A.J. Brown is a Patriot, Inside Myles Garrett's Trade and Blockbuster Winners and Losers

23:33That's what I said. Wide receiver one at the top. That's what he's going with now. Now that he is in New England.

23:41Gregg Rosenthal:There's, hey, look, that is some B-roll of what some are calling the deepest receivers room. Yes, there you go. One thing about Maria Taylor, she's always going to get the interview And I can't believe they got that. They got that done in such short time. Like, that's pretty incredible. He was a little circumspect and sad for a guy who clearly welcomed her into his home, like not always giving that long answers about the Philadelphia experience. He said he was grieving. I think it was difficult. He also made it clear that by the end of last season, he said that's when I decided. but he just was like, I wanted my agent to handle it.

24:22But clearly, you know, he wanted out at the end of last season. But it was a little distracting because they were doing the interview right in front of a carpet that said Patriots Man Cave. And it was like a 10 by 12 foot carpet Patriots Man Cave. And she's like, well, that's you got that quickly. And he was like, no, I've had it for like years. She's like, you've had a Patriots man cave carpet in your basement for like three years. And he's just like, I'm just ride or die Patriots. Sod. I love it. But usually you see professionals kind of give up the fandom. And she, to her credit, did a good job digging into that.

25:08And he's just always been a Patriots fan. His older cousin was a Patriots fan. and he said that was kind of his role model and life was his older cousin. And so he just followed it. AJ Brown posted on Instagram pictures of him wearing Tom Brady's jersey as a youth, as a baby, essentially. But then everyone realized like it was with the wrong uniforms and it was just AI. So it was like AJ Brown putting AI uniforms on himself and then posting that. This all is just a little strange. but he does have the bona fides because he talked about how when the helmet catch happened he got so upset that his dad had to slap him upside the head and be like start to act right you're not acting like there's other people around you and he says he kicked his entire family out of the house and that he's been living and dying with the Patriots fortunes ever since he spoke about it from Foxborough on Tuesday

26:12Gregg Rosenthal:Just talking to my mom, man, I was like, man, I'm still in awe. You know, I'm trying to adjust and, you know, walking up the hill with the uniform on. I was like, man, this is real, you know. And caught myself at one point in practice, wasn't paying attention because I was like, dang, I'm a Patriot, you know. You know, and just trying to take it all in as much as I can. You know, obviously, you know, you know, I got back to work quickly, but it's just it's lovers to it. And like I said, I'm enjoying it. It's obviously I know this ain't heaven, but, you know, it's close to it. This ain't heaven, but it's close to it about Foxborough.

26:54Let's go.

26:55Gregg Rosenthal:Yeah, of course, you're trying to, like, gauge his true fandom credentials as a Patriots fan, Greg. But you know what he looked like? And listeners, I know if you go watch it on YouTube, he looked serene. And that's what he looked like to me as he was talking about that. This has been a real journey for him. I think people are seeing the results of this and, and forgetting about just how freaking long all of this dragged out and probably the mental stress of it and trying to compartmentalize and trying to not maybe pay as much attention to all the things that all the talkings on around you. And it's just been a main topic of most news cycles for, for months.

27:36Gregg Rosenthal:And, you know, For three years, if you really think about it, really the first season, I mean, his season, that season was good, but the team was a total mess when they collapsed after the Super Bowl. And then if you remember the Super Bowl season that they won, that's where he breaks the book out. Like there was tons of drama. How could we forget about the leadership book? Yes. So that's so that's been really a story for a couple of years. and the friendship with Jalen Hurts thing was weird because when it was sold to us, and I think there was a lot of truth to it, that he was really close friends with Jalen Hurts.

28:09And I understand him not going into detail about that, but just saying they drifted apart and professional friendship, you got to make that work. Hey, how are we doing? You know, friendship, profession. It's different. Like, you know someone from afar, then you start working together and then you learn the real person.

28:28Gregg Rosenthal:I've told you this in person. sometimes you shouldn't meet your heroes and sometimes you should and you're a person I'm really glad I met okay thank you I'm glad it was um not too much there I was like I set you up to take a shot at me no I wanted you to take a quick shot at me yeah it look AJ Brown he he went into his mental health which he's spoken openly about especially during that Super Bowl season which they won which has been difficult for him and when Maria Taylor asked him about it he kind of indicated he felt like he did keep that very separate. He, he kept himself in a good place, but also he had to kind of put himself first in a way, which was difficult.

29:08And I think it's the reason that he's in new England right now. One thing that Howie said that I didn't want to forget about was just about the pick that they got. And I, I talked about this with shook. We don't need to linger on it, but he said for us to take a 2026 pick, that's a late first, cap consequences, et cetera. We've always been in the mindset that a pick is a pick. A first round pick is a first round pick. It doesn't matter. Teams are still going to be playing football in 2028. And that's how I've always thought of it too. I've always thought it's weird that everyone says, well, it's not worth as much.

29:44If it's one year out, it's kind of worth like a second round pick. No, it's not. It's worth a first round pick. As long as you're employed, it's just stupid. Howie agrees with me.

29:54Gregg Rosenthal:Yes. yes and and you know like he also that's what people with job continuity can say also exactly so they're you know good for him he's right that's someone who's thinking truly uh long term um did you gather yourself further you want to tell the listeners what you need to you need what a little spittle came out you're just really excited about this i'm just so happy for you i'm really happy for you this is this is your moment so i think i think it's fair compensation for both sides. I think Howie did a good job getting the money. I mean, the pick that he got. One thing I did want to point out was just the contract.

30:30He is due about $32 million this year, essentially. They only had him for one year. It's more likely a two-year, $50-ish million contract, which is$25 per year. One of the benefits that both the Rams and the Patriots had in these trades was these veterans, it's a little rare, pretty recently just signed big contracts so they don't have to sign new ones and the cap space is kind of crazy. If A.J. Brown balls out, maybe he gets a new contract, but the cap figures of what they are paying A.J. Brown, $7 million this year,$11 next year,$17.8 the year after that, and$23 the year after that. Things will change, but in terms of cap figures, they're paying$36 million for A.J.

31:16Brown over three years, so I think that's part of the pain that Howie Roseman feels is that he's paying that.

31:23Gregg Rosenthal:I could have been doing that. Right. He kind of paid the front end. So I think that plays into it. If you think that the Patriots gave up too much value. I also think part of the problem is when this initially leaked all of the chatter about him wanting two first round picks or there's a sky high asking price and all this stuff. Some of that leads to us maybe thinking this is less of a good value of a trader. He's receiving less good value in return. I think this is fine. I think this is about what you would think a 28, 29-year-old, even a great receiver would get, a first-rounder and then a middle to late middle pick.

31:59Gregg Rosenthal:To me, that seems fine. So let's put a pin in this. We'll do some winners and losers at the end so we can get our last thoughts out here for the day on A.J. Brown. But let's talk Myles Garrett after the break. But as we go to break... I love limes. Can we have some sound? Can we have some sound, Eric Roberts? Obviously, I know this ain't heaven, but it's close to it.

32:48every four or eight weeks. If your doctor decides that you can self-inject Tromphia, proper training is required. Tromphia is a prescription medicine used to treat adults with moderately to severely active Crohn's disease and adults with moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis. Serious allergic reactions, increased risk of infections or lower ability to fight them, and liver problems may occur. Before treatment, get checked for infections and tuberculosis. Tell your doctor if you have an infection, flu-like symptoms, or need a vaccine. Explore what's possible. Ask your doctor about Trimphia today.

33:21Call 1-800-526-7736 to learn more or visit trimphiaradio.com.

33:28Gregg Rosenthal:Lowe's knows Sundays are for football. So tackle your home improvement projects by Saturday and earn your Sunday with great deals on LG and Bosch appliances, select Bounty and Swiffer cleaning products and more. Then once your to-do list is done, get ready to kick back, relax, and enjoy the game. Shop in-store or online now and earn your Sunday with help from Lowe's, official partner of the NFL. Baseball is back. And BetMGM, official partner of Major League Baseball, is bringing the heat all season long. Step up to the plate all season with Swing for the Fences, the free-to-play game where every swing could score you rewards.

34:05Gregg Rosenthal:We're talking parlay boost tokens, odds boost tokens, same-gate parlay boosts, and even bonus spins all season long. And the action doesn't stop there. Get more out of every at-bat with MLB same-game parlay boosts. Stack your picks and boost your potential payout. Plus, lock in bigger value with MLB odds boost tokens and MLB parlay boost tokens all season long. More boosts, more swings, more chances to win. Download the BetMGM app and step up to the plate today. See BetMGM.com for terms. 21 plus only. Promotional offers may vary by market. Subject to eligibility requirements. Rewards may vary.

34:43Gregg Rosenthal:Gambling problem? call 1-800-GAMBLER, available in the U.S. For New York, 877-8-HOPE-NY, or text HOPE-NY 467-369. For Arizona, 1-800-NEXT-STEP. For Massachusetts, 1-800-327-5050. For Iowa, 1-800-BETS-OFF. For Puerto Rico, 1-800-981-0023. In partnership with Kansas Crossing Casino and Hotel. Everybody knows Shaq, but off camera, he's just a regular guy. People never believe me when I say I'm just like them. I take out the trash, do dishes, and I struggle with moderate obstructive sleep apnea or OSA. And a lot of adults with obesity also struggle with moderate to severe OSA. You know those scary breathing interruptions during sleep?

35:25Gregg Rosenthal:The loud snoring, choking, and daytime fatigue? I knew I had to talk to my doctor. Don't sleep on the symptoms. Learn more at dontsleeponosa.com. This information is provided by Lilly, a medicine company. Is this heaven? No, it's the Chris Wesleyan Podcast Studio. My friend, Jordan Rodrigue, who's just been waiting for me to stop honking about the Patriots so she can get to her banger, the inside story of the Miles Garrett trade to the Los Angeles Rams. A lot of directions that we can go and we should go. Where do you want to start? I think how you started the article, which was how long of a process this was, this offseason specifically, a multi-month process.

36:19But even going back, a multi-year process, the Rams fascination with Myles Garrett.

36:25Gregg Rosenthal:Yeah. And also, I want to start by saying this was really fun to report on because this is one of those things where you you have a series of hunches and inklings and you start putting together puzzle pieces over. a lot of time and, uh, keeping all your notes on like, even you read in the story, even interactions between people that you see that normally you wouldn't sort of clock, but seem to kind of be relevant in that moment. And then we're beyond and, you know, the Rams, when Miles Garrett's contract got adjusted, this was in late March, this was about five days a week ish before the NFL league meetings in Phoenix, Arizona this year, it's sort of sent a signal out across the league as we thought at the time.

37:09Gregg Rosenthal:And we had a lot of fun talking about it at the time, uh, about how people were going to think that he was tradable. He had previously the year before he had requested a trade and then, you know, that didn't happen. Instead, he got the contract. He had the no trade clause in the contract, uh, which was a real power lever for him. And, but that move in itself, which was, you know, we had a lot of fun with, but also the league was very much talking about. And at that point, the Rams, among other teams, started calling the Browns, right? And asking, you know, what are your terms? What do you want?

37:42Gregg Rosenthal:What is he available? Those kinds of things. To my understanding, Andrew Barry's fending off a lot of these calls, doesn't want to trade him at the time. But it's interesting because then they go to league meetings and the Rams were really, really supportive of a draft picks proposal submitted by the Browns and that Andrew Barry sort of presented the case for where teams should be able to trade draft picks five years in advance instead of three, which is what's currently allowed. And Sean McVay is on the competition committee and Sean McVay is like all public about how the rule is never going to pass and hell no.

38:20Gregg Rosenthal:And it's just not, it's going to be dead in the water. But the Rams themselves were very supportive of this and on the record being very supportive of this proposal. And so these two teams start really palling around. I'm watching this. I'm watching Sean McVay and Andrew Barry joke around with each other and sort of rib each other as they're walking into a privilege session. And that stands out to me. You've seen Andrew Barry smile. That's the other thing. I have to say, I've never seen it. These are things that stand out to me because if you remember, and I know you do, leading all the way up to this year, the Browns had pissed a lot of people off because of that contract that they gave Deshaun Watson.

39:00Gregg Rosenthal:And so, no, it was not a regular occurrence to see the Browns palling around with other teams. It was not a regular occurrence to see, like, that actually happen where the competition committee, one of the guys on the competition committee, and Sean McVay, who's basically being put on all the talk shows to talk about the competition committee making a beeline for Andrew Barry as if they're old, they're longtime old pals. And so it just, and the chatter about Miles at the time, it just started sticking with me. And then, so come to find out, you know, through this reporting process, that is when it all started was during that two week window.

39:38Gregg Rosenthal:And then the Rams just started going after it, just hitting the gas, less need. And Andrew Barry would just bounce terms back and forth all the time for weeks. They would just be constantly running ideas off of each other. And it built from there to the point, Greg, where they had a really good idea that this was going to get done before the first round of the draft, which is fascinating. And I think provides context to the Ty Simpson pick. Yeah, it does. And we can get into that a little bit. Look, GMs lie. They have to lie. There are certain times when they have to lie more than others. Andrew Barry was asked at the owner's meeting about Miles Garrett and said, I don't want to waste any more breath about it.

40:19Miles Garrett is a brown for life. He pretty much just lied there. That's fine. I'm not sure why he's still lying. This was him on Tuesday. Miles wasn't on the training block. We weren't auctioning him off.

40:35Gregg Rosenthal:This is not something that was a primary consideration going into the spring. You wouldn't have changed the contract if you weren't trying to make them available period full stop and even saying no no no for a while up until like late march which isn't that late it's just a negotiating strategy yeah you were absolutely open to the idea of miles garrett being traded there are like seven loopholes he can hide behind here too which is why gm say these types of things after a beloved fan favorite player and in this case this absolute like alien superstar does get traded away one of them being miles garrett had a no trade clause, which he waived because he wanted to come to Los Angeles.

41:14Gregg Rosenthal:You don't just accidentally wave your no trade clause, right? Knowing it was Los Angeles making the offer, waves, no trade clause comes to LA. He can hide behind that. Oh, because he has a no trade clause, there's no way we could even entertain the idea. You can hide behind the fact that, yeah, he was shutting teams down at the beginning of this. They weren't sitting there and dialing out themselves. They were being dialed into. But that's what you do when you want to trade someone. But that is the loophole. Exactly. But the signal was sent already across the league, right? League people were talking about this contract adjustment.

41:46Gregg Rosenthal:The signal had been sent. But you know GMs, Greg, he can hide behind that loophole because I'm not actually dialing the numbers on my phone. I'm receiving calls because of this thing that we did in the contract. And I think Browns fans, thrilled is the wrong word, but they got a really good return. And I guess I followed too many. They're going to love Jared Burst. I'm just saying he is not Miles Garrett. Nobody's saying that they are going to that fan base is going to absolutely love Jared verse. Okay, let's get into that then. I misspoke on Monday's pod. I was really annoyed at myself. I always think of verse as a second round pick because they never have any first round picks, but he was a first round pick.

42:24So it's a fifth year option, which will be available to the Browns, which means he has three years left on his contract. Now they could still give him a new contract after this season, but holding his contractual rights for the next three seasons, I think makes him even more valuable. And I do buy the idea that Jared verse in like a world where he was available in a trade where the Browns just wanted him or some teams wanted him that he would be worth a first plus. I don't know if it's two firsts or it's a first and a third, but to get a player who, when I made my edge rusher rankings, I had 10th overall.

43:03I think that's a fair. I think he is not a top. I don't know if he'll ever be a top five. He needs to develop, but he fits into a larger plan and he is a difference maker and he's from Dayton. Like, man, he really checks a lot of boxes. And you, as you say, like you think the Browns are going to love him. So it makes sense financially. And from the team build perspective,

43:23Gregg Rosenthal:when it comes to the Browns, great personality too, it's a young, they're, they're really leaning into, for the most part, there's still some veterans there, Denzel Ward being one of them, but for the most part, they are leaning into a younger core and he's perfect for that. He, he is, he is, he fears nothing and you'll hear him definitely on the field and he plays like he fears nothing. And I think Brown's fans will Rams fans certainly appreciate it. Brown's fans will absolutely appreciate that as well. The thing here though, is it wasn't necessarily that Jared verse was on the table right away.

43:56Gregg Rosenthal:Like I said, these guys go back and forth on these terms for a long time. And even up until the end of it, it was very clear. The Browns were not moving off of, if you're not going to give us this pick hall, that would be, if you don't send a player, you know, you have to send more picks obviously. And if that's not going to happen, you have to send a player and it's, you know, they really, they've got a lot of young edge rushers on that team on the Rams. And so you're, you're thinking about if you're Sean McVay and you're and you're less need you're thinking about the pick application or the pick translation to what which player would would give them the different sliding scale of what the pick and player combination would be if that makes sense like you're looking at the total equation at the end and so that was a real point of angst internally I do know that but you said they had a feel that it was going to happen before the draft which if we're to believe Andrew Barry which maybe we shouldn't uh what he said Tuesday because they asked him well when did things change and And he said, well, when verse was in it, once verse was in it, then it, which kind of indicates to me verse was probably on the table before the draft.

45:01Gregg Rosenthal:Multiple players were on the table before the draft. The fact that he was one of them is huge. I'm going to guess, I'm not going to ask you to tell me. He was absolutely top priority. They really, really wanted him. Byron Young would be the other logical one because he's a good player at the same position. I don't know if he was. And I think, too, it's interesting because this was basically done Saturday, right? And then there was sort of a cooling off period of like, are we all really doing this kind of a thing? And there was such a, similar to the, almost similar to the A.J. Brown trade with how many weeks and months that it dragged on.

45:48Gregg Rosenthal:This was just privately. It was almost like when it actually happened internally, it was almost like, okay, I guess this happened. They were all ready for it and waiting for it for so long. Just the final terms of it had to be worked out. It was, I would say, almost inevitable by the draft that Miles Garrett was going to be a Los Angeles player. Were the Eagles ever involved? You'd have to ask the Browns. I don't know. But I do know that one of the reasons they wanted to keep it so quiet I mean, obviously, is so there weren't more teams that were trying to get in the mix on this. However, I'll also say this.

46:27Gregg Rosenthal:People are really trying to assess and evaluate this entire thing without factoring in the no trade clause. Miles Garrett and Sean McVay had previously encountered each other just in passing after a game at SoFi Stadium. The Rams won. Oh, yeah. Zach Jackson had a great story on that. And it was in your piece on his podcast. It, it was Sean McVay was openly fanboying over Miles Garrett, like two miles Garrett. And so Garrett was looking for the bus and, and he, he pulls up in his car and he's like, Hey man, you kept me up all night. He's like following him all week. I did not sleep because of you.

47:07Gregg Rosenthal:And, and year over year, especially, you know, there's on the Rams beat. There's oftentimes where like, you know, one of the beat writers is helping out colleagues, write like a big story about a star player who's achieving a milestone. Miles Garrett is one of those players. So Sean's gotten questions about Miles Garrett over the years. And I will say he is the one player who's ever been comparable in their minds. Not quite because there is no Aaron Donald, but comparable to that in terms of potential to be the best ever at his position. And that is absolutely what Sean McVay thinks of Miles Garrett as an outside pass rusher.

47:44Gregg Rosenthal:And he also, he's like a fan. He's like a fan of him. He's like one of his favorite players of all time. And so this is like, this was so aggressive behind the scenes, but they didn't want to overcommit. And a lot of other things I mentioned in the article, a lot of other timing elements all had to be true at the same time. That no trade clause was huge. Not just, not just for getting this done, but, and, and for Miles Garrett having some, some autonomy to choose, but it also immediately rules out other teams because the play, player doesn't have to wave it for everybody. It's like the NBA. And once you are kind of locked in on a team, like he could have stiff armed any other options.

48:23My, my feel of the Eagles was if, if they were really involved, like nitty gritty, like they were on the AJ Brown. I mean, like the Rams were on the AJ Brown. I think it would have gotten out more. The Eagles seem to operate in a way. And this is almost like, you know, a financial services strategy. It's like they want to, they want to know what every deal. So they're going to talk a little bit about every deal because it's good to just know about every deal. But it doesn't sound to me like it got that close. I think if Jared Verst improves significantly as a player, then this can be like a home run for the Browns.

49:00Obviously, they have to take advantage. I think if he stays where he is, he's a great pass rusher. And Andrew Barry kept mentioning it's a short list of players who have made the Pro Bowl original ballot. He said original ballot, you know, back-to-back seasons to start their careers. He's absolutely right. If Jared Burst takes it to another level, like he misses a lot of tackles. He's in the area but doesn't finish a lot of plays. But he is the type of guy that almost every pass rush plan needs and he's like the best version of it, just like the strongest guy ever. If he can take his game to another level where he's finishing plays even more, then it really becomes a home run.

49:39And that said, like you love it from the Rams side, because as I mentioned financially, not only are they getting this guy who can change the math for the rest of their defense and make all the other players better. He's only do$100 million in cash, Myles Garrett, for the next three seasons. The Browns have already paid him a lot of that money.

49:57Gregg Rosenthal:And I was told that the Rams do not plan to touch that contract, at least in the short term, at least in the next year. So, you know, I think that's always a grain of salt conversation. they've never acquired a premier player and then not extended them on their contract. They've, they've always done that. But in this case, it was a little bit different. It got me to sort of raise one eyebrow because you know, it's multiple team stores. They're pretty adamant. They're not touching the contract as it, as it stands right now. And, and we're like pretty open about how nice that contract was. Yeah.

50:31I mean, he, he just got it. And so the Browns did kind of like the Eagles did for AJ Brown, but even more so a lot of the heavy lifting in terms of upfront money and guaranteeing money. Okay. What you just said, I want to give you a couple of quick hitting followups. One, you know, Aaron Donald in the piece, I believe it was in that piece that there was that quote that Aaron, you know, there was a joke in the Rams building that Aaron Donald was their best cornerback when we were asked who's the best cornerback. It's like Aaron Donald because he makes everyone so much better. And like Miles Garrett can be that sort of player.

51:00Is there a chance that we get the real Aaron Donald back? do you think next to Miles Garrett?

51:07Gregg Rosenthal:It's funny. You know, I know that the fan base would love that. I never say never on anything Rams at this point in my time covering them. I mean, look at what they've done over the last like six, seven years, right? I have not heard anything on that. So Pat McAfee, and I saw this just as I was walking in, I should have mentioned it to you, contacted Aaron Donald and Aaron Donald. Was he in the gym? I don't know. But Aaron Donald's response was, well I gotta see you know if I could possibly get that spark back again I don't have that spark right now but I'd have to see so it wasn't exactly a no which it generally has been whenever they've asked Aaron Donald in different podcast situations and he's been like I have no desire to play football again that feels like mostly a no but he didn't say no so one of the things that's really interesting about this though too is like it to that point the Rams first called the Browns about Miles Garrett back in 2022, when they were in their quote unquote, like run it back mode, like trying to figure out how they were going to do that.

52:09Gregg Rosenthal:And Aaron Donald, as we now know, had already started talking to them about, okay, I want to play, you know, two more seasons and we'll do this deal and then give me an out clause just in case I decide I'm done, like all of these things. And that to me was because there was always another, you know, there's always this sort of commentary internally. Like it was the Rams, the players, the Rams have always been obsessed with our Miles Garrett and Joe Burrow. Wow. And they're not going after Joe Burrow at this point as of now. Yeah. And, and it's like going after, give it a couple of years, going after Miles Garrett is that was there a thing of like, okay, let's keep Aaron in the league as long as we can.

52:54Gregg Rosenthal:And so that that's always, there's always been sort of that like sort of joking, sort of not kind of vibe. I can't say whether or not they always said, give him a chance to miss it and we'll see. I don't know if he misses it that bad quite yet, but you know, we'll see, I guess the quote was, yeah, he said he's 35 and he's got to see if he can fire that light back up. I mean, who knows? It doesn't mean too much there on a more like nitty gritty level. how do you think does it impact their team bill just in terms of who's going to get some money in the short term because and by short term i mean this offseason who could get a long-term contract because a few good players are eligible number one is you know by his play on the field the most underpaid player in the entire nfl for the last three years puka nakua byron young uh It was a third round pick who would be, you know, extension eligible.

53:57You know, next year they're going to have Kobe Turner up. So I don't know if you, if you just have any vibes or feel of like maybe how Garrett impacts any of their team build process.

54:08Gregg Rosenthal:Well, as far as they are clear right now, and like all of this is in the parameters of right now, right? They're not touching the contract. So that's as cost controlled as it gets in terms of they know what that number is going to be for Garrett for Garrett. Trent McDuffie similar. They just paid him, uh, like what was it for four year 124 million. Um, so that's, that's also something where they know that number, at least this in part informed the Ty Simpson pick because they, they were so confident that they were going to get miles Garrett and get miles Garrett's contract as well in combination with Trent Duffy, in combination with some of these guys that they will eventually pay, a couple that you mentioned, being cost-controlled on the other side of whatever this particular run this year costs in terms of picks, in terms of monies, in terms of resource allocation overall, understanding who their quarterback is going to be and having that quarterback being cost-controlled on the other side of whatever all of this costs for as long as Matthew Stafford is trying to take them to championships, that was hugely important to them.

55:22Gregg Rosenthal:Because of all of those things that I said that are true at the same time. And that's where, that is where there were really two big parts to that Ty Simpson story. One of them was the, you know, the Sean McVay of it all in this early press conference and the misunderstanding and sort of the things that were pissing him off that led to it and then him, them going on the press tour about, you know, what is accurate, which I know to be true, which weeks up to the draft raving about the kid and loving the kid as a prospect. That was one part of the story. The other piece of this that nobody knew except for a very, very small amount of people in that building was that this was all setting up preparation to bring in Myles Garrett as well, specifically Myles Garrett.

56:13And in theory, yeah, you're going to have less draft capital, but you don't feel the need for it as much because you have a quarterback in place. To me, I didn't actually hate the process of the Ty Simpson pick as much as I question. And I think it's the ultimate reason why people didn't love that pick. Just the evaluation of Ty Simpson. So he's going to have to be right. They're going to they're going to have to be right about that. He is an outlier in so many different ways. They are trying very much to do that. What the Golden State Warriors did in the second run of the Steph Curry area when they, and they said it publicly and everyone got on them for it.

56:50This two timelines thing where they had these three high draft picks and we're going to try to win the title with the old guys. And we're going to have the timeline for the young guys to be ready. The Rams have plenty of young guys. It's not just Ty Simpson, but yes, they have, if you're, if you're watching Nick Harris pointed out on Twitter, like their first round pick since 2015. You got Gurley. You got Goff. You have no pick for about eight years. Then you have Jared Verse, who was traded just like Goff was once traded. Then no pick in 25, no pick in 27. And then you got Ty Simpson there holding the fort down.

57:25They better be right about that kid.

57:26Gregg Rosenthal:What have they got against Jared's, you know? Oh, that's true. That is mean. More on that in a second. We're going to do some winners and losers. Let's take one more break. I'm going to come back and just hit some final thoughts on these massive league-changing trades. Thank you to the Titans, drafting A.J. Brown back in the day and leading to this moment with Rabel and then the Rams and the Patriots and the Eagles. Just giving us some great June content.

58:01For adults with Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis symptoms, every choice matters. Tremphaya offers self-injection or intravenous infusion from the start. Tremphaya is administered as injections under the skin or infusions through a vein every four weeks, followed by injections under the skin every four or eight weeks. If your doctor decides that you can self-inject Tremphaya, proper training is required. Tremphaya is a prescription medicine used to treat adults with moderately to severely active Crohn's disease and adults with moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis. Serious allergic reactions, increased risk of infections or lower ability to fight them, and liver problems may occur.

58:42Before treatment, get checked for infections and tuberculosis. Tell your doctor if you have an infection, flu-like symptoms, or need a vaccine. Explore what's possible. Ask your doctor about Trimphia today. Call 1-800-526-7736 to learn more or visit TrimphiaRadio.com.

59:01Gregg Rosenthal:Lowe's knows Sundays are for football. So tackle your home improvement projects by Saturday and earn your Sunday with great deals on LG and Bosch appliances, select Bounty and Swiffer cleaning products, and more. Then once your to-do list is done, get ready to kick back, relax, and enjoy the game. Shop in-store or online now and earn your Sunday with help from Lowe's, official partner of the NFL. And now, Superhuman Shaq. I keep telling them not to say that. I'm no superhuman. Believe it or not, I struggle with moderate obstructive sleep apnea, or OSA. In adults with obesity, moderate to severe OSA is a condition where breathing is interrupted during sleep, with loud snoring, choking, gasping for air, and even daytime fatigue.

59:51Gregg Rosenthal:Let's just say it can sound a lot like this. Sound familiar? Learn more at don'tsleeponosa.com. This information is provided by Lilly, a medicine company. Protect your pet with insurance from PetsBest. Plans start from less than a dollar a day. Visit petsbest.com. Pet insurance products offered and administered by PetsBest Insurance Services, LLC, are underwritten by American Pet Insurance Company or Independence American Insurance Company. For terms and conditions, visit www.petsbest.com backslash policy. Products are underwritten by American Pet Insurance Company, Independence American Insurance Company, or MS Transverse Insurance Company, and administered by Pets Best Insurance Services, LLC.

1:00:26Gregg Rosenthal:One dollar a day premium based on 2024 average new policyholder data for accident and illness plans. Pets age zero to ten.

1:00:37Back on NFL Daily. Jordan's done snooping. Jordan's done. And seeing how Andrew Barry, Sean McVay are laughing. It almost reminds me of those, like, 90s movies where it's like, oh, the cool kids suddenly hanging out with the dorky girl who happens to be, like, really hot and then takes off her glasses. And everyone, oh, wow.

1:01:02Gregg Rosenthal:And I'm the loner at the lunch table across the hall. You're not in this analogy. Winners and losers. Going to just throw out some rapid fire winners and losers. Let's start with the schedule makers, the NFL writ large, specifically NBC, Maria Taylor, and Netflix for those first two games. We got A.J. Brown now. It felt a little too running it back. I know the Patriots had made some moves and everything. It felt a little too, man, we just saw this game and it wasn't great. but now you got A.J. Brown's first game in that Patriots number one against the most physical secondary in the league and that's how you're starting the season just gives a little extra juice not that you really need it and then even better I think is the Miles Garrett debut is in Australia of all places and it's against Trent freaking Williams so just I don't know if the NFL had an idea or asked about, probably not about the Garrett thing.

1:02:06I'm guessing they did ask about the A.J. Brown thing and maybe that informed the decision. I have no idea.

1:02:10Gregg Rosenthal:I was just thinking about how with Colleen we did a would you rather and mine is dangerously close from becoming dangerously close to becoming true because it was would you rather get followed around for the rest of your life by what, 15 cats or sacked one time by surprise by Miles Garrett and I picked the ladder because I feel like it would just be over quickly. I hope he doesn't hear this. Right. Or if you, if you report something McVay is not happy with, he could set that up. Yeah. It's too, it's just a little too zip code adjacent here to, for me to be too, like truly comfortable. The betting line moved for the first game.

1:02:49Miles Garrett apparently was worth a point or at least the, so many people were just like, Oh, the Rams are going to win that it actually moved from two and a half to three and a half. But I guess I would say losers here on the flip side of that would be those left tackles in the NFC West here. Charles Cross and the right tackles, to be honest.

1:03:08Gregg Rosenthal:He's going to move back and forth. But Trent Williams, that's a win for just fans watching those two Hall of Famers go after each other now a couple times a year. And Paris Johnson, who's one of the better young left tackles in the league. Nice matchup. Did you see the post Johnny V out of the Phoenix market that is media member there? Yeah. Seeing the difference between the two teams. It's like, yeah, one's trading for Garrett and the other is in a contract dispute with Jacoby Brissett. That's tough. We live the duality of man. That division. And I know the NFC West has had its moments over the last handful of years.

1:03:43There was a moment when the AFC North was really rocking with three great great teams and even the Browns had their moments. But this NFC West is as good as any division, which is why the pressure on the Rams is really interesting. They are entering the season as the favorites, the one team that is the favorites in a way. And that's what I was getting at with a jokey tweet I had that they're going for winning now in the most winning now way ever. And that's all I meant was just like, they're going to be viewed as anything less than a Super Bowl is a disappointment, which is tough. That's a tough place to live.

1:04:23Gregg Rosenthal:That is it's it's I know you meant it as like a joke, but that is true. That is absolutely the intent. It's super, super difficult to be that way. The pressure, the strain. I told you what it felt like the last time around when I was sort of in the building, like experiencing all of this as a beat writer, like that is a huge amount of strain. Here's my here's my take, my opinion on all of this. And I said this in 2021, too. this is either going to go exactly how they want it to, or it's going to be a disaster. There's not going to actually be a middle. That's my take. Okay. Yeah. I think they, I think I'm different.

1:04:58I think the most likely outcome is somewhere in between that. They're a very, very good team, but they probably don't win the Superbowl just because no one is probably going to win the Superbowl.

1:05:06Gregg Rosenthal:But I call it a reverse Jeff Fisher syndrome that they have. They, they spent so much time in the middle that right now they would rather burn Burn in the sun and glory or burn in hell than be in the middle. Life is short. I think that's the way to do it. AJ Brown, when asked by Maria Taylor in that interview, what he thinks went wrong, what was tough, he just said it was just expectations. And he was saying expectations, I think from the outside, but he said it was more from ourselves, that we just knew we were so good. We had everyone back. We should be going back to back. We tried to say we're not defending anything.

1:05:42I think it's harder when you are defending the title. The Rams are not doing that. So many of the players on the roster have not won a title. Most of them, obviously. So that, I think, helps them out. But just he said the expectations is what made it tough. All right, another winner. Yeah, just making June 1st today. I think the NFL Network tentpole promoters, let's make June 1st like a thing moving forward. That, like, make some—we needed some shoulder programming, to use an industry term, around this. We should have been a little more ready for it. I'm calling out the NFL network and ESPN for this.

1:06:16Gregg Rosenthal:Yeah. They really could have checked their emails from you that you undoubtedly sent them about your notes on the matter. Um, it already, it's just an extension of the Gregular season. There is a real point within this that I'm serious about, which is that the expanding cap space and the TV money that's come into the league. And the, the fact that there is just way more cap space has made huge trades way easier. And so I think as the NBA, which still kills the NFL in terms of massive trades, their salary cap structure right now, they're almost in like version three. It's making it harder and harder and harder to make massive trades because you have to match the salaries.

1:06:56And they're much more almost of a hard cap now than the NFL, weirdly. The NFL is in this place where it's actually pretty easy to make these massive trades. I kind of, as I'm thinking of similar trades in yesterday's show, I kind of forgot about, oh, yeah, the other argument for best player, defensive player in the NFL was traded literally like nine months ago. Forgot about that one. Yeah. That's pretty similar.

1:07:16Gregg Rosenthal:Also happened. Yes. Winners, people who pre-wrote their A.J. Brown trade analysis. Bill Barnwell, David Ely, and the guys on the NFL.com. Chad Graff. Yes. Chad Graff had what, Mike Reese had a pre-written one. and then next level the Ringer Fantasy show was in Europe at some Spotify thing must be nice and so they pre-taped a breaking news podcast that's next level shout out to Danny Heifetz Danny Kelly Craig Horbach that's pretty awesome should we be doing that Eric? I want to get your thoughts pre-taping a breaking news episode no what if we could get a trip to Europe and so they was like covering us on both ends.

1:08:03If we have to do it because we will be in Europe, then yes. Yeah, because they didn't have like the trade terms or anything, although it kind of was... But how would you feel about two breaking news podcasts in the feed within one hour of each other? We could have done that. That was a decision. Miles Garrett, AJ Brown, double gut punch yesterday. It was pretty wild.

1:08:21Gregg Rosenthal:So here's the thing. Credit to them because they did pre-tape that, but I also saw the post where it was Craig and Danny Heifetz, I think if I'm remembering correctly, and then a third, like more unwelcome guests that they put it in the caption. So everyone go check out that caption. And our buddy Danny Heifetz is certainly going to love us for pointing this out. And it, it, they still had to do it live because the miles Garrett trade was good point. It's such a good point. You can only, you know, have, have too many things that you can plan ahead. The NFL is just too unpredictable. We're winners.

1:08:54Me and you. How about five first round picks traded for veterans, including two from the Rams alone. Trent McDuffie was one of them. In this offseason cycle, we're going to do a little episode coming up about why trades are more prevalent. So this is going to make it easier. Andrew Siciliano? Yeah. He's a winner. Always. Because now the last call that he had of Miles Garrett having a sack is like an all-timer. And as he's done the Rams preseason in the past, So he's going to have some good inside scoop of all the Jared verse universe. You know, he knows Jared. Well, so it's just all said Jared verse is all you had to say.

1:09:35Yeah.

1:09:35Gregg Rosenthal:The Jared verse. How about Mike Rabel getting his guy back and AJ Brown speaking about the accountability, the tough coaching. He never knew why Mike Rabel was always just on him, just asking for him to be even better back in the day. But as time went on, he appreciated it. and um AJ Brown um and Rabel you know kind of continue uh their relationship as coach and player let's listen to Mike Rabel joke about it on Tuesday I mean I think that that was known a long time you know I mean I think I knew that you know I mean I think he showed me pictures when he was a little kid wearing my jersey and stuff like that that he didn't wear my jersey um yeah I mean I think I knew that just from the time that he, you know, like when I think when we drafted him, he was like, I wish the Patriots drafted me.

1:10:26And I said, well, that's, that didn't happen. You know, we, the Titans drafted you. Well, for a second, I thought he was saying that AJ Brown put an AI in the Mike Vrabel uniform. No, that was just Vrabel being funny.

1:10:37Gregg Rosenthal:Like, can we save some of our water on the planet? That would be great. To be real, the last few weeks have been good for Vrabel because it's just gotten back into normal football stuff, which I think is, is positive for him. And then it's also putting his predecessor, Bill Belichick, in the loser category here. Because I don't know if you remember who they drafted instead of A.J. Brown. A.J. Brown, again, on this Maria Taylor interview, said that he left the green room crying because he was hoping so much that he would get drafted by the New England Patriots. Wasn't the Arizona State guy? Who instead drafted your fellow alumna, Nakheel Harry.

1:11:19Yeah. Oversized, bulky. Sun Devil's taking L. Strong. X receiver, Nakheel Harry. If Bill Belichick had just drafted Lamar Jackson, as everyone said they were going to do the year before, instead they took Sonny Michel, they won a Super Bowl. But if they had taken Lamar Jackson and A.J. Brown in back-to-back years instead of Sonny Michel and Nakheel Harry, he might still be coaching them. It's about the players, not the coach. You know what I mean?

1:11:45Gregg Rosenthal:And how many other lives would be unaffected? loser here. Anyone who had a Rams verse jersey, my daughter and my wife who were very upset hated this trade and Jared Verse. That sucks for Jared Verse. I know he's from Dayton. He's going to have a good attitude but it kind of sucks. Yeah. I think it's okay to point out Underrated Food Town. I will say. I've spent some time in Cleveland. Underrated Food Town. But you don't have a chance to win a Super Bowl. You fit here. My My really good friend called me this morning at 730. He's a big time Browns fan. And I knew he was upset because, as I mentioned, he called me at 730.

1:12:29And he told me that he read my article that posted today alongside my colleague, Zach Jackson.

1:12:37Gregg Rosenthal:And it reading it in his words felt like I was stabbing him with a spoon. Dang. I would say, Jason, maybe you're kind of a loser on that one. Dang. Jason getting stabbed. And I'm a loser because I got called at 730 in the morning. Yeah, that's too early. Even for a text. If I see. There's a lot of angst. I've been getting some screenshots of group chats. Like there's a lot of angst. You know, I've been a parent a long time now. I'm up at like 615, 630. But you only send even a text. Never call that early. You only send a text that early. If you see someone's already tweeting, then it's safe. like if I see you've like sent a like your article out at 745 I won't feel bad sending a text that early but that's sort of the I'm just giving some advice here.

1:13:27Let's show the the Quentin Lake tweet that he had to about Jared verse which he said Jared my locker mate is one of the most amazing human beings and teammates I've ever been around sucks that some things are out of players control but love and support is what he needs in the moment love my guy to death and can't wait to see him tear up the league. Everyone just accepts this stuff and I get it. You have to, there's no other option, but it does suck. The Rams had no loyalty for Jared verse. And I do think it's painful that it's like a one way street. And I appreciate like both my daughter and wife hated the trade because they're fans of Jared verse and Jared verse.

1:14:04And they're like loyal to that. And that's how I feel as a fan. Like when the Celtics traded like Marcus, I don't want them to trade jail. I think it's a totally valid and worthwhile emotion and thing to have. Actually, I hate that trade. It kind of sucks that you traded away a guy that I like. You didn't have to do that. You might not be better. It might not work out. It might actually make you worse. And the people doing it, they never get traded. They get fired. But if they're going, you know what I mean? So I think it's okay for people to be like, that kind of sucks to not be loyal to a young, good player.

1:14:37It sucks for him.

1:14:38Gregg Rosenthal:Everybody is allowed to feel their feelings. however they want to feel them. That's all I have to say about it. We don't have to just accept that this is, but it will be cool. Feel your grief. Yeah. We'll have to get the Bills, I mean the Browns-Rams matchup at some point. We do have a Bills-Rams matchup in week five. I bring that up because I have some Bills on my loser list here. First of all, they're going to have to now go against Miles Garrett. I was thinking more of Maxwell Hairston, who's kind of an undersized first round corner they drafted. And that's who AJ Brown likes to dunk on. So they're going to have to deal with AJ Brown.

1:15:18Undersized cornerbacks don't do well there. Christian Benford's probably going to get the matchup there. But a fun little Bills-Rams matchup on Monday Night Football.

1:15:26Gregg Rosenthal:This is a pretty long episode. It is. It is long. I think Eric just said it was seven hours long. I mean, when are we going to get these two big stories? I mean, you're at Maxwell Hairston at this point. So, you know, he was literally the last one on the list. I'm like, OK, Maxwell Hairston and the Bills. Got DJ Moore. But I don't know if you're feeling as good about that as you would be if you got a AJ Brown or Miles Garrett. Let's get out of here. Hit that music. It was great being back, Greg. Great to have you back. It's not going to be the last time that Jordan is back this week. We're getting in the lab.

1:16:02We're ranking general managers later this week with Ollie Connelly. Before that, though, we will be back in the studio with Patrick Claibon. I don't know what we're going to talk about. I think we said it all here today. We'll see you next time.

1:16:22Gregg Rosenthal:Everybody knows Shaq, but off camera, he's just a regular guy. People never believe me when I say I'm just like them. I take out the trash, do dishes, and I struggle with moderate obstructive sleep apnea or OSA. And a lot of adults with obesity also struggle with moderate to severe OSA. You know those scary breathing interruptions during sleep? The loud snoring, choking, and daytime fatigue? I knew I had to talk to my doctor. Don't sleep on the symptoms. Learn more at dontsleeponosa.com. This information is provided by Lilly, a medicine company. Here's the truth. You could literally be adored by everyone and then come home and still get completely ignored by your own cat.

1:16:59Gregg Rosenthal:It's classic cat behavior. But new Sheba Premium Puree is a lickable treat that changes all that. They're protein-rich, made with bone broth, and have the smooth, creamy texture cats go crazy for, especially when it's hand-fed. Yeah, it's more than a treat. It's a fast pass to favorite human status. So feed your cat Sheba and go from totally ignored to truly adored in just 12 days, guaranteed. or your money back. Learn more at Shiba.com. There's a difference between liking a house and actually getting it. Redfin is built to make up that difference and close the gap between finding and owning the home for you.

1:17:36Redfin agents close twice as many deals as other agents. So when you find a home you love, you're not a step behind when it comes to making an offer. That means less watching great homes disappear and more focus on the one you'll call home.

1:17:49Gregg Rosenthal:Redfin helps turn saved listings into real addresses. Get started at redfin.com. Own the dream. M &M's popped caramel do sound different. Oh no, people are going to be obsessed. What do you mean? People hate the sound of chewing. Maybe they won't like the crunch. Maybe we're saved. Wait a minute. Yellow. Have you been eating them this whole time? Mmm, so tasty. Hands off us. M &M's Popped Caramel. It's more fun together. This is an iHeart Podcast. Guaranteed human.