

This is a stinky loss.

Colin Cowherd (22:42)

Fair, fair, fair.

Joy Taylor (22:43)

You know, it's Brooklyn and you needed this. Given the next, I think their next six games are in eight days. Yeah, they have, I think, two back to back. That's really brutal. Yeah, might be three and I don't know, it's probably going to fall out of the top three. Maybe they'll have the four or five seed in the West. Luka was not great shooting at 22 points on 26 shots.

Colin Cowherd (23:05)

We have to be honest about Luka. He has not been consistently great as a Laker. We know he's playing himself into shape. We know he's. We know he's bad defensively.

Joy Taylor (23:13)

A month.

Colin Cowherd (23:13)

Yeah, I mean, he's. But when I watch Luka, he doesn't look like Luka two years ago. So he'll play himself potentially into it. It's very difficult to play yourself into shape when you don't play, you know, until like, February.

Joy Taylor (23:26)

Yeah.

Colin Cowherd (23:27)

So I don't think we're going to see the great Luca this year. I think we'll get a better version of this, but we won't see the very best of Luca. He needs an off season to get in better shape. Oh, wait, wait.

Joy Taylor (23:37)

In the playoffs, you don't think we'll see a great Luca? Remember, I think Rui will be back. He's a huge cog. Did you see the Nets basically blitzing Luka? Every time there was a ball screen, like, we're just doubling Luka. Somebody else beat us. And Austin Reeves was 3 of 14. Colin. That's not going to cut it. Next up, let's go to the NFL. A lot of mock drafts have the Browns taking a quarterback second. I've got that. I've been steadfast. However, reports out of Cleveland are saying the Browns are still likely to search for a veteran bridge quarterback this season. Now, they traded DTR for Kenny Pickett. I think that was yesterday. So Kenny Pickett will be the backup. He comes from the Eagles. My problem is, what are we doing? Who is this veteran?

Colin Cowherd (24:19)

I am going to defend Cleveland for the second day in a row. So I thought the Miles Garrett deal. I love the coach. Love Miles Garrett. Those are two of the four things you have to win in this league. You gotta be. Gotta have great coach, Gotta have a great pass rusher. Okay, if you don't. If your scouting department is like, listen, we don't think Shedeur is a top 20 player in this draft. You're not picking him second or third. So my take is this. You trade that pick down because you know somebody is willing to go up and get it.

Joy Taylor (24:49)

Yeah.

Colin Cowherd (24:50)

You trade that pick down, get multiple picks because of what you're paying desean and because of what you're paying Miles Garrett, you get two or three or four more picks. I think Andrew Barry's one of the smarter young GMs in the league. You get a bunch of players on the cheap. And then DeSean Watson, still a Brown, you figure out him and some random journeyman and it's not a season. You, you're not a Super bowl team. But the thing is if you draft Chadoor and your scouting departments like we think he's a top of the second round guy, which there are scouting departments in this league that feel that you're going to have to plan for two or three years and it's going to set you back. Average quarterbacks aren't winning Super Bowls. So trade the pick down, get a bunch of picks, hit on as many as you can, play the numbers game and go big game hunting at quarterback next year.

Joy Taylor (25:43)

So first of all, they didn't have number one picks the last three years due to the desean Watson deal. Right. However, last year's draft stunk for them. I'm looking at Pro Football Reference. They hit on nothing. I like Andrew Berry as well. I don't know about that scouting department. Collins, they're not going to be picking this high again. They're not going to be that bad if they get Kirk Cousins. What's another veteran option besides Kirk Cousins? Aaron Rodgers ain't going to Cleveland. So who else is there like Roger, Russell Wilson, like I think this is the year you got to take a quarterback to Sean Watson's probably not coming back from the Achilles till.

Colin Cowherd (26:14)

But remember, if you reach on a quarterback then you've got to commit to him for three years. So you're just putting yourself behind the eight ball again. I, I'm always a big believer in bottom out. Next year's a much better college quarterback class. Now if you can go in the. Here's another example and I'm believer in this. Let's say you move down in the draft and you get an extra two. Kyle McCord, Syracuse, who I think could end up being the second best quarterback in this draft.

Joy Taylor (26:44)

They already ran him out of Ohio once. Okay. It's not going to work in Clinton. That was harsh. But it did happen at Ohio State. Listen, we disagree. That's fine. The Browns have had eight different starting quarterbacks since 2022. Colin Most in the league. My jets are second.

Colin Cowherd (27:00)

If I was the GM of the Browns, I would move down, I would accumulate picks. I would take a quarterback, either a Jackson Dart or a Kyle McCord in the second round. And then by the way, once you're a second round quarterback, you don't face that pressure that you, you can just draft the guy in the second and go, yes, he's not going to be what we think. But you draft the quarterback in the top two or three you got to play him for three years. Yeah. Otherwise it's an indictment of you and the scouting department.

Joy Taylor (27:27)

Yeah, definitely. Final story, Colin, as the Colts inked Daniel Jones, Danny Dimes, aka Danny Loose Change. He got a 1 year 14 million dollar deal. Remember the Giants dumped him last year and he was on Minnesota's practice squad. He is going to contend with Anthony Richardson for the starting QB job in Indy. Shane Steichen is a good coordinator. We knew that in Philly. He's a sharp offensive mind. He's now got two inaccurate. Is that a good word? Inaccurate quarterbacks in Anthony Richardson and Daniel Jones. This is probably the least appealing quarterback competition that I can recall in recent years. If you're Indy, if you're a fan, you got to be disappointed. Are you surprised Daniel Jones got 14 mil from the Colts?

Colin Cowherd (28:16)

No, it's a one year deal. And I'll, and I'll be honest with you, I think in a weird way Daniel Jones got last year got some Kevin O'Connell coaching and now he gets Shane Steichen coaching is. I would keep your eye on Daniel Jones actually this being a value acquisition because I believe they will move off Anthony Richardson by October and Daniel Jones will have a great offensive coach and I think unlike the Giants, a really good roster. So I think the winner here. This looks like a nothing burger. And I'm not saying Daniel Jones is taking to the promised land. The winner in this is Daniel Jones. Yeah, it's. You say, oh, it's a one year deal. It's a great offensive coach. And it's also a situation where he may beat out Anthony Richardson in camp.

Joy Taylor (29:00)

Would not surprise.

Colin Cowherd (29:00)

I would not. He's a better quarterback. I mean he got to the playoffs.

Joy Taylor (29:04)

If you want to be optimistic, put on your Colts whatever color they are, glasses. This is sort of a similar setup to the Giants. Smart offensive mind. Dabol Steichen, really good running back. Saquon and Jonathan Taylor.

Colin Cowherd (29:15)

Colts roster is better.

Joy Taylor (29:17)

I would agree. And wide receiver. You don't have Malik neighbors, but you got Pittman who's very.

J. Mac (29:21)

Yes.

Colin Cowherd (29:21)

Yeah.

Joy Taylor (29:21)

And they're in position here to draft an impact player early. I think the Colts could be okay next year.

Colin Cowherd (29:29)

Yeah, no, I mean in this division. And again, the winner is a guy that's taken a beating. Daniel Jones. This is basically betting on yourself. I'm going to go. I mean I think Daniel went to Duke. He's a pretty smart guy. He looked around and he, he had day ball but the roster was bad. And then he goes hangs out with Kevin O'Connell and goes, God, look what he did to Darnold. And I think he saw the value of that offensive coaching and he's like, yeah, I will. Absolutely. That's really interesting. There are. There are a lot of places in this league that have people that don't know offense running the show and the culture. I think the winner here is. I don't know if the. I don't know if the Colts are the winner, but Daniel Jones is the winner here. That's a great landing spot for him.

Joy Taylor (30:10)

That division is officially up for grabs. The way the Texans are handling their offensive line. They just traded another guy. It looks like there'll be four new offensive linemen for C.J.

Colin Cowherd (30:19)

Stroud.

Joy Taylor (30:20)

Remember, the offensive coordinator was jettisoned. I think that division's up for grabs. Tennessee, Indy, maybe even Trevor Lawrence. I don't know.

Colin Cowherd (30:27)

But this is so much fun.

Joy Taylor (30:29)

It is, yeah.

Colin Cowherd (30:30)

Speculation. So much fun.

Joy Taylor (30:32)

Our job's not bad.

Colin Cowherd (30:33)

Not bad. J. Mack with the news.

J. Mac (30:36)

Well, that's the news and thanks for.

Colin Cowherd (30:38)

Stopping by the Herd line. You know you always want me to have an opinion. So the story is Jordan Schultz around the corner corner that Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers could have a deal in place by today. So if it happens, you know, my guess is today 70, 30 it's going to happen. I said yesterday I thought DK Metcalf was reeked of desperation. It's like buying a house to save the marriage. They can't get offense right. Let's massively overpay at a position the Steelers have actually draft and develop really well. Wide receiver this. I mean I think Aaron Rodgers and DK Metcalf in Pittsburgh would win about nine games and so Mike Tomlin streak would be alive. But you know what, when you keep finding stop gaps for the leaky roof, you end up with a bunch of buckets inside the house instead of just replacing the roof. The Steelers have been great twice in my life. Terry Bradshaw in his prime, Big Ben in his prime. Outside of that, they've had buckets around the facility. A Bubby Brister here, a Neil O'Donnell there, a Mitch Strabisky here. Aaron 5 years ago Would not be buckets around the house. He would be a new roof. That's not the Aaron you're getting. So. And you know what's interesting here? Kind of a cautionary tale and I know I'm always Mr. Anti Aaron, but it's ending this way because I mean Minnesota was looking for a potential quarterback. Seattle was. Vegas was with Chip Kelly, the Colts were A return to the jets and they all said, nah, nah. So it, you know, the jets and the Steelers swapping quarterbacks feels like 2C minus students cheating off each other on a test. Hey, we'll take your guy that didn't work. And we'll take your guy that didn't work. I think Aaron's talented, but I think both the jets and the Steelers have shown, as we've noted multiple times, they just don't have a feel for offense. And it's not because the Steelers don't have talent. So maybe DK Metcalf and Aaron, the tight end I like. I mean, there's players here. But I've been saying this for like 5 years. I've loved the Steelers roster for 5 years. I've been saying this for years. I love the players. They just don't get offense. So you know Aaron, there was a lot of people out there that could have had Aaron and all of them are like, nah. And the Steelers got him. So it, it feels a little desperate to me. That's how it feels. And in my life, the Steelers have been great twice when they had hall of Fame quarterbacks in their prime. I think Aaron 6 years ago to Pittsburgh, that's something to get excited about this. I mean, it's big Steelers brand. Aaron Brandt. We'll talk about it a lot. I see no value in talking about New York football team. So Aaron at least went to a place that's interesting. There's something there. Nick Wright, top of the hour. Urban Meyer, Jordan Schultz, around the corner. Denver Broncos. What are they doing? Getting a couple of guys on the defensive side that are a little injury plagued. The Commanders get Laramie Tunsall. That feels good to me. A great pass blocker. A lot of penalties, but a great pass blocker. More in a second. Live in la, it's the Herd. Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd, weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific. 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 on in the world. 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. 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And your strawberry cone would taste sort of clammy. Geico's motorcycle specialists who know bikes like you do, assume no liability for clammy ice cream cones. Geico expertise for your motorcycle. All right. NFL free agency. It's a lot of fun. You know, we thought it's a weak draft and it's, it's not a very good free agent class, but I don't know, it looks like to me, the Chicago Bears have improved. New England's improved. If you can get four or five starters and not get hosed. I think Milton Williams got, you know, overpaid in New England, but again, they have so much cap space, their take is we're going to bring in six or seven guys. We're going to get value on some, but we're going to overpay for some. If you're the best defensive tackle on the market like Milton Williams was, you're going to get paid. I mean, if you're the best left tackle on the market, you're going to get paid. So with that, Jordan Schultz, NFL Insider is joining us live. What have we learned in the first 24 hours, Jordan, of free agency? What have we learned?

J. Mac (38:27)

I think it's really interesting, Colin, that last year's top three picks, Washington, New England, these, Chicago, these teams are spending big money. Big money. You talked earlier about Milton Williams. Carolina tried to get him. They thought they had a deal done, ultimately signed Gershon, Wharton. You know, you look at Washington going out and spending big. You look at the Bears going out and getting Drew Dahlman the center, trying to fortify their offensive line. I just think it's really fascinating. Even a team like New England with a ton of cap space, some teams look at that cap space and say, you know what? We're going to be patient. New England with Elliot Wolf and Ryan Cowden who comes from the Giants, comes from the Titans. Said we are going to be ultra aggressive and I think that's probably the biggest surprise. I didn't necessarily anticipate all three of them going, going out really heavy. Also you talked about the quarterbacks. Daniel Jones goes to the Colts. We're still waiting on Russell Wilson. We're still waiting on Rodgers. But I think Justin Fields, that was a big one. Because the jets now have a guy that they believe is going to move the needle in a much different way than Aaron Rodgers did.

Colin Cowherd (39:34)

Why?

J. Mac (39:35)

Because Justin Fields can move the pocket. When I spoke with the jets as they were exploring the Justin Fields possibility, that's what they kept bringing up. The leadership, yes. The age, yes. He's obviously not hyper expensive. But the fact that he can manipulate the pocket, move it, it gives them the type of athleticism that obviously they didn't have with Aaron last year.

Colin Cowherd (39:55)

So I was surprised. Being from the Northwest, everybody freaked out when the Seahawks moved off Geno Smith. And my takeaway is let's slow down here. Sam Darnold's like six or seven years younger. The contract is very team friendly in Seattle with Sam Darnold, he's coming off a very good year. Like, I think Darnold is an upgrade. If nothing else, he's just a younger, more mobile athlete than Geno Smith. What did the Darnold contract tell you about Darnold, the Seahawks going forward?

J. Mac (40:29)

Well, let's rewind it a little bit. Friday night I'm actually at dinner trying to get the one night with the wife in two months. Colin. Gino Smith gets traded. Obviously that too, that tattoos the date night, Colin. But you know what, that's part of the business. We deal with it. Why did that happen? Geno Smith tried to get a contract extension with the Seahawks. That was on Friday night. The actual trade to go back to Monday. They couldn't get the extension done. Thursday night he requests the trade. Pete Carroll says, you know what, you're my guy. Geno. They've always maintained that great relationship. The Raiders really were in on Darnold to a degree, but pivoted away when Geno became available because of the connection with Pete Carroll. And then Seattle steps in and says, you know what? Sam Darnold in many ways is kind of like Geno Smith was a few years ago. A reclamation project. Obviously cheaper than Geno was or Geno will be with the Raiders because he's going to get a multi year deal over 40 million. And also in Darnold's case, an opportunity to restart his career somewhere else. You talk about Minnesota last year, all the success he had with Kevin O'Connell. Seattle is really hoping that he can now lead that new office. Obviously, no DK Metcalf, no Tyler Lockett, but you have Jackson, Smith and Jigba. They're going to build around him and Kenneth Walker. And then Darnold's a guy that they actually think, as it's been told to me, as good as he was last year, his best football is still ahead of him.

Colin Cowherd (41:52)

You know, there's the Brock Purdy stuff is interesting. So, you know, this was the Niners division years ago. And then the Rams started hitting on their draft picks. The Rams are very tough negotiators. They told Matt Stafford, that's the number. See ya, Cooper Cup. We're moving off. So the Rams, meanwhile, the Niners got very loose. They started paying Deebo and Brandon Aiyuk. Well, word comes out because they wanted it out. Those days are over. We're moving off, guys. Negotiations are going to be much more firm. So I believe the Rams over the last two years have moved past San Francisco. They've drafted better and they've been tougher on negotiations. And I think all this is a signal to Brock Purdy. We watch what the Rams are paying Stafford. You think you're getting 50 large double, Matt, you're not going to get. We're not paying you double. Matt Stafford. What do you think the Brock Purdy number looks like in the deal? Looks like?

J. Mac (42:53)

Yeah, I don't think Brock Purdy is going to get what maybe he anticipated. And I agree with you on the Rams being smart and shrewd. And I like the move. Going out and getting Devonte Adams. I love that move. But in terms of Purdy, Purdy's not going to get the 50, 55, 60 that he thought, not after the year he just had. And I think the Niners really saw what life was like for Brock Purdy when he didn't have the full arsenal. You know, Brandon Aiuk's not healthy. Deebo didn't have the best year. McCaffrey's not healthy. They looked at Brock Purdy and they said, look, you're our guy, but you're not our guy at 50 million. You're not our guy at 55. I'm not even sure he gets to 48, 49. I think the right number for Brock Purdy is right in the mid-40s. That's the number that gives you enough roster flexibility. This is a negotiation. It's going to take some Time, because both sides, I think, right now, are pretty far apart. The question becomes, Colin, does Brock Purdy take a hometown discount and allow the Niners to have more flexibility elsewhere? I'm not sure he's going to do that, but I also know definitively he's not going to get the 50 plus that maybe he would have a year ago.

Colin Cowherd (44:01)

Aaron Rodgers, it looks like he's been reduced to the last guy getting picked in a pickup game. Everybody signed a deal. Every quarterback's got a spot except Aaron. Can you give us an update on that?

J. Mac (44:13)

So, you know, Aaron and Russell Wilson are the two veteran quarterbacks left that we're really looking at, right? And in terms of Aaron, he has to make a decision on what type of franchise, what type of structure he wants. It comes down to Pittsburgh and New York. Now, as it's been told to me, both teams have had talks, active talks with him, but nothing is necessarily imminent. I look at Aaron Rodgers and I think the absolute best scenario for him is the Pittsburgh Steelers. The reason being is they have Pickens, they have Metcalf, they have a committed coach that's going to harness him. And I look at the Giants and I say, that's the absolute worst case for Aaron Rodgers. They don't have enough weapons, they don't have an offensive line other than Andrew Thomas, and they don't have a culture that's predicated on winning. With all due respect to Brian Dabal and Joe Shane. So I think right now I would say the leader. I'm not saying it's going to happen, but the leader to me is the Pittsburgh Steelers. They give him the best opportunity to have the most amount of success. And in terms of the market for Aaron Rodgers, he has a market. It's not robust, but if I'm him, I'm taking the job before Russell Wilson says, you know what? That's what I want.

Colin Cowherd (45:27)

You know, it's interesting. Generally, the coach gets power over a GM like McVeigh's got ultimate say, or Sean Payton in Denver and Los Angeles, because the coach generally makes two to three times what the GM does. So I think it's interesting. Ben Johnson comes in for the Bears and basically says, yeah, Ryan poles. Your draft picks on the O line stink. I'm going to go pay guard, center guard. I love the moves by the Bears, but you know what it tells me, Jordan? Ben Johnson now is running the organization, and I don't think that's a bad thing.

J. Mac (46:01)

Colin, you hit the nail on the head, my man. This is why the Bears are going to start having success. Look at that list right there. They get Joe Tuney, a fantastic four time all from kc. They get Drew Dahlman, one of the best four or five centers in the league. They get Dyo, a fantastic young interior defender who can go on the edge. Grady Jarrett's obviously a Pro Bowler. And then you saw the trade with Jonah Jackson. All five of those moves. Trenches, trenches, trenches. Why do I bring that up? That's the success. That's the criteria. That's the blueprint that we saw in Detroit with Ben Johnson. So if you're Ryan Poles, if you're Kevin Warren, you look at Ben Johnson and you say, what do you need to be successful? Ben Johnson says, yes, I love having talent on the perimeter, I love having speed. But my quarterback has to have a fortress around him and I have to be able to attack the quarterback, especially in this division. I have to stop the run rated Jarrett. I just think this is exactly what the Chicago Bears have needed and what they've been missing for so long. Doesn't mean it's going to be instant success, Colin. But I look at this team, I look at this roster, I look at his coach and I say that should be a playoff caliber team in 2025.

Colin Cowherd (47:12)

So Sean Payton, I've got my own theories, but they get Hufunga and Greenlaw from the Niners. Three year deals. Both guys are injury prone. Both guys are excellent playmakers. What did you make kind of a risky move or not?

J. Mac (47:27)

Hufanga I liked a lot, not necessarily at the price. It surprised me. Now, San Francisco wanted to keep him. They didn't have the money. So to get him at. I think it was 45. Does that sound right? I got to look at the numbers. It was, that's a big number for a guy that is a fantastic all pro player but has come off the injuries. It's a gamble worth taking if you're Denver because you were in the safety market. You were looking at Trayvon Morig, you were looking at Javon Holland. All these guys may be a little bit too pricey, especially at the top of the market. So you bring in Hufanga and then Greenlaw. That's the move I really loved because Greenlaw at his best is a phenomenal player. And a lot of teams really, really liked and sought after Drake, Greenlaw, Collins because they saw the type of backer that can call the defense. That was what was told with me. That Dre Greenlock gives you an opportunity to increase your intelligence defensively, your acumen, so you Add those two together, who can obviously play on a string to an otherwise really good defense. Obviously, Patrick Surtan, the best in football. I think this is exactly what Denver needed. But it's a little bit surprising to me that Sean Payton goes out and pays two defenders, especially the safety. Not saying I don't like it, but it did surprise me a little bit.

Colin Cowherd (48:45)

Well, they're not paying the quarterback for several years, so that's the advantage of drafting a quarterback. Hitting on him early. Is Chicago spending money, Washington, New England spending money. You can take some chances, Denver, that's the advantage of hitting on a quarterback. It gives you three years to the line up some really nice players.

J. Mac (49:04)

Yeah. One note on Denver, that's the team that I think a lot of teams were looking at. What would they do this offseason to build on last season? Success going into the playoffs? They did exactly that. So far. I really like what the Broncos did. Adding to the defense sometimes, Colin, you want to, you want to go strength on strength. They already had a good defense. Now let's make it a great defense in that division with all those offenses.

Colin Cowherd (49:25)

Jordan Schultz, good stuff Live joining us. We appreciate that. NFL insider Nick Wright, Urban Meyer stopped by as well today. So, yeah, I mean his point to start that interview was New England, Washington and Chicago, who all drafted quarterbacks last year, went big into free agency. And I think that's smart because what you're basically saying is like in Washington, they know they got the right guy, right? But what you're saying in Chicago is let's give Caleb Williams a great online. If he can't do it, then with me as a coach and an excellent line, then we got the wrong guy. I want to, I want answers on these quarterback like Drake May, let's go spend some money. We're going to make our defense better. We're going to hold teams to 20, 21 points. If we can't win nine games with that, then we don't have a star quarterback like in Washington. You already know the answer to that. They view themselves as let's, let's get to the Super Bowl. We think we could get there very quickly. Like the Bengals thought with burrow very early is we can take some swings here. All right, our one. Once again, free agency flies by. NLA Hour 2 next. 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 Geico's motorcycle expertise gives me the coverage I need like 24. 7 claim I'm on cloud nine. Clouds are wholly unable to support the weight of an adult human. What's happening? Furthermore, clouds are not numbered. Even if you procured a jetpack and searched, you'd find no cloud number nine. However, at that altitude, you'd likely befriend a flock of migrating snow geese. Geese who'd encourage you to leave your 24.7geico motorcycle claims insurance behind, as they would take you in and even share their dinner of crickets and clovers with you. GEICO assumes no liability for any indigestion that may occur from a clover cricket dinner Geico expertise for your motorcycle what's up everyone?

Joy Taylor (51:30)

It's Greg Rosenthal, and I'm teaming up with the King of Spring, Daniel Jeremiah.

J. Mac (51:35)

He requires me to say that we're.

Colin Cowherd (51:36)

Going to be bringing you 40s and.

Joy Taylor (51:38)

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.

Colin Cowherd (52:01)

In Mississippi, Yazoo clay keeps secrets. 7,000 bodies out there or more. A forgotten asylum cemetery.

J. Mac (52:10)

It was my family's mystery.

Colin Cowherd (52:12)

Shame, guilt, propriety. Something keeps it all buried deep until it's not I'm Larison Campbell, and this is under Yazoo Clay. Listen on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.