March 20, 2025 • 36 mins
The Guys breakdown the Higgins and Chase extensions, the latest on free agent QBs, Myles Garrett's comments, and the Cooper Kupp signing.
00:00 - Higgins and Chase get PAID
13:01 - Latest on Available QBs
22:55 - Myles Garrett on Browns' Next QB
30:57 - Cooper Kupp Signs with Seattle
Featuring: Chris Rose, Bobby Skinner, and Justin Penik
Edited by: Connor Kurpat
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is another edition of Football Today. Some breaking news
on Sunday night, we had heard rumblings about it that
the Bengals were making a lot of contractual progress with
their outstanding wide receiving corps. Well they finished that up.
Jamar Chase gets four years, one hundred and forty one
hundred what is it, one hundred and sixty one million
dollars yep one six one wow. T Higgins four for
(00:23):
one point fifteen. Of course he was headed into the
being a franchise tagged for the second straight year. So
Joe Burrow gets his wish. He wanted to keep the
entire crew together. That's exactly what is happening. Bobby Skinner.
Is this the right way for the Bengals to do business?
Speaker 2 (00:38):
One hundred percent. There's not even a doubt in my mind.
And it looks like they're going to get something done
with Trey Hendrickson. And I do want to there's criticism
I have for the Bengals on how all this went
down in the long run, but the idea like, oh man,
they're going to pay a wide receiver to that much
and this guy at this top position. They are a
team despite the fact that they have these big hopes
(01:00):
every year that doesn't have people that they need to
pay upcoming right. I think we always forget about this, like, oh,
do we pay a wide receiver too this much or
that much?
Speaker 3 (01:09):
Right?
Speaker 2 (01:09):
And we've had this conversation in Giantslin because we don't
have to pay many guys and or you don't want
to pay a safety this much. Well, who do you
have coming down the pipe? They don't really, They don't
really have anybody, you know that's they've drafted recently that's
going to get this big contract. Cam Taylor Britt probably
will get a decent one, but I'd sacrifice him for
you know, any of those guys. Dax Hill has been
(01:30):
so so Nobody from the twenty twenty three class looks
worthy of a decent payday yet, and the twenty twenty
four class, you don't judge it right now. But guess what,
the Rams know they have to pay somebody pay people
from their draft class. The Bengals don't yet, so they
don't have any you know, big time players coming up.
They should have got this done. This is their best
chance to win is to have that sustainability on offense, right,
(01:54):
They need to get a better defense. They need to
get a better run game, which we'll talk about. They
actually have tried to, but creating more issues was not
the answer for the Bengals.
Speaker 3 (02:06):
Yeah, I'm with Bobby. I mean, I think there are
splits with and without T. Higgins, and I think just
use the eye test to not even stats. I think
they are a different team without without T. Higgins. So
I mean even this year, I'm just playing twelve games.
I mean, if he played, if he played even sixteen
fifteen games, he gets over one hundred catches, he gets
over at a thousand yards safely. Safely, he gets over
(02:27):
those numbers, which is just bonkers. I mean. And this
is how when you have Joe Burrow, and Joe Burrow
has played the way that he's played the last two years.
Once he's been fully healthy and he gets out of
the disaster that is the month of September for him,
he plays like an MVP quarterback. In the identity of
this team and why they're why they have a shot
in any given game is because they have T Higgins,
Jamar Chase and Joe Burrow. That's the identity of your team.
(02:50):
Keep it and like Bobby said, I mean down the pipeline.
I mean next year, they have one hundred and forty
million dollars in cap space, not reflecting any of the
deals that were just signed, reflecting a Trey Heundrickson extension
or anything like that. But even in the midst of
we're waiting for those cap pits and those future cap
pits to hit. Sign these guys. This is the identity
of your team. There's nothing that's holding you back from
(03:11):
doing this.
Speaker 1 (03:12):
Okay, let me play the other side of this. You
could have probably traded Higgins right. There wasn't a lot
of wide receiver movement that made you go, WHOA, that's great.
They probably could have gotten a draft pick for him,
and then they probably could have brought in defensive players
that would have helped them on the free agent market.
They did not do that. They brought in TJ on
(03:33):
the defensive line, solid rotational piece I think in out
of Green Bay. But he's not a guy where you're like,
people will have to really look up TJ. Slayton in
order to know who he is. They brought in Owen
Burkes to replaim to replace a Keem Davis Gaither at linebacker.
I don't know what the future holds for Jermaine Pratt,
who said, I'm I think that he'll go. I mean
(03:55):
he led the team I think in misstackles a year ago.
Speaker 2 (03:57):
How about the future being better play for Jermaine Pratt.
Speaker 1 (04:00):
Okay, that's fine, but he's not the only reason that
they stunk last year on defense. And we can all say, okay, well,
lou Anarumo is it and he was the problem. So
we'll send him to Indianapolis and we'll bring in Al
Golden who they literally is trying to live up to
his name as the Golden Child. I think they're relying
on his ability to kind of tie this whole thing
(04:21):
together because they have to get better on that side
of the football, guys or else. This doesn't this doesn't
make sense. They go out and score more than twenty
five points every game. It seems like they did it
eleven times last year. What do you think their record
was in games where they scored at least twenty five points?
Give me a guess.
Speaker 2 (04:38):
Do you have the number?
Speaker 1 (04:39):
I do, just guess off the top of your head.
Speaker 2 (04:43):
Six and ten, Actually six and six and eight. How
about that?
Speaker 1 (04:46):
Hold on, I don't know if I said eleven games,
they did it that they're teaching you.
Speaker 2 (04:53):
I'm surprised that they only had that many. They were
one of the best. I'll say, how about that.
Speaker 3 (05:01):
I'm gonna say six and five. I'm gonna say closer
to five hundred and hope that it's the answer.
Speaker 1 (05:05):
Five and six is the right answer. So they won
forty five percent of the games in which they scored
at least twenty five points the league average. If you
score at least twenty five you win more than eighty
percent of the time. Wow, the Bengals, come on, guys, this.
Speaker 2 (05:21):
Is Here's the thing is they keep keep the great
thing great is what they should do. Yeah, they need
here's like they need to get They need to start
hitting on those defensive draft picks, right. You know they've
they've had ten top one hundred draft picks over the
last three years. Eight of them have been defense, all
from the front in DBS, not even in any linebackers
in there. You need Logan Wilson and Jermaine Pratt to
(05:41):
play better. But again, I don't think they could have.
They could have still done that, right if you want
to criticize them on doing that, they still could have
went out and got some more defensive pieces, but I
would not I would not mess with what is a
top five offense in the NFL to try and can
plug in a bunch of holes through free agency.
Speaker 3 (06:03):
On defense, yeah, making the thirtieth defense the twentieth defense,
you know what I mean.
Speaker 1 (06:07):
But maybe the twentieth defense is the difference between watching
the playoffs at home and being a pain in the
ass to the Buffalo Bills in round one, which is
what we all we were all begging for it as
football fans. We're like, oh, please, let's see the Bengals
make it, and then we were all kind of bummed
out when the Broncos made it as the team. Listen,
here's I'm just focused on the top three rounds. I
(06:30):
think anytime you get a guy who becomes kind of
a four down, good for you, Like that's a diamond
in the roup in my opinion. But top three rounds
is where you really have to live to keep your
team healthy year in and year out. Here's the defensive
players they have drafted in the first three rounds over
the last several years. Chris Jenkins and McKinley Jackson. From
(06:50):
last year, Jackson didn't play, he was injured Jenkins flashed
at times. The year before their first rounder was Miles Murphy,
Dj Turner's coming off an injury, Jordan a year before that,
it was Dax Hill Cam Taylor Britt who at times
we thought was gonna like jump off the page and
be great, and then there were times where he looked horrible.
Joseph Asai, his most famous plays pushing Patrick Mahomes late.
(07:13):
Logan Wilson is the guy you have to go back
to in twenty twenty to feel like they found a
guy in the top three rounds as a defensive player
that can be a solid every down contributor at this level.
That now, and.
Speaker 2 (07:25):
They've drafted a lot too.
Speaker 1 (07:27):
They have, they've taken their swing. So either Duke Tobin
ain't the guy who should be making the picks, or
you're really relying. You're relying once again on the draft.
They don't even have that many picks. They've got six
pieces coming up in the draft, so you're trying to
fix that side of the football to make them a
super Bowl contender. What was the reason they went to
the Super Bowl Super Bowl fifty six, It's because Anna
(07:47):
Rumo's defense played off the charts in the playoffs. I
don't see that happening with this team.
Speaker 2 (07:53):
Sure, but what they what is going to keep sustaining
them until that defense does get better, is the fact
that they have this type of offense, right, Like, when
you have Joe Burrow, Jamar Chase, T Higgins for the
next four years, they should have a top five offense, right,
so you hope that you get within that time, Like, yeah,
could they have let go of T Higgins and you know,
(08:14):
went all in for this year to add you know,
more in free agency, but I think keeping uh, you
know Burrow obviously Burrow, but just Chase was an obvious one.
But at keeping Higgins part of that keeps you a
top five offense through the next four years and allows
you to hopefully build that defense. Obviously it's a lot
easier said than done, but I think that's that where
(08:35):
the Bengals are mess up is not getting these contracts
done earlier. You know. Now, maybe Jamar Chase didn't want to,
but it would have been nice to get that deal
done last year. Give them the same deal as justin Jefferson,
you say, five mil per year T Higgins playing around
on that contract for like, that's the one where you
can say this is this is a joke that they've
played around. He's now the ninth highest paid wide receiver.
(08:56):
You know, you look at the receivers who are in
his tier last year, Nico Collins, Calvin Ridley, Michael Pittman.
Those guys got like twenty three per year last year
and he's never hit eleven hundred yards in his career.
So there's an extra ten million per year that they
could have, you know, used to add some defensive pieces.
Speaker 1 (09:14):
Yeah, but ten million dollars that goes quick. I mean
you could have for T higgins contract, which is one
hundred and fifteen million dollars, you could have gotten Josh
Sweat for seventy five and gotten another good player for
you know, fifty. It's it's a little bit more, obviously
than what T Higgins has worth. But that's my You
have been whiffing this much every time you step up
(09:37):
to the plate in the draft. Go get it in
free agency. Get guys who have been proven at this
level and have done it.
Speaker 2 (09:47):
I would not want to mess with the best. You
know what we I predicted be you know, a top
three offense of the next four years for Josh Swat Okay.
Speaker 3 (09:58):
I mean there's there's three guys on the Bengals last year.
I mean Mike Gaseeki had sixty five catches. So three guys, Kaseckie,
Higgins and Chase that over sixty five catches and all
three of them have a success rate on Pro Football
Reference of over sixty percent. I mean that that's unheard
of to have gays.
Speaker 1 (10:13):
Where did they get them? Justin? It got given.
Speaker 2 (10:15):
They got them an offense where Row watch, I get it.
Speaker 3 (10:21):
I get it, Rose, I get it. And you know, hey,
it's like you look at all these one score games
and it's like they've lost to the Ravens thirty eight
to forty one. They lod forty one points, they let
forty four points to the freaking Pittsburgh Steelers, thirty four
points to the to the Chargers thirty five points. They
lost by one point to the Ravens in their second matchup.
Now what I what I think they need to do,
(10:43):
you know, outside of defense, And they have a guard
problem too. They have a really you know, in tier
offensive line in their in their two guards haven't even
gotten to that. So there are issues. But I think Burrow,
Higgins and Chase can elevate a lot of people. And
even though they got Chase Brown, a dynamic runner out
neither here or there. They need everybody to lock in
the month of December because outside you know, from that
(11:04):
October sixth game on onward, which that October sixth game
was the Baltimore Raven game where they lost thirty eight
to forty one in oh September. But yeah, they need
to lock in September. What do I say, October Septembember. No,
they need They have been locked in in December. They
need to lock in the month of September because they
went oh and three and then every game from that
(11:26):
October sixth game they finished the season eight and four.
And I feel like that's been an every year problem.
And two years ago it was Burrow who got the
season and injury just when it looked like they were
heating up. Now that everybody is we can stop subtweeting,
We can stop like everybody is paid. Get get Trey
Hendrickson done, pay your stars. Everybody can lock in during
(11:48):
training camp. Everybody can do what they gotta do. Nobody
can has to worry about their future or fear of
injury or franchise tager, nothing man, everybody, lock in, everybody
get on the same page. Win in the month of September,
and that'll make the Cincinnati Bengals job a hell of
a lot easier throughout the regular season, even if their
defense is bottom quarter in the league.
Speaker 1 (12:10):
Okay, well, we'll see, we'll see if it all works out.
By the way, don't ever say a final score again,
thirty eight to forty one.
Speaker 3 (12:18):
Forty one to thirty eight.
Speaker 1 (12:19):
Yeah, please, sorry, I'm reading.
Speaker 3 (12:21):
It off for profile bar offerens that are always lists
the team first and then the opponent next.
Speaker 1 (12:27):
Don't ever do that again. Though the Athletic is reporting
they had a really, really good column led by Michael Silver,
who obviously has very good connections with Aaron Rodgers, that
he wants to play for the Vikings, and that the
Vikings are kind of split, that it's fifty to fifty,
and that if Rogers doesn't play for the Vikings that
(12:49):
he is seriously considering retirement. Where do you sit with this?
We talked a little bit last week about whether or
not the Vikings should because they are built to win.
Right now, go get a guy who's a four time MVP, Bobby.
Speaker 2 (13:06):
I mean, we touched about this a little bit of Friday.
If I were the Vikings gym, I would go get
Aaron Rodgers, but we didn't. Let's forget like some of
the on fields, like just the on the field play
because I don't think Aaron Rodgers was great last year.
You know, you're talking about how he finished strong, because
last game of season was terrible. Do you mess with
(13:28):
what like they have going on in Minnesota, which is
a culture of winning, but a good culture, and let
Aaron Rodgers kind of, you know, let him, let him
in the henhouse.
Speaker 1 (13:39):
Okay, But so what is it that we think would
happen in Minnesota. I understand what transpired in New York
with the Jets, but that is an fed up team
that has the longest playoff drout going in the NFL.
They are desperate. They are desperate on so many levels
to want to be loved in New York City, to
(13:59):
not like they're the second team behind the Giants, to
want to get back to the playoffs, to find a
decent quarterback. They have a lot that where they're like,
Minnesota is not that situation. So what is it that
we're worried about exactly with Aaron that he's going to
roll his eyes at receivers like Tom Brady does that.
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (14:19):
I just think the Jets thing went like historically bad,
and I get there's a lot of things at play there,
but they went really really bad, and it's like it's
just stuff pops up. I don't know, Like, what would
you do if you were Rogers.
Speaker 1 (14:36):
I don't know how he feels. I can't imagine. I
feel shitty at my age and I don't get chased
by three hundred and twenty pound defensive linemen. So I
don't know how he feels. And it is a long season.
But I look at that team and say, God, dang man,
and that play caller I would say, and those receivers
in particular, and the way they've built up the interior
(14:58):
of the offensive line through free agency at least taking
good swings. I think, like I'm in, I am in.
Speaker 3 (15:08):
I think we're so far on the point where if
the Vikings wanted to be in on Rodgers, wouldn't they
be on it?
Speaker 1 (15:14):
Be in on it? Well, I don't know. I don't
know if we know whether they are aren't. I mean,
the Athletic article said that there are people in the
building that are extremely split on this whole thing. But
once again, we talked about turning the keys over to
an unproven kid who's coming off a knee injury and
had a ton of question marks coming into the NFL. Anyway, Yeah,
(15:38):
don't we all agree that Aaron Rodgers would be a
better quarterback for them just in twenty twenty five than
JJ McCarthy, Bobby, can't we all agree on that? Not all?
Speaker 2 (15:48):
I can, because I didn't. I didn't think JJ McCarthy
was was worthy of that pick. But if you think
JJ McCarthy is worthy of that pick, you should think
he's better than what anwered like, Aaron Rodgers was not
good last year. I think he's the best quarterback available
in free agency, but like, he wasn't a top ten
quarterback or close to a top ten quarterback last year. Right,
even there, you know the good games, there's a lot
(16:09):
of stuff left on the field. But now he could
still spin it. He's still got the mind that he does.
But and hopefully, you know, another year off, the injury
is better, but it could be, it could be worse.
You know, he's forty one years old. Again, I just
I cannot wrap my head around a team trading up
for a quarterback in the first round and then in
year two with the easiest landing spot ever being like, yeah,
(16:30):
we're passing that up for a forty one year old
QB who wasn't good last year. Like again, if Aaron
Rodgers was coming off, if this is Aaron Rodgers two
years ago, be like, hey, you're getting a guy that's,
you know, one year removed from an MVP. We're three
years removed from Aaron Rodgers playing good football in the
NFL like Aaron like top ten quarterback level football.
Speaker 1 (16:49):
So I suppose the question is can he play at
the level that Sam Darnold did last year? Yeah? Minnesota okay,
so probably better?
Speaker 2 (16:58):
Probably better again, I think that, But if if like
they should have that, that that should be the same
evaluation for JJ McCarthy, And I think it is for
a lot of people in the building, probably the GMS
more so than the head coach. But like, that's that's
why they let Sam Donald walk, was because you know,
(17:19):
they thought JJ McCarthy could do better than him.
Speaker 1 (17:22):
M hm okay, So who thinks that he's going to
be a Minnesota Viking? Anybody here? No, I don't Pennick.
Speaker 3 (17:32):
No, and I still think that. I think that Rogers
is going to be a Pittsburgh Still.
Speaker 2 (17:38):
How many more conversations can the Minnesota Vikings have before
offering a contract.
Speaker 1 (17:42):
Yeah, I mean, I'm with you. I don't think it,
but I really want to see it. I do. I think.
I think it would be fun. And I love Kevin O'Connell.
He's my coaching crush. I'm a huge fan of his.
I want to see it.
Speaker 2 (17:57):
Oh, we just need a Brett far of prophecy to
be which he should wear number four.
Speaker 3 (18:02):
I was just about to say he should wear number
four too.
Speaker 2 (18:04):
MVP level season with the Vikings after failure with the Jets,
Like again, he would he would be like I think
in that offense, he'd you know, have thirty two touchdowns,
five interceptions and get like MVP talk.
Speaker 1 (18:18):
Nick Mullins left for Jacksonville. So I think number twelve
is available, Okay, h yeah, okay. So the Falcons keep
saying they're gonna pay Kirk Cousins that ten million dollars
roster bonus that he's due today, I'd be happy to
have him in the building, even though he is clearly
the backup Michael it is Michael Penix's job. Are we
(18:41):
buying all of that statement?
Speaker 2 (18:45):
Well, Kirk's not gonna be happy. I think the Falcons
if this was you know, Madden and these people that
have personalities, I like I would keep Kirk there too,
to have him in the building and helping with game
plan and having a you know, you know, somebody that
Mike Pennis can can talk to and ask questions, especially,
you know, because they're both you know, in that quarterback
(19:06):
who or mobile. But in reality, I don't I don't
see how Kirk Cousins is happy at all being there.
He's not, I mean has he hasn't been happy there
since you know, April last year, the.
Speaker 3 (19:18):
Month after he signed the contract. I think he's staying
because unless, unless, the unless, the Falcons are gonna buckle
up and just eat the majority of that contract and
then allow a team like the Browns the Titans, who
could still take cam Warden have Kirk Cousins as the
(19:39):
veteran backup for like a six round pick. I don't
think Kirk Cousins is going anywhere. I mean, the contract
is just absurd, seventy five million in dead money, and
if they were, let's just say, if they were to
cut him, and I guess this would be the same
thing for releasing him too, seventy a trading him as well,
seventy five million in dead money, and then they would
(20:00):
oh thirty five million against the cap for the cap savings,
it would put them in the red thirty five million.
So I mean, there's just there's no team that is
going to want like, Okay, you have to take the
money and I'll give you a six round pick. But
that's it. There's going to be no team that's going
to want to take anything, or you just release him
if you don't want him that bad. So that's why
I think they're going.
Speaker 1 (20:20):
To keep them. Well, they're definitely not releasing him because
the wouldn't pay him a ten million dollar roster bonus
to then release him. So that is off the table.
Let's play the trade game. And first of all, I
want to say, why they don't want him in the building. Now,
we heard that the day that Penni's got the job
as the starter, that Kirk Cousins was like the first
guy to call him and be like, hey, listen, I
(20:41):
am with you. That is part of my job. He's
a good veteran. We've heard of bad veterans. He is
a good veteran, so I'm not worried about him being
a malcontent in the building. Like, if you're to line
up all the guys in the NFL and say who's
the least guy who's going to be a problem, Kirk
Cousins is in the bottom five most likely. But the
Falcons don't want a guy who they're paying one hundred
(21:05):
million dollars to to be there just in case Michael
Pennock struggles the first month, because you know what everybody's
going to be talking about, Well, why aren't you giving
kirk Cousins another shot? He wasn't healthy last year. We've
seen what he can do at a high level. Why
don't you play him like? That's the last thing the
Falcons need to deal with. So now we get to
(21:25):
the business side of this. Nobody in their right mind
is going to trade for kirk Cousins full contract. But
would you be willing to say, kirk Cousins ten million
this year of the twenty seven that he's owed from
the Falcons, and sure, I'll give a fifth, fifth round pick,
because why not? Would don't you don't think that's some
needy team. We know that there's the Browns, the Titans,
(21:47):
the Giants, this unit.
Speaker 2 (21:49):
Would you, mister Cleveland Brown, would you because that's the
team that there's the only smoke I've I've seen with
with Kirk Cousins.
Speaker 1 (22:00):
I think I would pay. I think I would pay
ten million dollars and probably a sixth round pick. I
wouldn't want to give up the picks, but just to
do it. Either that or we'll talk about the Browns
quarterback situation.
Speaker 2 (22:16):
I say that I can transition do so. Would you
would you give up a six round pick and pay
ten million to have Kirk Cousins Kenny pick in the
shad door standers?
Speaker 1 (22:25):
Well, you know what, before we get to that, let
me let me do this because it all ties in.
Miles Garrett had his reinchentry press conference, which was a
weird thing. I don't know if you guys saw it.
The Browns put up like these dinosaurs up on the dais.
You know, they treat it like it was a free
agent signing instead of an extension. But I think because
of the media tour that Miles went on, well tour
(22:47):
or blowtorch, whatever you want to say, at the Super
Bowl that they had him meet the press on Friday.
Then he sat down with my buddy Andrew Ceciliano, who's
now the Browns radio play by play guy, and they
talked about the quarterback situation in all serious is do
you know who the quarterback is going to be? I mean,
do you have an idea? After conversations, I do have
(23:08):
an idea. Okay, do you like the idea?
Speaker 2 (23:13):
I like it enough to to uh be here smiling
in front of you because I think we have a
good chance of that happening and making the most out
of it.
Speaker 1 (23:22):
Can you tell us who it is? Miles? You know
I can't do that, Okay, So Miles, they told Miles
something what I.
Speaker 2 (23:32):
I don't pay attention to any pre draft smoke, right
unless it's like clear the ten that's going first, right,
like this whole Titans thing, like we're not going to
pass on an elite player at one, and then all
the trade smoke out of the combine now looks like
they're going like I just I just don't pay attention
to that, and especially anything that comes from a player's
mouth because they don't know. That was the first time
I've ever been like oh what, Like he knows right,
(23:56):
and he's not smoked, Like, why would Miles Garrett be
smoke screening with that?
Speaker 1 (24:00):
Like what? What? What was that?
Speaker 2 (24:03):
Like, I I'm I'm I'm baffled. Did he just tell
us the Browns are going to take Shad or Sanders
or cam Ward at.
Speaker 1 (24:10):
Picked two or one?
Speaker 2 (24:12):
Or did he say did he not want to say
that he didn't know about the quarterback plan and then
realized he was in too deep, so he said, yeah,
it's something I like because he wanted to try and
not be like, actually, they didn't tell me anything. They
just gave me forty million dollars per year.
Speaker 1 (24:27):
Well, whatever it was, he was in lockstep with the
organization because that was on the team website that was
put out by the team. That is an interview that
was done by the franchise. So whatever it is, they're
all in agreement on it. I don't know. Did you
did you find it interesting panic or not?
Speaker 3 (24:46):
Yeah? In my brain, cam Ward is a Tennessee Titan
until I improven. Otherwise, whether that's the first night of
April or you know, the draft night in April on Thursday,
or it's a trade a the Brown's trade up, the
Giants trade up. So cam Ward is a Tennessee Titan,
especially based on what they did in Freanancy. Did Russell
Wilson visit the Browns last week Thursday? I think that is.
(25:10):
I honestly, while the Steelers and the Giants are twiddling
their thumbs waiting over egotistical Aaron Rodgers, Cleveland brown should
go and sign Russell Wilson, And I think that is
the I think that is the signing and the guy
that makes the most sense. If you don't believe, Hey,
if the Browns really like cam Ward. But again, in
my head, cam Ward is a Tennessee Titans, is a
(25:32):
Tennessee Titan. But I don't know if you really like
Sure Sanders, I don't know if that's if that's the
guy that you want to pair with whoever, or as
we're you know, we're waiting to get that the sewing
money out out the building and out the door, I
think Russell Wilson is the guy that makes the most
sense to bring in and try and bring some sort
(25:53):
of stability that the Browns are desperate for without taking
a desperate swing at a quarterback that probably probably won't
be very good in should Sanders.
Speaker 1 (26:03):
So do you think paying let's say, let's say Russell
Wilson and Kirk Cousins financially are about the same. You
don't think that Kevin Stefanski would rather say, hey, let's
trade a sixth round pick for Kirk Cousins. I know
what I have here?
Speaker 2 (26:19):
Oh no, I would.
Speaker 3 (26:21):
I would much prefer Russ ver Kirk and.
Speaker 2 (26:27):
Had success with Kirk before.
Speaker 1 (26:28):
Yes, point right, that's the point.
Speaker 2 (26:31):
And like the only team I can see wanting Kirk
over Russ, I guess not the only there's a couple
of other teams that run similar offenses.
Speaker 1 (26:39):
And getting back to the Falcons standpoint, they want a
draft pick. They've got three picks in the first six rounds,
that is it. They've got two seventh rounders that ain't
gonna help you. So they need to get better and
they need to continue to put pieces on both sides
of the football for Michael Pennix. They have no money,
(27:01):
nobody then that's why the draft picks are even more valuable. Yes,
so go do that. And if you can save a
little bit of you know, jump change on Kirk Cousins,
so be it. I think they're forced to trade him
and what they're begging for is that Aaron Rodgers retires,
because that means that there's one less veteran out there
(27:21):
that's signed with a team, and so somebody else is
getting desperate.
Speaker 2 (27:24):
I'm almost rooting for the Rogers retirement at this point,
just to put all these teams in a scurry. I
can I say something else on the Falcons. I never
want to let it go how much they pissed me
off with this Cousin's penick thing, right, and then when
Pennix comes in this year and everyone being like, oh, man,
I guess they weren't so crazy after all, Yes they are.
They have no draft picks and no money because they
signed Kirk Cousins.
Speaker 3 (27:45):
Right.
Speaker 2 (27:45):
The argument was never just taking Michael Pennox alone. It
was like, why did you do both? Why did you
do both? You were picking eighth overall. Do not tell
me you weren't confident in to get Michael Pennix as
your quarterback. It just it drives me nuts that like
they've they've put themselves in this crappy situation.
Speaker 1 (28:05):
I get it, I understand it. It was it was
terribly mismanaged from the standpoint of giving Kirk Cousins one
hundred million and then picking a quarterback at eight. Nobody
has a problem. If you want to pick a quarterback
at eight, nobody does so. But you're right. The way
this has been done has not been Terry Fontineau in
(28:25):
the organization's finest moment. I get that.
Speaker 2 (28:28):
And they lost a pick because of tampering too from it.
Speaker 1 (28:31):
Okay, so let's finish it up with this. This discussion.
Is Kirk Cousins in Atlanta falcon after the draft?
Speaker 3 (28:42):
No, yeah, I'll say no. I think I think Atlanta
eventually gets desperate, they eat the majority of the money,
and they just take a Day three pick.
Speaker 1 (28:53):
I would agree, I say, no, who is the starting quarterback?
Let's finish it all up with this. Who is the
starting quarterback in Cleveland? After I'm number one on the
depth chart? After the draft?
Speaker 3 (29:10):
Curly Kirk, Bobby said, Kirk, don't take sure, don't take Shart,
don't take suret don't take sure.
Speaker 1 (29:20):
I'll say Russ for chaos, I think cam Ward Oh
who is the starting quarterback for the New York Giants?
Speaker 3 (29:31):
Russell Wilson, Well, I just went away from Rusk. I'll say,
Sir Sanders, Bobby love that.
Speaker 1 (29:39):
Who is the starting quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Aaron Rodgers,
Aaron Rodgers, Mason Rudolph. Who is the starting quarterback for
the Minnesota Vikings. J. J.
Speaker 2 (29:59):
McCarthy, I'm very boring in my answers. Yeah, I'm also
gonna go McCarthy Aaron Rodgers. I want pure chaos. I
didn't give you guys a giant starter.
Speaker 1 (30:11):
I agree. I think Shdeorge Sanders is your I think
he's your guy. I think that's where we end up.
Speaker 3 (30:17):
I think that's that's D and E.
Speaker 1 (30:20):
Look at you, Bobby, Are you okay? You look Constanpa.
Speaker 2 (30:22):
It's so much fun. I look forward to every d
M after a bad game. All right, let's let's let's
get let's get it rolling. You know what, rookie quarterback,
I'm gonna take advantage of the moment.
Speaker 1 (30:35):
So what does that mean?
Speaker 2 (30:37):
It means I'm gonna break down every single game of film. Baby,
That's what it means. I'm gonna break down every third down,
I'm gonna break down every d pats. It means I'm
gonna break it down.
Speaker 1 (30:45):
All right. We started this show with wide receivers. We're
gonna end it with a wide receiver. Cooper Cup has
a new home. He is staying in the NFC West
three years forty fuck to Seattle? Is that a huge overpay?
Or do we like what they have done offensively with
changing out wide receivers, you know, trading one, releasing Tyler Lockett,
(31:06):
trading Geno Smith, bringing in Sam Donald? Are we okay
with what has transpired here?
Speaker 2 (31:11):
It's a weird room, man, where you've got receivers that
are you know, a JSN, a Cooper Cup who aren't redundant,
but you know, similar in alignment. I won't even say role,
just alignment. Both are like, so you know, has so
much to do with timing and being on the same
page with the quarterback, where Sam Donald has been more
of a you know what, this is what we're running,
(31:32):
I'm gonna throw it here. If it's not there, I'll i'll,
you know, look to extend and make a play. But
I also can't blame them if they're going to bring
in Sam Donald and then trade away DK and let
lock it go. They had to bring in somebody else
in this receiver room that was capable, and so yeah,
can when we look back at those Cooper Cup contract
and say this is amazing or whatever. I don't know,
probably not, but they needed to bring somebody into that
(31:55):
wide receiver room. I'm more frustrated to the Patriots didn't
pay on this, right, This is the type of money
that they should have, you know, spent a little bit
of reckless toly On is helping your young quarterback and
Jake May.
Speaker 1 (32:05):
Yeah, and they still have like over one hundred million dollars.
Speaker 2 (32:08):
Or something that waste a little bit like I got
not everything needs to be the perfect contract when you
have when you have that type of cap space, you
don't need the perfect contract. You need to help out
your young quarterback.
Speaker 1 (32:19):
Yeah, particularly when you're not going to pay him for
another two years. So you're right, that would have been
a great one. As far as Seattle, it feels a
little bit panic. And I want you to follow up
on this is that they're rebuilding ish on the fly.
And yes, they signed Sam Donald to one hundred million
dollar deal for three years, but if you look at it,
(32:40):
the reports are according over the cap they can get
out after one year and thirty seven and a half
mil where there's no dead money and they're not penalized
at all. So they can use this as a one
year litmus test to see if this is a guy
that has truly grown as an NFL quarterback or he
was built in a lab by Kevin O'Connell. So they
can do that for one year. They got younger, they
(33:01):
got a third round pick. They now have five of
the top ninety two draft picks because they're the only
team that's got five in the top one hundred. They
can fix the interior that offensive line, I think if
you trust John Schneider's ability to draft interior offensive lineman,
because I think their running game can be way better.
They were a bottom five running team and by all metrics,
(33:24):
depending on which one you want to use, bottom five
offensive line. So I think that they can get better
and still be like a nine win team this year
and figure out if Sam Darnold's the answer. So I
don't hate what they have done entirely, do you?
Speaker 2 (33:40):
No?
Speaker 3 (33:40):
I don't either.
Speaker 1 (33:42):
You know.
Speaker 3 (33:42):
The not someone I think does rebuilding and retooling kind
of era is for the Seattle Seahawks. It's trying to
fix their lines, both both D line, which I think
their D line and their pass rush is closer than
their O line. But Rose you mentioned it. I mean,
the the only other teams that have five picks inside
the top one hundred and ten are the Browns, the Jaguars,
(34:03):
the Patriots, and the Giants. But you mentioned that they're
the only I think they're the only team that have
five picks actually inside the top one hundred and they
have the ninety second pick, But that this is where
they're gonna really in a draft where a lot of
people are talking about, oh, it's you know, it's very
you don't really have a lot of the superstars at
the top. It's it's a dual carter. It's Hunter and
then the two quarterbacks and then you know, where else
(34:26):
do you go? Or those guys really work those top
five top ten picks. So they have the eighteenth pick,
eighteenth pick, but I'm really excited for their fiftieth or
fifty second and there and there and their eighty second picks,
Like that's where I think, you know what, they're really
gonna need to hit on one or two of those
guys in particularly hopefully one of them is an offensive
alignment for them to really set them up in a
good direction. But it almost feels like what the Commanders
(34:48):
did last year. You know they brought in a guy
like DeMarcus Lawrence. You know, you bring in Cooper Cup.
It's like, all right, these guys are a little bit older,
but you're bringing him in here for a certain reason
for veteran leadership, and the also give you a little
bit of a boost and play while you're retooling. Just
the only difference between when teams try to replicate what
the commanders said last year is the Commander's capped it
(35:08):
off with Jiden Daniels. Odds are the Seahawks aren't going
to be getting that performance out of Sam Donald. They
could still be good, but it won't be like that.
Speaker 2 (35:17):
Yeah, I did. They need to add more young offensive
pieces to this team, is the reality of it. I mean,
I think that they've drafted that they feel good about
it is probably just Jans and Charles Cross, you know,
that's it, right, There's some other younger offensive lineman who
can grow and develop. Christian Haynes when they drafted in
the third round last year as a guy I was
(35:37):
a fan of. But they need young offensive pieces. I
think the defense is talented. It maybe lacks a little
bit of star power, but it is talented. They need
young offensive pieces added to this team for the long haul.
Speaker 1 (35:50):
Yeah, I think they're gonna be an team to watch.
I think in two years if they nail this draft,
they could be as long as Sam dar is still
the guy, because if not, then they got to figure
out where they go a quarterback next year. And that's
that's tough, tough run if you have having to do that,
but it sounds like financially they can without penalty.
Speaker 2 (36:12):
I have one more thing, just in case I've wanted
to get this out there for any Seahawks fans, lootening.
I did a film breakdown on their backup offensive tackle
Stone Forceyth. The Giants added they should have an upgraded
offensive coordinator. I had never been so mad at an
offensive coordinator. They just leave these these shitty tackles on
an island all game long. They don't run the ball
at all. It was the most reckless offense I've ever seen.
(36:35):
No wonder Ryan Grubb went back to college at Alabama.
But anyways, I just wanted to get that off my chest.
I'm sorry you had to deal with, you know, leaving
a second string tackle on an island all game one.
Speaker 1 (36:48):
All right, So for Bobby Skinner and Justin Pennock and
producer Connor. I am Chris Rose. We will see later
this week here on Football Today.
This is another edition of Football Today. Some breaking news
on Sunday night, we had heard rumblings about it that
the Bengals were making a lot of contractual progress with
their outstanding wide receiving corps. Well they finished that up.
Jamar Chase gets four years, one hundred and forty one
hundred what is it, one hundred and sixty one million
dollars yep one six one wow. T Higgins four for
(00:23):
one point fifteen. Of course he was headed into the
being a franchise tagged for the second straight year. So
Joe Burrow gets his wish. He wanted to keep the
entire crew together. That's exactly what is happening. Bobby Skinner.
Is this the right way for the Bengals to do business?
Speaker 2 (00:38):
One hundred percent. There's not even a doubt in my mind.
And it looks like they're going to get something done
with Trey Hendrickson. And I do want to there's criticism
I have for the Bengals on how all this went
down in the long run, but the idea like, oh man,
they're going to pay a wide receiver to that much
and this guy at this top position. They are a
team despite the fact that they have these big hopes
(01:00):
every year that doesn't have people that they need to
pay upcoming right. I think we always forget about this, like, oh,
do we pay a wide receiver too this much or
that much?
Speaker 3 (01:09):
Right?
Speaker 2 (01:09):
And we've had this conversation in Giantslin because we don't
have to pay many guys and or you don't want
to pay a safety this much. Well, who do you
have coming down the pipe? They don't really, They don't
really have anybody, you know that's they've drafted recently that's
going to get this big contract. Cam Taylor Britt probably
will get a decent one, but I'd sacrifice him for
you know, any of those guys. Dax Hill has been
(01:30):
so so Nobody from the twenty twenty three class looks
worthy of a decent payday yet, and the twenty twenty
four class, you don't judge it right now. But guess what,
the Rams know they have to pay somebody pay people
from their draft class. The Bengals don't yet, so they
don't have any you know, big time players coming up.
They should have got this done. This is their best
chance to win is to have that sustainability on offense, right,
(01:54):
They need to get a better defense. They need to
get a better run game, which we'll talk about. They
actually have tried to, but creating more issues was not
the answer for the Bengals.
Speaker 3 (02:06):
Yeah, I'm with Bobby. I mean, I think there are
splits with and without T. Higgins, and I think just
use the eye test to not even stats. I think
they are a different team without without T. Higgins. So
I mean even this year, I'm just playing twelve games.
I mean, if he played, if he played even sixteen
fifteen games, he gets over one hundred catches, he gets
over at a thousand yards safely. Safely, he gets over
(02:27):
those numbers, which is just bonkers. I mean. And this
is how when you have Joe Burrow, and Joe Burrow
has played the way that he's played the last two years.
Once he's been fully healthy and he gets out of
the disaster that is the month of September for him,
he plays like an MVP quarterback. In the identity of
this team and why they're why they have a shot
in any given game is because they have T Higgins,
Jamar Chase and Joe Burrow. That's the identity of your team.
(02:50):
Keep it and like Bobby said, I mean down the pipeline.
I mean next year, they have one hundred and forty
million dollars in cap space, not reflecting any of the
deals that were just signed, reflecting a Trey Heundrickson extension
or anything like that. But even in the midst of
we're waiting for those cap pits and those future cap
pits to hit. Sign these guys. This is the identity
of your team. There's nothing that's holding you back from
(03:11):
doing this.
Speaker 1 (03:12):
Okay, let me play the other side of this. You
could have probably traded Higgins right. There wasn't a lot
of wide receiver movement that made you go, WHOA, that's great.
They probably could have gotten a draft pick for him,
and then they probably could have brought in defensive players
that would have helped them on the free agent market.
They did not do that. They brought in TJ on
(03:33):
the defensive line, solid rotational piece I think in out
of Green Bay. But he's not a guy where you're like,
people will have to really look up TJ. Slayton in
order to know who he is. They brought in Owen
Burkes to replaim to replace a Keem Davis Gaither at linebacker.
I don't know what the future holds for Jermaine Pratt,
who said, I'm I think that he'll go. I mean
(03:55):
he led the team I think in misstackles a year ago.
Speaker 2 (03:57):
How about the future being better play for Jermaine Pratt.
Speaker 1 (04:00):
Okay, that's fine, but he's not the only reason that
they stunk last year on defense. And we can all say, okay, well,
lou Anarumo is it and he was the problem. So
we'll send him to Indianapolis and we'll bring in Al
Golden who they literally is trying to live up to
his name as the Golden Child. I think they're relying
on his ability to kind of tie this whole thing
(04:21):
together because they have to get better on that side
of the football, guys or else. This doesn't this doesn't
make sense. They go out and score more than twenty
five points every game. It seems like they did it
eleven times last year. What do you think their record
was in games where they scored at least twenty five points?
Give me a guess.
Speaker 2 (04:38):
Do you have the number?
Speaker 1 (04:39):
I do, just guess off the top of your head.
Speaker 2 (04:43):
Six and ten, Actually six and six and eight. How
about that?
Speaker 1 (04:46):
Hold on, I don't know if I said eleven games,
they did it that they're teaching you.
Speaker 2 (04:53):
I'm surprised that they only had that many. They were
one of the best. I'll say, how about that.
Speaker 3 (05:01):
I'm gonna say six and five. I'm gonna say closer
to five hundred and hope that it's the answer.
Speaker 1 (05:05):
Five and six is the right answer. So they won
forty five percent of the games in which they scored
at least twenty five points the league average. If you
score at least twenty five you win more than eighty
percent of the time. Wow, the Bengals, come on, guys, this.
Speaker 2 (05:21):
Is Here's the thing is they keep keep the great
thing great is what they should do. Yeah, they need
here's like they need to get They need to start
hitting on those defensive draft picks, right. You know they've
they've had ten top one hundred draft picks over the
last three years. Eight of them have been defense, all
from the front in DBS, not even in any linebackers
in there. You need Logan Wilson and Jermaine Pratt to
(05:41):
play better. But again, I don't think they could have.
They could have still done that, right if you want
to criticize them on doing that, they still could have
went out and got some more defensive pieces, but I
would not I would not mess with what is a
top five offense in the NFL to try and can
plug in a bunch of holes through free agency.
Speaker 3 (06:03):
On defense, yeah, making the thirtieth defense the twentieth defense,
you know what I mean.
Speaker 1 (06:07):
But maybe the twentieth defense is the difference between watching
the playoffs at home and being a pain in the
ass to the Buffalo Bills in round one, which is
what we all we were all begging for it as
football fans. We're like, oh, please, let's see the Bengals
make it, and then we were all kind of bummed
out when the Broncos made it as the team. Listen,
here's I'm just focused on the top three rounds. I
(06:30):
think anytime you get a guy who becomes kind of
a four down, good for you, Like that's a diamond
in the roup in my opinion. But top three rounds
is where you really have to live to keep your
team healthy year in and year out. Here's the defensive
players they have drafted in the first three rounds over
the last several years. Chris Jenkins and McKinley Jackson. From
(06:50):
last year, Jackson didn't play, he was injured Jenkins flashed
at times. The year before their first rounder was Miles Murphy,
Dj Turner's coming off an injury, Jordan a year before that,
it was Dax Hill Cam Taylor Britt who at times
we thought was gonna like jump off the page and
be great, and then there were times where he looked horrible.
Joseph Asai, his most famous plays pushing Patrick Mahomes late.
(07:13):
Logan Wilson is the guy you have to go back
to in twenty twenty to feel like they found a
guy in the top three rounds as a defensive player
that can be a solid every down contributor at this level.
That now, and.
Speaker 2 (07:25):
They've drafted a lot too.
Speaker 1 (07:27):
They have, they've taken their swing. So either Duke Tobin
ain't the guy who should be making the picks, or
you're really relying. You're relying once again on the draft.
They don't even have that many picks. They've got six
pieces coming up in the draft, so you're trying to
fix that side of the football to make them a
super Bowl contender. What was the reason they went to
the Super Bowl Super Bowl fifty six, It's because Anna
(07:47):
Rumo's defense played off the charts in the playoffs. I
don't see that happening with this team.
Speaker 2 (07:53):
Sure, but what they what is going to keep sustaining
them until that defense does get better, is the fact
that they have this type of offense, right, Like, when
you have Joe Burrow, Jamar Chase, T Higgins for the
next four years, they should have a top five offense, right,
so you hope that you get within that time, Like, yeah,
could they have let go of T Higgins and you know,
(08:14):
went all in for this year to add you know,
more in free agency, but I think keeping uh, you
know Burrow obviously Burrow, but just Chase was an obvious one.
But at keeping Higgins part of that keeps you a
top five offense through the next four years and allows
you to hopefully build that defense. Obviously it's a lot
easier said than done, but I think that's that where
(08:35):
the Bengals are mess up is not getting these contracts
done earlier. You know. Now, maybe Jamar Chase didn't want to,
but it would have been nice to get that deal
done last year. Give them the same deal as justin Jefferson,
you say, five mil per year T Higgins playing around
on that contract for like, that's the one where you
can say this is this is a joke that they've
played around. He's now the ninth highest paid wide receiver.
(08:56):
You know, you look at the receivers who are in
his tier last year, Nico Collins, Calvin Ridley, Michael Pittman.
Those guys got like twenty three per year last year
and he's never hit eleven hundred yards in his career.
So there's an extra ten million per year that they
could have, you know, used to add some defensive pieces.
Speaker 1 (09:14):
Yeah, but ten million dollars that goes quick. I mean
you could have for T higgins contract, which is one
hundred and fifteen million dollars, you could have gotten Josh
Sweat for seventy five and gotten another good player for
you know, fifty. It's it's a little bit more, obviously
than what T Higgins has worth. But that's my You
have been whiffing this much every time you step up
(09:37):
to the plate in the draft. Go get it in
free agency. Get guys who have been proven at this
level and have done it.
Speaker 2 (09:47):
I would not want to mess with the best. You
know what we I predicted be you know, a top
three offense of the next four years for Josh Swat Okay.
Speaker 3 (09:58):
I mean there's there's three guys on the Bengals last year.
I mean Mike Gaseeki had sixty five catches. So three guys, Kaseckie,
Higgins and Chase that over sixty five catches and all
three of them have a success rate on Pro Football
Reference of over sixty percent. I mean that that's unheard
of to have gays.
Speaker 1 (10:13):
Where did they get them? Justin? It got given.
Speaker 2 (10:15):
They got them an offense where Row watch, I get it.
Speaker 3 (10:21):
I get it, Rose, I get it. And you know, hey,
it's like you look at all these one score games
and it's like they've lost to the Ravens thirty eight
to forty one. They lod forty one points, they let
forty four points to the freaking Pittsburgh Steelers, thirty four
points to the to the Chargers thirty five points. They
lost by one point to the Ravens in their second matchup.
Now what I what I think they need to do,
(10:43):
you know, outside of defense, And they have a guard
problem too. They have a really you know, in tier
offensive line in their in their two guards haven't even
gotten to that. So there are issues. But I think Burrow,
Higgins and Chase can elevate a lot of people. And
even though they got Chase Brown, a dynamic runner out
neither here or there. They need everybody to lock in
the month of December because outside you know, from that
(11:04):
October sixth game on onward, which that October sixth game
was the Baltimore Raven game where they lost thirty eight
to forty one in oh September. But yeah, they need
to lock in September. What do I say, October Septembember. No,
they need They have been locked in in December. They
need to lock in the month of September because they
went oh and three and then every game from that
(11:26):
October sixth game they finished the season eight and four.
And I feel like that's been an every year problem.
And two years ago it was Burrow who got the
season and injury just when it looked like they were
heating up. Now that everybody is we can stop subtweeting,
We can stop like everybody is paid. Get get Trey
Hendrickson done, pay your stars. Everybody can lock in during
(11:48):
training camp. Everybody can do what they gotta do. Nobody
can has to worry about their future or fear of
injury or franchise tager, nothing man, everybody, lock in, everybody
get on the same page. Win in the month of September,
and that'll make the Cincinnati Bengals job a hell of
a lot easier throughout the regular season, even if their
defense is bottom quarter in the league.
Speaker 1 (12:10):
Okay, well, we'll see, we'll see if it all works out.
By the way, don't ever say a final score again,
thirty eight to forty one.
Speaker 3 (12:18):
Forty one to thirty eight.
Speaker 1 (12:19):
Yeah, please, sorry, I'm reading.
Speaker 3 (12:21):
It off for profile bar offerens that are always lists
the team first and then the opponent next.
Speaker 1 (12:27):
Don't ever do that again. Though the Athletic is reporting
they had a really, really good column led by Michael Silver,
who obviously has very good connections with Aaron Rodgers, that
he wants to play for the Vikings, and that the
Vikings are kind of split, that it's fifty to fifty,
and that if Rogers doesn't play for the Vikings that
(12:49):
he is seriously considering retirement. Where do you sit with this?
We talked a little bit last week about whether or
not the Vikings should because they are built to win.
Right now, go get a guy who's a four time MVP, Bobby.
Speaker 2 (13:06):
I mean, we touched about this a little bit of Friday.
If I were the Vikings gym, I would go get
Aaron Rodgers, but we didn't. Let's forget like some of
the on fields, like just the on the field play
because I don't think Aaron Rodgers was great last year.
You know, you're talking about how he finished strong, because
last game of season was terrible. Do you mess with
(13:28):
what like they have going on in Minnesota, which is
a culture of winning, but a good culture, and let
Aaron Rodgers kind of, you know, let him, let him
in the henhouse.
Speaker 1 (13:39):
Okay, But so what is it that we think would
happen in Minnesota. I understand what transpired in New York
with the Jets, but that is an fed up team
that has the longest playoff drout going in the NFL.
They are desperate. They are desperate on so many levels
to want to be loved in New York City, to
(13:59):
not like they're the second team behind the Giants, to
want to get back to the playoffs, to find a
decent quarterback. They have a lot that where they're like,
Minnesota is not that situation. So what is it that
we're worried about exactly with Aaron that he's going to
roll his eyes at receivers like Tom Brady does that.
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (14:19):
I just think the Jets thing went like historically bad,
and I get there's a lot of things at play there,
but they went really really bad, and it's like it's
just stuff pops up. I don't know, Like, what would
you do if you were Rogers.
Speaker 1 (14:36):
I don't know how he feels. I can't imagine. I
feel shitty at my age and I don't get chased
by three hundred and twenty pound defensive linemen. So I
don't know how he feels. And it is a long season.
But I look at that team and say, God, dang man,
and that play caller I would say, and those receivers
in particular, and the way they've built up the interior
(14:58):
of the offensive line through free agency at least taking
good swings. I think, like I'm in, I am in.
Speaker 3 (15:08):
I think we're so far on the point where if
the Vikings wanted to be in on Rodgers, wouldn't they
be on it?
Speaker 1 (15:14):
Be in on it? Well, I don't know. I don't
know if we know whether they are aren't. I mean,
the Athletic article said that there are people in the
building that are extremely split on this whole thing. But
once again, we talked about turning the keys over to
an unproven kid who's coming off a knee injury and
had a ton of question marks coming into the NFL. Anyway, Yeah,
(15:38):
don't we all agree that Aaron Rodgers would be a
better quarterback for them just in twenty twenty five than
JJ McCarthy, Bobby, can't we all agree on that? Not all?
Speaker 2 (15:48):
I can, because I didn't. I didn't think JJ McCarthy
was was worthy of that pick. But if you think
JJ McCarthy is worthy of that pick, you should think
he's better than what anwered like, Aaron Rodgers was not
good last year. I think he's the best quarterback available
in free agency, but like, he wasn't a top ten
quarterback or close to a top ten quarterback last year. Right,
even there, you know the good games, there's a lot
(16:09):
of stuff left on the field. But now he could
still spin it. He's still got the mind that he does.
But and hopefully, you know, another year off, the injury
is better, but it could be, it could be worse.
You know, he's forty one years old. Again, I just
I cannot wrap my head around a team trading up
for a quarterback in the first round and then in
year two with the easiest landing spot ever being like, yeah,
(16:30):
we're passing that up for a forty one year old
QB who wasn't good last year. Like again, if Aaron
Rodgers was coming off, if this is Aaron Rodgers two
years ago, be like, hey, you're getting a guy that's,
you know, one year removed from an MVP. We're three
years removed from Aaron Rodgers playing good football in the
NFL like Aaron like top ten quarterback level football.
Speaker 1 (16:49):
So I suppose the question is can he play at
the level that Sam Darnold did last year? Yeah? Minnesota okay,
so probably better?
Speaker 2 (16:58):
Probably better again, I think that, But if if like
they should have that, that that should be the same
evaluation for JJ McCarthy, And I think it is for
a lot of people in the building, probably the GMS
more so than the head coach. But like, that's that's
why they let Sam Donald walk, was because you know,
(17:19):
they thought JJ McCarthy could do better than him.
Speaker 1 (17:22):
M hm okay, So who thinks that he's going to
be a Minnesota Viking? Anybody here? No, I don't Pennick.
Speaker 3 (17:32):
No, and I still think that. I think that Rogers
is going to be a Pittsburgh Still.
Speaker 2 (17:38):
How many more conversations can the Minnesota Vikings have before
offering a contract.
Speaker 1 (17:42):
Yeah, I mean, I'm with you. I don't think it,
but I really want to see it. I do. I think.
I think it would be fun. And I love Kevin O'Connell.
He's my coaching crush. I'm a huge fan of his.
I want to see it.
Speaker 2 (17:57):
Oh, we just need a Brett far of prophecy to
be which he should wear number four.
Speaker 3 (18:02):
I was just about to say he should wear number
four too.
Speaker 2 (18:04):
MVP level season with the Vikings after failure with the Jets,
Like again, he would he would be like I think
in that offense, he'd you know, have thirty two touchdowns,
five interceptions and get like MVP talk.
Speaker 1 (18:18):
Nick Mullins left for Jacksonville. So I think number twelve
is available, Okay, h yeah, okay. So the Falcons keep
saying they're gonna pay Kirk Cousins that ten million dollars
roster bonus that he's due today, I'd be happy to
have him in the building, even though he is clearly
the backup Michael it is Michael Penix's job. Are we
(18:41):
buying all of that statement?
Speaker 2 (18:45):
Well, Kirk's not gonna be happy. I think the Falcons
if this was you know, Madden and these people that
have personalities, I like I would keep Kirk there too,
to have him in the building and helping with game
plan and having a you know, you know, somebody that
Mike Pennis can can talk to and ask questions, especially,
you know, because they're both you know, in that quarterback
(19:06):
who or mobile. But in reality, I don't I don't
see how Kirk Cousins is happy at all being there.
He's not, I mean has he hasn't been happy there
since you know, April last year, the.
Speaker 3 (19:18):
Month after he signed the contract. I think he's staying
because unless, unless, the unless, the Falcons are gonna buckle
up and just eat the majority of that contract and
then allow a team like the Browns the Titans, who
could still take cam Warden have Kirk Cousins as the
(19:39):
veteran backup for like a six round pick. I don't
think Kirk Cousins is going anywhere. I mean, the contract
is just absurd, seventy five million in dead money, and
if they were, let's just say, if they were to
cut him, and I guess this would be the same
thing for releasing him too, seventy a trading him as well,
seventy five million in dead money, and then they would
(20:00):
oh thirty five million against the cap for the cap savings,
it would put them in the red thirty five million.
So I mean, there's just there's no team that is
going to want like, Okay, you have to take the
money and I'll give you a six round pick. But
that's it. There's going to be no team that's going
to want to take anything, or you just release him
if you don't want him that bad. So that's why
I think they're going.
Speaker 1 (20:20):
To keep them. Well, they're definitely not releasing him because
the wouldn't pay him a ten million dollar roster bonus
to then release him. So that is off the table.
Let's play the trade game. And first of all, I
want to say, why they don't want him in the building. Now,
we heard that the day that Penni's got the job
as the starter, that Kirk Cousins was like the first
guy to call him and be like, hey, listen, I
(20:41):
am with you. That is part of my job. He's
a good veteran. We've heard of bad veterans. He is
a good veteran, so I'm not worried about him being
a malcontent in the building. Like, if you're to line
up all the guys in the NFL and say who's
the least guy who's going to be a problem, Kirk
Cousins is in the bottom five most likely. But the
Falcons don't want a guy who they're paying one hundred
(21:05):
million dollars to to be there just in case Michael
Pennock struggles the first month, because you know what everybody's
going to be talking about, Well, why aren't you giving
kirk Cousins another shot? He wasn't healthy last year. We've
seen what he can do at a high level. Why
don't you play him like? That's the last thing the
Falcons need to deal with. So now we get to
(21:25):
the business side of this. Nobody in their right mind
is going to trade for kirk Cousins full contract. But
would you be willing to say, kirk Cousins ten million
this year of the twenty seven that he's owed from
the Falcons, and sure, I'll give a fifth, fifth round pick,
because why not? Would don't you don't think that's some
needy team. We know that there's the Browns, the Titans,
(21:47):
the Giants, this unit.
Speaker 2 (21:49):
Would you, mister Cleveland Brown, would you because that's the
team that there's the only smoke I've I've seen with
with Kirk Cousins.
Speaker 1 (22:00):
I think I would pay. I think I would pay
ten million dollars and probably a sixth round pick. I
wouldn't want to give up the picks, but just to
do it. Either that or we'll talk about the Browns
quarterback situation.
Speaker 2 (22:16):
I say that I can transition do so. Would you
would you give up a six round pick and pay
ten million to have Kirk Cousins Kenny pick in the
shad door standers?
Speaker 1 (22:25):
Well, you know what, before we get to that, let
me let me do this because it all ties in.
Miles Garrett had his reinchentry press conference, which was a
weird thing. I don't know if you guys saw it.
The Browns put up like these dinosaurs up on the dais.
You know, they treat it like it was a free
agent signing instead of an extension. But I think because
of the media tour that Miles went on, well tour
(22:47):
or blowtorch, whatever you want to say, at the Super
Bowl that they had him meet the press on Friday.
Then he sat down with my buddy Andrew Ceciliano, who's
now the Browns radio play by play guy, and they
talked about the quarterback situation in all serious is do
you know who the quarterback is going to be? I mean,
do you have an idea? After conversations, I do have
(23:08):
an idea. Okay, do you like the idea?
Speaker 2 (23:13):
I like it enough to to uh be here smiling
in front of you because I think we have a
good chance of that happening and making the most out
of it.
Speaker 1 (23:22):
Can you tell us who it is? Miles? You know
I can't do that, Okay, So Miles, they told Miles
something what I.
Speaker 2 (23:32):
I don't pay attention to any pre draft smoke, right
unless it's like clear the ten that's going first, right,
like this whole Titans thing, like we're not going to
pass on an elite player at one, and then all
the trade smoke out of the combine now looks like
they're going like I just I just don't pay attention
to that, and especially anything that comes from a player's
mouth because they don't know. That was the first time
I've ever been like oh what, Like he knows right,
(23:56):
and he's not smoked, Like, why would Miles Garrett be
smoke screening with that?
Speaker 1 (24:00):
Like what? What? What was that?
Speaker 2 (24:03):
Like, I I'm I'm I'm baffled. Did he just tell
us the Browns are going to take Shad or Sanders
or cam Ward at.
Speaker 1 (24:10):
Picked two or one?
Speaker 2 (24:12):
Or did he say did he not want to say
that he didn't know about the quarterback plan and then
realized he was in too deep, so he said, yeah,
it's something I like because he wanted to try and
not be like, actually, they didn't tell me anything. They
just gave me forty million dollars per year.
Speaker 1 (24:27):
Well, whatever it was, he was in lockstep with the
organization because that was on the team website that was
put out by the team. That is an interview that
was done by the franchise. So whatever it is, they're
all in agreement on it. I don't know. Did you
did you find it interesting panic or not?
Speaker 3 (24:46):
Yeah? In my brain, cam Ward is a Tennessee Titan
until I improven. Otherwise, whether that's the first night of
April or you know, the draft night in April on Thursday,
or it's a trade a the Brown's trade up, the
Giants trade up. So cam Ward is a Tennessee Titan,
especially based on what they did in Freanancy. Did Russell
Wilson visit the Browns last week Thursday? I think that is.
(25:10):
I honestly, while the Steelers and the Giants are twiddling
their thumbs waiting over egotistical Aaron Rodgers, Cleveland brown should
go and sign Russell Wilson, And I think that is
the I think that is the signing and the guy
that makes the most sense. If you don't believe, Hey,
if the Browns really like cam Ward. But again, in
my head, cam Ward is a Tennessee Titans, is a
(25:32):
Tennessee Titan. But I don't know if you really like
Sure Sanders, I don't know if that's if that's the
guy that you want to pair with whoever, or as
we're you know, we're waiting to get that the sewing
money out out the building and out the door, I
think Russell Wilson is the guy that makes the most
sense to bring in and try and bring some sort
(25:53):
of stability that the Browns are desperate for without taking
a desperate swing at a quarterback that probably probably won't
be very good in should Sanders.
Speaker 1 (26:03):
So do you think paying let's say, let's say Russell
Wilson and Kirk Cousins financially are about the same. You
don't think that Kevin Stefanski would rather say, hey, let's
trade a sixth round pick for Kirk Cousins. I know
what I have here?
Speaker 2 (26:19):
Oh no, I would.
Speaker 3 (26:21):
I would much prefer Russ ver Kirk and.
Speaker 2 (26:27):
Had success with Kirk before.
Speaker 1 (26:28):
Yes, point right, that's the point.
Speaker 2 (26:31):
And like the only team I can see wanting Kirk
over Russ, I guess not the only there's a couple
of other teams that run similar offenses.
Speaker 1 (26:39):
And getting back to the Falcons standpoint, they want a
draft pick. They've got three picks in the first six rounds,
that is it. They've got two seventh rounders that ain't
gonna help you. So they need to get better and
they need to continue to put pieces on both sides
of the football for Michael Pennix. They have no money,
(27:01):
nobody then that's why the draft picks are even more valuable. Yes,
so go do that. And if you can save a
little bit of you know, jump change on Kirk Cousins,
so be it. I think they're forced to trade him
and what they're begging for is that Aaron Rodgers retires,
because that means that there's one less veteran out there
(27:21):
that's signed with a team, and so somebody else is
getting desperate.
Speaker 2 (27:24):
I'm almost rooting for the Rogers retirement at this point,
just to put all these teams in a scurry. I
can I say something else on the Falcons. I never
want to let it go how much they pissed me
off with this Cousin's penick thing, right, and then when
Pennix comes in this year and everyone being like, oh, man,
I guess they weren't so crazy after all, Yes they are.
They have no draft picks and no money because they
signed Kirk Cousins.
Speaker 3 (27:45):
Right.
Speaker 2 (27:45):
The argument was never just taking Michael Pennox alone. It
was like, why did you do both? Why did you
do both? You were picking eighth overall. Do not tell
me you weren't confident in to get Michael Pennix as
your quarterback. It just it drives me nuts that like
they've they've put themselves in this crappy situation.
Speaker 1 (28:05):
I get it, I understand it. It was it was
terribly mismanaged from the standpoint of giving Kirk Cousins one
hundred million and then picking a quarterback at eight. Nobody
has a problem. If you want to pick a quarterback
at eight, nobody does so. But you're right. The way
this has been done has not been Terry Fontineau in
(28:25):
the organization's finest moment. I get that.
Speaker 2 (28:28):
And they lost a pick because of tampering too from it.
Speaker 1 (28:31):
Okay, so let's finish it up with this. This discussion.
Is Kirk Cousins in Atlanta falcon after the draft?
Speaker 3 (28:42):
No, yeah, I'll say no. I think I think Atlanta
eventually gets desperate, they eat the majority of the money,
and they just take a Day three pick.
Speaker 1 (28:53):
I would agree, I say, no, who is the starting quarterback?
Let's finish it all up with this. Who is the
starting quarterback in Cleveland? After I'm number one on the
depth chart? After the draft?
Speaker 3 (29:10):
Curly Kirk, Bobby said, Kirk, don't take sure, don't take Shart,
don't take suret don't take sure.
Speaker 1 (29:20):
I'll say Russ for chaos, I think cam Ward Oh
who is the starting quarterback for the New York Giants?
Speaker 3 (29:31):
Russell Wilson, Well, I just went away from Rusk. I'll say,
Sir Sanders, Bobby love that.
Speaker 1 (29:39):
Who is the starting quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Aaron Rodgers,
Aaron Rodgers, Mason Rudolph. Who is the starting quarterback for
the Minnesota Vikings. J. J.
Speaker 2 (29:59):
McCarthy, I'm very boring in my answers. Yeah, I'm also
gonna go McCarthy Aaron Rodgers. I want pure chaos. I
didn't give you guys a giant starter.
Speaker 1 (30:11):
I agree. I think Shdeorge Sanders is your I think
he's your guy. I think that's where we end up.
Speaker 3 (30:17):
I think that's that's D and E.
Speaker 1 (30:20):
Look at you, Bobby, Are you okay? You look Constanpa.
Speaker 2 (30:22):
It's so much fun. I look forward to every d
M after a bad game. All right, let's let's let's
get let's get it rolling. You know what, rookie quarterback,
I'm gonna take advantage of the moment.
Speaker 1 (30:35):
So what does that mean?
Speaker 2 (30:37):
It means I'm gonna break down every single game of film. Baby,
That's what it means. I'm gonna break down every third down,
I'm gonna break down every d pats. It means I'm
gonna break it down.
Speaker 1 (30:45):
All right. We started this show with wide receivers. We're
gonna end it with a wide receiver. Cooper Cup has
a new home. He is staying in the NFC West
three years forty fuck to Seattle? Is that a huge overpay?
Or do we like what they have done offensively with
changing out wide receivers, you know, trading one, releasing Tyler Lockett,
(31:06):
trading Geno Smith, bringing in Sam Donald? Are we okay
with what has transpired here?
Speaker 2 (31:11):
It's a weird room, man, where you've got receivers that
are you know, a JSN, a Cooper Cup who aren't redundant,
but you know, similar in alignment. I won't even say role,
just alignment. Both are like, so you know, has so
much to do with timing and being on the same
page with the quarterback, where Sam Donald has been more
of a you know what, this is what we're running,
(31:32):
I'm gonna throw it here. If it's not there, I'll i'll,
you know, look to extend and make a play. But
I also can't blame them if they're going to bring
in Sam Donald and then trade away DK and let
lock it go. They had to bring in somebody else
in this receiver room that was capable, and so yeah,
can when we look back at those Cooper Cup contract
and say this is amazing or whatever. I don't know,
probably not, but they needed to bring somebody into that
(31:55):
wide receiver room. I'm more frustrated to the Patriots didn't
pay on this, right, This is the type of money
that they should have, you know, spent a little bit
of reckless toly On is helping your young quarterback and
Jake May.
Speaker 1 (32:05):
Yeah, and they still have like over one hundred million dollars.
Speaker 2 (32:08):
Or something that waste a little bit like I got
not everything needs to be the perfect contract when you
have when you have that type of cap space, you
don't need the perfect contract. You need to help out
your young quarterback.
Speaker 1 (32:19):
Yeah, particularly when you're not going to pay him for
another two years. So you're right, that would have been
a great one. As far as Seattle, it feels a
little bit panic. And I want you to follow up
on this is that they're rebuilding ish on the fly.
And yes, they signed Sam Donald to one hundred million
dollar deal for three years, but if you look at it,
(32:40):
the reports are according over the cap they can get
out after one year and thirty seven and a half
mil where there's no dead money and they're not penalized
at all. So they can use this as a one
year litmus test to see if this is a guy
that has truly grown as an NFL quarterback or he
was built in a lab by Kevin O'Connell. So they
can do that for one year. They got younger, they
(33:01):
got a third round pick. They now have five of
the top ninety two draft picks because they're the only
team that's got five in the top one hundred. They
can fix the interior that offensive line, I think if
you trust John Schneider's ability to draft interior offensive lineman,
because I think their running game can be way better.
They were a bottom five running team and by all metrics,
(33:24):
depending on which one you want to use, bottom five
offensive line. So I think that they can get better
and still be like a nine win team this year
and figure out if Sam Darnold's the answer. So I
don't hate what they have done entirely, do you?
Speaker 2 (33:40):
No?
Speaker 3 (33:40):
I don't either.
Speaker 1 (33:42):
You know.
Speaker 3 (33:42):
The not someone I think does rebuilding and retooling kind
of era is for the Seattle Seahawks. It's trying to
fix their lines, both both D line, which I think
their D line and their pass rush is closer than
their O line. But Rose you mentioned it. I mean,
the the only other teams that have five picks inside
the top one hundred and ten are the Browns, the Jaguars,
(34:03):
the Patriots, and the Giants. But you mentioned that they're
the only I think they're the only team that have
five picks actually inside the top one hundred and they
have the ninety second pick, But that this is where
they're gonna really in a draft where a lot of
people are talking about, oh, it's you know, it's very
you don't really have a lot of the superstars at
the top. It's it's a dual carter. It's Hunter and
then the two quarterbacks and then you know, where else
(34:26):
do you go? Or those guys really work those top
five top ten picks. So they have the eighteenth pick,
eighteenth pick, but I'm really excited for their fiftieth or
fifty second and there and there and their eighty second picks,
Like that's where I think, you know what, they're really
gonna need to hit on one or two of those
guys in particularly hopefully one of them is an offensive
alignment for them to really set them up in a
good direction. But it almost feels like what the Commanders
(34:48):
did last year. You know they brought in a guy
like DeMarcus Lawrence. You know, you bring in Cooper Cup.
It's like, all right, these guys are a little bit older,
but you're bringing him in here for a certain reason
for veteran leadership, and the also give you a little
bit of a boost and play while you're retooling. Just
the only difference between when teams try to replicate what
the commanders said last year is the Commander's capped it
(35:08):
off with Jiden Daniels. Odds are the Seahawks aren't going
to be getting that performance out of Sam Donald. They
could still be good, but it won't be like that.
Speaker 2 (35:17):
Yeah, I did. They need to add more young offensive
pieces to this team, is the reality of it. I mean,
I think that they've drafted that they feel good about
it is probably just Jans and Charles Cross, you know,
that's it, right, There's some other younger offensive lineman who
can grow and develop. Christian Haynes when they drafted in
the third round last year as a guy I was
(35:37):
a fan of. But they need young offensive pieces. I
think the defense is talented. It maybe lacks a little
bit of star power, but it is talented. They need
young offensive pieces added to this team for the long haul.
Speaker 1 (35:50):
Yeah, I think they're gonna be an team to watch.
I think in two years if they nail this draft,
they could be as long as Sam dar is still
the guy, because if not, then they got to figure
out where they go a quarterback next year. And that's
that's tough, tough run if you have having to do that,
but it sounds like financially they can without penalty.
Speaker 2 (36:12):
I have one more thing, just in case I've wanted
to get this out there for any Seahawks fans, lootening.
I did a film breakdown on their backup offensive tackle
Stone Forceyth. The Giants added they should have an upgraded
offensive coordinator. I had never been so mad at an
offensive coordinator. They just leave these these shitty tackles on
an island all game long. They don't run the ball
at all. It was the most reckless offense I've ever seen.
(36:35):
No wonder Ryan Grubb went back to college at Alabama.
But anyways, I just wanted to get that off my chest.
I'm sorry you had to deal with, you know, leaving
a second string tackle on an island all game one.
Speaker 1 (36:48):
All right, So for Bobby Skinner and Justin Pennock and
producer Connor. I am Chris Rose. We will see later
this week here on Football Today.
Hosts And Creators
Todd "Fritzy" Fritz
Dan Patrick
Patrick "Seton" O'Connor
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