49. Pick Six: Record Defensive Contracts, Aiyuk is a Mess & The New York Times Article that Stirred the Pot

0:19Hey girls, I'm Victoria and welcome back to another episode of The Game and another installment of Pick 6, where I tell you the top six best, most interesting, most talked about, or most fun stories in the NFL each Wednesday. Today is our third installment of Pick 6, and I'm pretty sure it's here to stay. This week, even though it is off-season, we are out of OTAs. We're not in training camp. There's kind of nothing going on in the NFL except vacations. But also that's not true at all. This has been one of the most interesting offseason weeks in the NFL. So I cannot wait to break down the top six moments from the last week.

1:03Before I get into that, if you haven't rated and reviewed the show on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, wherever you get your podcasts, I would appreciate that so much. Five stars would be great. If you want to leave a comment, that would be great. Or if you're not into public reviews, which is totally fine. I get it. If you could share this show with someone who you think would enjoy it or enjoy the community that we have, go ahead and send it over to them. I would greatly appreciate it. If you're new here, hey, I'm Victoria, and I started this community and podcast to bring together women who love to speak about the NFL in the way that I do.

1:41So let's get into the show. But before I go into the pick six, I was in the room with Malik Willis while he got interviewed on Friday of last week. Honestly, I got an Instagram ad and was like, maybe I should check this out. And then on the way there, I was like, are we going into a timeshare presentation? Like, is this Marriott Hawaii where you go in and they offer you this like great thing and then all of a sudden you're in a four hour presentation like you can't leave? And the reality is it was an event for season ticket holders and potential season ticket holders, which I would consider myself a potential season ticket holder.

2:17And it was at the, I want to say four seasons, but I really can't remember. But the hotel was gorgeous. It was a super beautiful event. The staff was so lovely. We had free wine. They interviewed Malik. We did talk to our sales guy who, shout out to Zach, you were great and super fun to talk to, honestly, the whole sales team. We talked about potential opportunities with the game and the Dolphins and things we can potentially do there. So it was a really awesome evening for us and just to like kind of get out there and meet the Dolphins fans and community and see the tickle holders because now I live in Miami.

2:53So that was a really great night. Overall, the vibe from Malik was kind of exactly what I expected it to be. If you didn't know, Malik Willis is the QB1 for the Dolphins as of this year. He's on a three-year contract. Previously, he was Jordan Love in Green Bay's backup. He's only had, I believe, four starts in his NFL career, but he has one of the highest pass completion percentages in the entire NFL, even though his sample size is fairly small. And last year in a playoff implication game, he went in for Jordan Love and took it into overtime in a rivalry game against the Bears. So he then got picked up by the Dolphins.

3:35Kind of the entire NFL learned his name once he went in and like absolutely crushed it in that game. So they interviewed him and they kind of asked him, how's Miami? Like, how are you liking Miami? And what are you thinking about the players? And we have this kind of new roster. And he said something really sweet while we were there. He said, I'm glad these guys are on my team. They were kind of talking about the size and the stature and the aggression level of some of the guys on his team, offense and defense. And he was saying, you know, I'm glad these guys are on my team. I was super impressed with a lot of times when someone new comes in, they're like, we're going to win it all right now.

4:12Like it felt like he was cautiously optimistic, that he was open minded, that he feels confident that they can pull something together this season, but didn't seem there was no like BSing, you know, like there was nothing crazy going on. I think he's just kind of like he seems to be a simple, confident guy who wants to do a great job at his job. And he seems really excited for the season, but not overly pompous or overly confident. He's not going in as someone who's like, we're going to win it this season. But he is saying, I'm glad the guys on my team are on my team. And I think that we can do some really great stuff this season.

4:49So overall, I was impressed with him. It was exactly kind of what you would expect and definitely media training involved, but not to the point where we were bored with his answers. He did say he's a little bored in the off season, so he's looking forward to going into the season. And then when I was walking out, I just said hello to this guy who was standing there. And he's like, yeah, I'm actually a childhood friend of Malik's. That's so cool. They went to like elementary school together or something. And then now Malik kind of has a familiar face in Miami, which I think is really awesome and great to have somebody to kind of lean on when the pressure of like the NFL and the nation and all of Miami is kind of riding on you.

5:36So that was the experience with Malik Willis. As you guys know, I think that he's one of my most interesting watches. But let's move on from that and move into our pick six for this week. We're starting out with the two most low-key stories and building up in intensity as we go. All right, we are starting out with Shadur Sanders is making his way up the Cleveland Browns QB rankings. Going into OTAs, going into the summer, I think everyone, the Browns are saying they aren't putting a starter first, but the discourse around Deshaun Watson and Shadur was kind of that Deshaun Watson was going to be more looking like the number one and they were going to kind of duke it out.

6:24Or some were like, you know, they're even, but a lot of people expected Deshaun Watson to move forward. But Shadour is really working his way up. A lot of the news and media have said that he really worked his tail off in the offseason, that he earned a lot of first-team reps in any practices, any activities that the team has had. And Todd Monken, who's the head coach, hasn't named a starter and will not name a starter until camp. But Shaduwar has picked up some momentum inside the building and people outside the building are noticing. So more to come on that. I think I said in one of the first, second, third ever episodes of the game that I think Shaduwar is the guy.

7:16I still think that. And I love that he comes with a personality. And compared to some of these stories we have coming up, I like someone with a little swag compared to some other things. Story number two, we now have a new highest paid defensive tackle in NFL history. So Jeffrey Simmons has been on the Tennessee Titans for his entire career. He's 28, and he now has a three-year,$105.8 million extension with$100 million guaranteed as a defensive tackle, which is pretty much unheard of. And the fact that this is on the Titans shocked me a lot. But what I love about it is it feels like they are showing him, we really value you, even though we have not had great seasons.

8:10Over the last couple of years, last year, they were 3-14. So absolutely brutal for honestly anybody on that team. Nobody likes to lose, especially guys who've been playing football their entire lives. Like, no one likes to lose pretty much ever. So I think that this was a nice bode of confidence from the Titans to Jeffrey Simmons this year. some stats from him. And remember that defensive stats are a lot different than offensive stats. So offense, we hear wide receivers, we hear 2000 yards, 1500 yards, you know, McCaffrey's doing 900 running, 900 receiving. And on the defense, the stats are typically lower.

8:49So just bear that in mind. But last year, 67 total tackles, 39 solo, 28 assists, 11 sacks and three forced fumbles. So congrats to Jeffrey Simmons on your three-year$105.8 million extension with$100 million guaranteed. That number has to feel so good getting a call and saying, we're giving you another, a new contract,$100 million guaranteed, which is nearly the entire contract extension. Let's move on. Story number three, and this one is a harder one to speak about because it's sad and it's challenging. Chris Johnson, who is a running back or was a running back for 10 years in the NFL on the Titans, the Jets, and the Cardinals, was diagnosed with ALS and revealed it on Good Morning America.

9:47He let us know that he was diagnosed with ALS in 2025 at 40 years old. If you don't know what ALS is, ALS is a disease that affects your motor neurons, aka nerves that control your movement. Often, your senses and overall intelligence stay sharp. However, about half of patients get mild to severe changes in thinking and personality, especially as it progresses. It is an acronym for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and is commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease and more medical term neurodegenerative condition that affects nerve cell communication with muscles throughout the body. The disease leads to muscle weakness and can cause deterioration of the ability to move, speak and breathe.

10:39I think it's really beautiful that he kind of calls to the NFL to continue to take care of the players and also just come forward publicly to share his experience. I think a lot of people have been affected, touched by Lou Gehrig's in some way and see the frustration and struggle that also comes along with it, not only for the person with the diagnosis, but also their family and friends. One of the quotes I want to start off with here is he said, I want people to know that I am still me. ALS has changed what my body can do, but it hasn't changed who I am. People sometimes look at the physical disability and assume you are not the same person inside.

11:25I still think I'm the same. I still dream. I still love my family. My body just doesn't cooperate. And I think that's a very beautiful explanation. If you see someone who, yeah, used to be an NFL player and now they are in a wheelchair, he's currently using a speech aid based off of his own vocals and voice. but it's essentially helping him speak because he's, you know, struggling with his speech. And it's just a great reminder to everyone that he's still who he was, even if his body isn't performing in the way that it used to in the NFL. Speaking of the NFL and his career, he has a nickname, CJ2K.

12:12In 2009, he was a 2 ,000-yard rusher and got his name CJ2K for 2K yards. He also set a records for scrimmage that season, 2 ,509 yards, and was named the Associated Press NFL Offensive Player of the Year. He was a Titan from 2008 to 2013 on the Jets for 2014 and the Cardinals from 2015 to 2017. The Titans owner, Amy Strunk, yeah, the girls, released a statement on his diagnosis, noting that he had leadership off the field, that he was basically a pleasure in the locker room, a great addition to the team, and that the Titans would support him through the journey. On Good Morning America, they talked about kind of processing it.

13:06And he says, honestly, I don't know if you ever fully process it. At first, you're in shock. Then you realize you have two choices. You can give up or you can fight. And I choose to fight, which feels very athlete inspired, very make it happen inspired. There is some research from Boston University's CTE Center that says the results were released in 2021. And it says pro football players are four times more likely to develop and die from ALS than the adult male population. And there is another Titan who was also diagnosed with ALS as well. His name is Tim. He was diagnosed in 2014, and they actually played together at the Titans.

13:54And his name's Tim Shaw, had a six-year career as a linebacker, and was a teammate on the Titans from 2010 to 2012 and was diagnosed at 30. Chris did acknowledge that it's kind of unknown how he developed the disease, that it's not in his family, and that it progressed very, very quickly. He is in a clinical trial as a part of his treatment, and he said that he first started noticing symptoms when he had a weaker grip and now he cannot hold cups or speak on his own. He also alluded to the fact that last year he was picking up his seven-year-old niece and now he's unable to do that. So just showing a very fast progression in his symptoms.

14:37I think ALS kind of timelines are very dependent on the person and his has progressed quickly. So we hope that the clinical trial goes well. We hope that he keeps his spirits up. And, you know, I think sharing publicly, especially as someone who impacted communities as, you know, people really love running backs. And I think him coming forward and doing it publicly is great for ALS research, is great to make other people with ALS feel seen and understood in a way that other people can't. So we'll keep him in mind and hope that he keeps that spirit and continues to feel like himself and dream and grow and do all of that.

15:24All right, let's move on to our next story. You guys, this is where it gets crazy, all right? It's about to get crazy and it's not gonna go back until the end of the episode. We're talking about Detroit Lions cornerback, Tarion Arnold. He was arrested, charged with eight felonies and then cut by the Lions the same day that they set his bond. So he was arrested on June 24th. And then June 29th, Monday, his bond was set at$1 million. Then the Lions cut him. So what happened? He is charged with four counts of armed robbery and four counts of kidnapping. And I was like, how can you get four counts for one incident?

16:05And you can by committing multiple separate crimes in a single event or by committing the same crime against multiple victims. Let's get the timeline for all of this straight because I've been seeing things in my Instagram for what feels like a while. The event occurred in February of 2026. So the state alleges that Arnold's Airbnb was burglarized, which robbers came in and stole luxury goods. I believe they mentioned Louis Vuittons and$100 ,000 in cash. And within hours of filing a police report, investigators claim that Therion Arnold began working with his co-defendants to orchestrate a retaliatory armed robbery and abduction of three men.

16:55Then we get to mid-June. So there are six co-defendants and two of them pleaded guilty to multiple counts of kidnapping and robbery. In exchange for lesser sentences, they signed plea agreements to testify against Arnold as a primary orchestrator. Then Wednesday, a warrant is issued and Arnold voluntarily turns himself in. The media always is like, he turned himself in. And I'm like, oh, my gosh, he just like turned himself in. No, there's a warrant for his arrest. And then he turns himself in like, OK, that makes sense. He's in Hillsborough County at the Orient Road Jail. He was initially ordered to be held without bond, but the judge was like, we're not doing that.

17:41They gave him a$1 million bond. The judge also denied the state's request to keep Arnold jailed until the trial. That bond is$1 million, as I said. Then Tuesday, June 30th, he's released from custody. He met the financial requirements, so the$1 million of the bail and was released from the jail to begin his home confinement. The other side wanted him to have an ankle monitor. The judge said no. The judge also said that he is basically on house arrest, except that he can go to NFL sanctioned practices, workouts, etc. But then the Lions cut him. So his job doesn't exist anymore. And there's kind of people saying like, you know, he should get an ankle monitor.

18:29But other people are like, this is so public. Like the paparazzi is good enough. Like if he goes anywhere, everyone's going to know about it. I don't know. Are they? I don't know. I feel like there are some places that I wouldn't know to look for someone. But I don't know if he's also going to go on the run. There were a couple of people that came forward and just said this guy, you know, he's such a good guy. An old coach. I believe like wrote a letter on his behalf and his character. So this is all crazy. The charges are very serious and each could bring a life sentence if Arnold is convicted.

19:02And the judge said Arnold cannot have any contact with other people tied to the case and must surrender his passport within 48 hours. According to the prosecutors, the victims were abducted three days after cash and luxury items, including Rolexes, Louis Vuitton bags, were reported stolen from Arnold at the Airbnb in Tampa. And the prosecutors are alleging that six of Arnold's associates carried out the crimes, holding, beating, and pistol whipping the victims, and that Arnold wasn't there at the time. So Terry and Arnold told all of these people to do these things, orchestrated the entire event, the kidnapping of the robber.

19:45But he wasn't at the scene, but he had directed and orchestrated the entire thing. Also, if you don't know what pistol whipping is, literally me either. It's also known as buffaloing, which is the act of using a handgun as an improvised blunt weapon, such as a club. It involves striking or beating someone typically in the head or shoulder with a grip, barrel, or flat side of a firearm rather than firing it. So where are we at now? None of Arnold's co-defendants had bonds set for them. There are two female co-defendants that have pleaded guilty and are cooperating. Their statements tie Arnold, who was not at the apartment, to the crimes, according to the prosecutors.

20:20So this is interesting because was he at the scene or not? It seems that he was not at the scene, that he just orchestrated the entire thing. It's giving like he's the ringleader and everyone else is doing his dirty work, but he it can't be traced to him. So this is all crazy because was it all Tarion's belongings? That's what it seems like to me. I don't know if it was anybody else's belongings or money or bags or anything that that was stolen. and super interesting on the court side to just the people who committed the crimes and pled guilty. Like they still committed the crimes. They still did the bad thing.

20:57So whose fault is it? The person who set up the kidnapping or the kidnapper? I'm super interested to see what happens here and how the trial goes. We don't have a trial date yet because, again, this is all unfolding in real time. So I'll keep you posted. Moving on. Story number five. Guys, this one I don't even care about. Like, I'm over this being on my phone. I'm literally over this being on my phone. Like, I don't care, but it's hot topic. So we're going to go over it. Brandon Ayuk. Like, bro, stay off of Instagram. Like, what are you doing? Like, kind of life. I don't know. This is so annoying to me.

21:32Anyway, he fired his agent and he's basically begged. He's like so pick me right now. He fired his agent. He's going on Instagram bashing the 49ers. He is posting videos saying, go commanders, raise hail on June 22nd. Then he's saying if the 49ers release him, he'll sign with Washington tomorrow. Fires his agent. The 49ers aren't releasing him because they want to trade. And the commanders don't want to trade because they think that they can get him for free because he's saying I'll literally sign with them tomorrow. So he remains under contract and can't go anywhere. Let's go over his timeline.

22:05August 2024 signs a four-year$120 million extension with the 49ers. Week 7 of 2024 tears his ACL, MCL, and meniscus, misses the rest of 2024. 2025 doesn't play a single game while rehabbing, misses scheduled rehab sessions. Like, everyone knows you can't do that. 49ers decline to open his practice window. Summer 2025, 49ers void$27 million of his 2026 salary guarantees, citing his last lack of participation in rehab. November 2025, IU claims that he terminated his SRA, Standard Representation, Representation Agreement with his agent Ryan Williams of Athletes First. But the NFLPA, NFL Players Association, records show it was still active.

22:55So drama. I don't know if you guys watch The Real Housewives of Rhode Island, but this is like very much where is Joe Ellen giving us the facts. December 2025, placed on reserve slash left squad list. I actually didn't know about the left squad list. And post a YouTube video of himself driving 90 miles an hour past Levi's Stadium. Like, oh my, what's going on? Where is his, where are his friends from before he was famous? That's what we need to know. Like, where are his pre-fame, pre-money friends? Because this guy's got to get a grip. After that, there is a warrant because of the driving. The city gets a hold of it.

23:31So they have a warrant out for him. And then April 2026. So we fast forwarded a couple of months. GM John Lynch says a trade isn't high probability, but isn't ruled out either. June 2026, standard representation agreement actually gets terminated. IU publicly blasts the Players Association for lying and withholding information alongside side with his agent and says if the 49ers cut him, he'll sign with the commanders tomorrow. He doesn't really seem like he cares if he plays that much. The 49ers are expected to pursue recouping$13 to$18 million in bonus money once they can release him. So basically, they're breaking up.

24:12It's so messy. It's so drama. And then I'm like, Brendan Ayuk was on my fantasy team when I won my first year in 2023. But other than that, like, his numbers are not good enough for this behavior. I don't want to be like an athlete elitist, but if you are a player who isn't a top player, but you have great character, you add the team, you hype people up, you're good for culture. You're interested. You know, there's so many ways that you can add that aren't being great. But if you're going to be crazy, if you're going to straight up go nuts on your team, like you better be worth it. I don't think he's worth it.

24:44Honestly, he'll never play on my fantasy team again because like, ew. Anyway, 2023 was his best year in the last four, a 1 ,342 yard season. That was 2023 going backwards, 2022, 1 ,015, then 826 in 2021 and 748. So he was trending well for me. So the 49ers still hold his contract rights through 2028 because he doesn't count against their salary cap or their roster while he's on the reserve list. So there's zero financial pressure to release him and an Instagram video sure as hell isn't going to do it. Then we have the agent dispute and him firing his agent. Terrible idea, given you clearly don't know how to handle yourself.

25:30And the 49ers voided$27 million in his contract. Where he's at with the legality, the misdemeanor arrest warrant for the Speed is active in Santa Clara. He's currently in the D.C. area. And apparently he will not return to California specifically because he doesn't want to face the arrest warrant. And then he did a taunting video that says they're going to have to come catch me in D.C. So Ayuk's a mess. Carl is not a mess and Ayuk is a mess. And if you don't get those, I'm sorry, it's Bravo. And for our final story of the day, this is the Scamanda of the NFL. This is. There's no other thing that is crazier, longer going, or honestly more revealing than our last story.

26:13The New York Times drops a full Diana Rossini report. The Vrabel story is right back in action. Let's talk about it. Let's talk about timeline. Let's talk about our opinions. The New York Times publishes a 5 ,000-word article on Diana Rossini. It opens with a story about her calling an NFL head coach to get out of a ticket, and then body cam footage which surfaces, and that's not what happened. That's not what happened. It's interesting because The Athletic, who Diana used to work for, is a part of the New York Times. So now everyone's kind of up in arms about the New York Times, not fact-checking the information that they had.

26:56Let's talk about the timeline for Diana and Mike Vrabel, who also was coach of the year last year. April 7, 2026, page six of the New York Post publishes high quality photographs of Vrabel and Rossini holding hands, hugging and dancing on a private bungalow rooftop at an adult-only luxury resort in Sedona, Arizona. They both deny it. They say it's nothing. It's very platonic. Vrabel says it's laughable. Then April 23rd, a second set of photos come out from March 2020. It's 2026. So six years ago, showing them kissing all over each other at a bar. They've both been married to other people. Diana also has a son named Mike.

27:40So that came out. Then Diana resigns from The Athletic. She is making$800 ,000 a year at The Athletic and she resigns nearly immediately. Then Braybill like takes a step back from the draft and says he's focusing on family. Okay, we'll discuss that later. So I'm wondering what's going on in 2020 with Mike Vrabel? Because that's when kind of the photos of them kissing, hugging, that's like, that was the biggest shock to me that this has been going on for six years. And Vrabel was Tennessee's head coach. And Diana had made some comments like Nashville or Tennessee's become my second home, like very weird, like leading stuff.

28:23I swear, like similar to Amanda and Wes posts of like the martinis. It's so crazy. Now, the New York Times posts this article. People are freaking out because the article is officially wrong. They have not done a correction. And they're also the company that owns The Athletic, who Diana Rossini worked for when the whole, I mean, forever, but when the whole scandal came out, they have a transparency section and says that reporters should avoid even the appearance of a conflict of interest and reveal those sources or affiliations that may put into question our ability to be credible. Which honestly, and it says that they enforce strict conflict of interest policies for the reporters.