Kirk Cousins to the Vikings, Josh Downs to the Chiefs, and more splash moves at the deadline

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2:40Robert Mays: Welcome to The Athletic Football Show, brought to you by the U.S. Bank Smartly Visa Signature Card. I'm Robert Mays. The 2026 trade deadline has come and gone. It was okay. I would have liked a little bit more. We got a Josh Downs one at the buzzer, dug into the Jaguars trades, obviously let off the show with Kirk Cousins going to the Vikings, a deal that I think we all know needed to happen. Hit all of that with me, Dave, and Derek. Let's get to it right now.

3:09Robert Mays: About 27 minutes from the 2026 NFL trade deadline. And still could have a few more things come down the pike over the next half hour or so. For now, we've got about a half dozen or so deals to dig through that have happened over the last couple days. The big one came down about a half an hour before we started recording. One that I think everyone saw coming from a long way away, especially after last night. Kirk Cousins back to the Minnesota Vikings for a 2027 third round pick. Kind of anticlimactic. A little anticlimactic, because if anything, I think we kind of knew that this was probably going to be the quarterback that they were targeting most.

3:46If anything, it's anticlimactic because we kept saying, like, the Raiders are just going to fork them for more than a third-round pick,

3:51Derrik Klassen: and they couldn't click it. I'm a little sad the Raiders couldn't get the two out of Minnesota. But I do want to say good for Minnesota for doing something and not just stubbornly writing it out, because it does feel anticlimactic. Because, Derek, you and I did the recap to the game. At halftime, you were like, they have to. They have to do something. This had to happen. But that doesn't change the fact that they did it. Like, it's easy to feel bored by it because it felt so obvious. But I'm more intrigued to watch Vikings football moving forward than I was. And so I'll give them credit for that.

4:25Robert Mays: The price is always going to be interesting to me because I did a show with Nate today and we were going back and forth about it. I think third round pick is where I landed as like, that's probably the right price. I think there are considerations on both sides. For the Vikings, you paid a third round pick to potentially salvage your season. I think you do that every single time. The chance to look your defense in the eye, to look Justin Jefferson in the eye and be like, we're doing everything we can to try to get the most we can out of this season. It's a fairly steep price for a 38-year-old quarterback on a half-year rental, but because of all of those kind of dynamic considerations, I think it's worth it.

5:02Robert Mays: For the Raiders, you took a third-round pick to move off of your preferred timeline. And I wonder if that is worth it. In the end, you take a third rounder for your bridge quarterback that you signed for nothing every single time. I just wondered, like you were saying, would they try to twist the knife just a little bit because they were operating from a position of strength here and they had a certain way they wanted this season to play out?

5:27Derrik Klassen: I just really enjoy my mental image of John Spitek, the GM in Vegas, like picking up his phone and being like, hey, just like very, very facetious. it would have been fun but at a certain point if the Vikings weren't willing to move off of it I do think and you and I both said you try to get a two out of this situation but to get a top 100 pick for a guy that the goal like the hope was that you wouldn't need him to play I know the Raiders said a lot of stuff about how Fernando might not play this entire season but I've said this whole time he needed to get playing time as a rookie one way or the other And so you needed to make this transition.

6:07Derrik Klassen: You get a big time draft pick in addition. Keep in mind, it's really easy to imagine a world where like in week four, it's just like, ah, shit. OK, Kirk's terrible. This isn't this isn't working. I'm like, he's going to be the backup. And Fernando goes from here. They got another month out of him from that and a top 100 draft pick. It's really, really great business by the Las Vegas Raiders, which I don't know how often I've said that in my career covering the NFL.

6:34Robert Mays: There's no denying that part of it. There's no denying that part of it. I just think it's pretty telling that they were willing to do it at this moment because I think that's a sign that we're willing to turn to the rookie. And we talked about this in the preseason. We talked about it all offseason. Like what would be the ideal timing of it? What sort of circumstances would need to exist for you to feel comfortable doing it? And when you watch the Raiders offense over the first nine weeks of the season, we talked about this yesterday. The Raiders passing game is good. Yes. Like they do good shit.

7:01Robert Mays: that's like a decent spot to drop a rookie quarterback into. And I think that's part of the reason that you're okay with doing this at this moment. Yes. I think you wanted a bet so that if things don't go well for us early on, we don't have to throw our first overall pick to the Wolves. Yes. Like, really. And I do think like Kirk Cousins gave them really the perfect middle ground was like, he was more than a meat shield because he could be like a legitimately good quarterback. And he obviously was for them. But now you have a perfect concept. It could have been a meat shield. It was way more than that.

7:27Robert Mays: It was obviously more than that. And so, but I also think credit to the Raiders for being like, listen, and this has gone way better than we thought. We're four and five. We're really competitive. At the same time, when a top 100 pick falls into your lap and we have confidence in this guy, like I believe every moment of them saying they did not want to play Fernando Mendoza this year. Like I genuinely believe that. But when a first, when this kind of pick falls into your lap, when they think that he can probably play, the offense looks really good. You kind of just have to do it. These are all, there's a price for everything.

7:56Robert Mays: There's a price to move off your timeline. There's a price to change course. like you can entice a team to do something they didn't want to do if you're willing to go over the top and give them something they never thought they'd get I mean that was the Jeffrey Simmons trade we'll talk about the Jordan Davis thing here in a bit like sometimes if even if it's not your preferred destination teams are willing to go a different direction if they're enticed to do so and I think that's exactly what happened with the Raiders in this situation and the upshot is you get

8:24Derrik Klassen: to see the number one overall pick in the draft moving forward which I think you needed to and And Kirk's been phenomenal this year. Like he, he outplayed my expectations, but I just thought you had, you had to see what you had in Mendoza, especially now that we know, I'll say it again, Kirk Cousins was bad in Atlanta. Like there was no guarantee that this was going to look good. And Kirk looking as good as he did, obviously he's played so much football, but it gives me reasonable confidence that like, this isn't a hopeless ecosystem for Fernando Mendoza is what I'm trying to say.

8:55Robert Mays: And I think on the other side of it, because of the way that Kirk has played is how you can talk yourself into this if you're the Vikings. There's just no way you could continue going down the road that you were going down. The defense is too good. Even last night, they were in the game. They were in the game for a majority of the game with the worst quarterback play that you could possibly imagine. And so is Kirk Cousins at this stage in his career enough for the Vikings to be a Super Bowl contender? I don't know. Probably not. But it makes you a real team. It gives you an honest shot.

9:26Derrik Klassen: It doesn't really, I don't know how much higher I think their ceiling is if you're talking about winning the Super Bowl, but you just can't keep doing that week after week. And even when Kyler was the quarterback, that wasn't good enough either. I do, one note that I hadn't thought about that I think is worth mentioning, this isn't even as bad as it, and not that it's bad, but it's less expensive than it seems on the surface for the Vikings because they had the extra three in the Jonathan Grenard trade. So, and according to beat reporting from the people in Minnesota, it's Minnesota's own third going to Vegas.

9:58Derrik Klassen: Okay. The Eagles are obviously tanking like that. So they're going to have a better pick in the third round by virtue of the Jonathan Grenard trade. So knowing that you still have that in your back pocket, this is a no brainer. Even if the Vikings don't win a playoff game, the second half of the season should just be much more enjoyable than the first. At least I hope so.

10:18Robert Mays: Yeah, again, it's a price worth paying to potentially salvage your season and not let this thing spiral out of control. Because at a certain point, if you keep doing what you were doing, the defense is going to fall off. It's just inevitable. We've seen this happen so often. Those jet seasons with Zach Wilson. You need morale on defense specifically. The defense needs a will to live. And I think at the very least, trading a third round pick for Kirk Cousins potentially gives you that. Your star receiver needs a will. Yes.

10:46Derrik Klassen: We said that on the recap. we watched them lose that will late in that game. Like there was a moment where you could just feel the air coming out of the tire. Can I give you guys a new one? Yeah, sure can. Josh Downs is on the Kansas city chiefs. Hey, this had to happen. 2027, fourth and fifth back to Indy.

11:06Robert Mays: Okay. Okay. I was wondering if it would get to a three. And so a fourth and a fifth probably takes you there.

11:12Derrik Klassen: Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I still, I'd rather give up a fourth and a fifth and a three. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. I mean, he's the best receiver on the team now. Yes.

11:19Robert Mays: Like immediately. This is one of those, I initially was a little bit hesitant about the fit specifically because the main thing they lost so far this season with the way the receiver room started was losing a guy that has Tyquan Thornton's skill set. Yes. And so having somebody that could potentially take the top off that could make you explosive, that was the type of player I thought they needed to inject back into this thing. But just thinking about what Josh Downs is and the skill set he's bringing to the table, they need an NFL receiver who can get open. That is exactly what Josh Downs is.

11:53Robert Mays: And I do think that we've seen Andy Reid tap into guys that are a little bit undersized, that are shifty movers. This is the best route runner of that type of archetype, of that archetype of receiver that they've had in quite some time. And I legitimately think it adds an element to the offense that they have not had for a while. I mean, even if it's twice a game that he's just like beating man coverage when they needed to. They literally don't have anybody else. Like, I know they've had some good numbers against man coverage so far this year, but it's not like someone winning like a one-on-one route.

12:23It's just like, we're going to run mesh and we're going to get somebody open in traffic. And it's like, this is a little bit of a different skill set. And also underneath too. It's all underneath.

12:31Robert Mays: It's all like, it's right. It's within five yards of the line of scrimmage. Having somebody, the - He can win 11 to 20. That's exactly right. He might not win 20 plus, but he can win 11 to 20. I was, we were talking about this earlier today. And the exact situation I'm imagining is just think about like Josh Downs and like a big crosser return on third and nine. They do not have a player in their offense right now that can do exactly that. And that's precisely what he does.

12:54Derrik Klassen: I would just send Josh Downs out on whip routes a lot. Just create some separation. And I mean, it's not as exciting as like it. Somebody asked me for my like, if you could just wish Cass to trade into happening. And I said, George Pickens to the Chiefs. Oh, my God. That's not this, but it's, beggars can't be choosers with the state of the Chiefs receiver core. So this is, I mean, this, it's not as exciting as it could be, but it's going to be very useful. Speak for yourself. Well, I mean, you're the president

13:23Robert Mays: of the Josh Downs fan club, so. I am curious what he will look like within this offense as potentially more of a focal point in a good offense. You know, like last year, obviously, the Colts were a good offense, but he wasn't a focal point of that offense. This year, the Colts are a bad offense, and he's kind of a focal point of that one. So this is like a weird potential Goldilocks scenario where we get a decent offensive infrastructure and Josh Downs being the most important or 1A, 1B with Travis Kelsey in terms of like the pass catchers and the hierarchy within this offense. So I like this.

13:55Robert Mays: I think it's the exact type of thing they needed to do, even if at first glance I didn't love it right away when I started thinking about it like two weeks ago. I've come all the way back around on it. I bet Patrick Mahomes loves it.

14:05Derrik Klassen: I bet he's really excited just to have a guy who can create separation and catch the ball.

14:10Robert Mays: Speaking of AFC contenders making moves, Amani Hooker to the Buffalo Bills for a... Bills sent a second round pick to Tennessee. Tennessee sends a fifth round pick back. This is one of those where you look at the price. It's very rich for Amani Hooker. I can't imagine that Brandon Bean is overly thrilled with James Gladstone right now.

14:33Derrik Klassen: okay actually can we talk about the deal that reportedly didn't happen before we talk about the one that did because the reporting coming out in the wake of this is that the bills made a nice offer with a day two pick as the central component to arizona for buda baker and the cardinal said thanks but no thanks which i think is crazy a bump up the like go for it buda baker is a significantly better player than Imani Hooker. And like Imani Hooker is a good player, actually.

15:02Robert Mays: We can talk about that. They're very different types of players. That's like, that's my only, I mean, kind of. That's my only thing is that Buda Baker is a good player, but Buda Baker is a very specific type of player. Yeah. And so having somebody that you feel like you can just plug in and be a more traditional NFL safety into the back end of your defense. I understand that. But I also think Buda Baker is a more dynamic player. I thought Jim Leonard's whole thing was like,

15:25Derrik Klassen: look, check out all the cool shit Jim Leonard's going to do. But they haven't really done it. Maybe because they don't have a Buda Baker to do it with. Yeah, it kind of seems like you get a guy like that in the building and you can move him around a little bit. You can move Cole Bishop around a little bit. And I do think if they're trying to simplify it and just get by for this season, Imani Hooker has a free safety, I think, does allow you to do that. Because they're having a complicated spot where I think with them, I would have loved to see the Bills either just go up and do it for Jesse Bates or go and make a play for Buda Baker because those are serious playmaking level safeties.

15:57And I know Imani Hooker's had a bunch of picks this year. Some of those were freebies. He's a good player. I just like, it's in a weird spot where I think this definitely helps the defense. And I'm just frustrated that they didn't quite go for the stars that they could have.

16:08Robert Mays: How old do you think Imani Hooker is? I looked it up earlier.

16:11Derrik Klassen: He's probably only 26 or 27. Really? He's 28.

16:15Robert Mays: He's 28. I would have said 30. It feels like Imani Hooker's been in the league for 10 years. I don't feel that way. Really? I would have guessed like four or five. That's why it just feels like he's been on those Titans teams for as long as I can remember them being existing.

16:29Derrik Klassen: Probably because the Titans just haven't had that many players worth like being intimately familiar with over that time span. Well, and I do think that that's why like you can't even really make the argument that like, oh, well, they went for a money hooker because he's younger. And I know he has a longer like run out on his contract. And so I think that that is definitely part of it. But it's like I know Bates is a little bit older. Buda Baker is a little bit older, but it's not like a money hooker is a 25 year old safety like about to get a new contract. Like, it's just, I don't know. I'm in a weird position where I do think this helps them.

16:57But I think with the Bills, I'm always frustrated that they do the, like, C plus, B minus thing instead of, like, can you just, like, make a move?

17:05Robert Mays: But if they tried to do this, if they tried to give up, let's just say, if this was the price for Buda Baker, paying any more for this than this for Buda Baker would be too much.

17:14Derrik Klassen: To be clear, I'm not, I'm really not, I'm not mad at the Bills for not sweetening the deal. I'm mad at the Cardinals for not trying to get something for 30-year-old Buda Baker. and I saw somebody said something like, oh, the Cardinals were reluctant to part with a franchise icon. Buda Baker's an amazing player and he is one of the best things about that team over the last decade. How many people even are familiar with Buda Baker in the league landscape at large?

17:39Robert Mays: That's more about Cardinals fans than it is about people in the landscape at large.

17:42Derrik Klassen: At this point, I would hope Cardinals fans would be like, get us something good for Buda Baker and let him go play some meaningful football. You'd hope that.

17:50Robert Mays: I think teams think differently about that stuff than we do as we're moving around like numbers on the spreadsheets. I just...

17:56Derrik Klassen: Why Jonathan Taylor

17:57Robert Mays: hasn't been traded.

17:57Derrik Klassen: Yes. If you could add... If you could have added a second round pick knowing where the Cardinals are and what they have in front of them, I just... I don't get why you wouldn't do that. But I don't blame the Bills and at least they pivoted to get a guy who I do think can help them. He absolutely can.

18:12Robert Mays: It's a seed price, but Amani Hooker will help the Bills. I mean, DeMar Hamlin played the second most snaps on the Bills defense yesterday after Cole Bishop. Like, and it's... That's not even to you. Like, dinged him or hamlin the guy who was playing there before was borderline unplayable before he was released like cj guard i'm glad we can say this now cj guarder johnson was the most ridiculous player in the nfl over the first six weeks yes no one talked more shit and no one played worse like he was an unacceptable character in the nfl for the first six weeks of the season unlike the xy graph it was just like as bad as it could get utility and shit talking he was at the bottom of that graph and so they are upgrading here for what this entire season has looked like in Buffalo.

18:52Robert Mays: All right, I'm putting you on the spot here. If you're pissed at Brandon Bean for not upping the offer from potentially a second round pick for Buda Baker, what would you have given up for Buda Baker if you were Brandon Bean? I mean, I would have been willing to like, I'm not going to give up a first round pick for him, but I would have given up like a second and probably something else or not ask for the fifth back. I'm asking you. I don't know, probably like another fourth round pick or something like that and not ask for like the fifth round pick back. Buda Baker is, I wouldn't be surprised that they offered that though.

19:19Robert Mays: I would be surprised if they just offered the Jesse Bates deal for Buda Baker. There is a chance the Cardinals were being completely ridiculous.

19:24Derrik Klassen: I'm pretty confident that I think this is more the Cardinals being jerks than the Bills. That's my assumption. That's my assumption. But then at that point, were they not calling enough about Bates? This is my thing. It's not just Buda Baker. It's like there were two clearly better players on the market. You got to wake up pretty early in the morning to be more wild than James Glastone. That's fair.

19:45Robert Mays: That's what it's all about. James Glastone makes more unhinged trade requests before 9 a.m. than we do over the course of an entire day. All right, before we move on, let's take a quick break. Football season has arrived, and with the U.S. Bank Smartly Visa Signature Card, you earn an unlimited 2 % cash back on every purchase, including at the stadium or at home watching on a brand new TV. Score big with unlimited 2 % cash back on every purchase. Visit usbank.com slash smartly card to learn more. The creditor and issuer of this card is U.S. Bank National Association, pursuant to a license from Visa USA Inc.

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21:27We were able to do whatever we wanted with it, in particular this time. Threw some spices on it, made some chicken fajitas, grilled up the peppers. It was just such a delicious dinner. It made everyone happy, and it was so easy, thanks to ButcherBox. With everything on your plate this time of year, let ButcherBox handle the protein. Go to ButcherBox.com slash athletic football to get$20 off across your first two boxes. Plus, new users get their choice of filet mignon, New York strip, or ribeye, plus bacon in every box for the lifetime of their subscription with free shipping always. That's ButcherBox.com slash athletic football.

22:00Again, that's ButcherBox.com slash athletic football. Trust me, it makes the holidays a lot easier. During this year's NFL Hall of Fame induction, I actually had a thought about getting back into sports cards. One of the reasons being is that Luke Kuechly, obviously longtime Carolina Panthers linebacker, one of my favorite players of all time. He's the reason I love linebackers the way I do. Some of those Panthers teams just held a really special part in my heart, even as someone who is not a Panthers fan. So to see him obviously commemorated in the Hall of Fame was really special. And I thought, why don't for some of the NFL players that I truly love to have been special players to me over the years, whether that was when I was a kid growing up and doing this for a living, whatever it's been.

22:41Why not kind of commemorate those guys myself and get some of my favorite players who have been in the Hall of Fame, who have obviously earned that sort of honor. Maybe let's go pick up some cards and see if I can kind of create my own Hall of Fame with guys like that. So thanks to whatnot, I was able to go find some Luke Kuechly cards, some really good ones. And obviously he's been, again, like I said, a player that I've held in high esteem for a long time. So whether it's rookie cards, whether it's cards later in his career when he's got a million accolades and defensive player of the years and all pros racked up, it didn't really matter to me.

23:14I was able to find all of the stuff I wanted in that realm. The best thing about doing this on whatnot is that I can see it before I buy it. This is not just clicking a listing and hoping that it's going to be there. No, these sellers are showing me that they've got this card. And on top of that, these guys know their stuff. These are people who value these cards. They value the collectibles. They value what they are trying to give to the customer. And they know whether or not this is something that is really worth its value. And so being able to have the comfort of both of those two things as I'm going in to try to start this new venture, I think has been really, really nice for me.

23:49And now you can start buying on whatnot. Get up to$20 off your first eligible purchase. Search Whatnot, W-H-A-T-N-O-T, in the App Store and take a shopping trip live. Terms apply.

24:05Robert Mays: Let's get to some of the other stuff from today before we talk about those Jaguars moves. This one's tailor-made for you. Dayon Henley of the Los Angeles Chargers to the Denver Broncos for a 2027th, 4th, and a 2028th, 5th. This feels like a very good move for the Broncos in terms of the price they paid, a player that is still young and is going to be a free agent. So that's also, that's, that's part of this. And that's part of the reason that he's even available. But somebody that has a skill set and range that they just didn't have that their other linebacker spot. Like Justin Sternod, we know what he is.

24:40Robert Mays: He is a downhill player. That is what he's always been. Having somebody that is just a better space player next to Alex Singleton, I think it makes a lot of sense for the Broncos. This is very pointed problem solving for them. Like, Stranod is a player who, like, on rundowns or between the tackles as a blitzer, he's really good. Alex Singleton, like, he racks up a lot of tackles. I still think in coverage, Alex Singleton is pretty gettable. Henley is immediately their best coverage player. And we'll see how quickly, you know, he adjusts to the defense and stuff. But I think Henley is still a pretty good player in coverage.

25:08His range, I think, is better than either of the two players they have right now. The construction of their room actually in some ways reminds me of, like, the Chiefs when they had Chennault. where like Alex Singleton and Nick Bolton are like your leaders of the defense types, like kind of do a lot of stuff between the tackles. You have what is supposed to be like this coverage runaround player, Drew Tranquil, Deion Henley. Henley's a better player than that. And then obviously Chennault and Chennault I think are a little bit similar in some of those ways. And so I'm excited for this. I think Henley like kind of due for a cool fresh start in a new place in a defense that I think is operating at an extremely high level.

25:38So I'm excited to see this. I also think too, one of Henley's only deficiencies really, he's just not going to come up and hit very often in the run game. Well, if you're playing behind Zach Allen, Malcolm Roach, DJ Jones, like all these other guys, it's like, well, there's going to be space for that to not be as much of a problem.

25:55Robert Mays: Yeah, this makes perfect sense for the Broncos. I think it just is a little bit shrewder than trading a boatload of like real draft capital for Jonathan Taylor based on like where you currently are right now. I think it was always a little bit more realistic that they do something more measured at linebacker than make the huge Jonathan Taylor swing.

26:11Derrik Klassen: I am relieved the Broncos apparently don't feel the need to do that. I am noticing a trend where I'm more frustrated by the teams doing or that are in the position to do the trades than the teams trying to get players. Because it feels like there's a lot of good faith efforts to acquire talent being made over the last couple of weeks. And the teams in the bad positions are just like, nah, no. And the Chargers finally being willing to deal somebody. and it's Dayon Henley to a division rival while Khalil Mack, as of right now, with eight minutes until the deadline, sits on the roster, just kind of aggravates me.

26:50Derrik Klassen: That really pisses me off. Khalil Mack could be like a Demarcus Lawrence help shift a Super Bowl type guy for some team right now.

26:57Robert Mays: It does sound like he doesn't want to be traded. And if that's part of it, I get it. If he doesn't want to be traded at this point in his career, and I can understand that. He's, what, 35 years old. He's been there for several years now. His family is there. like to uproot and change teams in the middle of the year. Cleo Mack is probably like a hall of famer right now. Cleo Mack doesn't need to start adding. I was hedging just like for homer reasons, but Cleo Mack doesn't need to do anything else to like add to his football resume before this is all said and done. Maybe this is just, maybe I'm wired the wrong way, but the idea of like, oh man, I want to go chase one more ring for half a season.

27:37Robert Mays: I probably won't win it. and I have to leave my family for the next eight weeks, maybe in like the last year of my career, I don't really blame Khalil Mack for being like, you know what, I'm all set here. Like, I think that I've really done what I needed to do.

27:49Derrik Klassen: Far be it for me to question Khalil Mack. And if that's how he feels, then I can get on board with it. I hate the idea of somebody like Khalil Mack lacing up for 10 more weeks of meaningless football. He's played a lot of meaningful football. I guess that's what I would say. I just, I know what these guys put themselves through every Sunday and like how much it hurts to play NFL football. And I, I would want stakes if it were me, but again, like that's, it's his life. If that's how he feels. If he thinks this is going to be the end anyway, write it out for eight more weeks.

28:21Robert Mays: It's very different than like a lot of these other guys who, Imani Hooker is going to be on the bills for the next three years. He's under contract. Josh Downs is playing for a, for a deal. Josh Downs is playing for like his football future by going to Kansas city. Jeffrey Simmons is going to be a centerpiece of the Chicago Bears in what hopefully is a very cool era of Bears football. Khalil Mack getting traded for a fifth-round pick to, like, shipped up to San Francisco for the next nine weeks and, like, have to talk to his daughter on FaceTime. I don't know about what his kid's situation is, but, like, have to talk to his daughter on FaceTime twice a week.

28:51Robert Mays: Like, I can understand being like, you know what, I'm all set. I don't really need any of that.

28:54Derrik Klassen: That is a very valid way to humanize the situation. If that's how he feels, then, yeah, I'm not going to. I don't feel too badly about it, but in general.

29:04Robert Mays: And even DeForest Buckner, it's like, he's been there.

29:07Derrik Klassen: He knows what's up over there.

29:09Robert Mays: Even seeing him in the uniform. We didn't talk about this yesterday. Seeing him stand next to Bosa, just like walking on the field, I was just like, oh, there's something beautiful about this. There's something right about this. I don't need to have that feeling with Clumac unless it was coming back here. It's the only time where I'd be like, what do you want? Humanity's off the board. Well, that's the most human thing that could happen. But to go anywhere else, I completely understand why he just wouldn't be interested in that at all. Speaking of former Chargers, Keenan Allen to the San Francisco 49ers for a 2027 sixth round pick.

29:46Robert Mays: They're just collecting them all. How many old receivers that were really good in 2016 can we... When did Brandon Cooks come into the league? Probably after 2016. He was 14, I think. 14, I think. I was at Grantland because I did a story about it before that draft. Because he might have been the same class as Mike Evans, right?

30:03Derrik Klassen: If he wasn't, it was close. He was 2014. Yeah, so him and Evans came in at the same time.

30:09Robert Mays: And so you have a 2013 receiver in Keenan Allen, two 2014 draft class receivers in Mike Evans. And when did Demarcus Robinson get drafted? Oh, man, probably not long after that. Like 2015, 16? 2016. Man. How many old receivers can we rack up on the same team is what the Niners are playing? That's the game the Niners are playing, right?

30:28Derrik Klassen: When we talk about this, you typically use 30 as the line of demarcation. The Niners blew past that. Keenan Allen is their 11th player age 32 or older. I love this. Giving hope to all of us. I know how my lower back feels, so Godspeed, fellas.

30:45Robert Mays: Keenan Allen at this stage of his career is a hilarious player. I don't know if he's capable of running more than 15 yards past the line of scrimmage. Don't need him to. You're good.

30:54Derrik Klassen: Yeah.

30:55Robert Mays: You're good. This is a team that sees, I think, the fifth lowest rate of man coverage in the NFL. And he still, even at this stage, has very good zone awareness. Like, he can just sit down in the area where he is supposed to sit down, and the ball will find him in this offense. I don't know how much Keenan Allen's going to play for the Niners, but they literally, at this point, I think it's Parks and Rec when they're putting together the Galentine's Day brunch. And he's like, honestly, we just needed bodies. That's what this is. Like, at this point, honestly, we just need bodies. They're taking out insurance on what is like a Super Bowl team.

31:27That's all that this is. They're just making sure that they have a seventh or eighth receiver if it needs to happen.

31:33Robert Mays: Well, honestly, this is a good thought process because everyone on this Niners team should have term life insurance. Someone should come to the building and just be like, you guys need to set your families up for the future. Well, I was joking with Bell. Most of these guys will come back, but how many roster role NFL receivers are on the Niners right now between their active roster and some of the guys that are here? It's Mike Evans, Demarcus Robinson, Debo Samuel, Jordan Watkins has been nice. Brandon Cook's like at this stage is like borderline. I know he's technically playing. Now you have Keenan Allen.

31:59Christian Kirk is due to come back at some point. Dejan Stripling. And then, you know, Ricky Pearsall is not going to come back with him as well. So that's like nine. Well, right. That's what I'm saying. I mean, like right now. Don't you say that.

32:09Derrik Klassen: Did you already mention that Ayuk's technically reinstated now? We're not doing that.

32:17Robert Mays: All right. Let's get to some of the other smaller ones. the smaller one from today that is absolutely hilarious. The Arnold Ebiketti failed trade, which apparently is a product of the Bengals realizing via social media that if they traded for Arnold Ebiketti because of the rules associated with compensatory draft picks, they would have lost the compensatory draft pick they would have gotten by losing Trey Hendrickson in free agency. And so they ultimately nixed the trade. That's absolutely what happened, right?

32:45Derrik Klassen: Like Nick Cortez tweeted out like, Like, hey, this looks bad for the comp formula. And like Duke Tobin or somebody underneath Duke Tobin saw it on Twitter. Like, that's almost definitely what happened. And they would have lost a third round pick. Like, this was not like, I don't, it's not like they were looking like a sixth round pick. Honestly, if it was a sixth, I'd be like, okay, that might be worth it for helping your pass rush. If you think you've got a chance to win the Super Bowl. But a third?

33:09Robert Mays: This is, I'm going to make like a, you know, it's, we're deep into the season. I'm going to make a weird analogy here. This is like when an AI company goes and like tries to buy land from like a small town business where it's like the biggest companies in the world are taking advantage of these like mom and pop operations. That's the Eagles and the Bengals. Yes. Like at this point, you are being taken advantage of by a large corporation and you should think twice about the choice you're about to make.

33:33Derrik Klassen: I mean, it's been a meme for a while. Like don't answer Howie Roseman's phone calls. This is the best example. Like, yes, this is like the Eagles are like the Wall Street front office and the Bengals are the closest analogy to a mom and pop shop in the NFL. Just don't answer the phone. I feel like I saw some stuff about like, well, you know, the comp pick formula is always really complicated. I'm like, yeah, but it's somebody's job in the building to know that. Yeah. Like I find myself thinking like, oh, who really knows all this stuff anyway? I don't personally. I'll be honest. Somebody in the front office should.

34:04Derrik Klassen: Somebody should.

34:05Robert Mays: Absolutely should. Yeah, this is a scenario where, yeah, this seems like it's good business for us. I promise it's not. I absolutely promise it's not. Speaking of, the Jacksonville Jaguars send a 2027 first and 2029 second round pick to the Philadelphia Eagles for Jordan Davis yesterday. So we were on the hangover yesterday. The Jesse Bates trade had already happened, which we can talk about again now that Dave is here. So that trade happens, and then they trade for Devon Gottschall. and you look at the Jaguars depth chart and you think about where they needed help and what those players would do at the prices they were paid for them.

34:43And it's like, okay, I get it.

34:45Robert Mays: Like I see the vision for like how you think this makes you better. You're trying to arm yourself up for a Super Bowl run. Let's get to it. And then they go do this. And it's just a completely different tone. Like I was like, all right, they're done. These are the moves that they made. We're all set. And then they come in like the Kool-Aid man busting through the wall here. and I really don't know what to make of this. It is an astronomical price for Jordan Davis and what he is as a player. The Bates and Godshaw combination was like aggressive, but reasonably so. It's like you're leveraging yourself a little bit, but like Bates is clearly a really good player.

35:19Godshaw, you make a savvy move to go get like a guy who can help you at nose a little bit. Okay. Perfectly fine. Yeah. Yes. The Jordan Davis traded, you are way over leveraging yourself, I think. And obviously if they win the Super Bowl, nobody's going to care about any of this stuff. But I think that this is to the point of being too aggressive. Like, I know that, like, Hamilton's going to be a free agent. Maybe you keep Davis for a really long time. And I get all of that, the machinations of that. This feels a little bit too aggressive for this kind of player. Like, I think Jordan Davis is good.

35:47The other D tackles that are getting traded for are, like, completely change your defense. And I understand that they're already very good. But I just, I don't quite think of him as that level. Like, it just feels a little bit too much.

35:58Robert Mays: I'm going to look up something while you guys are talking because I think it's a very telling, essential point here.

36:02Derrik Klassen: Can I tell myself a story about why this could be okay? Sure. And I like, it can be. It can work. I'm just saying they're over-leveraging themselves more than I think some of these other teams that have made similar-ish traits. They're definitely over-leveraging themselves, and this is definitely an overpay. But for the record, we called Jeffrey Simmons an overpay as well. Like, in the vacuum, did you see the annoyance on Robert's face right there? It's a different conversation. It is. It's absolutely a different conversation. I'm not trying to compare them as players, but to get something like this in a situation, you often have to pay a premium for it.

36:37Derrik Klassen: That's how Ryan Poles massaged it, by the way. Just say paying a premium instead of overpaying and everybody will feel fine about it. They paid a premium for it. But first of all, the need was obvious with the Hamilton injury. And then on top of that, plugging Jordan Davis into... Jeffrey Simmons came to Chicago to be the focal point of everything. Jordan Davis is getting dropped into a line that has Trayvon Walker and Josh Hines Allen. That's fair. And the rest of the Jags defense as well. So I assume you're hoping, rather than Jeffrey Simmons buoying everything up on his own, you're hoping Jordan Davis gets buoyed by the ecosystem on Jacksonville's defense.

37:18He's the finishing Pete.

37:19Robert Mays: But the point that the point to me is you shouldn't need to be buoyed if you're worth a first and second round pick. That's that's the difference.

37:26Derrik Klassen: And that's I mean, that is why it's an overpay. My other point would be we just made a joke about what a psychopath James Gladstone is. The second round pick is in 2029. I don't think I've ever seen that before. That is it's in the NFL rules that you can trade up to three years in the future. No one does it because nobody thinks they have the job security to pull off trades like that. And so James Gladstone is probably not even thinking about the two. He's like, we'll we'll mess around and get that back. Like we'll trade BTJ in the offseason and get some capital for that. We'll do this. We'll do that in the other.

38:02Derrik Klassen: Like James Gladstone is not worried about something three years from now. So in his mind, it's essentially like the one for Jordan Davis, which is still probably an overpay.

38:10Robert Mays: That that's a fine methodology. That's the mindset I have when I'm making dynasty fantasy football trades. It shouldn't be the mindset you have when you're running an NFL franchise.

38:19Derrik Klassen: It's borderline reckless, but he came from L.A. That's what they've done. And it's, I mean, it has worked out for the Rams. It has blown up in their faces a few times, too.

38:28Robert Mays: So the idea of, well, Jeffrey Simmons went for two ones, right? And so the idea of a defensive tackle going for a one and a two, how is that that much different? Jeffrey Simmons on Sunday night against the Bucs played 10 pass rush snaps on third down. 10. How many do you think Jordan Davis has played this season? Oh my God, probably eight. Not a whole lot. Fifteen. Fifteen. Jeffrey Simmons played ten of them on Sunday night. And that's the thing. I think people might be like, well, you pay Dexter Lawrence to be a run stopper. And it's like, well, he's that, but also Jeffrey Simmons. He has five sacks.

39:00Exactly. And so it's like, it is complicated, too, because I do think if we're removing whatever the price is, like Jordan Davis is an awesome fit for the defense. And like, it can be two different conversations. I just think that what they're paying, the style of player he is, it is a little bit much. It is a little bit much.

39:18Robert Mays: Oh, in a vacuum, it's a crazy price. It's a crazy price. I heard from multiple people in NFL front offices yesterday that were just like, this is the craziest trade I've ever seen. So that can be true. On the other side of it, I do think you can talk yourself into it if you're the Jags for a couple different reasons. For what you said, Devon Hamilton was, I think the other conclusion that we can reach from this is that Devon Hamilton is one of like the 15 most valuable players in the NFL. Like the idea that... He's a long snapper too. They lost Devon Hamilton and they needed to trade a first and second round pick to get Devon Hamilton's impact back into the defense.

39:52Robert Mays: It's hilarious. He's like the whole thing is screwed. Yes, but that's... And I think that... But with these defenses, that's like kind of true. And I understand that. And I understand thinking about it that way to an extent. But I also think if you're James Gladstone and if you're the Jaguars right now, what you saw over the first eight weeks of the season is you saw a situation where we might be the best team in the league. And there are not that many opportunities as an NFL franchise where your roster is positioned for you to win the Super Bowl. There are not many of those. So many things have to fall into place for that to happen.

40:25Robert Mays: When you remove Devon Hamilton from the situation, you start to chip away at that idea. You start to chip away at that dream of we have a Super Bowl caliber roster. by getting Jordan Davis and dropping him into this, you're trying to reclaim some of that feel and you're trying to make sure you maximize what is a very rare opportunity. Whether that is worth the price they paid for it is an entirely different conversation. But I get the mindset of making sure like, we can't f*** around with this. We can do this right now. The problem is, what do you think the chances are of the Jags win the Super Bowl?

40:59I mean, it's less than 8 % for like any team. The odds aren't good for anybody.

41:05Derrik Klassen: And so that's where it gets a little bit dicey. So I can tell myself that story, and I think I kind of believe it, but the big difference is when you do the Jeffrey Simmons trade, even if it's an overpay, in the moment you're like, I know in my bones that Jeffrey Simmons is this good of a player, that it's worth paying that type of price. Like I knew that going in, and he has delivered on it in every opportunity he's had so far. He's one of the best defensive players in the league. I don't know at all that Jordan Davis is like independently worth that sort of price. He might play up to it because of what's around him in Jacksonville.

41:42Derrik Klassen: But like Jeffrey Simmons, I was like, put him anywhere and he will wreck shop. Like he's that good. I don't care. And here I'm like, well, are Josh Hines Allen and Trayvon Walker going to make him look better? Like, I don't know if this is really that caliber of player. I never felt that way about Jeffrey Simmons.

41:58Robert Mays: How many snaps do you think Jeffrey Simmons played on Sunday night? I mean, most of them. Yeah, I don't know. 62. I was going to say, okay, yeah. He played 62 snaps on Sunday night. I'm really curious how many snaps Jordan Davis has played this season. I mean, in a game, it can't be. I mean, like, they rotate the way that they do for a reason. So Jordan Davis has played 323 total snaps this year. He's had, he played 44 snaps against the Cowboys. It's the most he's played in a single game. He's just a very specific type of player. Like, the multifaceted impact is very different than a guy like Jefferson.

42:29Derrik Klassen: He's averaging 36 snaps a game for sure. It's definitely different.

42:34Robert Mays: So it's an aggressive, aggressive move, but they have proven to be an aggressive team. Sorry, go ahead. Keep going. What do we got? I would say for the sake of bookkeeping, eight past the hour, we're done. No Jonathan Taylor, no Khalil Mack. Those guys all stay and put it. We got Josh Downs at least. That was like the one that I was still waiting on. Malik Willis is going on IR. not a trade but oh wow okay I mean he looks hobbled in that game so that totally makes sense there were four players that we really sat with and talked about a lot on the Dolphins in that game yesterday on that game this weekend it was well Malik Willis wasn't one of them but like Malik Willis is the quarterback of the team right and he's been good Zach Seeler uh Rob Robinson and uh Caleb Douglas Malik Willis is now an IR and Zach Seeler is now an IR cool so great stuff there's enough goodwill and enough optimism in Miami to endure that but who's the backup quarterback for the Miami Dolphins?

43:31Robert Mays: No he's Jackson.

43:34Derrik Klassen: Oh man I can't wait to find the answer to this question. I don't think I'm going to like Kyle McCord. Yeah I don't like it. That sucks. That is bleak. That sucks. The football gods heard us saying like don't look now but the Dolphins are a fun watch. Oh that sucks. Steady. Brady cooks on their practice squad if that makes you feel any better. That's a really tough one.

44:00Robert Mays: That's a really tough one. All right. The only other deal we did not hit yet, Andre Sisco yesterday. This came down right after we stopped recording yesterday. Going to the Detroit Lions from the Jets for a 20-28 sixth round pick. This makes sense. I mean, like Chuck Clark is still getting a lot of snaps for the Lions. And so having one more body that can play in a defense where I assume there's going to be some shared language with him being with the Jets, with Aaron Glenn. I understand this. I liked Andres Siskor early in his career. I was a fan of his. It just has not worked out quite to that degree that you want it to.

44:39I think there's totally a chance you get into the right defense. Somebody communicates to him well. He just kind of gets in. And obviously, I don't know if he's going to have to start here, but it's a secondary that you just want bodies. And I know that, I think Kirby Joseph has been practicing, but it's like You don't really know what the run out for that's actually going to look like. Is it another month? Like, we just don't know.

44:59Robert Mays: Anything else you guys want to hit? I spoke too soon. Uh-oh. Ryan Noozle to the Ravens. Okay. So what are they going to do with Cam Juergens? Andrew Voorhees is going back to the Falcons along with a 2028 sixth. This is from our own Jonathan Jones. So who's...

45:17Derrik Klassen: But somebody has to play guard and somebody has to play center, right? I mean, like... If they moved Juergens to guard again, that would be... Juergens didn't play well at guard. How pissed off would you be if you're Cam Juergens? Well, maybe... I mean, if that happens, maybe it's not him that has to move. Right. That's weird. Give me that one more time. It is Ryan Noozle to the Ravens for Andrew Voorhees and a 2028 sixth.

45:44Man. I mean, is it just insurance because Cam Juergens has been banged up pretty consistently? Maybe. Maybe. Why would you do that? The Ravens season is already like kind of over because there's no Lamar. It's just a weird... Oh, I'm sure the Ravens don't do that. I don't really have a good answer for what that deal is. I'm going to be honest.

46:05Robert Mays: So who's going to play center for the Falcons now? Is it Andrew Voorhees? What's his first name? Corey Levin. He was with the Titans for a little bit. Okay, all right. So I don't, you know, that's not really satisfying, but... All right, that's a weird one. I don't really understand that. I'm going to need someone to explain a little bit more about what the thought process is behind that.

46:28Derrik Klassen: Neusles basically never played anything but center either. It's not like, oh, you can move him to guard. He can play guard. I mean, I guess he could, but he's never done it in the NFL.

46:37Robert Mays: The only reason that I'm doing the wind horse fingers with this one is every little move that Ian Cunningham has made over the last year has been good. every little thing they've done along the fronts has actually been a good thing like Jawan Taylor has been perfectly acceptable for them paying him no money whatsoever he's not nuking the offense consistently and then all of the defensive line moves that they've made everything they've done kind of around the margins has actually worked out so it's really the only reason I'm like maybe I am more interested in this than I should be but why would the Ravens play him?

47:16Robert Mays: Why would the Ravens play Juergens at guard? Like, none of this makes... If this ends up meaning that... But why would they have Ioane and Simpson? So maybe it's just if one of those guys get hurt, Nuzel knows Ledford can play center and they can move Juergens. It is like move around depth,

47:33Derrik Klassen: but like... It doesn't do anything for them today. Ioane doesn't have to play center. I think that's what it is.

47:39Robert Mays: I think that's what it is. I think it is so you have actual center depth when you didn't before. That's right. That's the answer yes because it's i because that's the thought is that if jurgens does get hurt then you don't have to move you want it back to center that's that's the reason so this is just

47:53Derrik Klassen: depth at center it is a nice job guys it's the hardy boys it is an interesting move to do for like it feels over to us yeah i'm sure them i get why they don't feel that way yeah they don't feel

48:04Robert Mays: that way but it's also like again this it's always all right even if you understand the thought process is it worth the price and so if you're the ravens if that actually is the motivation behind in this where we drafted a guard in the first round. We are valuing his development. We want to make sure he gets to play the same position all year at the spot he is supposed to be playing. So we're going to bring in a backup center to backstop ourselves there and prevent him from ever having to move over again for the rest of the year. Is that worth a player and a sixth round pick? I don't know. I kind of think so if only for you're getting the player back kind of.

48:38So like I'm not really worried about the player. Basically giving up a sixth round pick. I don't think that that's like the worst thing if you're really trying to make sure that everyone and you're bringing in again a guy who like shared language like knows Ledford can probably help guys a little bit like I

48:51Derrik Klassen: I don't know the state of the Ravens comp situation off the top of my head but they usually have a couple comp picks waiting in the wings too I think if Lamar was there the answer would be emphatically yes the fact that it's not I think it's you know a little bit more questionable they signed Trey Henderson that should offset the Linderbaum thing

49:08Robert Mays: they have they have several compensatory picks. They have two fifths for the Isaiah Likely and Draymond Jones deals, and then they are going to get a six for Charlie Kohler, according to Over the Cap right now. Yeah, see, there we go.

49:22Derrik Klassen: Like, the Ravens at all times, it's like loose 20s in their pocket. Like, ah, what's a sixth? We've got four of those.

49:28Robert Mays: That's also, by the way, this idea of, I can't remember who, what the messaging was that the Chargers were trying to get out there. One of the insiders said last week that the thought was, well, you can get mid-round picks anywhere, right? Like you can conjure them. And I think that's, I don't really understand what that means. But I think the other, kind of the other thing that people would go to about like, well, it's a fifth round pick. Why does it matter if you get a fifth round pick? Well, even if you aren't going to find useful players in the fifth round, this allows you, fifth round picks allow you to do this on the other side.

50:01Robert Mays: Yes. Now you can be the team that if you need a Khalil Mack to put you over the top at some point, now you're in a position to do that. Like the thought of like, ah, these picks don't matter. Why would we want them? It's like, well, you're seeing all the players that are moving for those picks right now, right? Like there is a market where those things are extremely valuable, even if the hit rate on the fifth round pick is not very high. Yeah. So that was just one of those things like, ah, fifth round picks. Why do we need them? Well, I don't know. They're better than not. It's better than not having them.

50:31Derrik Klassen: I'm aggravated that Jonathan Taylor is a cult. I'm annoyed. and I can't help but think like the Colts are just salty that they spent two first round picks on Sauce Gardner and they think that means they're entitled to getting one back for JT. Like just give us a first. We need a first back. Well, I don't, the only thing I get is, I thought it would be Nelson that they kept obviously, but Robert and I talked about this, like when they were starting to sell or it seemed like they were going to because the season was tanking, it was like, they're going to move people, but you need like one guy who is your cornerstone piece and whether or not picking the running back is the one.

51:06Well, but here's the thing. I'm not saying that this is like proper team building. Nelson is older. So I do think that that is like a... And he was a free agent. And he's a free agent. And Taylor, there is something sexy about the guy that you give the ball to 300 times a year. And I get why that, even if it's not like actually good team building, I get why you think there is something sexy and fun about keeping that player.

51:29Robert Mays: Jonathan Taylor is a really, really good player. He's excellent. Excellent. And so if you're, okay, so Christian McCaffrey in 2023, when the Niners made that trade, was 27 years old. He is about six months younger than Jonathan Taylor is right now. Okay. I understand if you're the Colts saying, and they've said this, they put it out there. There was no ambiguity about this. We want a Christian McCaffrey-esque return for Jonathan Taylor. That is a fair price to ask based on precedent for a running back of that caliber at this point in his career. If you don't get that sort of return, on top of all of the franchise icon, best player in the building, face the franchise type things, next year or the year after, you are almost certainly going to be drafting a quarterback.

52:16Robert Mays: Having Jonathan Taylor as part of that plan to be able to lean on while you're bringing your young quarterback along, there's value in that. I don't know if there's more value in it than giving yourself every opportunity to completely remake the entirety of the franchise with the draft capital that you would get. But I don't think it's like some abdication of responsibility to say there is a price for a superstar running back that has been established if you would not give us that price where you're happy keeping him. All right, before we move on, let's take one more quick break. I am a homeowning father of two, I know, super cool.

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56:32Derrik Klassen: My two thoughts off the top of my head. One, Jonathan Taylor is excellent. He, I think he would have won offensive player of the year if the Colts had maintained the track that they were on last year. I still think what Christian McCaffrey does as a receiver puts him in a just a different conversation in terms of being valuable as a player. I don't disagree with that, but I don't think that's how these conversations typically go. I get it. My it doesn't doesn't make it less true, in my opinion. And then on top of that, where where is the quarterback coming from in 2027 when you don't have a first round pick?

57:05Derrik Klassen: and if that's the case, how much tread is going to be left on Jonathan Taylor's tires when you do have that quarterback to work with?

57:13Robert Mays: He's going to be 29. I mean, like, I think he could still be... Christian McCaffrey's 30. I think my problem now is who was trading for him? That's the other part. Like, the Vikings already kind of gave up some of their capital. The Giants were the other team that... It felt like the Giants are lost, yeah. I guess they would have been the most because I know that, you know, the Broncos have been brought up, but I was like, unless the Broncos were getting a steal, I don't... I can't imagine them having really done that. Peyton is always like a stable of guys, and I just don't really see them giving up that much capital to go do that.

57:40So I guess it really would have just been the Giants.

57:42Derrik Klassen: I did the same thing with Brees Hall when the Jets tagged him. Unfortunately, the Jets at least extended Brees Hall, which made me feel better. But I just hate great running backs being stuck on teams that aren't ready to maximize them. And that's, I mean, it's definitely not Jonathan Taylor's fault, but it just feels like he's going to... I worry that he's going to give the rest of his prime to a team that's not ready to do anything. And that sucks because he's special.

58:10Robert Mays: I'm less worried about this stuff than you are. Jonathan Taylor signed a contract with the Indianapolis Colts. And you're like, and it should be, yeah, okay. There's two sides to this. Yeah, if you didn't want to be in Indianapolis long-term, you have agency. You can make that decision. Things have changed, but that's the business. It's this idea that Jonathan Taylor has... deserves to be in a better situation because the Colts have gone like a certain way. It's just like, I don't know, man. Jonathan Taylor is well compensated for his services.

58:39Derrik Klassen: That is a valid point. But like when you're the only good thing and you get the shit knocked out of you 40 times a game, it's just, it's tough.

58:49Robert Mays: They've still got some offensive linemen on that team. All right, we'll see where this goes. I just think that my stance on it is that things turn around in the NFL faster than we think they do.

59:01Derrik Klassen: That is probably fair. And if the Colts had their one, I don't think I would feel this way. But that is the complicating factor.

59:09Robert Mays: But even two years, but let's just say they take a swing on a Tyler Shuck type guy in the second round. You want to see what you can get out of that guy. Having Jonathan Taylor as part of that, I do think is important.

59:19Derrik Klassen: Yeah, that's fair. I mean, it doesn't have to be.

59:22Robert Mays: Who the f*** is going to play receiver for the Colts next year? That's the other problem now. My God. Is there a wide receiver one Laquan Treadwell right now? I mean, I think so. I mean... Is it not? I really didn't think about that.

59:37Derrik Klassen: But they traded Keenan Allen. Don't forget about Ashton Doolin. It's Ashton Doolin and Laquan Treadwell. Ashton Doolin, Deion Burks, Nick Akine Westbrook, or Westbrook Akine and Anthony Gould are their active. Big opportunity for my guy Deion Burks to shine in the second half. In all honesty, getting blinded by the first half of last season

59:57Robert Mays: and trading two first-round picks for Sauce Gardner is really bad. Throwing Adnan Mitchell in there, just being like, oh, yeah, just take him. That is the part where it's just like, holy shit. That is a former high second-round pick that is absolutely talented in a scenario where you need three receivers. You always need three receivers. you were trading Michael Pittman away in the offseason.

1:00:23Derrik Klassen: I will say I'm not about to call James Gladstone prudent. He's a madman. But I'm really relieved the Jags didn't deal BTJ for the same reason where everybody's like, well, he's on the back burner now. You don't need Brian Thomas Jr. Go get something for him. I'm like, right now that might be true. Well, you're also, you're one. You're one injury away.

1:00:43Robert Mays: You're one Jacoby Meyer injury. Jacoby Meyer's injury away from it being Josh Cameron and Parker Washington for the rest of the season.

1:00:49Derrik Klassen: Yes, and that's why I'm glad BTJ is still on the team. I told Derek, I'll call my shot and say, going back to the Jordan Davis thing, I bet the Jags trade Brian Thomas Jr. when this season's over. Yes. And he's still got two years of control. But right now, you never know what the next 10 weeks are going to bring.

1:01:07Robert Mays: It's the other side of the coin from what we just said about the Jordan Davis trade. By trading away Brian Thomas Jr., you once again risk that Super Bowl quality build that you've done everything that you can to now rip back into your arms. Like, I just wouldn't do that. It's just not worth it. The only time that becomes a consideration in my mind, if it's like truly like a culture problem, if he is an active impediment to the way the building wants to feel and he's like an active problem, that's a different situation. But I don't think that's the case. It doesn't seem like that's the case. It just seems like they have a lot of really good players.

1:01:43Robert Mays: Yes. if Brian Thomas Jr. was doing the George Pickens stuff right now, maybe it would be a different sort of consideration. But I don't think that's the case. I think they're just having trouble folding him into what they want to be offensively. That's also, this is a bad, I don't think Brian Thomas Jr. is the player we thought he was going to be as a rookie. I think that ship has obviously sailed. But it's an offense where they just don't really care about featuring players. Everybody's going to eat. It's just not a part, and we usually use that, everybody eats derogatory. like with like the bills at times.

1:02:15Robert Mays: This is an offense where like it should work that way. Like it's, the way that the ball is distributed, it's just going to the right guy all the time and it works out. And so if you're a talented guy who's kind of fallen down the pecking order in that sort of situation, I assume it can get really, really frustrating.

1:02:32Derrik Klassen: Which I, there's no doubt, it's frustrating for players. And I think not to say guys don't care about winning, but like guys want to show their stuff. Like guys want to show off that they're great and can win and produce stats and be somebody that can carry a passing game. Also, fantasy football is like a huge... Everybody needs offenses are the worst.

1:02:52Robert Mays: I watch Parker Washington play. I have him on every single fantasy team. Parker Washington is like the sixth best receiver in the league and we're just never going to know because he's going to get two targets a game because the Jaggers are going to win every game 35-8 and throw the ball 12 times. It's maddening.

1:03:09Derrik Klassen: Now I'm just, I'm perusing the 2027 quarterback class looking for guys that the Colts can get in the second round. That's where I'm at right now.

1:03:17Robert Mays: But again, Jonathan Taylor will be 29 in two years when they draft a quarterback in the first round. He won't be dead. He's an NFL running back.

1:03:23Derrik Klassen: You can't guarantee that.

1:03:25Robert Mays: You don't know. It's a long time. I think we've seen like the freakish running backs last a little bit deeper into their careers. And I think Jonathan Taylor applies there.

1:03:34Derrik Klassen: I hope you're right because I love him. I this all everything I say is out of concern for Jonathan Taylor's legacy. So I hope you're right. I think it's all I think it's gonna be okay for everybody. All right. All right.

1:03:47Robert Mays: That is all we've got for the 2026 trade deadline. We'll be back tomorrow with our 2026 midseason awards. Very much looking forward to that one for now. That's all we got. Appreciate you guys listening. If you're watching this on YouTube, please like subscribe to all that fun stuff. We'll see you later in the week.

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