Free Agency Frenzy Day 1 Recap: Willis to the Dolphins, Raiders Spend BIG, Evans to 49ers, Walker III to KC and More!

15:47Gregg Rosenthal:now that they have stockpiled picks and gotten rid in part by getting rid of Max Crosby. Then also they have so many draft picks and you need to rebuild this team in a big way. The Linderbaum signing, I think we can look at in a vacuum here because I look at it as, yes, it's an overpay, right? Yes, it's an overpay born of desperation to fix that offensive line that was a disaster last season and to get a couple of other players, including Jackson Powers Johnson, kicked outside to guard where he's better. But also, at the same time, it's a necessary add for them because you're basically paying this guy to do two jobs.

16:25Gregg Rosenthal:One, protect your rookie quarterback and reset the identity of the offensive line. And two, work in tandem with the play caller, Clint Kubiak, to develop this offensive scheme and to say the things that the quarterback just doesn't know yet. Fernando Mendoza, future number one overall pick. You need even more than a top receiver. you need a great center to settle in a rookie quarterback in this way. And I think that's an outstanding guy to do it.

16:50Steve Wyche:And you help a rookie quarterback with a great run game, which I think where Linderbaum really fits with Kubiak and you can do everything that Kubiak wants to do with Linderbaum. If there was any criticism in Baltimore, it, it maybe was, it was not just the pass pro, but maybe the communication. And like, there were a lot of free rush. They, they, he did not have his best year. You did hear a little bit of pushback on how Linderbaum was viewed, But the Steelers, I mean, the Raiders had to go so high because the Ravens were willing to pay a lot of money to reportedly they went up to four for 88, which is a pretty big difference per year, about five million dollars per year.

17:22Steve Wyche:But they obviously believed in him that much to give him that much money. And to me, if it's kind of like the Patriots a year ago, when that when they made all those deals, I like if they can hit half of these, that's a win. And that's how I feel with this. The Patriots ended up hitting more than half. Yeah. But ultimately, like between Quay Walker and N 'Kobe Dean, if one of those hits, great. Quidipe and Koontz, if one of those two hits, great. And then Linderbaum, you got to be right about it.

17:47Jourdan Rodrigue:Well, Linderbaum, I mean, like you said, it was born out of competition in terms of just, you know, who was bidding for him. We know how effective he can be. But your point about this being a floor raising group, look where these guys came from. I don't think there's one guy on this team that came from a team with a losing record or historically has lost. That's what the Raiders have to get out from. They've got a mindset in that building we're losing is okay.

18:08Gregg Rosenthal:Good point.

18:09Jourdan Rodrigue:Right? So you've got to bring in. Remember, they traded for Taron Johnson, too, who was one of my favorite slot defenders in the secondary. So guys who've won, there's going to be some player accountability in there, which is something that the Raiders, like Max Crosby was the one driving that, but about the only one driving that with the Raiders. So I think that's the part. They've got to nail the draft.

18:28Steve Wyche:I love that.

18:29Jourdan Rodrigue:That's the most important part of the draft.

18:31Steve Wyche:I do love that idea, and I'm glad you brought up Taron Johnson, who we did a show Sunday night. And at that point, we thought he was cut. But right after we finished, he ended up going to the Raiders for a pick swap. And they're paying a lot of money. And they did. They're like a lot of teams, but they were the most extreme. You have to hit a floor. Like you said, raising the floor as a team, but literally a salary cap. Yeah. How much money they had to spend. And they had$120 million. They had to spend all this money. But man, they took some big risks. Quidipe and Quay Walker were guys, I think that ultimately disappointed their previous teams.

19:05Steve Wyche:They have high ceilings and are big boomer bus type players. But what a mix. The Raiders fans out there, including, yes, Steven, can be a lot more excited about their team in 2026. All eyes were on Indy today because that's where our guy Alec Pierce was. Top five free agent available. My favorite wide receiver available. And he ends up staying put, like we predicted on this show, So four years,$114 million to stay with the Colts, depending on how you want to do the math. He's around a top 10 wide receiver right now in terms of average value. $60 million fully guaranteed for Alec Pierce. We're going to get into the Michael Pittman trade, but I do want to just even mention it before we get into Pierce, because to me, they're combined.

19:55Steve Wyche:They decided to keep Alec Pierce, and then they trade Michael Pittman for essentially nothing to the Pittsburgh Steelers. It was kind of like a salary cap dump of Michael Pittman, but you decide to keep Alec Pierce. Jordan and I have talked so much about Alec Pierce and Daniel Jones on the show that I want a fresh voice on this. And he might be Patrick Claiborne's favorite player just in the whole league. Yes, he is. 20, what, two yards per catch over the last two years. Just absolutely outrageous. He's putting up 1970s Don Correale Chargers numbers in terms of those yards per catch. Do you think not only is he worth this, but do you expect to see maybe a different Alec Pierce, a bigger role with Auburn?

20:35Jourdan Rodrigue:Well, that's the main part. I mean, they did not sign him to this type of money to make him be a part-time D threat. He's going to have to be much more of a joker in terms of intermediate route. He can run all the routes. You're seeing him right here, just hit him on this quick kind of flag route to the back of the end zone. But they need to use him more. And they paid him to get rid of Michael Pittman. I mean, Pittman, his production was twice of Alec Pierce's in terms of overall moving the sticks and the catches. So that's what Alec Pierce is going to become. But they're also a tight and heavy offense.

21:06Jourdan Rodrigue:I mean, so that's what they're part of. But they've got to draft and develop. This is part of the salary cap shell game. This also tells you they're saving some dollars to pay Daniel Jones. So that's what part of this is about, too. And they did.

21:20Steve Wyche:They've shown at receiver. Jordan's mentioned sometimes a team like the Rams will trade or sign a position. Maybe they haven't been able to draft and develop. Well, who drafts and develops receivers better than the Colts? Pittman, Pierce, down. T.Y. Hilton. Who's still there? But like Chris Ballard drafted all of those guys. And so ultimately you trade Pittman with one year left on his contract. But I think Pierce was the more unique skill set and was just starting to reach his peak. I mean, a thousand yards on 47 catches. Yeah, it's crazy.

21:51Gregg Rosenthal:Yeah, I think you look at this particular move with three interconnecting machinations with it. One is that the Colts obviously needed to buy themselves a little bit of time, and that's why they put the transition tag on Daniel Jones. They needed to see his touch points in coming back from this injury. Those needed to be kept internally so that the team has full view and sort of, quote-unquote, control over the rehabilitation process versus an external unknown. and then they also needed other teams to tell Daniel Jones what his market really is relative to or isn't or isn't relative to the Achilles tear unfortunately for him that's one machination the other one is this move plus the combination of getting rid of Michael Pittman tells me that they are ready to build a complimentary uh route tree around Tyler Warren specifically and Alec Pierce Josh Downs obviously in the mix as well but having those guys and the emergence of Tyler Warren and all the things he can do in the seam and in the underneath and intermediate parts of the field.

22:49Gregg Rosenthal:Alec Pierce expected to do a little bit more of those things, too. You can see what their vision is. And of course, once again, we have the question about the quarterback to start the Colts season.

23:00Steve Wyche:I love Michael Pittman, but he is such a rugged player and he's only 28, 29 years old. But Pierce's pure speed and size is just more unique. Now, he 50 50 guy. He fits Pittman as a Pittsburgh Steeler. And it is funny to think about him with the Steelers because they didn't used to want to be spending any money, first of all, on day one of free agency that they were not that team. And then at the receiver position, they've been anxious to do so in recent years. And now here they are with DK Metcalf in Pittman. That is a tough, rugged, not in Pittman's case, particularly fast duo, but a group that can take your lunch money here.

23:41Steve Wyche:And then they give him three years,$59 million, like a contract extension. He had one year,$22 million left. So his average actually goes down. It's a reasonable deal, I think, for what they got. We don't know the guarantee.

23:54Jourdan Rodrigue:Yeah, look, you've got Darnell Washington, and the rest of their tight ends to it. I mean, they've got some dudes who will steal your lunch money. And so that's how they want to play football. They clearly have identified how they want to play football. Aaron Rodgers, we're all expecting him to be back. So they're like, forget the deep ball. Okay, we want guys who are going to catch the ball 10 to 18 yards and just move the chains.

24:16Gregg Rosenthal:And dig you out.

24:17Jourdan Rodrigue:Yeah, that's exactly what they want to do. And to me with the Colts also, what the Colts identified by getting rid of him is they're going to pick up another receiver in the draft to develop, like you said. And it's funny how you mentioned, you know, here's the Colts developing receivers. That's what we always said about the Steelers for years. I mean, they were always drafting guys like Antonio Brown in the third round and developing them and the Pro Bowl players year after year. And now it's the Colts who are doing it.

24:39Gregg Rosenthal:So significantly less known issues.

24:43Steve Wyche:Yes. Good point. Daniel Jones, by the way, according to Albert Breer, I thought this was interesting, was asking for close to$50 million per year. And the Colts were offering close to what Sam Darnold got a year ago, which was about three for 100. While we're here, the Steelers also active in terms of their secondary. Add Jamel Dean. Yes. I love$36 million over three years. Good zone corner. You know, their dynamic there in the back end with Joey Porter Jr. Asante Samuel Jr. also signed on day one. A little surprising there. That makes me feel better because I always like Asante Samuel Jr. One year,$4 million.

25:19Steve Wyche:And then Arden Key also went to the Colts. And Cole Holcomb went back to the Steelers. So there's your Steelers and Colts news. Let's get to Mike Evans. I mean, I almost feel like we've insulted him. Come on. In the same way that the Bucs insulted him, he has to go to San Francisco to get his top dollar. and you know soon after that you know the glazers the ownership sends out this long thank you about they want to honor mike evans in the hall of fame and that's all great it was just um look if you wanted to show the respect show the man his money but he's heading out to the most fascinating

25:55Gregg Rosenthal:division in football the nfc west what do you think and you guys know that i've loved watching ricky pierce all develop but mike evans is the ex receiver the number one receiver on the san Francisco 49ers as dominant a player as we've seen in recent years at the position year over year over year minus the injuries recently really consistent player and wants to go try to win a

26:15Steve Wyche:Super Bowl and the 49ers are ahead of theory the Bucs I don't know have as much of a chance to win

26:22Gregg Rosenthal:the Super Bowl as the 49ers maybe not the 49ers gained steam last season while the Bucs fizzled out and Mike Evans I will never forget how frustrated he was at the end of that season And it's not to say that he holds any hard feelings, of course not, to the organization that he loves so much. But this change of scenery, a famous landing spot for a West Coast receiver in the NFC West. I cannot love this anymore if he's not going to be with my beloved Buccaneers. I love that he's going to the NFC West. I love that he's going to the 49ers. I cannot wait to see what Kyle Shanahan does with him.

26:56Jourdan Rodrigue:It's such an arms race of what you're seeing in the NFC West the past couple days. You know, you look at Mike Evans, who you saw, okay, we're watching Jameis Winston throw him balls. This is almost a Larry Fitzgerald situation with Mike Evans. He's going into the Hall of Fame probably on the first ballot, Mike Evans is. But just imagine if he had a consistent quarterback. Like Larry Fitzgerald, he had a couple years with Kurt, a couple years with Carson Palmer, one or two good years with Kyler Murray. Everybody else, he's got Max Hall. That's what Mike Evans was doing. Now he's got Brock Purdy in an offense that's going to get him the ball.

27:26Gregg Rosenthal:Thank you for taking the indirect. Brock Purdy now grows to the perimeter.

27:28Steve Wyche:Yeah. Yes. Thank you for taking the indirect shot at Baker Mayfield that I usually take. I mean, it is what it is. I mean, it is what it is.

27:36Gregg Rosenthal:I mean, how dare you? So the lack of respect thing, I think, is interesting because the way I watched this unfold, it kept being his agent, you know, talking to the insiders and they credit him.

27:49Steve Wyche:So I'm not like source outing. And they were like, hey, he's really got to go to free agency this time. And then like a month later, hey, we really mean it. He's really going to go to free agency this time. And they're trying to like drum up this market. And then, you know, right before free agency starts, like, we mean it, guys. He's not going to sign with the Bucks. And then I see something that it could get upwards of$25,$27 million per year. And I'm like, wow, this is a lot of Mike Evans stuff. And then he settles, quote unquote, for like a three-year up to$60 million contract. I'll be very interested to see the actual numbers.

28:21Steve Wyche:But do the math. That's a lot less than$27 a year. And ultimately, but he kind of did feel disrespected. Like if the Bucs were willing to go to the mat for him financially, I bet he'd be a Buccaneer. And they didn't. Now he's a 49er. And I love it because all I want is entertainment. Me. Here's the other thing.

28:39Jourdan Rodrigue:While we're on that line, would a Florida teams love to tout is their ace in the hole? Yes. No state income tax.

28:45Gregg Rosenthal:Yeah.

28:46Jourdan Rodrigue:He's like, I'm going to take less money and go to California where they pick your pocket with taxes. So you talk about disrespect. But at the same time, I don't blame the Bucs. This is the let's get rid of a guy a year sooner than a year later. Well, right. This might be their win.

28:59Gregg Rosenthal:Yeah. And it's a great I'm glad you brought that up, Steve, because it's not it. They've been preparing for the possibility that Mike Evans retires for years now with the way that they've drafted and developed receivers that are currently on the roster. So I think it's hard to blame them for saying, hey, man, we thought that it was maybe going to be over by now.

29:16Steve Wyche:The only blame you could give him would be they kind of in the end chose Chris Godwin over him. and he didn't look 100 % back for much of life. I think it would have been very tough to justify. I agree with you, Jordan, that it would like to pay him and Godwin that much money at that salary. Buried the lead, man. What? They re-signed KDOT. That's right. That's why they did it, baby. That's coming up later in the show. Little Buccaneer stock. Let's take another break and we'll be back in just a few minutes here on the NFL Channel.

29:44Jourdan Rodrigue: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,

30:05Steve Wyche:official partner of the NFL. Get almost anything you need delivered with Uber Eats. What do we mean by almost? Well, you can't get a well-groomed lawn delivered, but you can get a chicken parm delivered. A day at the lake, that's a no. A Philly cheesesteak. That's a yes. An afternoon stroll. Sorry, no. A burrito bowl. Happily, yes. What about a day of sunshine? Not happening. A box of fine wines. Yes, that is happening. Delivery is on its way. Okay. How about some clear skies? No. Well, then. How about some french fries? Yep. A little escape? No. A delicious bowl of grapes. Yes. Yes, that. How about a freshly cut lawn?

30:42Steve Wyche:Can't help you there, but barbecued prawns. Order it, and it's on its way. Get almost, almost anything delivered with Uber Eats. Order now. Alcohol and select markets. Product availability may vary by region. See app for details. Get almost, almost anything delivered with Uber Eats. Order now. This message is brought to you by Apple Card. Apple Card members can earn unlimited daily cash back on everyday purchases wherever they shop. This means you could be earning daily cash on just about anything like a slice of pizza from your local pizza place or a latte from the corner coffee shop. Apply for AppleCard in the Wallet app to see your credit limit offer in minutes.

31:26Steve Wyche:Subject to credit approval, AppleCard issued by Goldman Sachs Bank USA Salt Lake City Branch. Terms and more at AppleCard.com.

31:35Gregg Rosenthal:Hey, it's Carissa Thompson. Everything these days is fighting for your attention. work, family, social media, and it makes it tough to figure out what should really come first. But here's something that absolutely deserves to be at the top of your list, your breast health. Breast cancer is the second most common cancer and the second leading cause of cancer death among women in the United States. And the rates are still rising. More women under 50 are being diagnosed too. But here's a stat that really hits home. One in two women who qualify for annual breast screenings aren't getting them. That's half.

32:08Gregg Rosenthal:And yet when breast cancer is caught early, the survival rate is over 99%, nearly 100 % for stage one before it spreads. If you're 40 or older, you should be getting screened every year. And if you're under 40, it is never too early to understand your risk. So come on now, pay the girls some attention, head to yourattentionplease.com to learn your breast cancer risk and what screenings you might need. Trust me, your future yourself will thank you. Brought to you by Novartis.

32:42Steve Wyche:Back on NFL Daily. It's time to start talking about that edge room. Yeah. Teased it a little earlier. One of the big memories I had from free agency last year was when Milton Williams was a Panther for like 25 minutes, at least according to some of the reporting that was out there. And then suddenly he wasn't because the Patriots paid him more money. Well, this time the Panthers went even bigger on the defensive line. They end up getting Jalen Phillips, and no one's coming over the top, although technically we've seen over the years, Steve, occasionally some of these free agency deals get ripped up before Wednesday, and then you just never know.

33:18Steve Wyche:But I think Jalen Phillips is joining the Panthers for$120 million, four years, so 30 per year, 80 million in, quote, guarantees, and we almost could do a whole podcast and actually figuring out what these contracts are in reality later in the week, because some of them are going to be really inflated and some of them are not. And so we don't know that. But this is a monster contract that Jalen Phillips ended up getting. Just a perfect example of a guy timing free agency at the exact right time. He finally was healthy. He got out there. The Eagles were trying to keep him, but they weren't trying to pay him$30 million.

33:59Jourdan Rodrigue:Well, you see the players that are going to lose because of it. I mean, this is where they are. He's an edge rusher. He's a premier edge rusher. This is why Miami traded him last year because they knew the market was going to be like this and they couldn't pay these types of dollars. Great pickup for Carolina. I mean, he's someone who's very good against the run. You saw he only generated two sacks with Philly, but, man, he was one of the most disruptive front four guys. You know, in the NFL, you pair him with Derek Brown, who's just as disruptive as an interior five technique, play them on the same side a lot.

34:30Jourdan Rodrigue:But, like, our guy Edro Averro is going to have some things happening there because they've got some guys in the secondary. They still need to fortify that second level a little bit. But that defense is this is a step on how you get better by showing players around the league you're willing to do what it takes.

34:46Steve Wyche:I don't think it's a risk for, like, the talent, but I think it's a risk because he's been healthy one out of the last five years.

34:51Gregg Rosenthal:Yeah, and one really significant injury.

34:53Steve Wyche:Or two out of the last five years. Yeah.

34:55Gregg Rosenthal:Which was the Achilles, but he has so much pop coming back in the, you know, as late as he did come back from that shows so much pop from week five to the end of the season per next gen stats jalen phillips has the sixth most pressures in the nfl um and obviously the injury history is a red flag but at the same time his age is very much a green flag he will only be 27 this summer and i love to steve's point the idea of putting of overloading that front with derrick brown and then also nick scorton really showed some stuff at the end of this past season And I know that organization is so high on him.

35:31Gregg Rosenthal:So getting him a rushing partner and getting interior, really dynamic interior players, such as Derek Brown, an outside rushing partner. And like you said, Steve, they have the perimeter corners. I love how those guys play. They, the entire middle of their defense from the inside linebackers to the safeties, this is where I would like to see them turn their attention to. And there's two more waves of free agency to go where I do think the Panthers are going to be active guys like Devin Lloyd still available, who I think would be a great fit for him.

35:59Steve Wyche:Caden Ellis would be a better one. Yeah, there are linebackers out there. Devin Lloyd is one of the highest ranked, maybe the highest ranked player I have left. I guess Kyler Murray is out there. Two, I love Phillips, and I misspoke. I should have said one of the last three years. It was those back-to-back just devastating Achilles and ACL injuries. But he was healthy and a really improved player in his second season as a Dolphin, where I thought, oh, that's a top-ten edge guy. And then to have those two massive injuries back-to-back seasons and then come back and by the end of this season looking exactly like that guy.

36:30Steve Wyche:I don't think it's a risk. I think in terms of the talent, I think that this is the type of player that you do, quote-unquote, overpay in free agency because it's so rare that they get to the market. You do just get concerned where him versus, say, a Milton Williams or even a Brian Burns who they decided to trade away, he was coming off an injury. It's just the injury situation that a guy with those two major surgeries, you're taking a little bit of a risk, but that's what you do. When you're trying to get over the hump, good move by the Panthers. Let's talk Kenneth Walker. The Super Bowl MVP is a member of the Kansas City Chiefs.

37:04Steve Wyche:Somehow, I just assumed we had that in our matchmaker. We kept talking Walker and ETN was going to go to the Broncos and Chiefs, but no one actually picked that. The three-year deal is up to$45 million. He gets$28.7 million fully guaranteed. So without seeing the particulars, it's probably a two for$30 million contract basically. And it's like a team option for the third year. And look, I just think they needed to find big plays somewhere. And Kenneth Walker is a walking big play. And I love him there more because Eric Biannimi is back there. Like, I have more faith that they'll actually know what to do with Kenneth Walker than maybe the version of the Chiefs we saw the last year.

37:46Gregg Rosenthal:Yes, I agree with that point 100%. I think that is a crucial sort of, you know, hinge hiring or rehiring of this offseason if you're the Chiefs. And Kenneth Walker isn't just an explosive play waiting to happen in the run game. He's an explosive pass play. Screen guy waiting to happen. Our screen king and Andy Reid, who you kind of have a play sheet that looks a little bit like Andy Reid's in front of you right now, Steve. But I cannot wait for Andy Reid to find joy in his screen game again. And Kenneth Walker is 1 million percent the guy that brings this to life in such a cool way, such a creative runner after the catch with the ball in his hand.

38:28Gregg Rosenthal:It's just so beautiful to watch and creative, and it fits right in with that sort of half scheme, half freestyle that Andy Reid loves to execute.

38:37Jourdan Rodrigue:Okay, so here's one that we should have said before the show. Let's find a pairing of Eric Bien-Ami when he played and put it next to Kenneth Walker, and they look like clones of each other. Oh, wow. Physically, how they looked, facially, like everything, but Kenneth Walker was a lot more productive. Here's a couple things I like about Kenneth Walker. Besides the explosiveness, over four years, he has only about 1 ,000 touches. There's not a ton of wear and tear on him. So he can be used in a lot of different ways. But Kansas City needed to get speed. They still need to get speed on the outside at receiver.

39:07Jourdan Rodrigue:I mean, like a reliable speed person. They've got to play catch-up with a lot of these other teams in their division. Kenneth Walker is going to help. Still worried about some things on the offensive line. They've got the right tackle together and some other things on the offensive line. but this is a nice start getting explosiveness.

39:24Steve Wyche:It's very incomplete. I don't like to kind of look at the team as a whole, certainly after day one of free and maybe not even day. You have to with the chief. The chiefs have lost so much defensive talent to the Raiders at the top of

39:36Gregg Rosenthal:the show.

39:36Steve Wyche:Well, I mean, how much more money can they spend? I've just mean that we have to see kind of parts two and three to this off season today. It was about, you know, moves with Kenneth Walker, adding some explosiveness, saying goodbye to a lot of great 2022 draft picks. You already said goodbye to McDuffie. You're saying goodbye to two more members in the secondary. You bring back Travis Kelsey for one year,$12 million. It was funny that that like hour when there was a report that like, no, he's going to talk to other teams. He's going to talk to other teams. No one really bought that. Travis Kelsey back with the Chiefs.

40:10Steve Wyche:So that's great. And then Kairos Tonga, what a come up for him, gets three years,$21 million,$14 million guaranteed. He's your H-back as well.

40:20Gregg Rosenthal:I don't.

40:21Steve Wyche:For one. The thing, I really like him, and yet.

40:24Gregg Rosenthal:Don Terry Poe, part two. You're so mad that he left the ringlet. Don Terry Poe, part two. I am.

40:28Steve Wyche:Because he played well for the Patriots. He's a buy high, though. You always worry a little bit about, okay, he could have been freely available the last couple of years for anyone to grab, and now you're paying 700 % more than the last couple of teams. They had to.

40:42Jourdan Rodrigue:They were so vulnerable. They have to be right about it. Yeah, but they were so vulnerable on the interior last year. They had to get something. And it also kind of tips where they're picking their offensive line at wide receiver with their two first-round draft picks.

40:54Steve Wyche:Or secondary, my God. Paying Travis Kelsey$12 million on your cap in a year where you're really up against it. You know what, though?

41:05Gregg Rosenthal:I have to tell you, maybe in terms of pure team building on a roster construction, maybe not the best idea. in terms of an overall brand and organization, that guy plus his beautiful fiance, Taylor Swift, have brought the Chiefs organization revenue beyond their wildest dreams.

41:22Steve Wyche:So I'm pretty sure$12 million against the cap

41:26Gregg Rosenthal:is going to be just fine.

41:28Steve Wyche:That's fair. I thought Roger Sherman had one of the posts of the day on Blue Sky where he said, he didn't know if it was a great investment either. He said, has Kelsey's play dropped? He thought Kelsey maybe should retire. Has Kelsey's play dropped off? Yes. Is Kelsey good enough to keep playing in the NFL? Also, yes. Should Kelsey keep playing football after the world's wealthiest, most popular musician wrote a song about his penis? No. Like, I think that's a that's a no. At that point, let's just enjoy life. Let's go on tour. Let's just chill. Football is hard. It's hard to talk about football and get a reaction from from the group at the back here.

42:03Steve Wyche:For a minute on Monday, I thought the Titans were going to be the team that really kind of got all of our attention of just spending a ton of money before the Raiders went over the top. It shouldn't be that surprising. These two teams at the top of the draft with the most amount of cap space are spending a lot of money. Let's let's talk about how the Titans went ham on Monday. Titan Wondell Robinson, four years, 78 million dollars, 38 million dollars guaranteed. one of the only two matchmaker hits that we had. It's absolutely outrageous. Colleen and I right now after day one, or at least as we're taping this, are tied one-to-one.

42:44Steve Wyche:Jordan and Patrick have a goose egg, but one is not great, but at least I got Wondell Robinson to the Titans back with Brian Dable. Jonathan Franklin Myers, a guy who we thought would go to different places. We should have known. He's going to Robert Sala. Yeah. Three years,$63 million, $42 million guaranteed. And in fact, we actually did talk about that connection quite a bit this offseason. Just wasn't part of that particular game. Cordell Flott, a guy, you know, I wasn't sure how high I should put up on the 101, but I was like, he was really good last year. I'm going to put him pretty high.

43:16Steve Wyche:And you know what? The Titans agreed with me. Three years,$45 million,$32 million guaranteed. Elante Taylor gets$60 million,$42 million. Good player, man. He is, and he clearly had teams. When I saw that deal compared to a lot of these copy and paste cornerback contracts where he got another$10 million guaranteed than Fla and what is it,$20 million? I was like, oh, he had a market of three, four teams that just kept pumping it up, pumping it up, pumping it up.

43:46Gregg Rosenthal:Maybe they were all the other teams that we predicted it to go to. But also, by the way. We had him surrounded. Yes, we did. I stand by Jonathan Franklin Myers had a great market. I stand by that. I reported that out of the combine. And the 49ers and Bengals were both reportedly included in that. And the 49ers were in on him. And so I'm like, I stand on it. I know I didn't get a point tally. Okay. But I stand on the table on that. Oh, yeah. And I love this fit for him. Obviously, the connection on most of these players, not all, but most of them are either Brian Dable or Robert Sala.

44:21Steve Wyche:Right. Rebuilding the Giants doesn't seem that exciting to me. You get Wandale. You get Daniel Bellinger for three years,$24 million. It's okay. I did like him, but then I saw the money, and that actually was the first contract of the day that I was like, wow,$8 million for Daniel Bellinger. Mitchell Trubisky, by the way, is also a member of the Titans. And Cordell Flott was another table. So it's a lot of giants. It's a lot of familiarity. That's how free agency goes. This was a team that also needed to get to the salary cap floor and spend some money. But it's almost like Mike Rabel, the old Titan, and inspired some of his old friends, Tom Brady and then the Titans, to be, like, spending crazy on day one of free agents.

45:02Jourdan Rodrigue:Well, Alante Taylor is the only signing that they made today that wasn't touched by either Brian Dayball or Robert Sala. You know, earlier I talked about how the Raiders, they brought in guys who came from programs who've won, where there's been locker room accountability. When you're coming from the Jets, when you're coming from the Giants, those are programs that haven't won, and we've seen there's dysfunction. So let's see the character of the guys. That's what Brian Dayball and Robert Sala are hoping to do. But that's why getting a guy like Jonathan Franklin Myers who came up the hard route.

45:29Gregg Rosenthal:And a great locker room guy.

45:30Jourdan Rodrigue:Great locker room guy. Like, that's what he can do. Plus, he can be paired next to Jeffrey Simmons. Have fun with that one. I mean, those two dudes are going to knock the snot out of people. It's a great combo.

45:40Steve Wyche:And they didn't sign, like, an edge today. And so you think, okay, well, you got that number four overall draft. You're right in the sweet spot for a pass rusher right there to put next to those guys. And then suddenly you have an identity on defense with Robert Sala that you can be excited about. Speaking of identity, Rashid to heat. He's back with the Seahawks. I do love a little Seahawks keeping the guys that they wanted at their price. They had to say goodbye. Kobe Bryant is going to be with the Bears. We'll get to that. We haven't heard about Rick Willen, but not expecting him to come back.

46:17Steve Wyche:But Rashid Shahid is back three years,$51 million. So that's 18 per year. And then Josh Jobe, what a come up for him. A guy that essentially didn't make the Eagles roster and now gets$8 million a year. I like the moves. I like the discipline. I like the price there. Shahid's market maybe wasn't quite as big as you would have thought. Like you would have thought he would get more money than Wondell Robinson. And he got significantly less. But I think that worked out well, that the Seahawks had a price for him. They stood to it, and it ended up being the best price. And now you have a really nice secondary piece behind Jackson Smith and Jigla.

46:56Gregg Rosenthal:Yeah, a team that has felt so complete over this last season is able and smartly decides to be, to your point, disciplined enough to stick to being super selective. The our guys, guys, that they wanted to bring back in. the guys who they clearly have committed to in this first wave of free agency and read their read their markets correctly as well um they don't have a lot of places to fill this roster on free agency in fact the only things they i really see for this team is that they can continue to add via the draft specifically um some of these young players to be behind the stars that are on this roster got a running back exactly and and i think that this john schneider team is a team that's like, yeah, I could get one of those in the third or fourth round or maybe a late free agency pickup.

47:45Gregg Rosenthal:This is still such a smartly run and complete team that I think they were allowed to be super selective with the specific guys that they wanted to identify and target early.

47:55Steve Wyche:I think they still need a member of the secondary or two, but they've shown that they can identify maybe some cheaper guys in free agency. And develop. And develop. Drake Thomas, their linebacker, comes back for a small deal. Ty Okoda, he's going to have a bigger role probably. They liked him after what he did last year when Kobe Bryant or when some of the safeties were out. And I love I want to hear to make more big plays for the Seahawks. You know, he only remember he had half a season learned assistant. He'll make more. And he did it as a returner. He's now going to do it as a receiver. Sam Darnold is smiling somewhere.

48:31Steve Wyche:I got to say something on Monday on NFL Network. Yeah. That I don't know if I ever got to say before, which was how about those Bengals on day one of free agency making really smart moves. Steve thinks that boy, mafey got a lot of money and he did$60 million for three years, but I'd rather have boy, mafey three for 60. Then the Adafio way contract out there. Oh man, that's the one. Maybe even the Jalen Phillips contract, considering the money. I like boy, mafey a lot. The type of player I want to bet on in free agency, 20 years seems fair. And then Brian Cook, the safety from the Chiefs, a really aggressive, fun player, goes to the Bengals 3 for 42.

49:13Steve Wyche:They obviously need help on defense, but it's not old money. It's not bad money. I think it's good money that Bengals fans should be excited.

49:21Jourdan Rodrigue:They have needed a safety ever since they led Jesse Bates. And so getting someone like Brian Cook, who played collegially at Cincinnati after starting his career at Howard University, can really run. You know, he's got a lot of good coverage skills. I think that's significant. And look, Boye Mafe is someone with a lot of talent, and that is an affordable edge rusher contract. We know they didn't want to pay Trey Hendrickson, so we'll see. My whole thing with the Bengals is they've yet to develop. They've attracted that position, and they haven't developed anyone to maybe Boye Mafe with his ability can figure something out.

49:54Steve Wyche:Joseph Fassai just got a big contract from the Jets that we'll get to. Trey Hendrickson they had to trade for before he really exploded. Mafe, to me, he's different than Jalen Phillips, But to me, pressure is production, and he's always provided a lot of pressure. And so I'm excited about that. I'm excited just for a little optimism.

50:15Gregg Rosenthal:Well, what I liked is they did sort of a tandem approach, which is the rush and the coverage. Because, you know, Brian Cook mostly has played that deep safety role. He can be used as a blitzer when necessary. But he's really been strong, especially in his vision and limiting that explosive play rate, which is what the Bengals we know struggled with so much last year. And they also added a pass rusher, too. So it's kind of like this complimentary. They need help everywhere on their defense, obviously. But I like the approach that they very methodical, sort of like, OK, we have part to whole here and we can't really have one without the other on the Bengals and methodical.

50:51Steve Wyche:That is a parallel. Well, I left a weird taste in my mouth. You mentioned it, Jordan, in Indianapolis. I have a feeling Zach Taylor and Duke Tobin, they know that they got to push forward.

51:05Steve Wyche:this whole show has just been prelude to talking about the new orleans saint and a nice a nice day one for the new orleans saints i think maybe you guys disagree big money for the guard david edwards four years 61 million dollars travis etn is a member of the new orleans Saints, four years,$52 million. I thought it was very interesting that Rap Sheet on NFL Network said that there are some that believe that Alvin Kamara may be ready to hang him up and start sipping Mai Tais. And if you look at the contract that he signed just a couple days ago where he restructured it, it was the type of contract that you would sign right before retiring to help your team out in terms of dead money.

51:54Steve Wyche:I don't know if that decision has been made, but it sounds like there's belief with the Saints that there may be no Alvin Kamara. He's someone I'm going to be pushing for the Hall of Fame someday. How about that?

52:04Jourdan Rodrigue:Well, I mean, if they go out and make a move for Travis Etienne this early, they must have some indication he's not going to be there because they are similar types of backs. Clearly, Etienne is younger, and Etienne is, much as we may think of him as kind of a change of pace back, look at his workload. He is a bell cow back. Look at the number of touches he's had. He's twice in his four-year career gone over 300 touches in a season. That's rushes and catches. Alvin Kamara has not been asked to do that. He's been mainly a split-back guy. So I think this is a signal that Kamara could be gone. I'm not saying that he is.

52:36Jourdan Rodrigue:But, you know, the Saints made some moves that they had to make to open things up for Tyler Shuck a little bit. I think defensively they also could be making some moves. Demario Davis is gone at linebacker. We don't know what Cam Jordan's future is. He's a free agent. if he'll be back or not. But these are some moves in terms of getting youth and competitive players in here that they kind of foreshadowed last year with some of the moves that they made.

53:01Gregg Rosenthal:Well, they love Danny Stutzman. And I'm not saying it's a one-to-one replacement, but they drafted him last year, and that coaching staff was so high on him. But obviously with DeMario Davis is playing, it's such a high-caliber clip that he has been for his entire career. And he's such an emotional leader, too, on the team. and it's hard to take him off the field. But, man, they love this guy, the second-year linebacker out of OU. And they have a lot of young guys on that defense all over that need to take a step forward in order for this team to be creditable, Greg. But I do like that they beat him.

53:35Gregg Rosenthal:Alante Taylor, man. Yeah, that's tough.

53:36Steve Wyche:I don't think they wanted it. You know what's crazy is I agree. I think he's a really good player. He started his career so well. But you cannot find a Saints fan that is unhappy about Alante Taylor leaving. He had a very up and down career for them. And in general, like both his coaches and the fan base were very up and down with him. But I think I think he could be great in the right spot. Good point on ETN being a bell cow. 1 ,399 yards from scrimmage last year. That was actually the third most that he's had in a season. He's had two seasons more than that. Yeah, look at the touches. And yeah, he's a Louisiana native, right?

54:13Gregg Rosenthal:Yes, he is. The Saints have, for all we give them, a lot of crap on this show and have for a few years, but they do know how to play to their fan base. They really, really do.

54:24Steve Wyche:Trevor Lawrence, by the way, and Travis Etienne, this is breaking up one of the best romances in football. They played together for eight straight years. Trevor Lawrence and Etienne both sent tweets back and forth after this happened. We've come a long way. Going to miss you, said Trevor. been a hell of an eight-year run. It's them with their kids, and I love that. And Etienne maybe wasn't a perfect fit, I guess, for what Liam Cohen wanted to do, but I think he's going to be great with Kellen Moore. And the bigger news is David Edwards. That's a big-time contract to get in free agency. I thought he might go to the Texans.

55:01Steve Wyche:They end up spending more money elsewhere, but 15 a year for a guard who really rebuilt his career under another former offensive line coach that the Saints once had, Aaron Cromer, who's now not in Buffalo. They're trying to rebuild that offensive line, and I like that move. All right, let's go to the Giants. I was really curious what would happen on day one of free agency with the tight end. Would they fly off the board? They did. Giants bring in Isaiah Likely for three years,$40 million. Very similar, almost identical to the contract that their right tackle, Jermaine Illuminor, got. To stay with the Giants, he went and looked at free agency.

55:39Steve Wyche:it ended up being staying with the Giants was the best deal for him and then Tremaine Edmonds the former Bears linebacker gets a big deal three for 36 let's talk about likely um you know John Harbaugh he knows him well brings him in you already have a tight end there and Theo Johnson but they kind of do different things fun fun tandem there yeah I think you're gonna see I mean

56:03Gregg Rosenthal:it seems very obvious a lot of 12 personnel two tight ends two receivers on that team particularly when you look at the receiving core there. And like you mentioned, he's a Harbaugh guy. John Harbaugh is in control of this team, and he knows exactly who Isaiah Likely is, and he knows exactly how they want to use him. So this seemed like, I mean, honestly, did someone matchmake this one? Please tell me one of us did because this seems too obvious to have us overlooked it in our free agency matchmaker game. But, yeah, it is, I think, really interesting because Harbaugh had the Mark Andrews-Isaiah-Likely pairing for a while.

56:42Gregg Rosenthal:Now he's going to the Theo Johnson-Isaiah-Likely pairing. I like they do different things, and I just think this is going to be really interesting.

56:50Steve Wyche:It makes me hate the Andrews contract. Why did they give Mark Andrews that contract? That's a weird. Because he didn't get that much less than Isaiah-Likely got.

56:56Jourdan Rodrigue:It was a weird extension, and at the time they did it in the middle of last season, that kind of tip that Isaiah-Likely would be gone. They were sticking with Mark Andrews. Then, of course, they blow the staff out.

57:06Gregg Rosenthal:Yeah, John Harbaugh's like, don't mind if I do.

57:08Jourdan Rodrigue:Yeah, you know, Todd Monk has gone. Like, I thought Likely was a candidate to get to Cleveland. With them getting rid of Njoku, I know they've got Fan in there, but I think, you know, those two, because Likely's an ascending player, he's become a very reliable blocker. And I think that's where Harbaugh's like, this is a guy with the type of quarterback we have who's mobile on the move, like Lamar. That knows how to deal with that type of quarterback. I think this is an excellent pickup because Isaiah likely is an ascending player.

57:36Steve Wyche:And I know Jermaine Illuminor maybe didn't get the peak value that he wanted in free agency. But he's kicked around the league a lot. Born in England, came over, learned the game late. And I went and looked. He's made something between$20 and$30 million in his career. He's a 31-year-old player and bounced around. This is a life-changing contract for him. So it's like it's kind of a reward for a career that's been slowly building over the last eight or nine years. And I think it's really good value. There were not many tackles out there. Rasheed Walker still is not signed, by the way. And the tackle market hasn't Taylor either like totally developed.

58:14Steve Wyche:And I think Illuminor and the Giants, I think it's going to age well. Unlike that Edmonds contract. I thought that was one of the most surprising. Don't get it. Worst contracts of the day. Don't get it. I don't get that he made almost the same amount of money as Quay Walker and especially N 'Kobe Dean with the Raiders. Like, he's a guy that just got cut, who was kind of declining, who's played a lot, entered the league at age 20. I don't know. They felt like they, like, tried to get some other guys today, and maybe the Titans outspent them for a couple of them, and then they were, like, spending bad money after good.

58:46Gregg Rosenthal:I will not say that this was the right move for them to make, but in terms of the blueprint of what they were trying to do here at this position, I can kind of see what they were actually trying to do. And that is one of my big gripes about the way that Joe Shane had previously built this roster was there are a lot of parts and no connective tissue or identity. There's a lot of high traits players. There's a lot of players who are either high draft picks or they, you know, they traded in the case of Brian Burns, guys who in a vacuum are really, really solid players, but nothing connecting them all in terms of an identity.

59:21Gregg Rosenthal:I think they were looking for a linebacker specifically to try to help bring all of the different parts and pieces of this defense together in a functional way. They couldn't, I don't think they, I don't, this is not reported, but I don't think maybe they could get some of the players that they were thinking of if they were in the market on some of these players. And then so what happens then? You have to pay higher price for a player who still is supposed to fill that role with you.

59:46Jourdan Rodrigue:All I see is a bunch of really good inside linebackers still out. Right. Devin Lloyd's out there. Here's the biggest thing for me.

59:54Steve Wyche:The Bears didn't want him. And the Bears needed an inside linebacker. That worries me. The Bears signed an inside linebacker, Devin Bush. We'll get to it. For less. I don't get that one either. For less money. At least he's coming off his best season, a good season, and they have, like, a vision for him. Denard Wilson, like, I was trying to think of the connection. I don't know if there is one. He's the defensive coordinator. He was in Baltimore. Then Tennessee, Tremaine Edmonds, obviously in Buffalo and Chicago. We'll see. You know, they all can't be winners, and neither can our pick.

1:00:24Gregg Rosenthal:I mean, it might be down to communication style. Who knows? We don't know. We're not in the helmet with these guys. We're not in the field with these guys. That's the thing. And when I talk about connective tissue, you're looking for, like, someone who could just glue all of the pieces around that are moving parts around that are very high-quality players in some cases but don't have a cohesive identity. You're just looking for someone to set a solid floor or to reset what a position is going to look and feel like

1:00:53Steve Wyche:and then around sort of build the silver. And they need another linebacker. They now only have one. So I do get that it's a position that they have to add like a couple guys. I think they need help in the secondary. They have an incomplete.

1:01:06Jourdan Rodrigue:I think he can play the Okereke roles with their look in him. 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.

1:01:33Steve Wyche:Get almost anything you need delivered with Uber Eats. What do we mean by almost? Well, you can't get a well-groomed lawn delivered, but you can get a chicken parm delivered. A day at the lake, that's a no. A Philly cheesesteak, that's a yes. An afternoon stroll, sorry, no. A burrito bowl, happily, yes. What about a day of sunshine? Not happening. A box of fine wines, yes, that is happening. Delivery is on its way. Okay, how about some clear skies? Nope. Well, then how about some French fries? Yep. A little escape? No. A delicious bowl of grapes? Yes. Yes, that. How about a freshly cut lawn? Can't help you there, but barbecued prawns.

1:02:10Steve Wyche:Order it and it's on its way. Get almost, almost anything delivered with Uber Eats. Order now. Alcohol and select markets. Product availability may vary by region. See app for details. Get almost, almost anything delivered with Uber Eats. Order now.

1:02:28Gregg Rosenthal:Hey, it's Carissa Thompson. Everything these days is fighting for your attention, work, family, social media, and it makes it tough to figure out what should really come first. But here's something that absolutely deserves to be at the top of your list, your breast health. Breast cancer is the second most common cancer and the second leading cause of cancer death among women in the United States. And the rates are still rising. More women under 50 are being diagnosed too. But here's a stat that really hits home. One in two women who qualify for annual breast screenings aren't getting them. That's half.

1:03:01Gregg Rosenthal:And yet, when breast cancer is caught early, the survival rate is over 99%, nearly 100 % for stage one before it spreads. If you're 40 or older, you should be getting screened every year. And if you're under 40, it is never too early to understand your risk. So come on now. Pay the girls some attention. head to yourattentionplease.com to learn your breast cancer risk and what screenings you might need. Trust me, your future self will thank you. Brought to you by Novartis.

1:03:30Steve Wyche:You know how it's never really about where you're going? It's about who you're going with? Like, the destination could be totally average, but if the right people are there, it becomes a great memory. Toyota really gets that. Toyota designs vehicles around real life and real people. The ones who bring everyone together and somehow make the drive part of the fun. There's room for all the stuff that comes with togetherness. Luggage, golf clubs, camping gear, plus comfortable seating, smart layouts, and space that lets everyone relax. And Toyota's lineup makes it easy to find your match. The RAV4 is perfect for everyday adventures.

1:04:05Steve Wyche:The Grand Highlander brings serious space for up to eight with generous legroom and expansive cargo space. The Highlander also has space for up to eight. It's ready for big moments and spontaneous ones, balancing style and flexibility. And the Sienna is built for everyday life, carpools, road trips, snacks, spills, and it even has a built-in vacuum for when things get a little too messy. Because when people are the destination, your ride is important. Learn more at toyota.com and find the vehicle that fits your people. So I mentioned on Sunday night how Rashawn Gary almost got hacked. You know, he said he got hacked.

1:04:44Steve Wyche:Yeah. Well, he didn't get hacked. Well, he did get hacked. I mean, let's be honest. Rashawn Gary sent that out, and then his agent probably told him, hey, man, take that off, especially because you use the same AI that other players use to write their own goodbye and have the same graphics, or the agency is making the format for them. I can't really tell what's going on. Either way, it was like the exact same as a couple others that I saw around the league. He deletes it. Then he gets traded. This happened early Monday morning. The Cowboys now have Rashawn Gary. They send a fourth round pick in 2027, a little higher than I would have expected.

1:05:20Steve Wyche:They also signed safety Jalen Thompson later for three years,$36 million. Overall, I thought like kind of the cheaper positions in free agency, normally safety, off ball linebacker, running back safety. Got a little more respect than usual. Starting to bump up like the safeties actually got paid today. Just like an overall point I had. But Rashawn Gary, though, you know, he was a guy that the Packers were ready to cut was do$18 million. So what the Cowboys do is they just say, looking at the edge market out there,$18 million for Gary. We're OK with that. Do you agree?

1:05:54Jourdan Rodrigue:That's clearly it came out of economics, you know, because they did swing for Max Crosby. And once he didn't get that, they were like, you know what, we got a chance to get Rashawn Gary. and I think he's somebody who could be a good, complimentary, effective player. And when I say that, when you line him up next to Kenny Clark or Quinnen Williams in tandem, he can work better than maybe be an overall winner. And there's a lot of scheming that's going on in the NFL right now. We know Christian Parker is a Vic Fangio disciple, and they love to scheme their outside linebackers off the guy next to him.

1:06:26Jourdan Rodrigue:That is a trait that Vic Fangio likes to do. So I think they're hoping that Gary, who's not known for having a ton of rush moves, but a great power player, athletic guy, that in tandem with the Quinton Williams or something, they can work well together. So I think that's why they made that type of acquisition.

1:06:45Gregg Rosenthal:Yeah, they're not chasing an outlier twice, right? They chased Max Crosby, huge outlier player, which is asking for outlier figures to actually make that happen. And they weren't willing reportedly to give give the second first round pick. Jane Slater was reporting day of or day before that. It was like they weren't quite willing to go up that high, but they were very much in the mix on this.

1:07:08Steve Wyche:Reportedly, they were willing to give a first, the second and a player. So it's just they wouldn't give that second first. Sure. Yeah.

1:07:14Gregg Rosenthal:And so but I think what to credit to them, they didn't then chase another outlier. Instead, they went for the math equation of their front. like Steve just pointed out. This is all about parts to whole within the front structure of a defensive line. If you can't have the outlier, they don't just pivot to another outlier, pie-in-the-sky attempt. They're instead going a little bit more meat and potatoes on it, which I think is a smart plan.

1:07:38Steve Wyche:I just think that reading the market aspect, and they did it before free agency opened, I'd rather have Boye Mafi. Now, maybe he doesn't fit. I mean, Christian Parker coached Rashawn Gary, am I right? I mean, wasn't he his coach? Yeah, he was green. So that's the familiarity. He knows what he can do. I love that Rashawn Gary. I want to see that Rashawn Gary again. He just wasn't that guy the last year or so.

1:08:02Jourdan Rodrigue:Real quick, what's interesting, the more this goes along, though, let's see what the market is for Trey Hendrickson. It might not be nearly as big of an apple. It's not.

1:08:10Gregg Rosenthal:It can't be. Otherwise, it would have happened already.

1:08:13Jourdan Rodrigue:So maybe Dallas is still in play.

1:08:15Steve Wyche:I think he ends up in Tampa Bay. I think he ends up in Tampa Bay. That would be a big hit for me on the old matchmaker show. Yeah, I saw something. It's like, Trey Hendrickson's waited a long time to be a free agent. He's not going to rush himself. It's like, yeah, he would if he was getting the amount of money some of these other guys are getting, or at least what he hoped to get. Like, maybe he'll get the Adafioe money. I kind of doubt it at this point, which is crazy. Adafioe, let's go to it. $68 million guaranteed. Yeah, I agree. Age for Hendrickson.

1:08:43Gregg Rosenthal:Age relative to cost specifically. For sure. Yeah, yeah.

1:08:46Steve Wyche:We kind of talked about that, too, because I wanted to defend myself in terms of the ranking of Hendrickson. Some people thought I had him a little too low, like below some of the younger players in free agency. But I still had him ahead of Owe and Mafe. And even then, I thought, I don't know if he's going to get as much money as those guys because I think it's going to be like a two-year, $55 million contract, which is great money. But you're 32 years old coming off an injury. You're not going to get$68 million guaranteed like Adafi Owe. Oh, my God. The commander spent a lot of money on Monday.

1:09:17Steve Wyche:$68 million guaranteed on a$100 million contract for O.A. No one made himself more money at the end of the season than O.A. and Jalen Phillips. $68 million guaranteed. A lot of that money, especially for O.A., is off of what he did down the stretch for the Chargers. You're shaking your head.

1:09:36Jourdan Rodrigue:It's a different scheme. I mean, you go into Dan Quinn's scheme. Now they're going to be running. Now the new D.C. Durante Jones comes in. He's a Brian Flores guy, right? So a lot of mixed match stuff is going to ask some versatility. But that type of number to a defense that's got a lot. I mean. Reminds me a little bit of old Dan Snyder commander's day. It's just, I mean, they've got so many issues on the back end. They had to play Frankie Louv out of position last year.

1:10:06Gregg Rosenthal:Oh, that was our beef the whole year. It was a beef.

1:10:07Jourdan Rodrigue:They put him on the edge and people just were like, okay, he's taking himself out of the play by alignment. And that's not his fault. So maybe this is something where they try to buoy things because he – oh, it was really good for the Chargers last year, but they had some freaking dogs all over that defense at every level. I mean, on the edges, he had flex players. He had my guy Tully Tuiopoulos. See, I said it like he loved it. At every level, they had guys who could spring him. He was not the priority. You look at that commander's defensive front. Last year, they stacked it to be good on first down, stop the run.

1:10:42Jourdan Rodrigue:That did not work out. and now they're trying to be a little bit more prevalent against pressure or to create pressure. We'll see.

1:10:49Steve Wyche:I don't want to be too critical because I just think it's a lot of money. But ultimately, I still had him as a top 12. He's a good player, and like I said, these are the types of players coming into their second contract that get paid a lot of money in free.

1:11:01Gregg Rosenthal:They're absolutely paying for potential. I like that they're paying a younger player. That's a nice change for them. But Odafeo was in a math front, and it was a highly productive one, Jesse Minter. but he had Khalil Mack and Tui Tui Pelotu. There you go. They were just kicking butt all up and down in rotation with each other, and it was fantastic to watch. But, again, it was a math front, and this is not a math front. This is a pure rush front, essentially. And Durante Jones, I think, is going to be really exciting as this defensive coordinator. I don't know how much we're actually going to veer from Dan Quinn here, but one thing about a Flores guy is that the pressure is going to come a lot from the secondary.

1:11:39Gregg Rosenthal:And so while I love that for our guy, Frankie Louvoo, who's already on the roster, I'm not quite sure what it looks like for a front that is not necessarily going to be able to spring him loose the way that he's used to.

1:11:49Jourdan Rodrigue:What's on the back end? I mean, they have been getting cooked for two or three years on that back end.

1:11:54Steve Wyche:It doesn't work without guys in the back end of Brian Flores' defense. And we'll see what they do in the coming days. And, yeah, if you're watching us on YouTube, let's throw up that graphic again of all the Washington signings. because Laramie Tunsil is back there, and he doesn't technically count as a signing, but you bring back Mariota, who one year,$7 million, compared to some of the deals out there, looks good to me for the Commanders, one of the best backups in the league. I like the Traylen Burks coming back. They had re-signed a couple of players before we got to Sunday. And then Amik Robertson, who Patrick randomly took very early in our matchmaking draft, he actually goes to the Commanders for$9.3 million guaranteed.

1:12:32Steve Wyche:So that's just like a solid depth piece. that they add. Here's my question. Can I tell a great side story real quick?

1:12:37Jourdan Rodrigue:Go ahead, yes. On Larry Mutunsel. The guy who negotiates his contract, a guy named Lalu Sani, I used to coach him in youth league football. Wow. By starting wide receiver. He's buying dinner next time. I love, I'm so proud of him. I'm so proud of him. That's so cool, Steve. Yeah, he's Robert Kim D.J.'s cousin, so that's how he met Larry at Ole Miss. But Lalu, I am proud of you, my man. I'm happy for you, and I love it.

1:12:59Steve Wyche:Yeah, I wanted to mention when we talked 49ers earlier, there is more chatter that Trent Williams, really could be up for grabs. He's looking for more money. Laramie Tunsil, who's younger, gets more money. A two-year,$60 million extension. He's at the top of the Contract Hall of Fame. Negotiated a lot.

1:13:16Jourdan Rodrigue:Oh, yeah.

1:13:17Steve Wyche:Yeah. No, you're absolutely right. And Trent Williams is going to want that money. But right now, I think Tunsil's a more valuable player. Let's move on to the Rams who just kept spending in the secondary. Jalen Watson,$34 million guaranteed from the Chiefs, one of the top cornerbacks available. They essentially import the Chiefs secondary. I guess they didn't bring in Brian Cook. He goes to the Chiefs, the safety. But they have Trent McDuffie. They have Jalen Watson. I remember watching them, you know, in the Super Bowl when they were such young players, the 22 draft class playing right away.

1:13:50Steve Wyche:And now here they are transplanted and getting paid a lot of money by your Rams.

1:13:56Gregg Rosenthal:Yeah, it's combining two recent blueprints for the Los Angeles Rams by the Los Angeles Rams when, by the way, remember when they imported the Florida State pass rush in the draft? That's the type of chemistry that they like to see. And then again, with these two Chiefs corners, they really appreciate guys who already know how to play off each other, not wasting any time in a team that is absolutely believing it is bound for the Super Bowl this coming season. And then again, the other blueprint is the F them picks era. The dawn of this era did not just start with the Jalen Ramsey trade. It also was Marcus Peters.

1:14:29Gregg Rosenthal:So they didn't just go for one corner. They went for two-plus multiple corners that really overhauled their secondary in that sense. Now they're back in a previous era of that same Rams team with the same leadership and very, very similar players on both sides of the ball.

1:14:46Jourdan Rodrigue:If you want to talk about blueprints, what the Rams just did is they took a blueprint from the Seattle Seahawks. Okay, when I say this, you get Trent McDuffie. He's Devin Witherspoon, right? He's your triangular corner. Inside, outside, can rush off the edge. Quentin Lake is your Nick Emanwari. Deep safety, strong safety, can rush off the edge. So now you've got these two triangular guys. Then you add Watson on one outset. Now you can move people all over. You can play a big nickel. You can play a true nickel. You can do all kinds. I've talked to people with the Rams about this. There's so many things you can do now with those guys up front because you can show a heavy look, but because Quentin Lake can cover, you cannot scheme them.

1:15:26Steve Wyche:like they and they brought back cam curl to who they know that was the other part and rock solid there on the back end man this is a i like the moves because i like the players great moves i do think process wise you know half to more of these moves that we talk about and we like today they're going to be bad yeah because that's just how free agency goes yeah process wise i feel like cornerback is as risky a position as there is to spend and steve spagnolo and the chiefs like Their secret sauce is they take these middle-round guys and they develop them and they bring in anyone in and they kind of make it work.

1:16:01Steve Wyche:At one point, people were like, you're really going to start Jalen Watson in the Super Bowl? Are you kidding me? And it worked. And McDuffie turns into a superstar as a late first pick and you're paying top-tier money for them. Chris Shula's got to deliver. My somewhat hot take is that Chris Shula and Raheem Morris have gotten a little too much credit for a pretty average defense over the last few years. They faded it back in the last few years. Okay defense, but they get a lot of pop for an okay defense. There's a lot of okay defenses out of there. They got to be better than okay. They got to be getting led by their defense.

1:16:33Steve Wyche:They're getting cooked in the division.

1:16:34Gregg Rosenthal:And I think their defense underperformed expectations most of the year last season. And so, to your point, yes, Chris Shula, big year for him, has to take a step forward with that group, that young group, that's still mostly cost-controlled, by the way. They're spending big on the Trent McDuffie contract, obviously, but this is so interesting to me as well. Because, Greg, to your point, the inverse about the Rams is true. They can't draft corners. They are aware of this at this point. But what can they do and what have they done very, very well, which is pay and invest in proven players, players with professional data behind them that they know they can see where they fit.

1:17:11Gregg Rosenthal:They can see what the puzzle is and exactly what that return on investment should look like. It's really interesting that Spagnuolo can do the opposite and has done the opposite. He's bumming right now. Two years later, the Rams, Les Snead and the Rams are the ones that.

1:17:24Steve Wyche:The Chiefs are really asking a lot out of Spagnuolo. Spagnuolo. He's the meme. He's the head between his legs right now.

1:17:30Gregg Rosenthal:He's the meme of Spider-Man holding the train.

1:17:33Steve Wyche:Yes.

1:17:34Gregg Rosenthal:From, like, straining.

1:17:36Steve Wyche:He's not happy. It is great. It is great how, like, great he has been for them and that he gets his players paid. Like, think of how much money Steve Spagnuolo has helped to generate. Kingmaker. For players. But, man, they are asking a lot. and the Rams. It just makes this division so fascinating. All right, we're going to pick up the pace down the stretch here at the show. Steve has been on air for about seven hours today. We asked if he wanted out. You know, it's like he's got a play sheet. It's like Tatum coming off his Achilles on a minutes limit. There's no minutes limit for Steve Weiss. We're going to talk about a trade that happened very early.

1:18:12Steve Wyche:The New York Jets acquired Minka Fitzpatrick. They gave up a 2027 seven. So the Dolphins, based on that return, were ready to cut Minka Fitzpatrick. But instead of getting cut, he goes to the jet, signs a new deal. Then they signed to Mario Davis,$15 million guaranteed, two years,$22 million. Another former Aaron Glenn guy comes in, David Onyemata, gets$10 million. He's been just kind of kicking the can forward. And man, it's a lot of different players. Kingsley and Iqbari gets one year,$10 million. I mentioned Joseph Asai from the Bengals, three years,$36 million. Remember that they brought in Tavondre Sweat in the trade.

1:18:57Steve Wyche:This is a totally revamped defense. I'm not sure about the process, Jordan. Why'd they pay Minka, too?

1:19:06Gregg Rosenthal:I think I know what this process looks like to me. It looks like, and I saw your post about it earlier, Greg. I want to hear about your thoughts on this here in a second as well. You don't just you're not just setting us up for success, Greg, as the host. I'd like to also hear your take on this.

1:19:21Steve Wyche:This someone needs to be set up with success when it comes to the Jets.

1:19:24Gregg Rosenthal:This is this is very patriotsy light. This is very Panthersy from a couple of years ago when or excuse me, last offseason and the one before that, when they're basically making up for just decimate a decimated side of the ball. in this case, multiple, both sides of the ball, decimated roster, failure to draft well, to replace guys, to develop players into roles that could give this defense, especially I'm looking at some of these signings, an edge, and also trading away your stars in this regard. This is basically a floor resetting. Most, if not all, of these guys will be replaced by draft picks in two years or less.

1:20:09Gregg Rosenthal:So at least when you sign guys like this, when you sign this volume of players like this to these prices and this amount and at the ages and all of that stuff, this is a team that absolutely knows that it has to be competitive this year. It's trying to walk the line between you.

1:20:28Steve Wyche:They got my tweet. That is 100 % correct. Yeah. I said it feels like they're trying to get over the top, that they're trying to win a title. What are they doing? The moves they made made it seem like they feel they're right there.

1:20:41Jourdan Rodrigue:You fire your entire coaching staff.

1:20:43Steve Wyche:Yeah, this is why you should have fired all of the coaching staff and the front office. Just blow them all out. Because you just waste another year doing moves like this. What is the plan?

1:20:52Gregg Rosenthal:Maybe I'm just a silver linings person where I'm like, yeah, I think that this is following, almost like copying and pasting a different version of what some of these teams that had to rebuild, like multiple draft classes. I get it.

1:21:04Steve Wyche:But if they're 0-5, they're all getting blown out of the building. DeMario Davis, I mean, Aaron Glenn and Darren Mugi, and you have a 36-year-old linebacker, like a 35-year-old defensive tackle. You have Minka Fitzpatrick, who was about to get cut and is on the back end of his career. That's what I'm saying.

1:21:21Gregg Rosenthal:Look at all their draft picks. That's all I'm saying.

1:21:23Steve Wyche:All the other teams, when we're talking about the floor raising, those were still guys in the middles of their career.

1:21:29Gregg Rosenthal:What I mean is when you look at teams who have to make up for the fact that they've either had a disaster of a team build for a couple of years in a row, or they are just decimated in terms of their drafting. These guys are not making it to their rosters, all other Patriots, for a couple of years in a row. You have to at least pay higher money to patch areas of your roster and then replace them as quickly as possible with the plethora of draft picks that they have available. While I don't think that this necessarily is a set of decisions that commits to Aaron Glenn by any means, I do think it is a set of decisions when you factor in the draft picks as well that says, hey, Darren and Mugi, let's see what you got here.

1:22:08Jourdan Rodrigue:They better get Kyler Murray. I mean, who's their quarterback? I don't think that they're going to be competitive.

1:22:13Gregg Rosenthal:I mean, I don't think they're even thinking they're going to be competitive. These guys, I have no idea what they're doing.

1:22:19Jourdan Rodrigue:Like, absolutely. Well, it is committing to Aaron Glenn because you're signing all his old players. He's committing to himself, that organization.

1:22:27Gregg Rosenthal:I just don't think that the act of signing these players. Yeah, sure, you're seeing what he's got in this year. Absolutely. Beyond this year, I don't think that any of these – I don't think that any of these guys you could say in stone are going to be there in 2027.

1:22:39Jourdan Rodrigue:This literally looks like an NBA. But this almost looks like an NBA, like Washington Wizards, like cap clearing. You're signing all these guys to one year deals and stuff. So when you blow everyone out after the year, you can have a clean slate.

1:22:55Gregg Rosenthal:And you hope you have draft pick. All right.

1:22:57Steve Wyche:I'm going to quote Ollie Connolly. I did ask him for permission when he saw some of these signings. And if I could quote him on this. He said, absolutely preposterous. Being the grandpa saints, and this is the key part, running a style that the architect of the defense has ditched himself. And that is the key part. Can Aaron Glenn coach defense? He's taking himself back from defense. He was an, like, they underperformed so poorly, running kind of an old defense. And the defense he's talking about is really the Dennis Allen defense, who he's evolved with the times. Has Aaron Glenn evolved with the times?

1:23:30Steve Wyche:We will see. I think Osai makes some sense. I don't doubt that they'll be better because they can't be worse. Oh, it can always get worse. It can always get worse. It can't get much worse. It can always get worse. Anikbar. Just own Yamada. Like when a guy who's like. Good player. Good player, but keeps coming at a certain price and you're paying double that. They're just burning Woody Johnson's money. Let's move on to the Bucs. We said we were going to pick up and then we went way slower. That's on me. The Bucs, they prioritize my guy, K-Dotten over Mike Evans. Who's the real franchise legend?

1:24:03Steve Wyche:It's Kate Otten. $20 million guaranteed, three for 30. I mean, obviously, that wasn't going to get Mike Evans in the building, so I have a tongue-in-cheek when I'm saying that they prioritize him. But they did have to pay him pretty good money. Kenneth Gainwell got a nice contract for the Bucs, replacing Rashad White, two for 14. And then Alex Anzalone, very differing views on this contract when I went around with it, canvassed it, because, like, the Athletic had it as one of the best signings in all of free agency. two years 17 million dollars he reportedly took less money than the giants offered according to nfl network although there is like the income tax yeah like they always love advertising that to me he's a limit he's kind of a limited player but i i like the out and i like the gainwell move and i do wonder if they're sitting out there jordan uh maybe looking at the edge market still

1:24:51Gregg Rosenthal:they're including trey head yeah 100 although i'm thinking about the bucks history uh at the position and I just don't I think the age would probably be a factor here with with Trey Henderson relative to the cost but I love pairing Bucky Irving with with Kenny G oh my god Bucky and Kenny I just I absolutely love this tandem here and I I you know this is a you know Zach Robinson's there now so they're going to do a couple of different things in the run game they're not just going to be uh one-dimensional there and hopefully not run a ton of pistol we'll see and with. He's a fun combo with

1:25:29Steve Wyche:Bucky.

1:25:29Gregg Rosenthal:It's just really fun. I think they just need to get back to what they do well, running the ball well and setting up shots for their receivers and have Chris Godwin, hopefully, who's healthy, carve up the middle of the field and have K-Dot and block his butt off. That's basically what I fixed the bucks.

1:25:44Jourdan Rodrigue:If Zach Robinson doesn't change his ways, K-Dot is going to be catching a lot of stuff on the sideline. He's more of an across the middle guy. He's got to change that from some of the issues that they had in Atlanta. Look, I think you go for Trey Henson. I think this is a big year for Todd Bowles and that staff in Tampa after the way they collapsed last year. I mean, I think they've got to get something done. You make some of the moves this year for Tampa like the Jets made. You get some veteran players, even if they're on short-term deals, because you get Trey Hendrickson this year, you win, you buy yourself some more time, you get a contract that you send as a coach, and then you draft and develop Jason Light, some of these young edge players.

1:26:24Jourdan Rodrigue:But you get a Trey Hendrickson to get you over the top.

1:26:26Steve Wyche:And they've tried. They drafted Chris Braswell in the second round. He hasn't really worked out. Yaya Diaby was a big hit. Hassan Redick, who was kind of similar to Trey Hendrickson, is a free agent in terms of an older guy that you brought in. So you could spend more there. Logan Hall is a free agent. And at receiver where you don't have Evans, you do still have Jalen McMillan, Abuka, and Chris Godwin, and some good backups in Cam Johnson and Ted Johnson. So I do just think Evans got boxed out a little by that Chris Godwin contract in particular, but also they just have good young talent. The Bears got on the board with a couple of defensive signings.

1:26:57Steve Wyche:Kobe Bryant is leaving the Seahawks. He's going to Chicago. We heard that Kevin Byard might be the priority there over Jaquan Brisker. Both of them remain free agents. Brisker's got the injury stuff, too. But Bryant would be a good combo, I think, with Byard. And then Devin Bush at linebacker,$21 million guaranteed. Three years,$30 million. Like I said, the off-ball linebackers got paid coming off a career year. An interesting twofer there for the Bears on defense. Yeah, I think it's interesting because they, this is, Kobe Bryant especially was one of the signings that I got really pretty excited about for the Bears and seeing what Dennis Allen and the Denizants can do in activating him.

1:27:42Gregg Rosenthal:And this, you know, we're looking at these moves in a vacuum and the Bears have already had like quite a, quite adventurous free agency period slash enter to free agency period with your dominant hiring. And then some of the shuffling on the, tried to get Crosby reportedly.

1:27:57Steve Wyche:They were going to give up a first for him, but it was a late first. And so that kind of killed them.

1:28:01Gregg Rosenthal:Yeah. It was the, the Ravens picking higher than the bears, which almost never happens guys. So that's like, that's like pretty incredible. And then I, you know, I think it's interesting because this is a bears team that needs needed to get a little bit more of a pass or a lot more of a pass rush. going. So that's still something that I'm interested in seeing how they do. But it looks like if I read my very quick notification correctly, Braxton Miller is going to be coming back. So while they wait for Ozzy Trapilo to recover from that injury, he might give them a little bit of insurance. We can cut that if I read that wrong.

1:28:34Gregg Rosenthal:Braxton Jones. Braxton Jones. Excuse me. Why did I say Braxton Miller? That was a player. Braxton Jones. That was a player.

1:28:39Steve Wyche:Name a guy.

1:28:40Gregg Rosenthal:Name a guy. Yeah. And also wanted to shout out my dear friend, Kevin Fishbane and his wife, Annie, who at the start of free agency and on the day Drew Dallman retired, gave birth to their first girl, their third of three children, and their first girl, Gracie Mae Fishbane. Congrats to the Fishbanes. Kevin, you're a girl dad. Don't be scared.

1:28:59Jourdan Rodrigue:Well done. Real quick on the Devin Bush thing. This kind of caught me a little bit, that they came off the market as quickly as he did. Clearly they feel he is a scheme fit. He doesn't fit a lot of the linebackers that Dennis Allen typically has at that spot. He's got some hammers. You know, you think about some of the guys. You had guys like Cade Nellis, guys like.

1:29:19Steve Wyche:Actually, I thought about Cade Nellis. Couldn't he do. Didn't he. I know he's not that big of a guy. I would love. He is a big dude. Cade Nellis is a big guy. I know, but didn't Bush kind of last year be that guy? Now, he was very lucky to be playing next to Swestern. Correct. But he was that move guy that you could rush and was fun.

1:29:34Jourdan Rodrigue:So let me tell you this. You have two inside linebackers who are high-volume tacklers. What does that tell you? The guys up front weren't very freaking good, and these guys had to make a ton of plays, so they put a beating on their bodies, one. Two, they've got great instincts, and they know how to play their football players. They've got that feel. So that's one thing I really like about Bush right here. It's just when you look at bad teams, that's where your high-volume inside linebackers are. Every year, your leading tacklers will be on bad teams because teams don't have to throw the ball on them because they're jamming them down.

1:30:11Jourdan Rodrigue:Down. So, again, I'm not necessarily saying I don't like this. It was just a different. I was surprised. It wasn't a fit that I was expecting for Chicago to be.

1:30:21Steve Wyche:I wasn't sure what to think about Devin Bush in terms of, like, ranking him and putting him against the other off-balling rate. Because if you just watched just last year. He was a fun player to watch. Devin Bush was fantastic. And he had been more or less a bust before then. I was like, what do you trust? They're trusting last year. They have a vision. And for some reason now, this Ryan Poles-Bears situation, everything just feels like it's going to go well. And I'm like, well, if they like Devin Bush, they must have a vision for him. I see it, Ryan Poles. Anyone that comes on our show two straight years at the Scouting Combine, you're going to get better coverage on the show.

1:30:56Steve Wyche:Just a thought for everyone out there. The Patriots, they get a lot of coverage. They won't get much in this show because I think they were in on Alec Pierce, didn't get him. They do get Draymond Jones, three years,$39 million. Not sure if I'm in love with the whole, like, hey, let's keep bringing in, you know, like these big edges. Like they had Harold Landry, which is a different type of guy from the Titans. Draymond Jones at one point with the Titans and everything. And three years,$39 million. But that's the scheme. It's an edge-setting scheme.

1:31:27Jourdan Rodrigue:They want to set the edge, collapse the pocket more than they want a guy who wins. That's just how Mike Vrabel coaches. That's how he played.

1:31:34Steve Wyche:And he played well last year, Draymond Jones. I guess what I'm saying is, and of course, he started with the Titans. So there wasn't a carryover. I mean, with the Broncos. I misspoke there. He was with the Titans very briefly in 2025 before he went to the Ravens. A long day. So he gets a lot of money. That means they probably won't re-sign Caleb on chase. They did sign Reggie Gilliam, who's one of the most fun fullbacks in the league. I know Bill's fans won't like that. Him going to the Patriots. And then they cut Jelani to Vi. uh Cade Mays is an interesting offensive lineman that probably had never been mentioned on NFL Daily until recently and we we put him pretty high in the top uh 55 or so uh free agents gets 14 million dollars guaranteed from the Lions they start to remake their offensive line and I feel like this was going to be very popular uh with Brandon Thorne and his sub stack that you know the trench mob um I feel like this is going to be the hipster oh that's the pick of the year

1:32:30Gregg Rosenthal:yeah I you said that off off air I was glad you also said it on the show because it's a good line I think that's true I think that's the one where all of the um you know the film watching community will sort of be like oh we you know we said this back in in free agency that this is going to pop it's him and Drew Petsing paired together now which I really like I think that Drew Petsing working with a good center has some potential and the Lions struggling to replace um Why can't I bring right now?

1:33:01Steve Wyche:They cut Graham Glasgow. They cut Taylor Decker. So they have a lot of spots to fill. They filled one. There's a lot of names going around.

1:33:08Gregg Rosenthal:I you know what? And I and I love it because it re-anchors them in a way. He was a player who I mentioned a couple shows ago. I really wish the Panthers would have kept. I think that he is super, super talented. And this is going to be a fun ad for the Lions getting their offensive line back.

1:33:22Steve Wyche:That's the thing with the Panthers. They signed away as a flashy move. I'm really curious to see the rest of their free agency because they have a lot of Ross the Browns.

1:33:29Gregg Rosenthal:We're all doing it.

1:33:30Steve Wyche:We said it was going to be five free agent spots. I mean, five offensive line spots that the Browns need to fill. Yes. Right. And they got one done the other day with Titus Howard and now Zion Johnson.

1:33:44Gregg Rosenthal:They're at two years.

1:33:45Steve Wyche:Forty nine million dollars. Thirty two million dollars guaranteed. That's a lot of money for Zion. I could make we could do a show on who made themselves the most amount of money like in the back end of 2025. five away jalen philb zion johnson all very high well that's good giant johnson was the last man

1:34:04Jourdan Rodrigue:standing on that chargers offensive line but look the one thing i do like with the browns they're

1:34:10Gregg Rosenthal:showing their identity they're going guard center guard right you put two two guards at your priority

1:34:15Jourdan Rodrigue:that is telling you how you want to build your offense and a lot of teams and sean payton started this years ago guard center guard we'll get two very functional athletic tackles or one athletic tackle and then one kind of stonewall tackle but guard center guard because we had a shorter quarterback is where we want to handle our business and that's clearly how todd monken is

1:34:35Gregg Rosenthal:trying to shape this offensive front of glenland and he wants to run the ball and quinch on jenkins obviously has a long road of recovery pretty gruesome injury that he that he experienced but man was he special yeah like such a special draft pick for them prior to that and they want to run the ball and zion johnson could absolutely grade a road and he was really the only one left doing

1:34:53Steve Wyche:It was a little bit of a red flag, though, that Jim Harbaugh, after saying he was the greatest player of all time when he was really struggling to even get playing time and then lets him go. That's concerning when they let your other guard go to like you absolutely need them. The Chargers talk about setting an identity. They give twenty four million dollars to your hipsters favorite friend. And by that, I mean, Ollie Connelly, our friend, three years, twenty four million dollars, seventeen million dollars guaranteed for the Ravens. third tight end last year, but known as one of the best blocking tight ends in the league.

1:35:28Steve Wyche:And you combine him with a Rondé Gadsen. And then you add Alec Engle, the fullback from Mike McDaniel with him in Miami. I mean, I don't think Scott Matlack's playing fullback anymore, but man, you, uh, you also re-signed Trevor Penning as a swing tackle with a little surprise there. Uh, Tyler Biotis, you, you signed at center move and you know, the interesting thing with, Oh, wait, depending on how they handle the rest of free agency. And I suspect they're cognizant of this. Joe Hortiz, they're going to get a third round pick for a dafe away.

1:35:59Gregg Rosenthal:Yeah.

1:36:00Steve Wyche:Pretty good business. Compensatory pick. So how it works is it gets matched up based on the signings that you have. But assuming they don't sign anyone at the super top of the free agency market that would block out that always signing. They got them for eight weeks, got a ton of production out of them, and they're going to get like a third round compensatory pick back. and they're showing you who they are by just finding blockers.

1:36:21Jourdan Rodrigue:They're showing you they're going to play 22 personnel. You get a fullback, two tight ends, and look, getting Charlie Kolar.

1:36:28Steve Wyche:How about two fullbacks and two tight ends? What would that even be called? I guess. They got 22. Yeah, that's the same. But, you know, the thing. Fullbacks should have a different. I know.

1:36:35Gregg Rosenthal:I want 44. I want this to be 44. Let's carve it. The old Syracuse 44. Let's carve it.

1:36:40Jourdan Rodrigue:But the one thing I like about getting Kolar there is the injuries to the tackles. you've got a monster tight end who can maybe offset, you know, all or Slater when they're coming back or to help them come along in certain formations because it's not like they play in a division where there aren't a bunch of jackhammers on the defensive lines like up in Denver and Kansas City.

1:37:00Gregg Rosenthal:One thing I really love about this is, you know, when it was Greg Roman, I think we'd be like, yeah, that'll be, you know, he wants to load up heavy and whatever, whatever, right? We know what they want to do. This is Mike McDaniel at OC, which means that, yes, He wants to load up heavy and do really interesting run formations and all of those types of things with the different personnels. But it also gives him such a blank canvas for all the different like scheme looks and different sort of fake you out. And the quarterback. Thinking it's one personnel and it's another personnel. Oh, by the way, Justin Herbert is back there.

1:37:32Gregg Rosenthal:Like there's just such a ground for creativity with this personnel. And I love the sort of duality of it where, like, you look at these, like, massive blocking, like, fullbacks and Charlie Kolar is the blocking tight end and you think, like, oh, old school. But, no, you look at these in tandem with Mike McDaniel and you think we're going to see some really interesting stuff this year.

1:37:56Steve Wyche:So you're saying it's kind of like Greg Roman wanted to do it, except this time it'll work, you know? Like, it'll actually be effective. I don't know that that's actually what I'm saying. The Ravens bring back John Simpson, who went to the Jets. He was a guard for the Jets for a while. They're trying to replace their interior offensive line. They lost Linderbaum. Three years,$30 million. That's good. He's kind of going to help replace Daniel Falele.

1:38:22Jourdan Rodrigue:Falele.

1:38:23Steve Wyche:Falele. Although, who knows? Get your Polynesian vowels right, Greg. Maybe Falele will return. Yeah, fixed it. The Texans have re-signed Ed Ingram, who made himself a lot of money last year. Three years,$37 million. They also brought back Sheldon Rankins, who signed a two-year$12 million contract. Reed Blankenship was added late in the day. Three years,$24 million,$16 million guaranteed. So not quite as much as some of the other safeties on the market. Again, maybe they were looking at my rankings because he was kind of towards the bottom. Congrats, Greg. Some concern. It said Greg Rankins. On point.

1:39:01Steve Wyche:Maybe scheme.

1:39:02Gregg Rosenthal:They had it pulled up on one, like, dual monitors. One whole monitor was just Greg's rank.

1:39:06Steve Wyche:They've made so many re-signings and moves. They still will have more to go, but I know you're a big read, blank, and tip believer.

1:39:14Gregg Rosenthal:No, I actually am not. I'm sort of neutral on him specifically. I said I like that the Texans went out and got him. Yeah. I like it for him. The physicality potential here. I like the fit within this secondary. Obviously, he's a player who works the best when he's not asked to do everything, similar to the last secondary that he was just a part of. He's not even going to be close to the star in the secondary, but he's going to need to play a role. He's going to have to be physical, and that's what he can do. So I like this as sort of a part-to-whole move. The Texans obviously very clearly can think about that in this defense because they have stars all over the field.

1:39:48Steve Wyche:Shout out to Sheldon Rankin. He signed six NFL contracts. He is. He's maybe at the base. And he had a torn Achilles in his career. You know, he was a first-round pick, but the Saints fans kind of were like, I like him, but nice career.

1:40:03Jourdan Rodrigue: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

1:40:23Steve Wyche:with help from Lowe's, official partner of the NFL. Get almost anything you need delivered with Uber Eats. What do we mean by almost? Well, you can't get a well-groomed lawn delivered, but you can get a chicken parm delivered. A day at the lake, that's a no. A Philly cheesesteak, that's a yes. An afternoon stroll, sorry, no. A burrito bowl, happily, yes. What about a day of sunshine? Not happening. A box of fine wines, yes, that is happening. Delivery is on its way. Okay, how about some clear skies? No, well then. How about some french fries? Yep, a little escape, no. a delicious bowl of grapes.

1:40:58Steve Wyche:Yes. Yes, that. How about a freshly cut lawn? Can't help you there, but barbecued prawns. Order it and it's on its way. Get almost, almost anything delivered with Uber Eats. Order now. Alcohol and select markets. Product availability may vary by region. See app for details. Get almost, almost anything delivered with Uber Eats. Order now.

1:41:21Gregg Rosenthal:Hey, it's Carissa Thompson, everything these days is fighting for your attention, work, family, social media, and it makes it tough to figure out what should really come first. But here's something that absolutely deserves to be at the top of your list, your breast health. Breast cancer is the second most common cancer and the second leading cause of cancer death among women in the United States. And the rates are still rising. More women under 50 are being diagnosed too. But here's a stat that really hits home. One in two women who qualify for annual breast screenings aren't getting them. That's half.

1:41:55Gregg Rosenthal:And yet when breast cancer is caught early, the survival rate is over 99%, nearly 100 % for stage one before it spreads. If you're 40 or older, you should be getting screened every year. And if you're under 40, it is never too early to understand your risk. So come on now, pay the girls some attention, head to yourattentionplease.com to learn your breast cancer risk and what screenings you might need. Trust me, your future self will thank you. Brought to you by Novartis.

1:42:24Steve Wyche:You know how it's never really about where you're going. It's about who you're going with. Like destination could be totally average, but if the right people are there, it becomes a great memory. Toyota really gets that. Toyota designs vehicles around real life and real people, the ones who bring everyone together and somehow make the drive part of the fun. There's room for all the stuff that comes with togetherness, luggage, golf clubs, camping gear, plus comfortable seating, smart layouts, and space that lets everyone relax. And Toyota's lineup makes it easy to find your match. The RAV4 is perfect for everyday adventures.

1:42:59Steve Wyche:The Grand Highlander brings serious space for up to eight with generous legroom and expansive cargo space. The Highlander also has space for up to eight. It's ready for big moments and spontaneous ones, balancing style and flexibility. And the Sienna is built for everyday life. Carpools, road trips, snacks, spills, and it even has a built-in vacuum for when things get a little too messy. Because when people are the destination, your ride is important. Learn more at toyota.com and find the vehicle that fits your people. Tyler Algier signs for the Cardinals two years, $12 million, and then one of the most depressing signings of the day.

1:43:40Steve Wyche:That's not it. Okay, I'll stop with Algier before getting to Minshew. What didn't you get about Algier? Well, first off, it's a two-year 12-point. Okay, why rush for that?

1:43:52Jourdan Rodrigue:You're going to get that if you wait.

1:43:53Steve Wyche:I don't think so.

1:43:54Jourdan Rodrigue:I think that's a good contract for Tyler Algier getting six years. He's so similar to James Conner. Okay, if he got that in Denver, where I think with R.J. Harvey, you could have that Mark Ingram, Alvin Kamara type of combo. They re-signed J.K. Dobbins. I don't get that.

1:44:08Gregg Rosenthal:I don't get why other teams wouldn't spend more. Michael Floor just came from a team where they signed basically identical running backs for their one and two. So he's doing the same thing.

1:44:18Steve Wyche:That's exactly the Kyron Williams. They also have Trey Benson just sitting there. That's not going to happen. I like that move for the Cardinals. To me, I'm not surprised. I think Algiers is a good player, but he's a 1B that isn't incredibly explosive.

1:44:34Jourdan Rodrigue:He's the same guy. But like you said, it's just like, you know, Kyron Williams and Blake Corum.

1:44:40Steve Wyche:I'd like him in Denver better. Kendrick Bourne, who was on our air as free agency started. I thought that was interesting. Really good, like, camera president. Oh, yeah. He could be a good NFL Network guy in the future. Like he was born to it. Two years,$11 million with Michael Fleur, returning to his old buddy. So you know what that tells me? Yeah. With Michael Fleur? What? Mac Jones is headed down to Arizona. Ooh. I don't think so. because they've got their starter, and his name is Jacoby Brissett. And his backup is Gardner Minshew. So when they signed Gardner Minshew, I thought him getting$5.75 million was one of the most surprising contracts of the day.

1:45:20Steve Wyche:No other contract. I don't think Patrick will feel like I'm betraying his trust. Made Patrick Claibon more mad. He could not believe that Gardner Minshew got a 500 % raise when we thought he tore his ACL. And then quickly after Minshew signed, multiple insiders, including Tom Pellicero, said the plan is clear. Jacoby Brissett is the one. Minshew's the two.

1:45:42Gregg Rosenthal:Here's my theory. Yeah. This is a theory. I'm not an insider, and this is not a reported piece of thought for me. But this is my theory, is that they wanted, if they were going to go after a guy who they thought was a starting caliber quarterback that could edge out Jacoby Brissett in their minds, specifically with this new staff, they were going to go for Jimmy Garoppolo. Garoppolo does not want to leave Los Angeles. Jimmy Garoppolo is so happy in L.A., even as the backup after he's made all of his money. And he's Michael Fleur's guy. I saw that as a match that could potentially happen if they were to spring.

1:46:20Steve Wyche:You're just mad you didn't get it on a match.

1:46:22Gregg Rosenthal:No, this one to me is very legit. Still going to happen? No, Greg, listen to the words. I'm listening. I'm saying, but it didn't work out. So you're mad. I'll finish the thought. So they didn't get him. He wants to stay in Los Angeles. My theory is that they're like, okay, we didn't get the guy that was going to be our bridge that would have edged out Jacoby. So now we're going with Jacoby and a backup.

1:46:47Steve Wyche:Money talks, though, and he's making more money than Jacoby. So I mean, I can't do that. It's tough.

1:46:53Gregg Rosenthal:It does feel I feel I'll outline all of that for any curious listeners later who missed it. Because I Greg Rosenthal's voice in the middle of seven. I got it.

1:47:02Steve Wyche:I'm just saying it's unfortunate. Jimmy loves L.A. so much because he burnt he burned you. You needed that for the matchmaker. They got a draft quarterback then.

1:47:11Jourdan Rodrigue:I mean, I'm kind of like you cannot you cannot as a new head coach say this is the freaking plan.

1:47:18Steve Wyche:I don't think teams tank in the NFL. I don't think it's a bridge. I don't think teams tank in the NFL, but I think they're aware that next year's class is good. Now, they did spend some money. Isaac Sayamalu is a good sign. What you had to do, that's a nice pickup. Three years,$31 million. Kendrick Bourne, who I mentioned, was with Michael Fleur in San Francisco at one point. They're adding some people.

1:47:40Gregg Rosenthal:I just don't think that Michael Fleur is going to force the quarterback position. I just think he's going to be more patient. If it's not the guy he wants, then they're just going to bridge it.

1:47:48Steve Wyche:I've seen some Cardinals coaches who tried to be patient last one year. I had that workout. Monteric Brown is returning to the Jaguars three years for$3 million. Really nice re-signing. He obviously had a market to get that kind of deal. Eric Stokes went to the Raiders three years for$30 million. $20 million guaranteed. Kind of had a big comeback season. Man, I forgot to mention that earlier, but that was part of the whole Raiders spending spree. Eric Wilson is back with the Vikings three years,$22 million,$12 million guaranteed. Both him and Justin Stranade kind of set the market of these surprising kind of rushed linebackers early.

1:48:27Steve Wyche:So a nice deal late in his career for one of Brian Flores' favorites. And then to get to the Broncos, they didn't sign Algier. I would have rather had Algier than J.K. Dobbins. They do bring back J.K. Dobbins. They bring back Sam Ellinger. Maybe they're going to trade Jarrett Stidham. That's why I mentioned that. bring back Ellinger and maybe Stidham or maybe Jacoby Brissett's a candidate for Frank Reich in New York. Geno Smith is reportedly a candidate. That's one open quarterback job. And then they cut Dre Greenlaw while re-signing Alex Singleton.

1:48:57Jourdan Rodrigue:That's an interesting one because I say it's the end because Greenlaw, we know how good he could be. I think he's either going to be back in San Francisco next to Fred Warner or down in Tennessee with Robert Salah because Greenlaw, when healthy, very good player, it just did not work in the Vance joseph system and plus he was injured most of the time in denver but that's a dude if he gets back

1:49:17Steve Wyche:next to fred warner just a health thing i think yeah i think you're right the fact that the 49ers last year you know gave up on him a little bit too is a little couldn't say healthy quads

1:49:29Gregg Rosenthal:wow i saw is really bringing back all of the all of his like core guys if it happens his like soul guys is his uh his his heart that's heartbeat guys i think that's tricky is got to get to that

1:49:40Steve Wyche:new stadium. You got to have more

1:49:42Gregg Rosenthal:make it to there.

1:49:43Steve Wyche:Like you want to have someone that has contacts throughout the league, but you also have to have more ideas than just like bringing back your old guy because it didn't work for him last time. I think we got to the end here. There were a couple other minor things.

1:49:55Gregg Rosenthal:You don't want to, you're a guy, you're a forever guy that you'll forever believe in, Jake Browning.

1:50:01Steve Wyche:Jake Browning was non-tendered. How about that? There has been over$2.3 billion by the way in total contracts given out it's the regular season that is according to nfl research the raiders have spent the most amount of money 281.5 million dollars remember that's a totality

1:50:22Jourdan Rodrigue:that's a totality half of that will never be spent exactly uh nine players so far have signed a

1:50:28Steve Wyche:contract with over 20 million dollars uh a year average and then jalen phillips alec pierce Linderbaum and of all people, Alante freaking Taylor have all set records for the most average per year of a player that hits free agency. Obviously, they're not the highest paid players ever at the position, although in Linderbaum you are by quite a bit. But the other players for guys that actually get to free agency, it's got a little bit of a record.

1:50:55Gregg Rosenthal:How was the first day of the official Gregular season for you, Greg? It felt good.

1:51:01Steve Wyche:I like to call it Gregmas, you know, I feel like the thing is, it's not over. Even as we were taping, there were more moves. Like Rico Dottle to the Steelers. I love that. You're on the spot. I love that. I love the Rico Dottle to the Steelers. They lose game. Will they get Rico Dottle? We have a huge group.

1:51:16Gregg Rosenthal:False range to the Chargers. Yeah, who's helping us out on NFL Channel and on YouTube.

1:51:22Steve Wyche:And they're like, can we get out of here? Quincy Williams is going to the Browns for two years and$17 million. Don't really love that. Especially surprised by the way. He didn't go back. Can I say one thing about the Browns?

1:51:36Jourdan Rodrigue:It's your time. About the NFL. It's just driven me crazy. How the hell is Jim Schwartz not employed by somebody?

1:51:41Gregg Rosenthal:Ooh, that's probably Jim Schwartz's question, too.

1:51:45Jourdan Rodrigue:I just don't get that.

1:51:47Steve Wyche:Maybe he doesn't want to be a coordinator out there, or just was the timing? It's a good question. Yeah, I'm hoping it's voluntary on his call. One of the best defensive coordinators in the league. Maybe he'll be added at some point. Okay, so once we get off here, we'll start building the document for Tuesday's show. Four o 'clock. Check us out. Pacific time. Tuesday, Wednesday this week. We'll be live on YouTube and the NFL channel. I don't think we're going to have Steve Weiss on Tuesday.

1:52:17Gregg Rosenthal:Steve, get some sleep, buddy.

1:52:18Steve Wyche:I got a topic for you.

1:52:20Jourdan Rodrigue:The most nervous incumbent, J.J. McCarthy or Michael Penix? Chop it up. Chop it up. I want to hear it. That's coming on Tuesday's show.

1:52:27Steve Wyche:We will see you then.

1:52:39Steve Wyche:Get almost anything you need delivered with Uber Eats. What do we mean by almost? Well, you can't get a well-groomed lawn delivered, but you can get a chicken parm delivered. A little escape? No. A delicious bowl of grapes? Yes. Yes, that. An afternoon stroll? Sorry, no. A burrito bowl? Happily? Yes. A day of sunshine? No. A box of fine wines? Yes. Uber Eats? can definitely get you that. Get almost, almost anything delivered with Uber Eats. Order now. Alcohol and select markets, product availability may vary by region. See app for details. Get almost, almost anything delivered with Uber Eats. Order now.

1:53:15Steve Wyche:You know how it's never really about where you're going. It's about who you're going with. The right people can turn any drive into a great memory. That's something Toyota really believes. They design vehicles around real life and real people. the ones who make plans happen and bring everyone together. Inside, everything's built with passengers in mind. Comfortable seating, smart layouts, and space that actually works so everyone can relax and enjoy the ride. There's room for the people, room for the stuff, and room for the moments that happen along the way. Because when people are the destination, your ride is important.

1:53:51Steve Wyche:Learn more at toyota.com and find the vehicle that fits your people.

1:53:59Steve Wyche:Hey, what's up? It's Wanda Sykes. I'm here to remind you about something super important, getting your breast screened. Because trust me, your breast health should be a priority.

1:54:09Gregg Rosenthal:Early detection for breast cancer can change the game, which is why you should visit yourattentionplease.com to learn more. And do me a favor. If you've already had a breast cancer screening, remind your friends and family to visit yourattentionplease.com too.

1:54:23Jourdan Rodrigue:We got to look out for our girls. 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.

1:54:57Gregg Rosenthal:This is an iHeart Podcast. Guaranteed human.