The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Hour 2

Date: February 26, 2026
Episode Theme: Sports AI Launch, NBA Tanking Debate, and NBA/NFL Headlines with Rachel Nichols

Episode Overview

This episode features a lively and insightful discussion between host Colin Cowherd and renowned NBA reporter Rachel Nichols. The hour kicks off with the launch of an innovative “Sports AI” product, followed by deep dives into NBA team-building challenges, the nuances of tanking, and awards criteria. Cut-through analysis of the latest headlines in both the NBA and NFL rounds out the hour, all delivered in the signature opinionated, rapid-fire style listeners expect.

Key Segments & Insights

1. "Sports AI" Launch and Demo

Timestamps: 02:41–08:13

• Colin unveils “Sports AI”: An AI trained on years of his show to answer sports questions in his voice and style, now available in the Fox Sports app.
  • “You can ask it questions. It gives amazing answers, much like this show does … you get the facts, you get the opinions.” (Colin, 03:09)
• Demo showcases AI’s takes on:
  • Fernando Mendoza’s franchise QB potential
    • “If you’re expecting magic tricks, you’ll be disappointed. If you want a steady, high-level operator, you’ll be thrilled.” (AI-Colin, 04:48)
  • Why Colin likes Sam Darnold
    • “Talent was never the issue. The environment was.” (AI-Colin, 05:31)
  • J. Mac as a hypothetical CFB coach
    • “He’d run a grown-up program with older, tougher players because in this era, experience is currency and maturity wins Saturdays.” (AI-Colin, 06:13)
• Rachel Nichols reacts: “It has your tone. That’s what’s so incredible. I expected it to sound a little more robotic. It doesn’t.” (08:13)

2. NBA Team-Building: Lakers, LeBron, and Luka

Timestamps: 08:22–12:18

• The Lakers’ Dilemma: LeBron and Luka Fit

  • Colin and Rachel discuss why the pairing isn’t working both offensively and defensively, citing redundant skill sets and defensive liabilities.
  • “It’s very clear that building around Luka does not involve LeBron James … you can’t have a team that is closing out NBA Finals games with three defensive liabilities like that.” (Rachel, 09:39 & 11:21)

• Appropriate Sendoff for LeBron

  • Colin asks about moving off LeBron with “respect and elegance”
  • Rachel suggests the Lakers need honest conversations about role, money, and closing lineup. Hints LeBron might explore other options if not happy with his role.

3. NBA Tanking, League Policy & Small-Market Realities

Timestamps: 12:18–15:26, 32:29–39:52

• League’s Reaction to Tanking

  • Colin highlights NBA “spanking” teams (like Utah) for perceived tanking
  • Rachel: “Utah’s tanking was pretty egregious … but tanking isn’t the problem, tanking is the symptom. The problem is bad teams need more avenues to get better.” (13:28 & 15:26)
  • Rachel dispels “sunshine theory” (big cities/warm weather only) by pointing to CBA, salary cap aprons, and other structural hurdles for small-market teams.

• Possible Solutions

  • Rachel’s fix: “Get rid of the lottery entirely. Do it like the NFL … worst team gets number one … an avenue for a bad team to get better. … No team is sitting there being like, ‘You know what would be great? If we just lost for six months straight, alienated our fans, taught our young guys how to lose.’ They're doing it because they have to, not because they want to.” (14:20–15:26, quoted again at 35:49)
  • Colin underscores that NBA’s real issue is restrictive trade/matching salary rules—makes it far harder for small-market teams to improve via trades or free agency.

4. San Antonio Spurs & Victor Wembanyama’s Potential

Timestamps: 16:33–17:58

• Wemby’s Emergence
  • Colin notes Spurs dominating Detroit; asks if they’ll be the power team for a decade.
  • Rachel: “Wemby is such a special player … this guy is going to be a top-10 player of all time. … If any team could get to the NBA Finals on its first run through, it could be this Spurs team just because Victor Wembanyama is such a unique super megastar.” (16:33)

5. NBA Draft & Darren Peterson Concerns

Timestamps: 17:58–18:53

• Peterson’s stock and health worries
  • Colin raises red flags about Darren Peterson’s cramping issues and parallels to other athletes with mental/physical hurdles.
  • Rachel: “His interviews with the top teams in the draft are going to be more important than ever before … if he has a good answer that makes sense … they’re going to draft him. If not … that will be a red flag.” (18:53)

6. NFL Headlines: A.J. Brown’s Future

Timestamps: 24:53–27:17

• A.J. Brown/Patriots Rumors
  • J. Mac plays a Mike Vrabel clip and discusses wideout-needy New England’s possible trade for Brown.
  • Colin: “There are a lot of people I trust telling me this is not all A.J. Brown. Some of it's Jalen Hurts … they don't really connect. He can't get him the ball regularly. … [Receivers who] need the ball … generally doesn’t turn out well for the receiver.” (25:56)

7. NFL Draft Talk: Raiders & Mendoza, QB Prospects

Timestamps: 27:45–30:33

• Raiders eyeing Mendoza
  • Discussion on whether Mendoza is set to go first overall; comparison with J.J. McCarthy and Ty Simpson.
    • Colin: “I think Mendoza is the only first round quarterback in this draft.” (29:41)

8. Rule Changes in the UFL—One-Foot Catch

Timestamps: 30:33–32:20

• Excitement for more offense, less replay
  • J. Mac and Colin champion the rule that allows for college-style one-foot-inbounds receptions, hoping the NFL adopts it.
    • “If somebody makes an absolutely unbelievable play, you don’t want to eliminate that from the sport.” (Colin, 31:07)
    • “So what it would do … there’d be more catches and more touchdowns. … I want less field goals, fewer punts, fewer kickoff returns, less replay review.” (31:55)

9. NBA MVP Award Criteria: "Availability is Value" Debate

Timestamps: 43:20–50:45

• Colin’s controversial MVP stance
  • He argues MVP should go to the player who is both most valuable and most available—and would give the award to Cade Cunningham over Jokic or SGA, who’ve missed significant games.
    • “To be the most valuable parent I can be, I have to be available a lot. How can you argue that Jokic and SGA are the most valuable players in the league when they’re actually both less valuable than they were a year ago?” (43:20)
  • J. Mac debates value on good vs. bad teams, pushing back on Cade’s candidacy.
  • Colin: “You can’t punish Cade Cunningham because of previous incompetence.”
    “Cade Cunningham ... is going to age better than Luka. Luka’s turning 27 in about an hour. You can see the regression athletically.” (50:46)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Rachel Nichols on "Sports AI" (08:13):
  “It has your tone. That’s what’s so incredible. I expected it to sound a little more robotic. It doesn’t. It actually feels like talking to you.”

• Rachel Nichols on tanking (14:20, 35:49):
  “Tanking isn’t the problem. Tanking is the symptom. The problem is bad teams need more avenues to get better. … No team is sitting there being like, ‘You know what would be great? If we just like lost for six months straight, alienated our fans, taught our young guys how to lose.’ They’re doing it because they have to, not because they want to.”

• Colin on NBA MVP (43:20):
  “How can you argue that Jokic and SGA are the most valuable players in the league when they’re actually both less valuable than they were a year ago?”

• Rachel Nichols on Wemby (16:33):
  “I said it to you before he was even drafted. This guy is going to be a top-10 player of all time. I absolutely believe that.”

• Colin on Cade vs Luka (50:02):
  “Cade Cunningham … is going to age better than Luka … Cade’s better defensively. Cade Cunningham is healthier. Cade’s in better shape.”

Episode Takeaways

• Strong embrace of AI as companion/augmenter in sports analysis—a recurring reality in the industry.
• NBA team-building remains a vexing problem for small markets, hamstrung mainly by restrictive CBA and salary/trade rules, not just “tanking.”
• Rachel Nichols offers sharp structural critiques and a plea for draft reform to help struggling franchises.
• Colin’s MVP take is hotly contested—he puts immense weight on availability and single-handed team impact.
• The episode’s wide-ranging, high-energy debate is a showcase of opinions, stats, and storytelling that’s ideal for sports fans pressed for time.