The Ryen Russillo Show – Jan 5, 2026

Episode Title: Super Bowl Pick & NFL Season Awards, Plus Coaching and QB Futures w/ Albert Breer
Host: Ryen Russillo (Barstool Sports)
Guest: Albert Breer (SI.com, The MMQB Podcast)

Episode Overview

In his first episode on Barstool Sports, Ryen Russillo delivers his signature blend of incisive NFL analysis, playoff picks, and frank life advice. With special guest Albert Breer, he dives deep into Super Bowl predictions, the best and worst moments of the 2025 NFL season, misleading wins, and a rapid-fire look at quarterback and coaching futures across the league. The conversation combines sharp football insight with Russillo’s wry tone, tackling everything from award honors to sticky questions about dog poop etiquette.

Main Topics & Key Insights

1. NFL Playoffs Preview & Super Bowl Picks

Timestamp: 02:25–22:00

• Russillo’s Super Bowl Pick:

  • LA Rams over Houston Texans
    • Originally considered Jacksonville or Buffalo, but “bracket quirks” and “the state of health” shaped his choice.
    • “Lamar’s not healthy, Burrow’s out, Mahomes is gone—this is Allen’s to lose, but I’m not falling for it. I trust Houston’s defense, and the Rams are just on another level.” (03:45)

• Best/Worst Win & Loss of the Season:

  • Rams putting up 581 yards against the Seahawks’ top defense—declared both the "season’s best win" and Seattle’s “worst loss.”
    • “That’s 300 more yards than Seattle gave up all season. I can’t unsee that explosion.” (06:35)
  • Most fun: Buffalo’s crazy comeback over Baltimore in Week 1.
  • San Francisco’s gritty OT win vs the Rams in Week 5.
  • Denver’s 18-0 comeback to top Philadelphia, revealing the Eagles’ issues.
  • “Sometimes the wildest games tell us everything—and sometimes nothing.” (10:10)

• Most Misleading Wins:

  • Examples from both NFL & NBA:
    • Green Bay over Detroit in Week 1: Not the start it looked like.
    • Detroit’s Monday Night win over Baltimore: “Looked huge, but they end up ninth in the NFC.”
    • Kansas City beating Baltimore Week 4: Chiefs then closed 1-8 and missed the playoffs.

• Stat Chasing and Records:

  • Russillo laments “numbers apathy” among fans; records like the Miles Garrett sack mark “come and go, but do we really care anymore?”
  • “As you get older, the numbers don’t pop the same. You care about mortgage payments, blood test results...” (15:25)

2. Deep Dive: NFL Teams & Season Recaps w/ Albert Breer

Timestamp: 19:20–58:07

• Super Bowl Predictions Roundtable:

  • Breer: "The Rams have a gear no one else has. If Stafford’s on, that D-line’s rolling, I’m not sure anyone can beat them. But Houston? Wide open. I expect chaos in the AFC." (19:53)

• Jacksonville Jaguars’ Turnaround

  • Breer credits humility and talent development: “They actually squeezed Pro years from inherited guys—Etienne, Lawrence, Devin Lloyd, Josh Allen. Tony Boselli and the crew figured out what needed fixing, and they nailed FA signings.” (24:42)

• Denver Broncos: The Cap Hit Conundrum

  • Russillo: “Can we all stop worrying about dead cap money?” (26:56)
  • Breer: “Cap’s less crippling now, but it narrows your path—you lose flexibility AND first-round picks. Hitting on cheap draft picks and strategic free agency is the only out. Denver’s done both. Bo Nix was their No. 2 QB in 2025’s class behind Jaden Daniels.” (27:39, 30:05)
    • Sean Payton’s “sacks are a QB stat” philosophy explained.

• Seattle Seahawks’ Savior Drafting

  • Russillo: “Witherspoon and Nick Emmanwori—those picks gave Seattle its nastiness back.” (32:03)
  • Breer: “Draft classes have been home runs. Byron Murphy, one of the best rookie guards, and reclamation QB deals like Darnold’s keep them competitive and affordable.” (33:20)

• Coaching Carousel & Front Office Moves

  • Atlanta Falcons:

    • Matt Ryan expected as president of football ops. Attractiveness hinges on “what you think of Michael Penix.” Could Ian Cunningham from Chicago join as GM?
    • “Kyle Shanahan’s influence looms. Atlanta may go NBA-style with their structure.” (38:39)

  • Cleveland Browns:

    • Stefanski out, “water under the bridge” after Watson saga. Market is “thin—hard to find anyone better than Stefanski this cycle.” (41:59)
    • Key quote: “Why the fuck did they fire this guy?”—Jets exec after a Vrabel interview. (45:16)

  • Vegas Raiders:

    • Pete Carroll experiment failed, Brady is “calling the shots.” Front office is “pushing mismatched puzzle pieces together.” (52:39–55:40)
    • “It felt like they were collecting talent, not building a team.”

  • Miami Dolphins:

    • Restructuring: Cap/analytics chief Brandon Shore now reports to ownership; new GM likely scouting-focused; “intention” is to stick with Mike McDaniel unless a “dream candidate” falls into their lap. (55:40)

3. QB Futures & Offseason Dominoes

Timestamp: 58:07–75:23

• Rapid Fire: Quarterback Seats (Mostly AFC-heavy)

  • Tua (Miami): “Probably gone. It’s too much water under the bridge.” — Breer (58:48)
  • Jets: “QB not on the roster yet. If Dante Moore declares, that’s the guy.” (59:17)
  • Giants, Pittsburgh, Minnesota: Reclamation projects, likely new competition, aging rosters.
  • Kyler Murray (Cardinals): “Almost certainly not there in 2026. If you get a top-12 QB in, the young talent on that roster could compete quickly.” (66:32)
  • Lamar Jackson (Baltimore): Likely back, but “contract could force a divorce.”
  • Daniel Jones (Colts): Plan is to re-sign him after his Achilles injury if possible.

• Memorable Quotes & Moments:

  • On fan obsession with stats/records:
    “Do you care that Jonathan Taylor’s trying to catch Cook in the rushing title? Maybe if you’re a 12-year-old Bills fan.” — Russillo (15:00)
  • On coaching dismissals:
    “Are you sure? Or is there something you could fix? Dig it out.” — Breer, on teams firing proven coaches (46:51)
  • On QB contracts:
    “If it’s your own homegrown guy, you gotta pay him $55 million. But pick someone off the scrap heap and you get a massive discount.” — Breer (35:15)

4. MVP Race & Final Awards Thoughts

Timestamp: 72:51–75:23

• Russillo’s Pick:
  • Drake May (Patriots): “I don’t have a vote, but I think he had a damn near perfect season and means more to his team’s turnaround than anyone.” (18:02)
• Breer: “It’s really May’s ‘more with less’ argument versus Stafford’s elite QB play. And don’t ignore Josh Allen or McCaffrey.” (73:44)

5. Life Advice & Lighter Moments

Timestamp: 76:58–end

• Popular Life Advice Segment:

  • Topics:
    • The ethics of putting your dog’s poop in a neighbor’s trash can (“It’s wrong. It just is.” — Russillo, 108:26)
    • Accepting in-law tuition money — advice: “Take the money!”
    • Mr. Two-for-One and the joy of negotiating with giant corporations (and the ethics thereof)
    • Childhood trauma: the plight of a carpenter’s son holding the dumb end of the tape measure

• Notable Quotes:

  • “As you get older, you go from memorizing stats to caring about mortgage payments and blood test results.” — Russillo (15:25)
  • “Some of the movies started driving me crazy—a nerdy kid, haunted by Gwen Stacy. As many of us are.” (84:18)

Highlighted Timestamps

• 02:25 – Russillo’s Super Bowl/NFL Playoff forecasts
• 19:20 – Breer joins: deeper playoff breakdowns
• 24:42 – Jacksonville’s turnaround, team-building philosophy
• 26:56 – Denver cap hit and NFL financial evolution
• 33:20 – Seattle’s roster construction, cheap QB play
• 38:39 – Atlanta coaching search, Matt Ryan’s new role
• 41:59 – Cleveland moves on from Stefanski
• 52:39 – Vegas’ organizational confusion, Tom Brady dynamic
• 55:40 – Miami’s front office shuffle and McDaniel’s status
• 58:07 – AFC quarterback carousel projections
• 72:51 – NFL MVP voting logic
• 76:58–end – Life advice (accepting help, dog poop in trash cans, negotiating returns)

Tone & Style Notes

• Russillo’s style: Sharp, sardonic, occasionally self-deprecating; strong on details and context (“sometimes the wildest games tell us everything—and sometimes nothing”).
• Breer’s tone: Analytical, context-rich; pulls from inside sources and front office logic; shares candid, behind-the-scenes anecdotes.
• Notable banter: Frequent asides, playful ribbing about sports movies, and deadpan breakdowns of sports media tropes.

Most Memorable Quotes

"If you’re like, ‘I trust Allen more than everyone else,’ go ahead. He’s on the short list of guys who could do it. But that’s a big-ass task for that roster.”
— Russillo on the Bills and Josh Allen, 04:30

"There’s just not anything to stats anymore the way there was. I don’t even think it’s just about being a kid. Maybe we were simpler. Maybe we were stupid."
— Russillo on record-chasing fatigue, 16:55

“Sacks are a quarterback stat. It’s pocket movement, football IQ, feeling the rush… It tells you who can really run an offense.”
— Albert Breer, channeling Sean Payton, describing Bo Nix’s appeal, 30:05

“If it’s your own guy, you pay $55 million. Pick someone off the scrap heap, massive discount.”
— Breer on modern QB contract trends, 35:15

Conclusions & Takeaways

• The NFL postseason is more unpredictable than ever—especially in the AFC, where wild cards could easily advance.
• The Rams’ top-level ceiling gives them the edge in the NFC, but the NFC South and North teams “have massive questions even if they sneak a win.”
• Executive moves (Atlanta, Vegas, Miami) highlight a trend toward NBA-style power alignments, with more hybrid roles for ex-players.
• Team-building through the draft, hitting on mid-round picks, and finding value in reclamation QBs is the new frontier.
• In coaching, organizations should think twice about firing “just for the sake of change”—as talent may be even harder to replace.

For First-Time Listeners

This episode exemplifies what Russillo does best: breaking down the NFL through sharp analysis, clear context, and no-nonsense opinions, while mixing in playful asides and personal stories. His partnership with Albert Breer is a deep-dive for football obsessives, providing both tactical and behind-the-scenes insight into the decisions shaping the league now and to come.

For full segment breakdowns, major opinions, and MVP race logic, refer to the timestamps listed above.