NFL Network Insiders Mike Garafolo, Ian Rapoport, and Judy Battista break down the biggest stories around the league, including Aaron Rodgers declaring Pittsburgh as his next NFL home and the Ravens opening contract extension talks with Lamar Jackson. Cameron Wolfe checks in with updates on the Browns and Bills ahead of mandatory minicamp, while Jeffri Chadiha reports on key developments with the Chargers and Broncos. Nick Shook highlights 2025’s Make-or-Break candidates, and Adam Rank reveals the fantasy players to approach with caution this season. Plus, former All-Pro cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie joins Steve Wyche ahead of his induction into the Black College Football Hall of Fame.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:09):
Oh yes, mister Rodgers new neighborhood friend. Rodgers was from
out there in Pittsburgh. So here's Aaron Rodgers now joining
the area as a remember of the Pittsburgh Steelers. We
continue to dissect the fallout of Rogers finally deciding to
be a Steeler. We've got some make or break candidates
in twenty twenty five. Our guy Nick Schuck gonna be
(00:31):
with us live. You want to tune in when Nick
Shuck is live, that is coming up to talk about
these maker breakers for twenty twenty five. Man Adam Rank.
You know it's a Friday at the Insiders when Adam
Rank is joining us to preview the twenty twenty five
Fantasy season. He's got some buyer bewares. Yeah, Terry McLaurin,
(00:51):
little contract issue right now? Is that why? Rank says?
Beware find out later in the show. Welcome Inside with
the Insiders, Judy Matiza, Ian Rappaport joining me, Mike Garrafolo.
We have got a full house of folks. We got
Cam Wolf, we got Steve Weisch, we got Rank, we
got Jeff Chedea, we got Shook, we got everybody I
just mentioned there? Did I say Cam Wolf. He's joining
(01:14):
us very shortly here on the program.
Speaker 2 (01:17):
We're in June.
Speaker 1 (01:17):
It's a Friday, but we still have plenty to talk about,
including what happened on Thursday, as first reported by The Insiders,
Aaron Rodgers deciding, okay, all right, look, I get it right.
Didn't work out with the Jets, But here you've got
the New York Post basically saying that he is Pittsburgh's problem.
Now that's not the way the Steelers see it. They
(01:39):
see him as more of a solution than a problem.
But they're going to get the full gamut here.
Speaker 3 (01:44):
Ian.
Speaker 1 (01:45):
You were not with us last night, so curious to
hear your thoughts on Aaron Rodgers signing with the Steelers
from a financial perspective and every other perspective that you
can provide for us.
Speaker 4 (01:55):
First of all, has not officially signed. He still has
to take the physical. That's going to happen in the
next couple days. I would say, going to be in
Pittsburgh for mandatory Minikevin And reality is, this was the
timeline that the Steelers were anticipating. This is the timeline
that those who know Rogers thinking were anticipating show up.
Be it mandatory minicamp, take a physical sign.
Speaker 3 (02:15):
Maybe me with reporters.
Speaker 4 (02:17):
Certainly meet your new teammates, thirty a couple people, goodbye,
go home for the summer.
Speaker 3 (02:21):
That ends up to be exactly what happened. As far
as the.
Speaker 4 (02:24):
Financial still have no firm word on what the actual
contract is. Rogers said on Pat McAfee show that he
would play for.
Speaker 3 (02:31):
Ten million dollars.
Speaker 4 (02:32):
I actually expect the base to be somewhere around there,
with some incentive to get a little higher year, probably
looking at I don't know, maybe twenty million dollars or less.
Speaker 3 (02:41):
That's just sort of a ballpark figure.
Speaker 4 (02:44):
And really, Judy, what this kind of does is put
Aaron Rodgers in the same category as Tom Brady, same
category as Peyton Manning, same category as John Elway. Older
veteran quarterbacks taking not very big deals.
Speaker 3 (02:58):
Sometimes they've taken pay cuts. For Rodgers.
Speaker 4 (03:00):
Obviously, this is a new deal with the Steelers, but
a really really below market deal with a team that
has been beefed.
Speaker 3 (03:06):
Up around him.
Speaker 4 (03:07):
Plenty of high money players now, a high money receiver
in Dk metcalf. A team that is locked and loaded
just needed a veteran to get them where they are
dying to go.
Speaker 3 (03:16):
That is a Rogers hope happens with the Steelers.
Speaker 1 (03:19):
Yeah, Rodgers on the pat back if the show said
that he was willing to play Judy, He's willing to
play for ten ms, ten million dollars. I was willing
to play as well, but they decided to go with
Rogers instead. But there is still work to be done
in Pittsburgh. You know the team extremely well. You know
the Jets extremely well too, so you've seen both sides
of this as they come together here in Pittsburgh.
Speaker 5 (03:39):
Well, first of all, his appearance there for mandatory Mini
Camp is actually earlier than he was there for the
Jets last year. Remember he missed mandatory Mini camp last
year for the trip to Egypt, which Robert Soloch didn't
like so much. Everybody remembers that. So this is actually
pretty good for Aaron Rodgers appearing in Pittsburgh. I'm not
quite sure that this team is a fully finished product
(04:01):
in the way that maybe some of those other teams
that you mentioned Ian were.
Speaker 6 (04:06):
They do have DK.
Speaker 5 (04:07):
Metcalf and that was the big off season move before
Aaron Rodgers, but the wide receiver room after that is
sort of you know, neither here nor there. They've got
Calvin Austen, they've got Pat Fryronmooth that tight end, but
you wonder if they're now going to go out there
and try to get another veteran wide receiver. The offensive
line is good, there's some question about the tackles, and
(04:30):
that of course is very very important. We saw that
especially last year with the Jets, when he got a
little skittish, not surprisingly because the offensive line was not
holding up. He was getting hit and so he would
get rid of the ball very quickly, which did not
allow those big downfield plays to develop. That's what DK
Metcalf is so good at.
Speaker 6 (04:49):
They do have a really.
Speaker 5 (04:51):
Good defense, and they are counting on rookie running back
Caleb Johnson to inject more into that running game, which
of course is important for any quarterback, but particular a
post forty year old quarterback.
Speaker 1 (05:03):
Jet Steelers Week one NFLVP Mike North said that if
they knew for sure that Aaron Rodgers was going to
be a Steeler at the time that they made the schedule,
they would have put that game in primetime. But we'll
see it at one o'clock. We'll see his game against
the Packers. If he stays healthy and he's still the
quarterback of the Steelers. On October twenty sixth, that game
will be in primetime. Meanwhile, elsewhere in the AFC North,
(05:25):
the Ravens going about their business, not too worried about
who the quarterback is on one of their rivals, although
John Harball was asked about that. Lamar Jackson is set
(06:02):
to make a lot more money than Aaron Rodgers this
upcoming season, possibly even more. Ian Eric da Costa speaking
on the radio in Baltimore this week, talking about where
they stand with those contract negotiations. Early in the process,
you might be saying, like, didn't we just do this
a couple of years ago. Yeah, Well, the market's taken off,
and sometimes you want to extend your quarterback before you
get to the end of it. So where do the
(06:24):
Ravens and Lamar Jackson stand right now?
Speaker 3 (06:27):
The quarterback market has taken off.
Speaker 4 (06:28):
Lamar Jackson now the tenth I believe highest paid quarterback
in the NFL, which is considering where Lamar Jackson is,
which is an MVP candidate every single season, he should
be higher.
Speaker 3 (06:38):
But that's not all.
Speaker 4 (06:39):
This also was worked into his contract originally a really
high cap number got to be some way to make it.
Speaker 3 (06:45):
Easier on the team early on.
Speaker 4 (06:47):
The way to do it is to create a big
cap number kind of midway through and then you know,
you have to.
Speaker 3 (06:51):
Redo the deal. That is where they are.
Speaker 4 (06:53):
So if they are able to redo Lamar Jackson, they
would gain some cap space. There's some other deals they
could potentially doping that matter is a likely. Maybe he
gets a new deal that would be another one. Rashad
Babeman got one. I believe that was two days ago,
where yesterday, I don't know, it seems like a million
years ago.
Speaker 3 (07:10):
Yes, for now, But Lamar Jackson.
Speaker 4 (07:11):
Really the biggest question is is he going to be
the highest paid quarterback in the NFL like he probably
should be. If he is, it means over sixty million
dollars that Dak Prescott got And when John Harbo was asked,
but at the league meetings, he kind of acknowledged, like, yeah,
that's probably where this ends up. So that's really the
factor to watch for the Ravens and for Lamar.
Speaker 5 (07:30):
You know, the fact that we're talking about Lamar's potential
next contract tells you how very little drama there has
been around the Ravens This offseason, and because there's been
so much other news in the other teams in the division,
I feel like they've flown a little bit under the radar.
Let's not make the mistake here. This is still the
class of the AFC North. They won the division by
(07:51):
two games last season. They're loaded, they were a top
three offense, they were a top ten defense.
Speaker 6 (07:58):
They added DeAndre.
Speaker 5 (07:59):
Hopkins, they still have Derrick Henry. They drafted what should
be instant impact players on defense. So this team hasn't
made much news. There haven't been many ripples. But while
the other teams in the division have a quarterback competition,
in Cleveland, you've got the Aaron Rodgers situation with the Steelers.
The Bengals have some contract situations still to take care
(08:22):
of on their defense, in particular, the Ravens just keep
rolling along. Aaron Rodgers may close the gap, the presence
of Aaron Rodgers may close the gap, but the Steelers
finished two games behind the Ravens, and the Ravens are
not coming back.
Speaker 6 (08:34):
To the pack.
Speaker 1 (08:36):
Lamar Jackson over the next three years forty three point
five million, fifty two million, and fifty two million again
over the last three years of the deal. So Lamar,
keep clipping those coupons, you know, use some gift cards,
some promo codes.
Speaker 3 (08:49):
We'll get you.
Speaker 2 (08:49):
Sure, Sure, we'll get you there.
Speaker 1 (08:51):
Lamar, we promise. Elsewhere in the AFC North, I'm using
that transition again because we're going to our third team,
the Cleveland Browns mandatory mini camp underway in the four
way quarterback competition Joe Flacco, Kenny Picket, Dylan Gabriel, and
Shador Sanders. That is going to carry through training camp
and into the preseason. Cam Wolfe now coming in and
(09:14):
joining us to shed some light on how that quarterback
competition is going. Right now, what is the fans do
you want to see from these guys in minicamp?
Speaker 7 (09:20):
Yeah, right now, they just want to see how they
handle their selective reps. They're splitting it four different ways.
Some days it's Joe Flacco Canny Pickett dominating all the reps,
and some days the rookies dealing. Gabriel and Shaduur Sanders
get more reps and look, I can't wait to see
next week how they divvy these up. From what I understand,
it's been Flacco and Picket primarily with the first team,
and then Shador Sanders has mostly been doing the fourth
(09:42):
team reps now he's been doing well from those reps.
Talk to a couple of people in that building that
said he's been accurate. He's been really locked in the
meeting rooms and really showing the professionalism that people questioned
about him in the draft process.
Speaker 2 (09:55):
But many camp is a different level. You get Miles
Garrett coming back in town.
Speaker 7 (09:58):
He's aspected back the building after missing most of OTAs,
and a lot of people there are eager to see
how shud Or Sanders handles the pressure of real elite
pass rush, so that's going to be another thing that
ramps up for them. Joe Flacco, course is the guy
who had spent that time with Stefanski and twenty twenty
three going four to one, and from people I talk
to there, if you handicapped it in June, maybe Flacco
(10:20):
would be the favorite, especially given they have a tough
schedule out of the gate. But all four guys have
a chance to win this starting job, and we're going
to be tracking it through June and training camp to
see how the rookies and the Vets compete.
Speaker 1 (10:33):
All four guys got to have a chance. You just
don't imagine that they're going to carry four on the rosters.
So this is a battle for not only the starting
quarterback job, but also a job period. You could potentially
put one on the practice squad, but that's also going
to be an interesting part as this one plays out.
Let's move on to the Buffalo Bills. They have their
mini camp next week. What should we be paying attention
(10:54):
to there in Buffalo? Should it be? Let's say James Cook?
Hard to pay attention to. Guy's not there though, Yeah, Mike,
that's first thing?
Speaker 7 (11:03):
Is there a star running back? James Cook going to
show up? He hasn't been there for OTAs. He wants
a big money contract. He's coming off another excellent year.
He had over a thousand yards eighteen touchdowns, and he
wants to get paid. I spent a day with James
Cook on a fishing boat earlier this offseason, and he
told me his word of the off.
Speaker 2 (11:20):
Season is patients.
Speaker 7 (11:21):
He's going to be patient and get what he and
his team feels like they deserve. And this is going
to be a mark of mini camp to see where
they are as far as his comfort with the team.
He could be fined up over one hundred thousand dollars
if he doesn't show up for all three days in
mini camp, But the Bills also expect him to be there.
So I haven't got final word on it if will
show up or not, but that's certainly going to be
(11:42):
the eyeballs there. He noticed when Derrick Henry got that
two year, thirty million dollar extension, and so there's definitely
an expectation that he would get paid. I know the
Bills general manager Brandon Bean vocalized that right now they're
moving forward as if they're not paying him as of now,
and so we're at a little bit of a stale
ma and we'll see how James Cook and his team
responds and all the other side of the ball. I'd
(12:03):
love to see how their rookies they draft a lot
of defensive rookies earlier, play out there on the field
on the defensive side and get that pass rush and
pass defense right cam.
Speaker 1 (12:12):
He can notice Derek Henry's deal at si kuon Barkley's
deal all he wants. Yeah, the Bills are noticing the
stat line that doesn't compare and the fact that the
offense runs around those guys not so much in Buffalo,
which is not to say that he's not an integral
piece of it, but they're not going to pay him
that way like those other teams paid him. So somebody's
got to buckle here and to get to some kind
(12:33):
of agreement at some point. Camera Wolf appreciate Japal have
a wonderful, wonderful weekend. The Giants hit the weekend after
their OTAs this week they've got mandatory minichamp a little
later June seventeenth. In the meantime, this is a bit
of a quarterback competition here. Russell Wilson the expected starter,
but Jamis Winston and rookie Jackson Dart trying to push
(12:54):
for time.
Speaker 8 (12:55):
Yeah, Jackson's been great man. He's a great worker, great teammate.
Were having fun all us. We have a really good
quarterback room. Guys are so focused and you know, working
diligently every day. You know he's going to be extremely
extremely good talent, you know, and everything else. You know
throughout his career.
Speaker 9 (13:10):
Does it change anything for you, you know, having a first
round pick in the room with you.
Speaker 2 (13:14):
No, I didn't change anying at all.
Speaker 8 (13:15):
I think the biggest thing is for me is just
being my best every day, leading you know, just I
always think about, you know, just leading everybody. You know,
just leading every room, every moment, every time I gets
step on the white lines, and the opportunity of that.
Speaker 1 (13:30):
Russell Wilson's saying this week, he's only missed one practice
in his entire career for a funeral. Other than that,
he's on the field practicing every day. You can say
a lot of things about Russell Wilson, you can't say
that he's not out there working on his craft. Ian Rappaport,
your assessment of where the Giants are in their quarterback
situation right now.
Speaker 4 (13:46):
Yeah, I mean, with all due respect to Russell Wilson,
it has to change things having Jackson Dard in the room,
not that Jackson Dart's going to come in and start
week one. I don't think anybody wants Jackson Dart to
come in and start week one. Even if he comes
in training camp, sit up is the best quarterback.
Speaker 3 (14:01):
They've ever seen.
Speaker 4 (14:02):
It still makes sense to have a quarterback wait and learn,
and it is really fine. The thing that it really
does change duty for Russell Wilson is he no longer
has a safety net if it goes really poorly.
Speaker 3 (14:14):
The first three or four or five games.
Speaker 4 (14:16):
You know what everyone's going to be saying, you know
what talk radio is going to be like, you know
what all the newspapers are going to read.
Speaker 3 (14:23):
It is going to be different.
Speaker 4 (14:25):
It ramps up the intensity, no doubt, no doubt, and
really says for Russell Wilson, he has to start fast
to keep everything listen.
Speaker 5 (14:34):
This is going to be a test of the Giant's
patience because they want Jackson Dart to be able to
sit on the bench and learn. But the schedule is
extremely difficult, especially the first eight games of the season.
So even if Russell Wilson isn't playing particularly poorly, they
could still be losing games. And then they are going
to face the decision do they put Jackson Dart on
(14:54):
the field? Is he ready or are they rushing him
too much? Are they comfortable with him behind that offensive
line which which is okay but not great. Big decisions
ahead for the New York Giants, and of course there
could be jobs on the.
Speaker 6 (15:06):
Line at the end of the season.
Speaker 5 (15:08):
Going to be a pressure filled decision campaign for the Giants.
Speaker 4 (15:14):
Man, there is nothing better this time of year than
slow mo video passes flying through the air. That one
from Sam Darnold now the Seahawks starting quarterback. That's gonna
take a little bit of getting used to the Seahawks
starting quarterback making it look real pretty in May in Seattle.
I assume that wasn't right now, But anyway, they.
Speaker 3 (15:36):
Wrapped up OTAs this week.
Speaker 4 (15:39):
They got mandatory mini camp June seventeenth, So let's take
a little more into that if we can welcome inside
with the Insiders. Nick Shook from NFL Network I think
has a great article on NFL dot com examining the
make or break candidates for the twenty twenty five season. Nick,
thank you for joining us. Let's start right there. Tell
(15:59):
me about Sam Donald.
Speaker 10 (16:01):
Now, we don't need to rehash ian what Sam did
in Minnesota last year.
Speaker 2 (16:05):
We know he had a career year, but.
Speaker 10 (16:06):
He still has set up for a make or break
season because of the change that was required to get
him to Seattle. The Seahawks got rid of Gina Smith.
They sent him to Las Vegas. They then signed Sam
Darnold with the idea that we're going to change in philosophy.
New offensive coordiator Clint Kubiak prefers a guy who can
operate more with his back to the line of scrimmage
a play action style, and that fits Sam Donald's strengths.
(16:27):
But it was a calculated risk because there's no telling
that Sam Donald's just going to do this every year. Yes,
he had a great year, but there's no evidence too
that he's just going to sustain this. Now, they can
cut him and after June first next year and save
twenty seven point five million of his cap number, which
would be an easy way out. They also drafted Jaln Milroe.
So the conclusion is Sam Donald needs to produce immediately
in order to retain his job beyond twenty twenty five,
(16:50):
and he's not the only quarterback who needs to produce immediately.
We know Anthony Richardson was coming into a pivotal season
in twenty twenty five. We also know two truths about him.
He's an incredibly gifted athlete with a sky high potential,
but he's lacked consistency and it's frustrated the Colts so
much that they benched him for Joe Flacco last season.
Eventually went back to Richardson, but now things get a
little uncertain. They didn't believe in him enough not to
(17:13):
avoid going after another quarterback. They went and signed Daniel
Jones this offseason, they set up a camp competition and
to make things worse, Richardson has a shoulder issue that
he's dealing with. He's gonna miss mini camp. He'll come
back at some point in training camp. So just when
he was getting going, suddenly there's a little bit of uncertainty.
And if they're going to invest in him beyond this
year and beyond the fourth overall pick they spent on him,
he's gonna have to produce right now.
Speaker 11 (17:34):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (17:36):
Yeah, it is an ac joint injury, I would say
somewhat similar to the one he kind of had in
the past, same shoulder then seemed to be that serious.
No surgery requires just rest and rihab. But you're right,
not at all what you want this time of year
or at any point in the year. You know, another
play we've talked at times about his Travis Etm from
(17:57):
the Jacksonville Jaguars, has looked like a breakout candidate couple
different times. Has also seemed to be a trade can
that they've made clear they do not want to trade him.
So tell me about Travis Eten and what is at
stake for him this season.
Speaker 10 (18:10):
Yeah, the Jaguarson come out and say that they're not
going to trade him, that he's a big part of
their plans, but the production doesn't match with that.
Speaker 7 (18:16):
Now.
Speaker 10 (18:16):
He had back to back thousand yard seasons in twenty
twenty two and twenty twenty three. He looked like the
weapon they needed, but the production diminished significantly last season,
so much that Tank Bigsby ended up looking like the
better back of the two throughout that season, which was
obviously filled with struggles all across the board. But entering
the draft this past draft, a lot of people thought
they might take Ashton Genty at number five.
Speaker 2 (18:35):
They didn't.
Speaker 10 (18:36):
They traded up and took Travis Hunter instead. But the
rumors keep swirling so much that coach Liam Cohen had
to come out and say those are inaccurate. That we
love him, we believe in him, and he's been very consistent,
So do we believe in him? Will find out Another
player that needs belief from everybody because he's definitely not
inspired over the last few seasons is Kyle Pitts.
Speaker 2 (18:56):
The tight end in Atlanta.
Speaker 10 (18:57):
He was an incredibly athletic representation of what the future
of the tight end position could be when he came
out of Florida. He had a thousand yard season as
a rookie. But fantasy owners know the Pitts paradox all
too well. Over the last three seasons, one hundred and
twenty eight catches, roughly sixteen hundred yards and nine receiving touchdowns.
That's not good enough to justify the first round pick
they spent on him. You give him a bit of
a break because they've had a revolving door at quarterback.
(19:19):
Maybe it's settled down with Michael Pennix now taking over,
but he's in the final year of his rookie deal.
Speaker 2 (19:23):
So if he's going to cash in.
Speaker 10 (19:24):
In the offseason, or if he's going to give them
a reason to keep him around beyond twenty twenty five,
he's got to do it now, and he's got to
do it with Pennix.
Speaker 4 (19:31):
Yeah, this really does seem to be a fantasy owner
debate as much as anything else. So hard to get
production out of the tight end position, and then Pitts
is you know, he's got so much talent, just hasn't
quite delivered something no doubt to watch this season. Nick,
Thank you very much for joining us on the Insiders.
For sure, we appreciate it. Check out Nick's article NFL
(19:51):
dot Com slash Show.
Speaker 6 (19:57):
All Right, mandatory mini camps really getting going.
Speaker 5 (20:00):
Next week, the LA Chargers will be on the field.
That guy will be on the field. That is Ladd
McConkie entering his second season after a really impressive rookie season.
Let's welcome in our Jeffrey Chidia to talk more about
the Chargers and other things.
Speaker 6 (20:15):
Jeffrey, at this time.
Speaker 5 (20:16):
Last year, we had no idea the kind of impact
that Ladd McConkey was going to have on the Chargers
and the NFL. What are the expectations going into year two?
Speaker 2 (20:25):
Well, they are high, Judy.
Speaker 12 (20:26):
You know, they didn't take a receiver in the first
round this draft. That took Trey Harris in the second round,
so they have eye holds for him and brought in
Mike Williams. But yeah, this passing game really is going
to revolve around Lad mccackey taking that next step. And
he was great as a rookie with eighty two catches
eleven hundred yards. They talked this week about the importance
of taking care of his body, like he touched a
lot of shots.
Speaker 2 (20:47):
Not the biggest guy in the world.
Speaker 12 (20:48):
He's been watching tapes of guys like Julian Edelman to
see how to get down and avoid some of those
big hits guys landing on him. But he realizes he's
going to be a leader now, and he tried to
learn some things from Mike Williams. He's also tried to
amp up the leadership in the receiving room. His coaches
have talked about how he's tried to take some of
those younger receivers under his wing and help them grow
for an office that really needs the passing game to
(21:10):
take off this year.
Speaker 5 (21:11):
All right, let's switch to the Denver Broncos in the
same division of You know, we're only two seasons removed
from Evan Ingram's one hundred and fourteen reception season with
the Jaguars and Trevor Lawrence.
Speaker 6 (21:22):
It feels a little bit longer than that.
Speaker 5 (21:24):
Now he is in Denver with Sean Payton, who really
likes to have a joker on his offense. What kind
of role are we looking for for Evan Ingram? How
can he elevate that offense?
Speaker 12 (21:34):
Well, that joker roll is exactly where he thinks he's
going to fit in with the Denver Broncos, and he
said that was a big pitch from the Broncos when
they called him up as a free agent, the first
team actually to call him and bring him in. So
that meant a lot to him as far as building
a relationship and committing to them.
Speaker 11 (21:49):
And you're right.
Speaker 12 (21:50):
He had a tough season last season in Jacksonville, only
forty seven catches and only played in nine games with
a He had a hamstring injury and a labor and
tear that ended this season. But he's still caught forty
seven passes, which is you look at what the Broncos
did with four different tight ends last year. Those four
guys totaled fifty.
Speaker 2 (22:07):
One receptions overall.
Speaker 12 (22:09):
So he's still going to be a big part of
uplifting this offense. And he knows that he's going to
have opportunities with Sean Payton and Bownicks and all those
guys counting on him to make big plays.
Speaker 5 (22:18):
Can't wait to see what he does. Jeffrey, thank you,
enjoy the weekend.
Speaker 1 (22:24):
In case you missed it, Sakuon Barkley on the cover
of Madden twenty six leaping over a defender had some
help from the Ropes on this one just so he
didn't have to leap over guys repeatedly while they were
taking pictures and potentially hurt himself.
Speaker 6 (22:35):
But you get the point.
Speaker 1 (22:37):
It is recreating his leap during that Jacksonville game last year.
He's on the cover. Does he believe in the curse?
I mean probably not right.
Speaker 2 (22:45):
No, I'm believer in God.
Speaker 13 (22:48):
That's my mindset to be good Klans And I've had
injuries before. I tore my knee, I've stepped on a
foot and rolled my ankle. Was out for four to
six weeks and there was no curse then.
Speaker 2 (22:59):
And that's just how life works.
Speaker 11 (23:01):
You're going to have your ups and downs.
Speaker 13 (23:03):
But my mindset is coming in work, do what I
need to do, and the rest is in God's hands.
Speaker 1 (23:09):
I'm a believer in that awesome hat from the nineties. Hey,
what is Adam Rank having common with Saquon Barkley? Both
have been on The Insiders this week. That was during
our interview a couple of days ago. So this segment's
going to be fantasy buyer beware? Is it buyer beware
for Saquon? And if so, is it because of the cover?
Is there any other reason?
Speaker 11 (23:29):
Oh?
Speaker 9 (23:29):
Yeah, Christian McCaffrey was saying the same thing last year, like, no,
I'm not worried about the curse. I'll be fine. Did
he even play a game? I don't remember it was that.
I will tell you this though, if you want to
be afraid of taking somebody like Saquon Barkley because he's
on the cover of Madden, then like, be my guest.
Don't let me talk you out of it. But there
are other statistical reasons to avoid somebody like Saquon Barkley
(23:52):
this season. I think number one is the fact that
nobody has finished as the RB one in back to
back years since Gurley in twenty eighteen twenty seventeen, Like,
it is very difficult for these guys to maintain that
high level of success. Now, it's not to say that
I'm going to avoid him altogether. If I'm in the
middle of the first round in Saquon Barkley falls to me,
(24:15):
I will definitely fire in on him. I'm not going
to look at the Madden curse or anything like that.
It doesn't bother me. I'm just looking at the statistical
anomaly of guys going back to back, and I would
rather be on an ascending player like Bjean Robinson, I
think that's going to be the guy who ends up
being the running back one this season. Estian Genty is
somebody that I'm also thinking about in this space as well.
Speaker 11 (24:38):
I don't know.
Speaker 9 (24:38):
You'll have to ask me in August when I fully
make my decision. But I'm not afraid of Saquon Barkley
because of the cover one guy.
Speaker 2 (24:45):
Another guy that I am a little weary of.
Speaker 9 (24:46):
Is Devon ah Chain, and he was great a couple
of years ago, but if you look at this last season,
he ran the ball over two hundred times and his
efficiency went way down. During his rookie year, he was
averaging cl to what eight yards per carries.
Speaker 11 (25:01):
Something like that.
Speaker 9 (25:02):
It was significantly lower last year when they gave him
a ton of carries. So I believe going into this
season they are going to limit his carries and he's
not going to get as many rushing yards, might not
get as many opportunities near the goal line to run
the ball. But if you play in a full on
PPR league, which some of you do, and I understand
(25:22):
that I typically play in half point PPR, but in
full point PPR the other eight Chain's a little bit better.
But overall, again, some of those guys that I mentioned before,
I will be looking at them more so than Devon
in the first round.
Speaker 4 (25:37):
You know, rank, we try to give our viewers a
little bit more here compared to I don't know, maybe
other shows. They tune in, they expect the inside info
so they can give you a small bit of it.
Speaker 3 (25:45):
It's a chanchin, not h chin. The producer. Listen, that
is the proper pronunciation.
Speaker 2 (25:56):
That's what I said, a chan Listen.
Speaker 3 (25:58):
Listen.
Speaker 9 (25:58):
The producer was in my ear yelling at me, yelling
at me.
Speaker 3 (26:02):
I'm sorry I made that mistake. Listen. Some of us
are good teammates. We would never throw a producer under
the bus.
Speaker 2 (26:07):
I want people, are you I'm a bad team.
Speaker 3 (26:10):
Let's go through some wide receivers.
Speaker 4 (26:12):
Let's talk me through where we're out in the wide
receiver position, including Mike Evans.
Speaker 11 (26:17):
And Terry McCloy.
Speaker 2 (26:19):
Well, I do like Mike Evans as a person.
Speaker 3 (26:21):
Is a good teammate.
Speaker 9 (26:22):
Mike Evans certainly is, but when it comes to the
fantasy production, I'm gonna steer clear of him when you
look at the tier in which he is based. Now,
obviously Tampa Bay has been bringing in a lot of
younger talent there at the wide receiver position. They got
Jayleen McMillan a year ago, they brought in double le
this season, which means that at some point they're gonna
(26:42):
be moving on. And when you look at the tier
and for me, Mike Evans is like a Tier three
person and he's in there with Jackson.
Speaker 2 (26:49):
Smith and Jigba.
Speaker 3 (26:50):
I would rather have him.
Speaker 9 (26:51):
I'd rather have Lad McConkie T Higgins, Garrett Wilson. I
really do believe that Garrett Wilson's gonna have a huge
season this year with Justin Fields, even DeVante Adams. People
are going to be sleeping on DeVante Adams this season
because he's playing opposite of Pouka Nakua. But I really
love those players. So Mike Evans is a low end
Tier three person for me, And again, if I get
him at the right value, I'm I'm not gonna be
(27:14):
completely adverse Kary McLaurin, though with his contract situation, everything
that happened last year for the Commanders was amazing, and
anybody who had Terry McLaurin, myself included, you enjoyed the
benefit of eighty receptions he had thirteen touchdown receptions. The
regression is he's gonna come back to the mean a
little bit. I don't think that he reaches those numbers. Again,
(27:35):
they also bring in Deebo Samuel this year. There should
be a little bit of regression. So again, when you're
comparing him to other guys in his tier, I would
favor somebody else, like perhaps DJ Moore because we want
to continue that rivalry between Jade and Daniels and Caleb Williams.
But given the price that you're gonna be paying for
Terry mclaur and, I would look at some other options.
(27:56):
And again, Garrett Wilson is a guy that I feel
is far too often slept on in that third tier.
And those are some of the guys I'm looking for
moving forward into our summer drafts.
Speaker 1 (28:06):
It's Micklelan Mickllan.
Speaker 3 (28:09):
That's how the producer was outside.
Speaker 1 (28:13):
The producer doesn't speak French. Adam Runk, everybody Adam outside
of Paris buyer, beware of Adam Runk and Travis Hunter
and the Jacksonville Jaguars. We are we're talking them up
shortly what we're expecting to see from them and some
(28:34):
other teams as Rookie Minicamp approaches six. Here's the list
of the twenty twenty five Black College Hall of Fame.
Black College Football Hall of Fame nomine is your class
of twenty twenty five, including a couple of guys who
(28:54):
are patrolling NFL secondaries recently. Rashane mathis right there and
Dominique Rogers Cramarti DRC. Yeah he joined RSW. That's Steve
Weis to talk about the Enstroyment.
Speaker 2 (29:08):
All right, Dominique?
Speaker 14 (29:09):
First off, man, I love how you were just swagged out,
got the HBCU add on the legacy ball.
Speaker 10 (29:14):
You know, you know.
Speaker 14 (29:14):
I'm a Howard University graduate HBCU product, So I love
the way you're representing.
Speaker 2 (29:18):
But let's kick this off as to why we're here.
Speaker 14 (29:21):
On Saturday evening in Atlanta, I will be introducing you
and welcoming you into the Black College Football Hall of Fame.
How does it feel going into a shrine which recognized
these great players from HBCUs, Guys like Deacon Jones and
Jerry Rice, two tall Jones guys like that.
Speaker 11 (29:38):
Man, It's an honor and a blessing.
Speaker 12 (29:39):
Man.
Speaker 15 (29:40):
I remember coming into Cottage Man my freshman year and
them showing us a video of all the breaks that
passed before us, not just from Tennessee State, but from
Brambler and Jackson State, Alabama and them all.
Speaker 11 (29:51):
Kind of legacy.
Speaker 4 (29:52):
Man.
Speaker 15 (29:52):
I always thought to myself, one day, I want to
be one of those guys. Man, and it's time to unfold.
Speaker 14 (29:57):
And one of the great things about this Hall of
Fame is you recognize the great things guys did at
their HBCUs. You were great at Tennessee State, eleven interceptions,
guys couldn't get anything on you. But also in the NFL,
you're one of the last players from historically black college
you get drafted in the first round from you know,
and so what about you know, cementing your legacy in
(30:18):
that regard, But also the guys who come behind you
really have not been able to get recognized the way
you did.
Speaker 11 (30:26):
Man.
Speaker 15 (30:27):
I'm glad I did get a chance to go to
the Senior Bowl and the combine. That kind of helped
me because coming from an HBCU, we don't get that
much recognition because we don't play the top end schools
in the talents week in and week out, so we kind.
Speaker 11 (30:39):
Of slept on.
Speaker 15 (30:40):
But we have the potential to be first round as
we just need a chance. And I had the opportunity
to chance. Man, I just took advantage of it.
Speaker 11 (30:47):
Man.
Speaker 15 (30:47):
So I tell the guys that come from behind me
and always ask me the question. Man, I just say, Man,
I just kept working to opportunity really presented itself.
Speaker 14 (30:55):
And you talked about how you took advantage of the
Senior Bowl. You were the defensive MVP at the Senior Bowl.
You to the combine, ran that four two nine. Okay,
let's go back and look at the film. What about
guys making sure they take advantage of every opportunity. You're
wearing a Legacy Bowl advantage, which is kind of like
the Senior Bowl for HBCUs of guys doing everything they
(31:16):
can to enhance their stature.
Speaker 11 (31:18):
You got to do that, man.
Speaker 15 (31:20):
If they invite you somewhere, how you come out, Man,
I believe in you got to work out, man, just showcase.
The time is whenever you get that chance. So take
advantage of everything. And that's why I'm always going back
like you see me on Tennessee State campus a lot, man,
because I try to get back and get the guys
the resources that they need and just to be around
so they can see me in Maybe one of them
(31:40):
be like, Man, if he did it, I could do it.
Speaker 11 (31:41):
So I'm always around.
Speaker 15 (31:43):
I love, I love I love what the HBCU legacy
is doing for them, guys.
Speaker 2 (31:47):
Okay, and you know one thing I want I want
to really hit hit on you with.
Speaker 14 (31:50):
Here we see Michael Vick now coaching at Norfolk State,
Sean Jackson coaching at Delaware State. Former NFL players who
didn't really have any association with hbc he used, going
to coach at these programs. What are your thoughts on that,
especially since Eddie George just took Tennessee State to the
Ohio Valley Conference championship.
Speaker 2 (32:10):
Left for Bowling Green but there.
Speaker 11 (32:12):
Right, Yeah, but he said a light on us.
Speaker 15 (32:14):
Man, that's awesome that those guys doing that, because now
you got a coach that been there none at all.
Speaker 11 (32:19):
So now they're gonna understand the grind of the ABCUS
go through.
Speaker 15 (32:23):
Man. I think they gonna really help guys get there,
and you can get more guys to come there who
don't want to play for Michael Vick or the sign
Jackson or Eddie George. Man, so now you're not competing
with the big schools. You got guys that keep coming back.
So I hope more guys come back and coach Man
because we really need that because not only it's gonna
shed light, it's gonna get guys opportunity and now they
could get some more talent there.
Speaker 14 (32:44):
I want to bring some things kind of full circle
for you. We saw big news happen. You know in Pittsburgh.
This Aaron Rodgers is gonna go play quarterback for them.
But you you got your hands on at least one
of those passes from Aaron Rodgers. Walk us through that
a little bit. It tells you to think about him
going to pitch.
Speaker 15 (33:00):
I'll never forget it was the second round, I mean
the first round playoffs in Arizona. It was a shootout
between us, the Arizona Cardinals and the Green Bay Package Man.
And I picked him off that first series man, and
I still got that ball. I'm always chairs of that
ball because God always asked me who was the hardest quarterback,
and I always say Anon Roger because he throws his
receivers open when the receiver have a step on you.
(33:20):
You kind of have with the speed that I have.
You got to call Mike up speed he's not getting
you a chance to make up. So I always tell
people there's certain quarterbacks I just can't play with, and
he's one of them.
Speaker 2 (33:30):
I love hearing that.
Speaker 14 (33:31):
And real quick, you're going into the hall with one
of your contemporaries to Rashen mathis a dB.
Speaker 2 (33:36):
What about going in with him?
Speaker 11 (33:38):
Man? See, people don't understand the stuff that he did
for HBC.
Speaker 15 (33:41):
Man, I mean, he didn't go first round, but he
should have been man all the picks he had throughout
his career and just shutting people down.
Speaker 12 (33:47):
Man.
Speaker 11 (33:47):
Like, when you come from an HBC, you.
Speaker 15 (33:49):
Know the guys that went before you, and he was
one of the guys I looked up to, and they
kind of said I was like him, tall, skinny, small,
frail guy that could come out of breaks and get
his hands on the ball, the ball hawk. So he
was definitely somebody I looked up to. So to be
going in with him, it is kind of an honor.
Speaker 14 (34:02):
All right, DRC, I will see you in Atlanta Saturday
at the College Football Hall of Fame.
Speaker 2 (34:06):
Congratulations on everything.
Speaker 11 (34:08):
I appreciate it. The man, See you soon.
Speaker 1 (34:12):
Caleb Williams has had an eventful a couple of weeks
but he put to bed the notion that he didn't
want to be a Chicago Bear, a nugget that came
out in ESPN six Seth Wickershan's upcoming book, and Williams said, no, no,
maybe at some point like the thought, but once I
came in and visited, yeah, I.
Speaker 2 (34:32):
Wanted to be a Bear.
Speaker 1 (34:33):
Well on, he goes to twenty twenty five as he
Adam Rank and Judy Batista goes and tries to dispel
the notion that that's where quarterbacks go to die, which
is sort of came from his side anyway, So good
luck to spelling what you helped to set up there. Judy,
you've got an article on teams that have to nix
negative narratives. We're going to start with the Bears and
(34:55):
that notion.
Speaker 5 (34:56):
Well, as Rank will testify, this was not a narrative
that began with Caleb Williams and his family.
Speaker 6 (35:01):
This is a long standing narrative for the Chicago Bears.
Speaker 5 (35:05):
But the Bears this offseason have done just about everything
they can to set themselves up to finally dispel this
for Caleb Williams. They first of all changed the coaching
staff and hired Ben Johnson.
Speaker 6 (35:17):
They remade the.
Speaker 5 (35:18):
Offensive line, which was a huge issue last year. Remember
he was sacked like sixty eight times last season. So
they did a lot of work on the offensive line,
They drafted offensive weapons form, and just generally they put
Caleb Williams at the center of the Bears universe, which
is where he should be all along. Certainly, everything is
going to come down to if he vibes with Ben Johnson.
Speaker 6 (35:41):
And the play calling is good and all of.
Speaker 5 (35:43):
Those weapons come together and they get the running game going.
But this is a team that has finally put Caleb
Williams at the center of its plans, hoping finally to
dispel that myth.
Speaker 9 (35:55):
Jerdy, let me tell you the three best Bears quarterbacks
in my lifetime. It goes Jim Man, Jay Cutler, and
Walter Payton on the halfback option.
Speaker 2 (36:04):
And that's the list.
Speaker 9 (36:06):
Sorry, my friend Eric Kramer always gets upset when I
say that, But it's been a long time and the Bears,
it feels like they have their quarterback even with everything
that went wrong last year. Thirty five hundred yards, twenty touchdowns,
pretty good. One of the things that's impressed me the
most though, As the Bears have gone into minicamp or
OTAs this week is There was a play the other
(36:27):
day where Caleb Williams completed a pass to DeAndre Swift
there in the flight. I've even been that play. Ben
Johnson was on his case immediately stressing that he's got
to get the ball out faster, got to put it
in a better spot. And this attention to detail has
been something that's been lacking for the Bears at the
quarterback position pretty much forever. So I think that having
been Johnson there and what he's been able to do
(36:49):
throughout the course of his career leads us to believe
Caleb Williams is going to break through this season.
Speaker 11 (36:54):
At least that's the hope.
Speaker 1 (36:56):
On to the Bengals, who have spent money and time
and consideration their offense this offseason. Judy, what's the notion
that they have to dispel? I guess it's has something
to do with the.
Speaker 5 (37:05):
Defense, Yeah, because they have spent a whole lot of
time and money on the offense and not quite as
much on the defense.
Speaker 6 (37:12):
And the defense was a.
Speaker 5 (37:13):
Huge issue last year. That's what really kept them from
going to the playoffs. Now they changed the coordinator. Al
Golden is the defensive coordinator. But they still have this
Trey Hendrickson contract situation looming over them. He did not
participate in OTAs he has said that he will not
play on his old contract. We will see this of course,
is a mandatory mini camp coming up and we'll see
(37:33):
what happens when.
Speaker 6 (37:34):
We get to training camp.
Speaker 5 (37:35):
They even have a contract situation with the rookie Schamar Stewart.
An awful lot is going to be placed on al
Golden and if we get Trey Hendrickson in there, Trey
Hendrickson and Shamar Stewart to get a whole lot more
production out.
Speaker 6 (37:49):
Of that defense.
Speaker 5 (37:50):
The reality for the Bengals is they don't need to
have a number one defense in the league. They need
just marginal improvement in that defense because the offense has
been so good as long as Joe Burrow is healthy,
Just a little bit of improvement in that defense and
they will get to the playoffs.
Speaker 9 (38:07):
Yeah, all they need to do is make a couple
of stops here and there, And that really lends itself
to where the Bengals struggled last season was number one
in the red zone. They were one of the worst
teams at stopping opposing clubs in the red zone and
they don't create enough turnovers. So they have to get
everybody signed. They got to get Trey Hendrickson in there,
get everybody signed, make some turnovers, and yes, every once
in a while, stop somebody in the red zone.
Speaker 3 (38:29):
And this team is one of the best in the AFC.
Speaker 1 (38:32):
Judy to the Arizona Cardinals. I feel like we don't
talk enough about the Cardinals. This is a big year
for Jonathan Gannon in this regime, entering year three, having
to take that next step. What do the Cardinals need
to dispel?
Speaker 11 (38:44):
Oh?
Speaker 5 (38:44):
I think they have to dispel the myth that their
offense underachieved last season. And it's going to be hard
to do that because if you look at the numbers
when you have a healthy Kyler Murray he played seventeen games,
they did underachieved.
Speaker 6 (38:56):
They were twelveth in points scored.
Speaker 5 (38:58):
Eighteenth and passing seven teenth in red zone percentage.
Speaker 6 (39:01):
I mean, that's good, but it's not great.
Speaker 5 (39:03):
It's kind of underwhelming, and I think most disappointing was
that Marvin Harrison Junior, who is considered one of the
best wide receiver prospects to come out in years, was
not a much bigger factor in the offense. He was
targeted one hundred and sixteen times, he caught sixty two
passes for eight hundred and eighty five yards. He was
targeted double digit times just three games of the seventeen
(39:23):
games he played.
Speaker 6 (39:24):
Compare that to Malik Neighbors, who.
Speaker 5 (39:27):
Was dealing with far less quarterback play, much worse situation.
He was targeted one hundred and seventy times, caught one
hundred and nine passes for twelve hundred and four yards.
So he was a much more integral part of the
Giants offense than Marvin Harrison Junior was in Arizona. They
got to get him much more involved in that offense
this year.
Speaker 9 (39:46):
But I feel like one of the problem was trying
to force the ball into Marvin Harrison Junior, because when
you take away his targets and catches Kyler Murray's, his
completion percentage was in the seventies when not targeting Marvin
Harrison Junior. James Connor did really well, Trey McBride did
really well despite not catching the ball in the end zone.
Speaker 2 (40:05):
And then there was Greg Dortch.
Speaker 9 (40:07):
So they got to be better targets to Marvin Harrison junior,
and if they can find a way to creatively get
him the ball and still make this offense efficient, the
Cardinals have a really good opportunity this season to make
the playoffs.
Speaker 1 (40:19):
NFL dot Com backslash Batista three, T's two and then one.
You can get that story as well as everything else
that she has written recently.
Speaker 2 (40:27):
Go read it all.
Speaker 1 (40:28):
I'm talking to you, Adam Rank, because you're done, you
can just go read Judy now. Speaking of the Cardinals,
earlier this week, they held their fourth annual Civics Matters
Arizona Trip. The event sent approximately two hundred and seventy
five Arizona high school students from across the state on
an all expenses paid trip to the nation's capital. Students
got to ride the Cardinals team plane to Washington, DC
(40:50):
for a four day, three night trip. The Civics Matters
Arizona program is a civic engagement initiative for students across
the state. That is some fine work from the Cardinals there, folks.
We are almost at the end of the spring session
for the NFL, but before we break for the summer, yes,
mandatory minicamp for all these teams that begin on Tuesday,
(41:14):
much of the league is going to be in miniicamp
this week. You won't see the Patriots on this list
because they begin mandatory mini camp Monday. They're actually the
first team to do that. So with that said, insiders
come back in here. Ian, who are we most looking
forward to seeing in a veteran minicamp? I keep saying Rookie.
Stop saying Rookie, dude.
Speaker 4 (41:32):
Yeah, Rookie was like a month ago. This is actual
mandatory mini camp. I'm looking forward to seeing the Cowboys,
mostly because I know Dak Prescott has been taking part
in ots. I know he's been doing all the agility
jeels with the quarterbacks. We haven't seen him do very
much since that significant hamstring injury. At the least, it'll
be nice to see him on the field with his teammates.
Speaker 5 (41:54):
I am looking forward to seeing Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers.
Speaker 6 (41:57):
There is no other answer.
Speaker 3 (42:00):
I will be there.
Speaker 1 (42:01):
Tune in next week. Have a great week at everybody.
Insiders out
Oh yes, mister Rodgers new neighborhood friend. Rodgers was from
out there in Pittsburgh. So here's Aaron Rodgers now joining
the area as a remember of the Pittsburgh Steelers. We
continue to dissect the fallout of Rogers finally deciding to
be a Steeler. We've got some make or break candidates
in twenty twenty five. Our guy Nick Schuck gonna be
(00:31):
with us live. You want to tune in when Nick
Shuck is live, that is coming up to talk about
these maker breakers for twenty twenty five. Man Adam Rank.
You know it's a Friday at the Insiders when Adam
Rank is joining us to preview the twenty twenty five
Fantasy season. He's got some buyer bewares. Yeah, Terry McLaurin,
(00:51):
little contract issue right now? Is that why? Rank says?
Beware find out later in the show. Welcome Inside with
the Insiders, Judy Matiza, Ian Rappaport joining me, Mike Garrafolo.
We have got a full house of folks. We got
Cam Wolf, we got Steve Weisch, we got Rank, we
got Jeff Chedea, we got Shook, we got everybody I
just mentioned there? Did I say Cam Wolf. He's joining
(01:14):
us very shortly here on the program.
Speaker 2 (01:17):
We're in June.
Speaker 1 (01:17):
It's a Friday, but we still have plenty to talk about,
including what happened on Thursday, as first reported by The Insiders,
Aaron Rodgers deciding, okay, all right, look, I get it right.
Didn't work out with the Jets, But here you've got
the New York Post basically saying that he is Pittsburgh's problem.
Now that's not the way the Steelers see it. They
(01:39):
see him as more of a solution than a problem.
But they're going to get the full gamut here.
Speaker 3 (01:44):
Ian.
Speaker 1 (01:45):
You were not with us last night, so curious to
hear your thoughts on Aaron Rodgers signing with the Steelers
from a financial perspective and every other perspective that you
can provide for us.
Speaker 4 (01:55):
First of all, has not officially signed. He still has
to take the physical. That's going to happen in the
next couple days. I would say, going to be in
Pittsburgh for mandatory Minikevin And reality is, this was the
timeline that the Steelers were anticipating. This is the timeline
that those who know Rogers thinking were anticipating show up.
Be it mandatory minicamp, take a physical sign.
Speaker 3 (02:15):
Maybe me with reporters.
Speaker 4 (02:17):
Certainly meet your new teammates, thirty a couple people, goodbye,
go home for the summer.
Speaker 3 (02:21):
That ends up to be exactly what happened. As far
as the.
Speaker 4 (02:24):
Financial still have no firm word on what the actual
contract is. Rogers said on Pat McAfee show that he
would play for.
Speaker 3 (02:31):
Ten million dollars.
Speaker 4 (02:32):
I actually expect the base to be somewhere around there,
with some incentive to get a little higher year, probably
looking at I don't know, maybe twenty million dollars or less.
Speaker 3 (02:41):
That's just sort of a ballpark figure.
Speaker 4 (02:44):
And really, Judy, what this kind of does is put
Aaron Rodgers in the same category as Tom Brady, same
category as Peyton Manning, same category as John Elway. Older
veteran quarterbacks taking not very big deals.
Speaker 3 (02:58):
Sometimes they've taken pay cuts. For Rodgers.
Speaker 4 (03:00):
Obviously, this is a new deal with the Steelers, but
a really really below market deal with a team that
has been beefed.
Speaker 3 (03:06):
Up around him.
Speaker 4 (03:07):
Plenty of high money players now, a high money receiver
in Dk metcalf. A team that is locked and loaded
just needed a veteran to get them where they are
dying to go.
Speaker 3 (03:16):
That is a Rogers hope happens with the Steelers.
Speaker 1 (03:19):
Yeah, Rodgers on the pat back if the show said
that he was willing to play Judy, He's willing to
play for ten ms, ten million dollars. I was willing
to play as well, but they decided to go with
Rogers instead. But there is still work to be done
in Pittsburgh. You know the team extremely well. You know
the Jets extremely well too, so you've seen both sides
of this as they come together here in Pittsburgh.
Speaker 5 (03:39):
Well, first of all, his appearance there for mandatory Mini
Camp is actually earlier than he was there for the
Jets last year. Remember he missed mandatory Mini camp last
year for the trip to Egypt, which Robert Soloch didn't
like so much. Everybody remembers that. So this is actually
pretty good for Aaron Rodgers appearing in Pittsburgh. I'm not
quite sure that this team is a fully finished product
(04:01):
in the way that maybe some of those other teams
that you mentioned Ian were.
Speaker 6 (04:06):
They do have DK.
Speaker 5 (04:07):
Metcalf and that was the big off season move before
Aaron Rodgers, but the wide receiver room after that is
sort of you know, neither here nor there. They've got
Calvin Austen, they've got Pat Fryronmooth that tight end, but
you wonder if they're now going to go out there
and try to get another veteran wide receiver. The offensive
line is good, there's some question about the tackles, and
(04:30):
that of course is very very important. We saw that
especially last year with the Jets, when he got a
little skittish, not surprisingly because the offensive line was not
holding up. He was getting hit and so he would
get rid of the ball very quickly, which did not
allow those big downfield plays to develop. That's what DK
Metcalf is so good at.
Speaker 6 (04:49):
They do have a really.
Speaker 5 (04:51):
Good defense, and they are counting on rookie running back
Caleb Johnson to inject more into that running game, which
of course is important for any quarterback, but particular a
post forty year old quarterback.
Speaker 1 (05:03):
Jet Steelers Week one NFLVP Mike North said that if
they knew for sure that Aaron Rodgers was going to
be a Steeler at the time that they made the schedule,
they would have put that game in primetime. But we'll
see it at one o'clock. We'll see his game against
the Packers. If he stays healthy and he's still the
quarterback of the Steelers. On October twenty sixth, that game
will be in primetime. Meanwhile, elsewhere in the AFC North,
(05:25):
the Ravens going about their business, not too worried about
who the quarterback is on one of their rivals, although
John Harball was asked about that. Lamar Jackson is set
(06:02):
to make a lot more money than Aaron Rodgers this
upcoming season, possibly even more. Ian Eric da Costa speaking
on the radio in Baltimore this week, talking about where
they stand with those contract negotiations. Early in the process,
you might be saying, like, didn't we just do this
a couple of years ago. Yeah, Well, the market's taken off,
and sometimes you want to extend your quarterback before you
get to the end of it. So where do the
(06:24):
Ravens and Lamar Jackson stand right now?
Speaker 3 (06:27):
The quarterback market has taken off.
Speaker 4 (06:28):
Lamar Jackson now the tenth I believe highest paid quarterback
in the NFL, which is considering where Lamar Jackson is,
which is an MVP candidate every single season, he should
be higher.
Speaker 3 (06:38):
But that's not all.
Speaker 4 (06:39):
This also was worked into his contract originally a really
high cap number got to be some way to make it.
Speaker 3 (06:45):
Easier on the team early on.
Speaker 4 (06:47):
The way to do it is to create a big
cap number kind of midway through and then you know,
you have to.
Speaker 3 (06:51):
Redo the deal. That is where they are.
Speaker 4 (06:53):
So if they are able to redo Lamar Jackson, they
would gain some cap space. There's some other deals they
could potentially doping that matter is a likely. Maybe he
gets a new deal that would be another one. Rashad
Babeman got one. I believe that was two days ago,
where yesterday, I don't know, it seems like a million
years ago.
Speaker 3 (07:10):
Yes, for now, But Lamar Jackson.
Speaker 4 (07:11):
Really the biggest question is is he going to be
the highest paid quarterback in the NFL like he probably
should be. If he is, it means over sixty million
dollars that Dak Prescott got And when John Harbo was asked,
but at the league meetings, he kind of acknowledged, like, yeah,
that's probably where this ends up. So that's really the
factor to watch for the Ravens and for Lamar.
Speaker 5 (07:30):
You know, the fact that we're talking about Lamar's potential
next contract tells you how very little drama there has
been around the Ravens This offseason, and because there's been
so much other news in the other teams in the division,
I feel like they've flown a little bit under the radar.
Let's not make the mistake here. This is still the
class of the AFC North. They won the division by
(07:51):
two games last season. They're loaded, they were a top
three offense, they were a top ten defense.
Speaker 6 (07:58):
They added DeAndre.
Speaker 5 (07:59):
Hopkins, they still have Derrick Henry. They drafted what should
be instant impact players on defense. So this team hasn't
made much news. There haven't been many ripples. But while
the other teams in the division have a quarterback competition,
in Cleveland, you've got the Aaron Rodgers situation with the Steelers.
The Bengals have some contract situations still to take care
(08:22):
of on their defense, in particular, the Ravens just keep
rolling along. Aaron Rodgers may close the gap, the presence
of Aaron Rodgers may close the gap, but the Steelers
finished two games behind the Ravens, and the Ravens are
not coming back.
Speaker 6 (08:34):
To the pack.
Speaker 1 (08:36):
Lamar Jackson over the next three years forty three point
five million, fifty two million, and fifty two million again
over the last three years of the deal. So Lamar,
keep clipping those coupons, you know, use some gift cards,
some promo codes.
Speaker 3 (08:49):
We'll get you.
Speaker 2 (08:49):
Sure, Sure, we'll get you there.
Speaker 1 (08:51):
Lamar, we promise. Elsewhere in the AFC North, I'm using
that transition again because we're going to our third team,
the Cleveland Browns mandatory mini camp underway in the four
way quarterback competition Joe Flacco, Kenny Picket, Dylan Gabriel, and
Shador Sanders. That is going to carry through training camp
and into the preseason. Cam Wolfe now coming in and
(09:14):
joining us to shed some light on how that quarterback
competition is going. Right now, what is the fans do
you want to see from these guys in minicamp?
Speaker 7 (09:20):
Yeah, right now, they just want to see how they
handle their selective reps. They're splitting it four different ways.
Some days it's Joe Flacco Canny Pickett dominating all the reps,
and some days the rookies dealing. Gabriel and Shaduur Sanders
get more reps and look, I can't wait to see
next week how they divvy these up. From what I understand,
it's been Flacco and Picket primarily with the first team,
and then Shador Sanders has mostly been doing the fourth
(09:42):
team reps now he's been doing well from those reps.
Talk to a couple of people in that building that
said he's been accurate. He's been really locked in the
meeting rooms and really showing the professionalism that people questioned
about him in the draft process.
Speaker 2 (09:55):
But many camp is a different level. You get Miles
Garrett coming back in town.
Speaker 7 (09:58):
He's aspected back the building after missing most of OTAs,
and a lot of people there are eager to see
how shud Or Sanders handles the pressure of real elite
pass rush, so that's going to be another thing that
ramps up for them. Joe Flacco, course is the guy
who had spent that time with Stefanski and twenty twenty
three going four to one, and from people I talk
to there, if you handicapped it in June, maybe Flacco
(10:20):
would be the favorite, especially given they have a tough
schedule out of the gate. But all four guys have
a chance to win this starting job, and we're going
to be tracking it through June and training camp to
see how the rookies and the Vets compete.
Speaker 1 (10:33):
All four guys got to have a chance. You just
don't imagine that they're going to carry four on the rosters.
So this is a battle for not only the starting
quarterback job, but also a job period. You could potentially
put one on the practice squad, but that's also going
to be an interesting part as this one plays out.
Let's move on to the Buffalo Bills. They have their
mini camp next week. What should we be paying attention
(10:54):
to there in Buffalo? Should it be? Let's say James Cook?
Hard to pay attention to. Guy's not there though, Yeah, Mike,
that's first thing?
Speaker 7 (11:03):
Is there a star running back? James Cook going to
show up? He hasn't been there for OTAs. He wants
a big money contract. He's coming off another excellent year.
He had over a thousand yards eighteen touchdowns, and he
wants to get paid. I spent a day with James
Cook on a fishing boat earlier this offseason, and he
told me his word of the off.
Speaker 2 (11:20):
Season is patients.
Speaker 7 (11:21):
He's going to be patient and get what he and
his team feels like they deserve. And this is going
to be a mark of mini camp to see where
they are as far as his comfort with the team.
He could be fined up over one hundred thousand dollars
if he doesn't show up for all three days in
mini camp, But the Bills also expect him to be there.
So I haven't got final word on it if will
show up or not, but that's certainly going to be
(11:42):
the eyeballs there. He noticed when Derrick Henry got that
two year, thirty million dollar extension, and so there's definitely
an expectation that he would get paid. I know the
Bills general manager Brandon Bean vocalized that right now they're
moving forward as if they're not paying him as of now,
and so we're at a little bit of a stale
ma and we'll see how James Cook and his team
responds and all the other side of the ball. I'd
(12:03):
love to see how their rookies they draft a lot
of defensive rookies earlier, play out there on the field
on the defensive side and get that pass rush and
pass defense right cam.
Speaker 1 (12:12):
He can notice Derek Henry's deal at si kuon Barkley's
deal all he wants. Yeah, the Bills are noticing the
stat line that doesn't compare and the fact that the
offense runs around those guys not so much in Buffalo,
which is not to say that he's not an integral
piece of it, but they're not going to pay him
that way like those other teams paid him. So somebody's
got to buckle here and to get to some kind
(12:33):
of agreement at some point. Camera Wolf appreciate Japal have
a wonderful, wonderful weekend. The Giants hit the weekend after
their OTAs this week they've got mandatory minichamp a little
later June seventeenth. In the meantime, this is a bit
of a quarterback competition here. Russell Wilson the expected starter,
but Jamis Winston and rookie Jackson Dart trying to push
(12:54):
for time.
Speaker 8 (12:55):
Yeah, Jackson's been great man. He's a great worker, great teammate.
Were having fun all us. We have a really good
quarterback room. Guys are so focused and you know, working
diligently every day. You know he's going to be extremely
extremely good talent, you know, and everything else. You know
throughout his career.
Speaker 9 (13:10):
Does it change anything for you, you know, having a first
round pick in the room with you.
Speaker 2 (13:14):
No, I didn't change anying at all.
Speaker 8 (13:15):
I think the biggest thing is for me is just
being my best every day, leading you know, just I
always think about, you know, just leading everybody. You know,
just leading every room, every moment, every time I gets
step on the white lines, and the opportunity of that.
Speaker 1 (13:30):
Russell Wilson's saying this week, he's only missed one practice
in his entire career for a funeral. Other than that,
he's on the field practicing every day. You can say
a lot of things about Russell Wilson, you can't say
that he's not out there working on his craft. Ian Rappaport,
your assessment of where the Giants are in their quarterback
situation right now.
Speaker 4 (13:46):
Yeah, I mean, with all due respect to Russell Wilson,
it has to change things having Jackson Dard in the room,
not that Jackson Dart's going to come in and start
week one. I don't think anybody wants Jackson Dart to
come in and start week one. Even if he comes
in training camp, sit up is the best quarterback.
Speaker 3 (14:01):
They've ever seen.
Speaker 4 (14:02):
It still makes sense to have a quarterback wait and learn,
and it is really fine. The thing that it really
does change duty for Russell Wilson is he no longer
has a safety net if it goes really poorly.
Speaker 3 (14:14):
The first three or four or five games.
Speaker 4 (14:16):
You know what everyone's going to be saying, you know
what talk radio is going to be like, you know
what all the newspapers are going to read.
Speaker 3 (14:23):
It is going to be different.
Speaker 4 (14:25):
It ramps up the intensity, no doubt, no doubt, and
really says for Russell Wilson, he has to start fast
to keep everything listen.
Speaker 5 (14:34):
This is going to be a test of the Giant's
patience because they want Jackson Dart to be able to
sit on the bench and learn. But the schedule is
extremely difficult, especially the first eight games of the season.
So even if Russell Wilson isn't playing particularly poorly, they
could still be losing games. And then they are going
to face the decision do they put Jackson Dart on
(14:54):
the field? Is he ready or are they rushing him
too much? Are they comfortable with him behind that offensive
line which which is okay but not great. Big decisions
ahead for the New York Giants, and of course there
could be jobs on the.
Speaker 6 (15:06):
Line at the end of the season.
Speaker 5 (15:08):
Going to be a pressure filled decision campaign for the Giants.
Speaker 4 (15:14):
Man, there is nothing better this time of year than
slow mo video passes flying through the air. That one
from Sam Darnold now the Seahawks starting quarterback. That's gonna
take a little bit of getting used to the Seahawks
starting quarterback making it look real pretty in May in Seattle.
I assume that wasn't right now, But anyway, they.
Speaker 3 (15:36):
Wrapped up OTAs this week.
Speaker 4 (15:39):
They got mandatory mini camp June seventeenth, So let's take
a little more into that if we can welcome inside
with the Insiders. Nick Shook from NFL Network I think
has a great article on NFL dot com examining the
make or break candidates for the twenty twenty five season. Nick,
thank you for joining us. Let's start right there. Tell
(15:59):
me about Sam Donald.
Speaker 10 (16:01):
Now, we don't need to rehash ian what Sam did
in Minnesota last year.
Speaker 2 (16:05):
We know he had a career year, but.
Speaker 10 (16:06):
He still has set up for a make or break
season because of the change that was required to get
him to Seattle. The Seahawks got rid of Gina Smith.
They sent him to Las Vegas. They then signed Sam
Darnold with the idea that we're going to change in philosophy.
New offensive coordiator Clint Kubiak prefers a guy who can
operate more with his back to the line of scrimmage
a play action style, and that fits Sam Donald's strengths.
(16:27):
But it was a calculated risk because there's no telling
that Sam Donald's just going to do this every year. Yes,
he had a great year, but there's no evidence too
that he's just going to sustain this. Now, they can
cut him and after June first next year and save
twenty seven point five million of his cap number, which
would be an easy way out. They also drafted Jaln Milroe.
So the conclusion is Sam Donald needs to produce immediately
in order to retain his job beyond twenty twenty five,
(16:50):
and he's not the only quarterback who needs to produce immediately.
We know Anthony Richardson was coming into a pivotal season
in twenty twenty five. We also know two truths about him.
He's an incredibly gifted athlete with a sky high potential,
but he's lacked consistency and it's frustrated the Colts so
much that they benched him for Joe Flacco last season.
Eventually went back to Richardson, but now things get a
little uncertain. They didn't believe in him enough not to
(17:13):
avoid going after another quarterback. They went and signed Daniel
Jones this offseason, they set up a camp competition and
to make things worse, Richardson has a shoulder issue that
he's dealing with. He's gonna miss mini camp. He'll come
back at some point in training camp. So just when
he was getting going, suddenly there's a little bit of uncertainty.
And if they're going to invest in him beyond this
year and beyond the fourth overall pick they spent on him,
he's gonna have to produce right now.
Speaker 11 (17:34):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (17:36):
Yeah, it is an ac joint injury, I would say
somewhat similar to the one he kind of had in
the past, same shoulder then seemed to be that serious.
No surgery requires just rest and rihab. But you're right,
not at all what you want this time of year
or at any point in the year. You know, another
play we've talked at times about his Travis Etm from
(17:57):
the Jacksonville Jaguars, has looked like a breakout candidate couple
different times. Has also seemed to be a trade can
that they've made clear they do not want to trade him.
So tell me about Travis Eten and what is at
stake for him this season.
Speaker 10 (18:10):
Yeah, the Jaguarson come out and say that they're not
going to trade him, that he's a big part of
their plans, but the production doesn't match with that.
Speaker 7 (18:16):
Now.
Speaker 10 (18:16):
He had back to back thousand yard seasons in twenty
twenty two and twenty twenty three. He looked like the
weapon they needed, but the production diminished significantly last season,
so much that Tank Bigsby ended up looking like the
better back of the two throughout that season, which was
obviously filled with struggles all across the board. But entering
the draft this past draft, a lot of people thought
they might take Ashton Genty at number five.
Speaker 2 (18:35):
They didn't.
Speaker 10 (18:36):
They traded up and took Travis Hunter instead. But the
rumors keep swirling so much that coach Liam Cohen had
to come out and say those are inaccurate. That we
love him, we believe in him, and he's been very consistent,
So do we believe in him? Will find out Another
player that needs belief from everybody because he's definitely not
inspired over the last few seasons is Kyle Pitts.
Speaker 2 (18:56):
The tight end in Atlanta.
Speaker 10 (18:57):
He was an incredibly athletic representation of what the future
of the tight end position could be when he came
out of Florida. He had a thousand yard season as
a rookie. But fantasy owners know the Pitts paradox all
too well. Over the last three seasons, one hundred and
twenty eight catches, roughly sixteen hundred yards and nine receiving touchdowns.
That's not good enough to justify the first round pick
they spent on him. You give him a bit of
a break because they've had a revolving door at quarterback.
(19:19):
Maybe it's settled down with Michael Pennix now taking over,
but he's in the final year of his rookie deal.
Speaker 2 (19:23):
So if he's going to cash in.
Speaker 10 (19:24):
In the offseason, or if he's going to give them
a reason to keep him around beyond twenty twenty five,
he's got to do it now, and he's got to
do it with Pennix.
Speaker 4 (19:31):
Yeah, this really does seem to be a fantasy owner
debate as much as anything else. So hard to get
production out of the tight end position, and then Pitts
is you know, he's got so much talent, just hasn't
quite delivered something no doubt to watch this season. Nick,
Thank you very much for joining us on the Insiders.
For sure, we appreciate it. Check out Nick's article NFL
(19:51):
dot Com slash Show.
Speaker 6 (19:57):
All Right, mandatory mini camps really getting going.
Speaker 5 (20:00):
Next week, the LA Chargers will be on the field.
That guy will be on the field. That is Ladd
McConkie entering his second season after a really impressive rookie season.
Let's welcome in our Jeffrey Chidia to talk more about
the Chargers and other things.
Speaker 6 (20:15):
Jeffrey, at this time.
Speaker 5 (20:16):
Last year, we had no idea the kind of impact
that Ladd McConkey was going to have on the Chargers
and the NFL. What are the expectations going into year two?
Speaker 2 (20:25):
Well, they are high, Judy.
Speaker 12 (20:26):
You know, they didn't take a receiver in the first
round this draft. That took Trey Harris in the second round,
so they have eye holds for him and brought in
Mike Williams. But yeah, this passing game really is going
to revolve around Lad mccackey taking that next step. And
he was great as a rookie with eighty two catches
eleven hundred yards. They talked this week about the importance
of taking care of his body, like he touched a
lot of shots.
Speaker 2 (20:47):
Not the biggest guy in the world.
Speaker 12 (20:48):
He's been watching tapes of guys like Julian Edelman to
see how to get down and avoid some of those
big hits guys landing on him. But he realizes he's
going to be a leader now, and he tried to
learn some things from Mike Williams. He's also tried to
amp up the leadership in the receiving room. His coaches
have talked about how he's tried to take some of
those younger receivers under his wing and help them grow
for an office that really needs the passing game to
(21:10):
take off this year.
Speaker 5 (21:11):
All right, let's switch to the Denver Broncos in the
same division of You know, we're only two seasons removed
from Evan Ingram's one hundred and fourteen reception season with
the Jaguars and Trevor Lawrence.
Speaker 6 (21:22):
It feels a little bit longer than that.
Speaker 5 (21:24):
Now he is in Denver with Sean Payton, who really
likes to have a joker on his offense. What kind
of role are we looking for for Evan Ingram? How
can he elevate that offense?
Speaker 12 (21:34):
Well, that joker roll is exactly where he thinks he's
going to fit in with the Denver Broncos, and he
said that was a big pitch from the Broncos when
they called him up as a free agent, the first
team actually to call him and bring him in. So
that meant a lot to him as far as building
a relationship and committing to them.
Speaker 11 (21:49):
And you're right.
Speaker 12 (21:50):
He had a tough season last season in Jacksonville, only
forty seven catches and only played in nine games with
a He had a hamstring injury and a labor and
tear that ended this season. But he's still caught forty
seven passes, which is you look at what the Broncos
did with four different tight ends last year. Those four
guys totaled fifty.
Speaker 2 (22:07):
One receptions overall.
Speaker 12 (22:09):
So he's still going to be a big part of
uplifting this offense. And he knows that he's going to
have opportunities with Sean Payton and Bownicks and all those
guys counting on him to make big plays.
Speaker 5 (22:18):
Can't wait to see what he does. Jeffrey, thank you,
enjoy the weekend.
Speaker 1 (22:24):
In case you missed it, Sakuon Barkley on the cover
of Madden twenty six leaping over a defender had some
help from the Ropes on this one just so he
didn't have to leap over guys repeatedly while they were
taking pictures and potentially hurt himself.
Speaker 6 (22:35):
But you get the point.
Speaker 1 (22:37):
It is recreating his leap during that Jacksonville game last year.
He's on the cover. Does he believe in the curse?
I mean probably not right.
Speaker 2 (22:45):
No, I'm believer in God.
Speaker 13 (22:48):
That's my mindset to be good Klans And I've had
injuries before. I tore my knee, I've stepped on a
foot and rolled my ankle. Was out for four to
six weeks and there was no curse then.
Speaker 2 (22:59):
And that's just how life works.
Speaker 11 (23:01):
You're going to have your ups and downs.
Speaker 13 (23:03):
But my mindset is coming in work, do what I
need to do, and the rest is in God's hands.
Speaker 1 (23:09):
I'm a believer in that awesome hat from the nineties. Hey,
what is Adam Rank having common with Saquon Barkley? Both
have been on The Insiders this week. That was during
our interview a couple of days ago. So this segment's
going to be fantasy buyer beware? Is it buyer beware
for Saquon? And if so, is it because of the cover?
Is there any other reason?
Speaker 11 (23:29):
Oh?
Speaker 9 (23:29):
Yeah, Christian McCaffrey was saying the same thing last year, like, no,
I'm not worried about the curse. I'll be fine. Did
he even play a game? I don't remember it was that.
I will tell you this though, if you want to
be afraid of taking somebody like Saquon Barkley because he's
on the cover of Madden, then like, be my guest.
Don't let me talk you out of it. But there
are other statistical reasons to avoid somebody like Saquon Barkley
(23:52):
this season. I think number one is the fact that
nobody has finished as the RB one in back to
back years since Gurley in twenty eighteen twenty seventeen, Like,
it is very difficult for these guys to maintain that
high level of success. Now, it's not to say that
I'm going to avoid him altogether. If I'm in the
middle of the first round in Saquon Barkley falls to me,
(24:15):
I will definitely fire in on him. I'm not going
to look at the Madden curse or anything like that.
It doesn't bother me. I'm just looking at the statistical
anomaly of guys going back to back, and I would
rather be on an ascending player like Bjean Robinson, I
think that's going to be the guy who ends up
being the running back one this season. Estian Genty is
somebody that I'm also thinking about in this space as well.
Speaker 11 (24:38):
I don't know.
Speaker 9 (24:38):
You'll have to ask me in August when I fully
make my decision. But I'm not afraid of Saquon Barkley
because of the cover one guy.
Speaker 2 (24:45):
Another guy that I am a little weary of.
Speaker 9 (24:46):
Is Devon ah Chain, and he was great a couple
of years ago, but if you look at this last season,
he ran the ball over two hundred times and his
efficiency went way down. During his rookie year, he was
averaging cl to what eight yards per carries.
Speaker 11 (25:01):
Something like that.
Speaker 9 (25:02):
It was significantly lower last year when they gave him
a ton of carries. So I believe going into this
season they are going to limit his carries and he's
not going to get as many rushing yards, might not
get as many opportunities near the goal line to run
the ball. But if you play in a full on
PPR league, which some of you do, and I understand
(25:22):
that I typically play in half point PPR, but in
full point PPR the other eight Chain's a little bit better.
But overall, again, some of those guys that I mentioned before,
I will be looking at them more so than Devon
in the first round.
Speaker 4 (25:37):
You know, rank, we try to give our viewers a
little bit more here compared to I don't know, maybe
other shows. They tune in, they expect the inside info
so they can give you a small bit of it.
Speaker 3 (25:45):
It's a chanchin, not h chin. The producer. Listen, that
is the proper pronunciation.
Speaker 2 (25:56):
That's what I said, a chan Listen.
Speaker 3 (25:58):
Listen.
Speaker 9 (25:58):
The producer was in my ear yelling at me, yelling
at me.
Speaker 3 (26:02):
I'm sorry I made that mistake. Listen. Some of us
are good teammates. We would never throw a producer under
the bus.
Speaker 2 (26:07):
I want people, are you I'm a bad team.
Speaker 3 (26:10):
Let's go through some wide receivers.
Speaker 4 (26:12):
Let's talk me through where we're out in the wide
receiver position, including Mike Evans.
Speaker 11 (26:17):
And Terry McCloy.
Speaker 2 (26:19):
Well, I do like Mike Evans as a person.
Speaker 3 (26:21):
Is a good teammate.
Speaker 9 (26:22):
Mike Evans certainly is, but when it comes to the
fantasy production, I'm gonna steer clear of him when you
look at the tier in which he is based. Now,
obviously Tampa Bay has been bringing in a lot of
younger talent there at the wide receiver position. They got
Jayleen McMillan a year ago, they brought in double le
this season, which means that at some point they're gonna
(26:42):
be moving on. And when you look at the tier
and for me, Mike Evans is like a Tier three
person and he's in there with Jackson.
Speaker 2 (26:49):
Smith and Jigba.
Speaker 3 (26:50):
I would rather have him.
Speaker 9 (26:51):
I'd rather have Lad McConkie T Higgins, Garrett Wilson. I
really do believe that Garrett Wilson's gonna have a huge
season this year with Justin Fields, even DeVante Adams. People
are going to be sleeping on DeVante Adams this season
because he's playing opposite of Pouka Nakua. But I really
love those players. So Mike Evans is a low end
Tier three person for me, And again, if I get
him at the right value, I'm I'm not gonna be
(27:14):
completely adverse Kary McLaurin, though with his contract situation, everything
that happened last year for the Commanders was amazing, and
anybody who had Terry McLaurin, myself included, you enjoyed the
benefit of eighty receptions he had thirteen touchdown receptions. The
regression is he's gonna come back to the mean a
little bit. I don't think that he reaches those numbers. Again,
(27:35):
they also bring in Deebo Samuel this year. There should
be a little bit of regression. So again, when you're
comparing him to other guys in his tier, I would
favor somebody else, like perhaps DJ Moore because we want
to continue that rivalry between Jade and Daniels and Caleb Williams.
But given the price that you're gonna be paying for
Terry mclaur and, I would look at some other options.
(27:56):
And again, Garrett Wilson is a guy that I feel
is far too often slept on in that third tier.
And those are some of the guys I'm looking for
moving forward into our summer drafts.
Speaker 1 (28:06):
It's Micklelan Mickllan.
Speaker 3 (28:09):
That's how the producer was outside.
Speaker 1 (28:13):
The producer doesn't speak French. Adam Runk, everybody Adam outside
of Paris buyer, beware of Adam Runk and Travis Hunter
and the Jacksonville Jaguars. We are we're talking them up
shortly what we're expecting to see from them and some
(28:34):
other teams as Rookie Minicamp approaches six. Here's the list
of the twenty twenty five Black College Hall of Fame.
Black College Football Hall of Fame nomine is your class
of twenty twenty five, including a couple of guys who
(28:54):
are patrolling NFL secondaries recently. Rashane mathis right there and
Dominique Rogers Cramarti DRC. Yeah he joined RSW. That's Steve
Weis to talk about the Enstroyment.
Speaker 2 (29:08):
All right, Dominique?
Speaker 14 (29:09):
First off, man, I love how you were just swagged out,
got the HBCU add on the legacy ball.
Speaker 10 (29:14):
You know, you know.
Speaker 14 (29:14):
I'm a Howard University graduate HBCU product, So I love
the way you're representing.
Speaker 2 (29:18):
But let's kick this off as to why we're here.
Speaker 14 (29:21):
On Saturday evening in Atlanta, I will be introducing you
and welcoming you into the Black College Football Hall of Fame.
How does it feel going into a shrine which recognized
these great players from HBCUs, Guys like Deacon Jones and
Jerry Rice, two tall Jones guys like that.
Speaker 11 (29:38):
Man, It's an honor and a blessing.
Speaker 12 (29:39):
Man.
Speaker 15 (29:40):
I remember coming into Cottage Man my freshman year and
them showing us a video of all the breaks that
passed before us, not just from Tennessee State, but from
Brambler and Jackson State, Alabama and them all.
Speaker 11 (29:51):
Kind of legacy.
Speaker 4 (29:52):
Man.
Speaker 15 (29:52):
I always thought to myself, one day, I want to
be one of those guys. Man, and it's time to unfold.
Speaker 14 (29:57):
And one of the great things about this Hall of
Fame is you recognize the great things guys did at
their HBCUs. You were great at Tennessee State, eleven interceptions,
guys couldn't get anything on you. But also in the NFL,
you're one of the last players from historically black college
you get drafted in the first round from you know,
and so what about you know, cementing your legacy in
(30:18):
that regard, But also the guys who come behind you
really have not been able to get recognized the way
you did.
Speaker 11 (30:26):
Man.
Speaker 15 (30:27):
I'm glad I did get a chance to go to
the Senior Bowl and the combine. That kind of helped
me because coming from an HBCU, we don't get that
much recognition because we don't play the top end schools
in the talents week in and week out, so we kind.
Speaker 11 (30:39):
Of slept on.
Speaker 15 (30:40):
But we have the potential to be first round as
we just need a chance. And I had the opportunity
to chance. Man, I just took advantage of it.
Speaker 11 (30:47):
Man.
Speaker 15 (30:47):
So I tell the guys that come from behind me
and always ask me the question. Man, I just say, Man,
I just kept working to opportunity really presented itself.
Speaker 14 (30:55):
And you talked about how you took advantage of the
Senior Bowl. You were the defensive MVP at the Senior Bowl.
You to the combine, ran that four two nine. Okay,
let's go back and look at the film. What about
guys making sure they take advantage of every opportunity. You're
wearing a Legacy Bowl advantage, which is kind of like
the Senior Bowl for HBCUs of guys doing everything they
(31:16):
can to enhance their stature.
Speaker 11 (31:18):
You got to do that, man.
Speaker 15 (31:20):
If they invite you somewhere, how you come out, Man,
I believe in you got to work out, man, just showcase.
The time is whenever you get that chance. So take
advantage of everything. And that's why I'm always going back
like you see me on Tennessee State campus a lot, man,
because I try to get back and get the guys
the resources that they need and just to be around
so they can see me in Maybe one of them
(31:40):
be like, Man, if he did it, I could do it.
Speaker 11 (31:41):
So I'm always around.
Speaker 15 (31:43):
I love, I love I love what the HBCU legacy
is doing for them, guys.
Speaker 2 (31:47):
Okay, and you know one thing I want I want
to really hit hit on you with.
Speaker 14 (31:50):
Here we see Michael Vick now coaching at Norfolk State,
Sean Jackson coaching at Delaware State. Former NFL players who
didn't really have any association with hbc he used, going
to coach at these programs. What are your thoughts on that,
especially since Eddie George just took Tennessee State to the
Ohio Valley Conference championship.
Speaker 2 (32:10):
Left for Bowling Green but there.
Speaker 11 (32:12):
Right, Yeah, but he said a light on us.
Speaker 15 (32:14):
Man, that's awesome that those guys doing that, because now
you got a coach that been there none at all.
Speaker 11 (32:19):
So now they're gonna understand the grind of the ABCUS
go through.
Speaker 15 (32:23):
Man. I think they gonna really help guys get there,
and you can get more guys to come there who
don't want to play for Michael Vick or the sign
Jackson or Eddie George. Man, so now you're not competing
with the big schools. You got guys that keep coming back.
So I hope more guys come back and coach Man
because we really need that because not only it's gonna
shed light, it's gonna get guys opportunity and now they
could get some more talent there.
Speaker 14 (32:44):
I want to bring some things kind of full circle
for you. We saw big news happen. You know in Pittsburgh.
This Aaron Rodgers is gonna go play quarterback for them.
But you you got your hands on at least one
of those passes from Aaron Rodgers. Walk us through that
a little bit. It tells you to think about him
going to pitch.
Speaker 15 (33:00):
I'll never forget it was the second round, I mean
the first round playoffs in Arizona. It was a shootout
between us, the Arizona Cardinals and the Green Bay Package Man.
And I picked him off that first series man, and
I still got that ball. I'm always chairs of that
ball because God always asked me who was the hardest quarterback,
and I always say Anon Roger because he throws his
receivers open when the receiver have a step on you.
(33:20):
You kind of have with the speed that I have.
You got to call Mike up speed he's not getting
you a chance to make up. So I always tell
people there's certain quarterbacks I just can't play with, and
he's one of them.
Speaker 2 (33:30):
I love hearing that.
Speaker 14 (33:31):
And real quick, you're going into the hall with one
of your contemporaries to Rashen mathis a dB.
Speaker 2 (33:36):
What about going in with him?
Speaker 11 (33:38):
Man? See, people don't understand the stuff that he did
for HBC.
Speaker 15 (33:41):
Man, I mean, he didn't go first round, but he
should have been man all the picks he had throughout
his career and just shutting people down.
Speaker 12 (33:47):
Man.
Speaker 11 (33:47):
Like, when you come from an HBC, you.
Speaker 15 (33:49):
Know the guys that went before you, and he was
one of the guys I looked up to, and they
kind of said I was like him, tall, skinny, small,
frail guy that could come out of breaks and get
his hands on the ball, the ball hawk. So he
was definitely somebody I looked up to. So to be
going in with him, it is kind of an honor.
Speaker 14 (34:02):
All right, DRC, I will see you in Atlanta Saturday
at the College Football Hall of Fame.
Speaker 2 (34:06):
Congratulations on everything.
Speaker 11 (34:08):
I appreciate it. The man, See you soon.
Speaker 1 (34:12):
Caleb Williams has had an eventful a couple of weeks
but he put to bed the notion that he didn't
want to be a Chicago Bear, a nugget that came
out in ESPN six Seth Wickershan's upcoming book, and Williams said, no, no,
maybe at some point like the thought, but once I
came in and visited, yeah, I.
Speaker 2 (34:32):
Wanted to be a Bear.
Speaker 1 (34:33):
Well on, he goes to twenty twenty five as he
Adam Rank and Judy Batista goes and tries to dispel
the notion that that's where quarterbacks go to die, which
is sort of came from his side anyway, So good
luck to spelling what you helped to set up there. Judy,
you've got an article on teams that have to nix
negative narratives. We're going to start with the Bears and
(34:55):
that notion.
Speaker 5 (34:56):
Well, as Rank will testify, this was not a narrative
that began with Caleb Williams and his family.
Speaker 6 (35:01):
This is a long standing narrative for the Chicago Bears.
Speaker 5 (35:05):
But the Bears this offseason have done just about everything
they can to set themselves up to finally dispel this
for Caleb Williams. They first of all changed the coaching
staff and hired Ben Johnson.
Speaker 6 (35:17):
They remade the.
Speaker 5 (35:18):
Offensive line, which was a huge issue last year. Remember
he was sacked like sixty eight times last season. So
they did a lot of work on the offensive line,
They drafted offensive weapons form, and just generally they put
Caleb Williams at the center of the Bears universe, which
is where he should be all along. Certainly, everything is
going to come down to if he vibes with Ben Johnson.
Speaker 6 (35:41):
And the play calling is good and all of.
Speaker 5 (35:43):
Those weapons come together and they get the running game going.
But this is a team that has finally put Caleb
Williams at the center of its plans, hoping finally to
dispel that myth.
Speaker 9 (35:55):
Jerdy, let me tell you the three best Bears quarterbacks
in my lifetime. It goes Jim Man, Jay Cutler, and
Walter Payton on the halfback option.
Speaker 2 (36:04):
And that's the list.
Speaker 9 (36:06):
Sorry, my friend Eric Kramer always gets upset when I
say that, But it's been a long time and the Bears,
it feels like they have their quarterback even with everything
that went wrong last year. Thirty five hundred yards, twenty touchdowns,
pretty good. One of the things that's impressed me the
most though, As the Bears have gone into minicamp or
OTAs this week is There was a play the other
(36:27):
day where Caleb Williams completed a pass to DeAndre Swift
there in the flight. I've even been that play. Ben
Johnson was on his case immediately stressing that he's got
to get the ball out faster, got to put it
in a better spot. And this attention to detail has
been something that's been lacking for the Bears at the
quarterback position pretty much forever. So I think that having
been Johnson there and what he's been able to do
(36:49):
throughout the course of his career leads us to believe
Caleb Williams is going to break through this season.
Speaker 11 (36:54):
At least that's the hope.
Speaker 1 (36:56):
On to the Bengals, who have spent money and time
and consideration their offense this offseason. Judy, what's the notion
that they have to dispel? I guess it's has something
to do with the.
Speaker 5 (37:05):
Defense, Yeah, because they have spent a whole lot of
time and money on the offense and not quite as
much on the defense.
Speaker 6 (37:12):
And the defense was a.
Speaker 5 (37:13):
Huge issue last year. That's what really kept them from
going to the playoffs. Now they changed the coordinator. Al
Golden is the defensive coordinator. But they still have this
Trey Hendrickson contract situation looming over them. He did not
participate in OTAs he has said that he will not
play on his old contract. We will see this of course,
is a mandatory mini camp coming up and we'll see
(37:33):
what happens when.
Speaker 6 (37:34):
We get to training camp.
Speaker 5 (37:35):
They even have a contract situation with the rookie Schamar Stewart.
An awful lot is going to be placed on al
Golden and if we get Trey Hendrickson in there, Trey
Hendrickson and Shamar Stewart to get a whole lot more
production out.
Speaker 6 (37:49):
Of that defense.
Speaker 5 (37:50):
The reality for the Bengals is they don't need to
have a number one defense in the league. They need
just marginal improvement in that defense because the offense has
been so good as long as Joe Burrow is healthy,
Just a little bit of improvement in that defense and
they will get to the playoffs.
Speaker 9 (38:07):
Yeah, all they need to do is make a couple
of stops here and there, And that really lends itself
to where the Bengals struggled last season was number one
in the red zone. They were one of the worst
teams at stopping opposing clubs in the red zone and
they don't create enough turnovers. So they have to get
everybody signed. They got to get Trey Hendrickson in there,
get everybody signed, make some turnovers, and yes, every once
in a while, stop somebody in the red zone.
Speaker 3 (38:29):
And this team is one of the best in the AFC.
Speaker 1 (38:32):
Judy to the Arizona Cardinals. I feel like we don't
talk enough about the Cardinals. This is a big year
for Jonathan Gannon in this regime, entering year three, having
to take that next step. What do the Cardinals need
to dispel?
Speaker 11 (38:44):
Oh?
Speaker 5 (38:44):
I think they have to dispel the myth that their
offense underachieved last season. And it's going to be hard
to do that because if you look at the numbers
when you have a healthy Kyler Murray he played seventeen games,
they did underachieved.
Speaker 6 (38:56):
They were twelveth in points scored.
Speaker 5 (38:58):
Eighteenth and passing seven teenth in red zone percentage.
Speaker 6 (39:01):
I mean, that's good, but it's not great.
Speaker 5 (39:03):
It's kind of underwhelming, and I think most disappointing was
that Marvin Harrison Junior, who is considered one of the
best wide receiver prospects to come out in years, was
not a much bigger factor in the offense. He was
targeted one hundred and sixteen times, he caught sixty two
passes for eight hundred and eighty five yards. He was
targeted double digit times just three games of the seventeen
(39:23):
games he played.
Speaker 6 (39:24):
Compare that to Malik Neighbors, who.
Speaker 5 (39:27):
Was dealing with far less quarterback play, much worse situation.
He was targeted one hundred and seventy times, caught one
hundred and nine passes for twelve hundred and four yards.
So he was a much more integral part of the
Giants offense than Marvin Harrison Junior was in Arizona. They
got to get him much more involved in that offense
this year.
Speaker 9 (39:46):
But I feel like one of the problem was trying
to force the ball into Marvin Harrison Junior, because when
you take away his targets and catches Kyler Murray's, his
completion percentage was in the seventies when not targeting Marvin
Harrison Junior. James Connor did really well, Trey McBride did
really well despite not catching the ball in the end zone.
Speaker 2 (40:05):
And then there was Greg Dortch.
Speaker 9 (40:07):
So they got to be better targets to Marvin Harrison junior,
and if they can find a way to creatively get
him the ball and still make this offense efficient, the
Cardinals have a really good opportunity this season to make
the playoffs.
Speaker 1 (40:19):
NFL dot Com backslash Batista three, T's two and then one.
You can get that story as well as everything else
that she has written recently.
Speaker 2 (40:27):
Go read it all.
Speaker 1 (40:28):
I'm talking to you, Adam Rank, because you're done, you
can just go read Judy now. Speaking of the Cardinals,
earlier this week, they held their fourth annual Civics Matters
Arizona Trip. The event sent approximately two hundred and seventy
five Arizona high school students from across the state on
an all expenses paid trip to the nation's capital. Students
got to ride the Cardinals team plane to Washington, DC
(40:50):
for a four day, three night trip. The Civics Matters
Arizona program is a civic engagement initiative for students across
the state. That is some fine work from the Cardinals there, folks.
We are almost at the end of the spring session
for the NFL, but before we break for the summer, yes,
mandatory minicamp for all these teams that begin on Tuesday,
(41:14):
much of the league is going to be in miniicamp
this week. You won't see the Patriots on this list
because they begin mandatory mini camp Monday. They're actually the
first team to do that. So with that said, insiders
come back in here. Ian, who are we most looking
forward to seeing in a veteran minicamp? I keep saying Rookie.
Stop saying Rookie, dude.
Speaker 4 (41:32):
Yeah, Rookie was like a month ago. This is actual
mandatory mini camp. I'm looking forward to seeing the Cowboys,
mostly because I know Dak Prescott has been taking part
in ots. I know he's been doing all the agility
jeels with the quarterbacks. We haven't seen him do very
much since that significant hamstring injury. At the least, it'll
be nice to see him on the field with his teammates.
Speaker 5 (41:54):
I am looking forward to seeing Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers.
Speaker 6 (41:57):
There is no other answer.
Speaker 3 (42:00):
I will be there.
Speaker 1 (42:01):
Tune in next week. Have a great week at everybody.
Insiders out
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