Hour 2: Jets Trade Sauce to Colts Reaction, plus North Texas QB Drew Mestemaker

0:00Rich Eisen:Heat up your 4th of July at The Home Depot with our wide variety of grills under$300 and make every gathering one to remember. Give your outdoor space a glow up, whatever your budget is, with savings on seasonal plants starting at$5. With the grill fired up and your backyard set to perfection, you'll be able to invite friends and family over to kick off the party. Start celebrating with low prices guaranteed at The Home Depot. Prices may vary by store, exclusions apply. See Home Depot.com slash price match for details. Study and play. Come together on a Windows 11 PC. And for a limited time, college students get the best of both worlds.

0:40Rich Eisen:Get the Unreal College Deal. Everything you need to study and play with select Windows 11 PCs. Eligible students get a year of Microsoft 365 Premium and a year of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate with a custom color Xbox wireless controller. Learn more at windows.com slash student offer. While supplies last, ends June 30th. Terms at aka.ms slash college PC. This is the Rich Eisen Show. Hey, everybody. Can't get enough of the Rich Eisen Show? You're in luck. You can find us everywhere. Watch us weekdays on Disney Plus from noon to 3 Eastern. Miss the show? We've got a podcast so you can listen anytime. But here's the best part.

1:19Our YouTube channel. Subscribe at youtube.com slash Rich Eisen Show and you'll never miss a moment. Now, on with the show. This is the Rich Eisen Show. How about the Cowboys? It will address our shortcomings. From the Rich Eisen Show studio in Los Angeles. He may want to cancel that trade. I don't think one player from what I've seen tonight is going to make a difference. Earlier on the show, Ravens running back Derrick Henry. Coming up, North Texas quarterback Drew Mestermaker. Chargers safety Derwin James. and now it's rich eisen that's right hour number two of the rich eisen show on the air we already

2:03Rich Eisen:chatted with derrick henry derwin james is coming up um we are in hour number two of this program two hours left uh in this program and three hours until the trade deadline in the national football league uh closes the door on all trades in the 2025 season and we have seen quite a bit of activity since we've come on the air an hour ago um the uh north texas quarterback drew mestemaker is going to be joining us in the middle of this hour his story is unbelievable we're going to take a pause from watching uh the uh transaction wire in the nfl by telling you his remarkable story don't miss that that's in 20 minutes time it's an overreaction monday on a tuesday we're assuming we're going to fit that in unless there's more blockbuster trades to talk about um there's a been a wide receiver shake-up that involves the afc west one leaving one coming in we'll talk about that in a moment certainly since it's of interest to uh raiders fans who are out there listening to us in las vegas nevada on raiders nation radio we say hello to them um but if you're a fan of this program and i hope you are um and i hope you've been around a while You remember prior to the 2022 draft at this table, I was pounding it quite a bit.

3:18Rich Eisen:New York Jets having a top pick in the draft. It's top five pick. And I was saying over and over and over again, Sauce Gardner. I want him. I want this six foot three, 190 pound special playmaker that helped Cincinnati make, you know, the college football playoff. Like, I need I need that guy. he's exactly the guy that that coach at the time Robert Sala could use and sure enough it happened and it was magical because Garrett Wilson was drafted later on in that first round and both of them won rookies of the year defensively for sauce offensively for Garrett Wilson and sure enough this offseason with the Jets unfortunately having burned it all down on the ground on the field and then in the front office and in the coaching room started over again bringing in Aaron Glenn one of the uh only other corners the Jets have drafted in the first round in the last 30 something years and handing things off to him and I thought to myself well sauce Gardner's perfect for this guy.

4:35Rich Eisen:And sure enough, the new general manager, Darren Mugey, rhymes with Bougie, he signs them both to long-term deals in July of this past year. Sauce put his John Hancock on a contract, a four-year $160 million extension. I believe that number's correct. And off we go. 120 million pardon me i just gave him 40 million more dollars well maybe uh you know his new team can because i'll tell you this didn't think it then in july when he signs long term and also didn't think it a few weeks ago when the new york jets started owen forever as we know they just won their first game against the bengals by pulling it out of the jaws of defeat that prior to me seeing them in london and watching them fall to oh and three and oh and four and watching them just look dreadful on a monday night in miami for instance dallas came in and just pounded them before they went to london to play denver i just said listen aaron glenn hopefully isn't going anywhere okay and he's bringing in his personal beliefs as a player and a coach that he learned at various spots sean payton in new orleans and dan campbell in detroit two terrific head coaches one for a long time one in recent days and he's not going anywhere if woody johnson doesn't tinker with him and he just needs to decide and players need to decide who wants to play for this guy who wants to be in new jersey having no earthly idea that sauce gardener could be one of those guys that aaron glenn just looks at and says yeah let's take calls on him or let's shop him or calls come in for him and it's just like we can't turn this down no idea kind of got an inkling i'll say it publicly when we wanted to talk to sauce in our pre-broadcast meetings.

6:58Rich Eisen:Got the sense from the Jets. Sauce is not available for you to talk to. Oh, interesting. Got the sense. Like, not exactly the guy that... We want out there talking to media. We want out there talking about what he's feeling about in the locker room.

7:16And, um...

7:19Rich Eisen:Yada, yada, yada. He gone. Today, the Jets trade him in the most blockbuster move around. Today, this is in the clubhouse, and it'll be kind of wild if it gets knocked out of the clubhouse between now and 4 Eastern.

7:37Rich Eisen:He's an Indianapolis Colt. He posted, see you later, to the folks in New Jersey and New York. It's been real. Is that what he said? pretty much yeah okay and if you're the jets and this is what you can get in return you send sauce gardner to indianapolis indiana two first round picks and the colts are like 80 mitchell take nice having you here you know we got pitman we got pierce we got warren we got downs and we got no time for you flipping the ball before the goal line in los angeles send him to the jets who as you know need receivers to go along with garrett wilson is apparently coming back who might not going to no there's no uh that one now that one would surprise me but two first rounders uh for sauce gardener i like it is a deal i i gotta tell you i never thought i would say this because i pounded the table for him and i loved watching him play and i'm not going to denigrate him by saying that the pro bowler and all pro hasn't been consistently showing up over the last couple of years it's been a whole host of jets and issues from the franchise top all the way down that has resonated amongst the fire of the dumpster so it's not just sauce but something's going on there's a tip of an iceberg as i keep saying how many times do i keep saying this i'm sorry i'm repeating but it's the truth it keeps coming up might be new listeners and underneath what the harbor underneath that water something's up something's up under the hudson river and new york it's been real he he's gone and he's he just went from one and seven to seven and two he's now hopping a flight to germany i bet right and that's the next game his first game as a cult will be his second international game of the year for two different teams i'm wondering if that's going to be a record somebody should look that up you play in two different countries for two different teams in the same season crazy and um great move by the colts obviously obviously this is a an aggressive move by chris ballard yeah and kudos to the front office and the ownership for saying go ahead and do it that's an aggressive maneuver for a terrific young player who's now under contractual control, as you know, for some time, fitted underneath the cap, certainly when you're not paying your quarterback$50 gajillion.

10:44Rich Eisen:I mean, Daniel Jones is a bargain, and Anthony Richardson's still on his first contract. If you're the Colts, absolutely you make this move, and if you're the Jets, you are burning it down to the ground, and 100%, Aaron Glenn knows how talented this kid is, but whatever's going on behind the scenes, he has taken stock and and sauce wasn't one of the guys that he wants to have in the boat with him moving forward darren muji nice job two ones and and adonai mitchell will just tell him listen catch the football run your routes and just know where the goal line is that's all we ask of you and you'll be better than most of the people we've had at the position here over the last few years I'm not kidding.

11:29Rich Eisen:He's young and talented. He is. But a knucklehead move that Shane Steichen was just not going to countenance anymore. No more knucklehead moves anymore, the Colts. By the way, Jonathan Taylor did that last year. He's still on the team. He's not going anywhere either. Jets now join the Browns, Rams, and Cowboys with two first-round picks in next year's draft. Great. And certainly if you're looking for a quarterback, you can now move around and do what you wish. or kick him down the line for another quarterback. If Justin Fields can, what's the owner thinking? Complete a pass. That's right, right down here.

12:07Rich Eisen:And to answer your question, Rich, apparently no NFL player has played for two different teams in two different countries. There have been players who have played in the same country, London, or same city, for the two different teams. No, I know that. Vikings this year, all the Vikings are the first players to play in two different countries in the same season. because they went from Ireland to the UK. I'm just two different teams. You know, you're playing in London, and now you're going to be playing in Germany for two different teams in the same season. Sauce Gardner's passport is getting some work.

12:40Rich Eisen:And now he's got a chance to make the playoffs for the first time and win a playoff game for the Colts. Atlanta's going to be first up. Hey, Drake, London, here comes Sauce in Germany. Hey, London in Germany. because Darren must be the Muji. Made a trade. I don't know what that came from. I'm sorry. And then there's a bye week. And then, hey, Sauce, you're an arrowhead. Whoa. And Sauce, that's Nico Collins. Sauce, that's Brian Thomas. Or now Jacoby Myers, which we'll get to. Hey, Sauce, that's Jackson Smith and Jigba. Or Rahid Shahid, who we'll get to now. I mean, this is a big time move by the Colts getting aggressive in the way that I think the Steelers should get aggressive for Jalen Waddell.

13:31Rich Eisen:I'm telling you, I'm telling you, Colts are just like, screw it. It's been a while since Peyton Manning took us someplace around here. We're seven and two. Our quarterback is playing way better than maybe we even expected. We are collectively playing way better than we even expected. Let's go. if you're a Colt fan you gotta love the the aggressive the aggressive move and if you're a Jet fan you are lamenting the loss of yet another guy that you fell in love with pre-draft and then you fell in love with post-draft and has for whatever reason been unable to win and erase the five decades of crap and change the course of the franchise once again the jets draft somebody everybody falls in love with and they then have to leave

14:31Rich Eisen:but the uh cushion are two ones that is significant hey and listen nice remember they traded jamal adams for a couple ones but that's a safety this is a corner those are two different positions and the jamal adams trade uh worked out so well uh that the jets got multiple first round draft choices in which uh they could draft garrett wilson and then use their own on a guy who they've now flipped a few years later to get two number ones again let's try it again and again jets fans are gonna have to renew their faith again that these are the coach and the general manager that can do it you know thought it would be sala and douglas but now it's got to be glenn and muji i see of course you just got to get the quarterback right and then this rondelay of having players that you draft they're supremely talented they work out you sign them the fans fall in love with them and then it all falls to crap and we'll start again at some point you'd have to think that cycle gets broken you have to all right let's take a break um there are two other trades involving wide receivers that we'll talk about after we get this story the college football story one of the college football stories of the year outside of the ohio state beating up on everybody and then coaches getting bounced like they're hockey like they're in the like they're in the NHL, Drew Mestemaker of North Texas.

16:00Rich Eisen:We heard about this story and I'm like, we got to find this out ourselves. What an incredible journey that this young man is on. That story next, the trades involving the Raiders and the Seahawks right after that, Overreaction Monday on a Tuesday, and Derwin James coming up.

16:19Rich Eisen:The Rich Eisen Show Podcast.

16:26Rich Eisen:Save$2 when you buy two cans of Superior Products Coverall Tire Dressing. Plus receive four times O rewards points now at O 'Reilly Auto Parts. Coverall delivers long-lasting shine. Visit your O 'Reilly Auto Parts store or OReillyAuto.com. Rich Eisen here. You can always tell when something big is happening in a city. I know what it's like when I'm traveling for big games and events. I remember being in Pittsburgh earlier this year and experiencing the beautiful architecture and passion those fans have for their home teams. That was so infectious. Now, it was a great trip. But you know what it's like dealing with the travel.

17:02Rich Eisen:The airport is packed. Hotels are booked up. Restaurants, all busy. And when you have that kind of influx of visitors in your city, a lot of them are searching for a place that feels a little bit more like home during their trip. That's why this can be a smart time to think about listing your own space on Airbnb. If you've got plans to be away this summer, consider listing your space on Airbnb while you're gone and earn some extra cash. It's simple. You're already traveling, so your place doesn't just sit empty while your city is busy. And from my experience on the road, having a comfortable home base can change the whole experience of a trip.

17:37Rich Eisen:So whether it's a big sports weekend, a concert series, or a major event coming to your area, this could be the right time to list your space on Airbnb. Your home might be worth more than you think. Find out how much at airbnb.com slash host.

18:21Rich Eisen:This story first came to our attention a couple weeks ago. Obviously, it's been a story all year long since he showed up at the quarterback position for North Texas in his bowl game this past year in the serve pro first responder bowl against Texas State, and he balled out. And now North Texas is 8-1 this year. the quarterback of North Texas, Drew Mestemaker, kind enough to join us right here on the program. How are you, Drew? Good to see you, sir. Good to see you all, too. I mean, listen, I could ask you a whole bunch of questions about your story, but I'd love to walk our audience through it.

19:02Rich Eisen:So you're from Austin, Texas, correct, sir? That is correct? Yes, I am. All right. And what high school did you go to there, Drew? Uncle Vandegrift High School. Vandegrift High School. Okay. And you first started a game at quarterback at that high school when? true uh my freshman b team so what grade were you in when you started for your freshman b team i was ninth grade ninth grade okay so um and then the next time you started at quarterback was when drew uh against texas state in the bowl game there you go see we've set the table so you went from freshman b team at your high school vandergrift high school right in austin yep to starting for your North Texas mean green against Texas State in the bowl game on January 3rd of this year.

19:56Rich Eisen:Yeah. Okay. What happened in between, Drew? Walk me through what happened in between. Well, my sophomore year, I was on JV. I split time with another quarterback. And then my junior year, I was the backup to a kid who's now playing catcher at Baylor. Is that Braden Buchanan? Braden Buchanan, correct? Yes. Okay. Okay. And then I thought senior year was going to be my year to be the starting quarterback. And then in the summer, Deuce Adams, who is now at Louisville. he's one of the smaller players and uh so you know he ended up being the starter and i i ended up playing corner and corner and safety for the for this green squad brian okay well i i think uh you're you're um being mixed up with another zoom from your end i don't know if there's anybody there at north texas can can help with that um drew mestemaker here on the rich eisen show So you were back up to one player who is a catcher now at Baylor, and then you were back up to somebody who's now the starter at Louisville, right?

21:16Rich Eisen:What were you doing in that time, Drew? I mean, I was always training. I was ready to be put in and get my opportunity, and it just never came. And I was ready whenever that opportunity would happen, And, you know, it never happened at the high school level, but I didn't let that, you know, end my dream of being a quarterback. So I'd say the opportunity of being here is better than, you know, getting in in high school. So I understand that. But you were playing other positions, though, right? You weren't just standing there with a clipboard, correct? No, I was playing safety and corner. Yeah, I played special teams.

22:03I was a punter, so I kind of just did everything I could to get on the field.

22:08Rich Eisen:While hoping that you would get a shot at quarterback that never came as a starter in your high school, what made you walk on at North Texas then? Walk me from that to that moment. well I um I was planning on going and playing juco junior college out in California and um that was I was pretty dead set on that and then you know I was just kind of like training on my own and I got an Instagram DM to go to this quarterback trainer who's going to be at Lake Travis so I was I was just throwing on my own at that time so I figured I might as well go see what it's all about and uh he I went with him for about a week and then probably the third time I went to train with him he got me in contact with Jeff Christensen who trains Patrick Mahomes Baker Mayfield, all those guys.

23:13And so he got me set up with Coach Morris because of that connection. And Coach Morris and Coach Brophy, the quarterback coach here, called me and said, you know, we don't have a spot for you right now on the team, but if someone quits after spring ball, they were like, we'll have a walk-on spot for you. So, yeah, that's kind of how I ended up here.

23:39Rich Eisen:Well, and you're referring to Coach Morris, your head coach, Eric Morris, who knows a thing or two about quarterbacks as the former head coach at Incarnate Word, where he brought Cam Ward on and then went to Washington State as an offensive coordinator where there was a kid named Mateer. So he knows quarterbacks, to say the least. And he gives you a spot to walk on to North Texas. So now walk me through last year, Drew Mestemaker, where you were just walking on. And then what happened when you walk on there? So I showed up the summer of last year, probably as QB six on the depth chart. I mean, I knew I had to prove myself because they had seen nothing.

24:29I had no film. I had to prove it to myself also at that point. that I belonged here. So I just took it one day at a time and grinded every day. Throughout the summer, we do our little summer OTA workouts where we kind of do a little football, but it's more just working out. So throughout the summer, I didn't really move much, and then fall camp came around, and I was still going with the young guys. So I was like getting the fours and fives reps out there. And then probably about halfway through, I'd been doing pretty good. So they moved me up and they'd sprinkle me in with some twos reps and just see how that went.

25:18And then towards the end, I really had a pretty good fall camp. And towards the end, I was splitting twos reps with the other guy that they had recruited in my class. And so we were technically like co-backups until probably about halfway through the year until I was fully the backup to Chandler.

25:41Rich Eisen:To Chandler Morris, who went to Virginia in the portal just before your bowl game, the ServPro First Responder Bowl versus Texas State. Walk me through the moment Coach Morris told you you were starting that game, Drew Mestemaker. Well, you know, we kind of didn't really know if Chandler was going to stay. We didn't know how that all was going to turn out. And so we had like a workout and I went down into the locker room and my phone was blowing up and all my friends were texting me and I was like, what is going on? What is this all about? And I saw Coach Morris' text and he said, come up and talk to me in my office.

26:29So I went up and it was him and our quarterback coach. They said, you're going to be starting the bowl game for us. And, you know, that was just surreal to hear that and to, you know, just to be in that moment. And then that same day he also put me on scholarship. So that's the day I'll always remember. I bet.

26:51Rich Eisen:Were you still 18 at the time or were you 19 as you are now? I was still 18. 18 years old. You got called into the office and you were told, hey, your last start was freshman B as a ninth grader. But you're starting this serve pro first responder bowl against Texas State. And all you did, I'll say it so you don't have to crow, 448 total yards, 393 yards in the air, two touchdowns. And you also had a 70-yard touchdown run down 30-21 to make it 30-28 in the late stages of that game. And then what did you do right after that run, Drew Mestemaker? Come on now. What did you do right after? Share with everybody.

27:35Rich Eisen:Go ahead. Yeah, I visited the trash can on the sideline real quick.

27:44Rich Eisen:And you were looking for what was in the – you left something in the trash can. lunch the lunch was it breakfast was it in the trash can you can't make it up you cannot make it up but then again you know um what was that like for you to perform in that game even though you did not win i understand you did not win but you you clearly showed you had it in that yeah i uh no i think back to it and i honestly don't remember a lot of it like it was it was kind of just like living on a high and just just kind of like going with the flow I mean I uh you know after that run I like just blacked out don't even remember what I was doing until I had to you know visit the trash can um but just to just to you know go through that and kind of have that experience and be able to to show show out in that opportunity it it uh something i'll always remember and you still had to win the job this summer which you did the team is now eight and one by the way guys um you look at your stat lines and i understand again it's a team effort eight and one is what you're most proud of and i understand that okay and as well you should um you had against charlotte a 608 yard passing game drew did you wake up you know dangerous that day like baker mayfield what was that day like for you um well i don't know if i woke up dangerous um i think uh as a whole team we We did not wake up dangerous that game.

29:33We kind of came out pretty slow. And, you know, but I think just having the guys that will go out there and make plays, you know, I got to give credit where credit's due. You know, I threw a three-yard pass, and one of my receivers took it 70. So, you know, having guys that will go out there and make plays and, you know, just you're always on the same page as them. And it makes it easier to, you know, I guess have a game like that.

30:04Rich Eisen:Plus, you're going through the armed forces, man. You took down Army in overtime in game four this year, and you just beat Navy. Drew, do you have any service members in your family at all? I mean, one of my grandpas served, but they're still Mean Green fans. I bet. Well, you're serving it up on the armed forces. That is for sure. So to what do you owe your abilities and resilience and waiting and the ability to make the most of an opportunity like you're clearly doing right now, Drew Mestemaker? You know, obviously I'd say my mom has been by my side the entire time. um you know she's she's known how badly I've wanted to wanted to play and be on the field but she's still been with me no matter how the how the journey looked um but also you know I've had some really good mentors and guys who have you know been through it played at the college level played in the CFL his name's Dakota Prukop he's kind of been by my side the whole time and always talked me through the ups and downs and just waiting for my moment because he's known and he's had confidence in me too that I could make the most of my opportunity so I'm thankful for those two people as long as everyone who's supported me along the way And again, if you don't mind, again, you're obviously a humble 19-year-old making the most of an opportunity.

31:50Rich Eisen:But if you don't mind throwing your humility away for just a moment, who have you heard from? Drop a name. Who may be from, you know, your coaches, Rolodex, North Texas, anybody from your throwing coaches, Rolodex, who has reached out to you or you've reached out to them as a mentor or anything like that to get you to the level that you're at right now and improving? Drew. I mean, Jeff Christensen has probably been the biggest, you know, change since I've been here. He's I feel like I've grown a lot as a quarterback and just he's kind of connected me with a bunch of people. I met, you know, Cam Ward coming through here just because he he's loves Coach Morris.

32:36And, you know, seeing, meeting him is crazy to, you know, you're watching him on TV and then he's in here the next day. So it's crazy to see that. And, you know, I've trained with Patrick Mahomes. I've watched, you know, the whole Chiefs team throw. And just to see all that, it's crazy.