Mike Florio: It's Chaos With The NFLPA

24:10Will I be invited a million percent?

24:13Rich Eisen:One million percent, Mike. And when you're on the mothership, you know, it's going to be a top selling e-book. Put it up on the screen. It's very well done. Put it up on the screen. We've got a big shield, everybody. It's about the mob gambling and professional football, but not the NFL. It's not the NFL. It's not the NFL. None of the teams depicted in big shield or NFL franchise. Zero of them. All similarities are coincidental. Yeah. absolutely yeah when you when when i'm on uh espn we'll have you come on talk about playmakers they'll love it awesome wait which playmakers you mean the series that's i had the book that's the name of the book from a few years ago that's right ladies and gentlemen my floorio let's go um okay what's going on with the nfl players association mike and why should fans care about it.

25:05Rich Eisen:I give you the floor on that. Well, currently it's chaos and it's the aftermath of the abrupt resignations of both executive director Lloyd Howell and then former NFLPA president and more recently chief strategy officer JC Tretter. And it really had been kind of a drip drip of news. Pablo Torre and I did some reporting. We found a collusion ruling that had been hidden for more than five months and we still don't know why the nflpa elected to hide it because it was a partial victory one of the findings was that the nfl management council with the blessing of the commissioner urged teams to collude as it relates to guaranteed contracts following the deshaun watson deal of 2022 that was stuffed in a drawer for more than five months by the league until and the union until pablo torrey tracked it down so there were other things too espn's done some great work here with Kaylin Kaler and Don Van Atta Jr.

26:00Different items that just increased the pressure. I think it was an impending report from them last week about the strip club expense report misadventures with Lloyd Howell that caused him to resign. But as of right now, I don't know where they go. I don't think they know where they go. And the players who are leading the charge have training camp to focus on. This is not an ideal time to be figuring out who the interim executive director should be. But here's why fans should care. it's critical that there be balance in this relationship between the league and the players. And you don't want it to get out of balance.

26:38I think if it gets out of balance, it sets the stage for a work stoppage at some point. You know, the league can push and push and push. And at some point, the players say enough. And you got 1982 or 1987 all over again. No one wants that. And if it gets out of balance the other way, then you get a lockout in 2011, where the league felt compelled to try to claw back some of the gains the players had made in the 2006 CBA talk. So you want both sides to be strong. You want there to be a healthy tension and you want there to be balance. And right now there's a risk that based on how this goes, it's going to become grossly imbalanced between the league and the players.

27:14Rich Eisen:So the question is, is, is once the players can actually focus on it, your opinion of what would provide the most balance, somebody who's a lawyer or somebody who's from the world of business mike and and this is an interesting question for a variety of reasons i only have one of those mike you know that that's true you know not to be confused with your normal boring questions this is an interesting one um because there's a perception that pablo torrey and i had like a magic wand that was waived that has caused these vacancies people think they can try to get me to like push for their preferred candidate or for them i'm staying out of the who the next executive director should be but there are different ways to look at it and in the past they had kind of a bulldog in demora smith lloyd howell was the other extreme let's do business i'm a businessman with no labor experience but I know how they think.

28:14I'll be able to do our deals. You know, it would be helpful to have a former player who's got some labor relations chops and knows how to preside over collective bargaining talks. And one of the things I thought of today, I mean, if you really want to make things interesting, you think about somebody who's in the NFL right now, somebody with the league or one of the teams that maybe could be lured for the right price to switch sides and come lead the union. Wouldn't you want somebody who knows what their recipe is for making the sausage? That happens in business from time to time. I'd be thinking about, and again, I'm not naming names because I'm not here to play Game of Thrones.

28:52But, man, it would be interesting to see somebody come from behind Big Shield. Not to be confused with the completely unrelated Big Shield that is the title of the book. But to lead the NFL and lead the union, that would be high drama.

29:04Rich Eisen:Pro Football Talks, Mike Florio here on the Rich Eisen Show. uh while on the subject of drama your take on the jerry jones training camp opening opus in oxnard mike well i saw a screenshot today of him giving the finger and i texted clarence hill who posted it to get some context because you never know like i cut myself where'd you cut yourself well it just happens to be my middle finger so i don't know why he was flashing the middle finger but but jj watt noticed what he said about michael parsons and dak prescott missing games due to injury and had a very pointed tweet michael parsons noticed it and reposted it and i'm a firm believer that michael should have held out that because he's there and i don't want to get too deep into the cba weeds a player has much more leverage if he doesn't show up than if he shows up and thinks about leaving.

30:01We'll leave it at that. That's true. So once you're there, pendulum swings to the team. And I think what they're going to do, Rich, they're going to low ball him. And whatever the last best offer is before week one, it's going to be less than it would have been if he had held out. He's going to have to ask himself, do I take this deal that is less than what I could have gotten? Or does he play for 24 million this year? It's eight times what he made last year. Does he play for that? And do they kick the can to next year? Because the Cowboys don't act until the clock is in the process of striking 12.

30:32By him showing up, and even if he holds in and doesn't practice during training camp or the preseason, a time will come to grab your helmet and go get ready to play like it did for Roquin Smith when he did a holding with the Bears a few years ago. Eventually, we're not going to get a deal done. You're here. You need to work. I think that's what's going to happen. I think right now my prediction would be no new deal for Michael Parsons unless he takes less than, no new deal, and they figure it all out next year.

31:01Rich Eisen:Interesting. All right. That's one to put on the board and put a pin in. What do you think about the Terry McLaurin scenario here for the commanders, Mike? When you talk to people about does Terry McLaurin need a new contract, the easy answer is yes. He's making$15 million or so this year. The market has shot north of$40 million. does he land north of 30 between 30 and 35 Garrett Wilson ish you can make the argument yes but that's the problem you got to get the two circles of the Venn diagram to kiss and so far they haven't and I think Terry McLaurin looks at this and says hey this is my last best chance to get paid they have two more years with Jaden Daniels on his slotted rookie deal which is going to be peanuts in comparison to what he's making after the 2026 season and he's eligible for a second contract.

31:52I'll take mine now. Give me mine now. And when Debo Samuel comes through the door making more money than the guy who's been there through the hard times and now the front end of the good times, I can understand why McLaurin is pushing for more than whatever they're offering. I know Adam Peters, the GM of the team, talked about it today, the being hopeful. But at the end of the day, it comes down to what they're willing to pay. And beyond the average per year, because there are ways to play games with it to pump it up, the structure it's signing is critical how many years are going to be fully guaranteed how many years are guaranteed is a practical matter that's never part of the initial storm of tweets when a deal gets done but the structure is critical to how good or bad a deal really is and then

32:35Rich Eisen:trey hendrickson i i go back and forth about am i being unfair to a bengals franchise that did uh find the money for joe burrow right that did put a uh a sponsor's name on the building you know pay the pay joe stadium pretty much right um to to make sure that they're keeping burrow they did get higgins and chase under long-term contracts right they did keep them together they haven't lost them i'm just wondering if i'm being unfair to think that this hendrick's thing Hendrickson thing along with Shamar Stewart as well is is emblematic of the Bengals haven't got it all out of their system Mike what do you think I don't think they have look they paid Joe Burrow market value because they had to but with Jamar Chase I think he could have held out for more he could have squeezed them for more than what he got still a great deal but I think he could have done more than what he got T Higgins when you look at his deal they took advantage of the fact that he grew up a Bengals fan and wanted to stay in Cincinnati he I think would have been better off playing under the franchise tag for a second year he would have a guaranteed shot at free agency next year they got lucky that those guys didn't push for every last penny now Hendrickson is pushing relatively speaking for more and I think he wants Max Crosby money he's not trying to catch TJ Watt he's not trying to catch Miles Garrett but 35 5 million per year new money when the guy's due to make 16 that's a huge raise i had heard months ago that they offered him 28 in new money shefty reported earlier today that the structure is an issue one year guaranteed not three years either straight or as a practical matter guaranteed at signing that's a big part of it for a guy on the wrong side of 30 so they are being stubborn and here's the thing and i made this point a couple of months ago and this isn't a shot at trey hendrickson it's just an acknowledgement of how the Bengals are.

34:30The Bengals don't care. When Carson Palmer was done with the Bengals, they didn't care. They said, stay home. We'll gladly keep your money. He will become this year's Hassan Redick, staying away for training camp, racking up non-waivable fines, getting into the regular season, giving up game checks unless they find a way to do a deal. But the Bengals, of all the teams out there, that will become weak-kneed because of a holdout, The Bengals are the last ones to do it because I firmly believe Rich, and this trickles over to Shamar Stewart as well. It's not about money. It's about power. And it's about reminding the players who's in charge.

35:07And we'll do without you, Trey Hendrickson, you, Shamar Stewart, you, Carson Palmer. We'll do without if we can preserve our ability to let everybody know who's boss. I feel like that is the core of what the Bengals are all about. And if their fans are fine with it, well, okay, have fun.

35:27Rich Eisen:Yeah, I mean, Mike Brown did call what's going on with Shamar Stewart foolishness. And he did basically say, like, why should I pay him if he's in jail? He winds up in jail. But he wouldn't be paying if he's in jail. Rich, he wouldn't be paying if he's in jail. Here it is in a nutshell. Yes. They have had language in their contracts that would trigger a default of remaining guaranteed money. Okay? They've had that language in there for years. They put the same language in the Jamar Chase and T. Higgins deal. Same language that they've had. Same language Amarius Mims got last year as the 18th overall pick.

36:04Same language. Now for Jamar Stewart, oh, we want to change it. We want to change it. And this is basic negotiation. If you're going to make a unilateral change to a key term in a contract and you're going to offer me nothing to go along with it, what are we doing? You got to offer me something. and the fact that they did it the the old language with higgins and with chase and now they want to jam the new language onto stewart this is an interesting thing to watch if they would sign hendrickson does he get the old language does he get the prison insurance that some are now calling it that chase and higgins and mims and all the other players that have had that term in their a deal gotten or does he get the new one crammed on him too again rich for me it's about power it's about i think shamar stewart not signing the participation agreement and showing up for off-season workouts and i think they're they're just trying to send a message to a guy who dared to stand up for himself and they're not going to bend and that's the problem they're not giving him any opening they're not looking for a win-win they're just going to stand firm until he buckles

37:18Rich Eisen:mike florio here on the show before i give you the runway on your ebook what are we not talking about what what uh what's on what's on your mind what have what's in your what's in your uh your inbox what what are we not talking about as we're set for all 32 there's plenty we're not talking about and it's amazing you know we are in week six of the annual pft live hiatus and people think I'm on vacation. You know what? I've been busier the last five and a half weeks than I have been before. So slow time, there is no slow time. I do a 45 minute podcast every day on everything that's going on. It never slows down.

37:59It really is strange to me though, that I think all this talk of holdouts, hold-ins, I'm surprised that we've just kind of forgotten about Aaron Rodgers in Pittsburgh. Like we all knew it was coming. It happened. And we're like, okay, this is a huge deal. I mean, the Steelers have never behaved this way before. Now they have TJ Watt happy. They have DK Metcalf. They have Jalen Ramsey. Like this is a hell of a chemistry experiment for the Pittsburgh Steelers in a division that is loaded in a conference that is loaded. I'm fascinated to see what the Steelers can do. And they have three winnable games right out of the gates at the jets seahawks at home at the patriots and they go to dublin to play the vikings it hey that that that week one game i i wish we could do a week one flex not that i have a problem no no raven's bills on sunday night football you got a piece of not complaining about that that's a good game yes it is i i want that steelers jets game rich to be standalone so

39:01Rich Eisen:we can all watch it and nothing else yeah i know cbs is ecstatic to have that and you know clearly the schedule makers were laying down a marker that they thought Rogers was coming to put Rogers at the Jets and have you know Justin Fields be the Jets quarterback and like they basically swap quarterbacks like those old you know uh you know body swap movies right and then you got those games at the top and then you got the Packers and Rogers on a Sunday night as well you've got the visit on a Sunday night out here to Los Angeles with Jim Harbaugh the rest of the stroll through the AFC East the rest of his final stroll through the NFC North I mean it's all every game must see television and you talk about chemistry experiment that's that's that's supposed to be Tomlin's forte isn't it I think it is I think that's part of his special sauce is to know how to motivate different guys based on on what he knows about them and i think rogers and and and uh tomlin are going to click very well i i absolutely agree absolutely agree tomlin is that that chef from the cooking show that takes a bunch of stuff that's laying around and turns it into a gourmet meal he's the emerald of the nfl is that what you're saying he's i don't watch any of the show so i can't make any references on that sorry just knows there is one i'll take care of it for you i'll take it what do you think of the god-awful uniforms the steelers are going to be wearing on nbc and peacock week eight against the pack those are the 1994 75th anniversary throwbacks and i was hoping they'd be thrown out for good then they're back 32 years later that one i haven't seen yet um yeah not good so i'll give you the special protection for your eyes nice uh big shield what what do we have here mike what do you got here so and rich look ever since the supreme court opened the floodgates for state-by-state legalized sports betting in 2018 i've had concerns that there are different ways scandals could rock professional football and once i started into this whole fiction thing and most of my books are not sports books they're just mob type books crime somewhere at the center i had an idea one day that i could take this concern that i have for a scandal that could seriously undermine the integrity of the sport and anyone who's connected to the sport should be concerned about that and care about that let's make that come to life as kind of a cautionary tale for the players who might think there's a way to make easy money by giving people inside information for the league to come up with effective ways to protect inside information, because I'm not sure they have effective ways to do it.

41:50And so the whole book is premised on a setting in the not too distant future where everything is streaming in real time. And there's a third string quarterback on Las Vegas, not the Raiders, who is tied in with the mob and is providing inside information before the game. And more importantly, during the game in a very low-tech way that lets people betting in real time know, is it a run? Is it a pass? And that is the kind of thing that can happen very easily. Once we get to the point where everyone is able to see exactly what's happening during the game in real time and lock in action before the snap happens, you could have people on the inside providing that information.

42:30So that's the premise, and it all goes from there. And it's not the National Football League, but it is professional football. and I fear the league will hate it, but I'd like to think if they really understand the message and the themes, they'll love it because it might scare some players straight.

42:45Rich Eisen:Pre-order now on Amazon. The question is, Mike, and this is your last one for you, in terms of the hatred level, the NFL for Big Shield or you for these Steeler uniforms that you have a problem with? What's more on the hate level, do you think? It would be impossible for the league to hate Big Shield as much as I despise those uniforms. Okay. Those are horrible. And they're even worse now on modern equipment with the modern helmets. They were bad enough in 94 when all the helmets looked like, you know, little kids' Halloween costumes. They're even worse now. I don't mind the yellow helmet. I just, I hate the whole look.

43:24Rich Eisen:Mike Florio, ladies and gentlemen. Good to see you, Mike. Talk to you in about, what, five months? No, no. But we suck, Mike. That is a smear and untrue. But thanks for the time, buddy. Good to see you. See you, Rich. Mike Flory, everybody. Go get Big Shield right now. Available on pre-order on Amazon here.

43:49Rich Eisen:It's Saturday. Kickoff's getting close, and your weekend project just hit a wall. You're short on materials, or you need one more tool for the job. Turns out that quick fix needs a quick assist. That's the perfect time to call an audible with express delivery from the Home Depot. Order in the app or online. Get what you need delivered fast and track updates along the way so you can finish your project in time for the first snap. Get what you need even faster with express delivery from the Home Depot. Subject to availability, restrictions, and fees apply. Rich Eisen here with some advice. If high interest credit card debt is grinding you down, it might be time to call an audible with a SoFi personal loan.

44:27Rich Eisen:It consolidates your debt into one low monthly payment with no fees required. And with as soon as the same day funding, you can make the right play fast. Call an audible on your debt today at SoFi.com slash debt play. Loans originated by SoFi Bank N.A. Member FDIC. Terms and conditions apply. NMLS 696891. Fast funds terms apply at SoFi.com slash debt play. so i have here word for word verbatim three of the great uh sports rants of all time um and we would love for you to do your best victor newman is that okay the first one is yes herm edwards the first one up herm edwards on october 30th 2002 after a week eight loss to the cleveland browns here is play to win the game as told by victor newman this is great about sports this is what's the greatest thing about sports is you play to win hello you play to win the damn game right you don't play just to play it that's the great thing about sports you play to win and i don't care if you don't have any wins you're going to play to win when you start telling me it doesn't matter get your ass out of here then retire because it matters.

45:50Rich Eisen:Well done. That's number one. Next up, on October 16th, 2006, after the Cardinals blew a 20-point lead against the Bears on Monday Night Football. Oh, man. Dennis Green. They are who we thought they were as portrayed by Victor Newman. Bears are who we thought they were, you know? That's why we took the damn field. Now, if you want to crown them, then crown their ass. But they are who we thought they were. And we let them off the damn hook. Very good. Very well done. All right, last one for you. I can feel it. I can feel it. I'm glad that we got it rolling, because here's the last one. I can feel it.

46:34Rich Eisen:On May 7th, 2002, the famed practice press conference of one Allen Iverson, as recounted by the man who plays Victor Newman, Eric Braden. Hit it, Mike Deltico. Great Alan Iverson, my God, man. Go for it. I mean, listen, man. You're talking about practice, okay? Not a game. It's not a game. Not a game, all right? You're talking about practice. Not a game. Not the game that I go out there and die for and play every game like it's my last. Not the game. You're talking about practice, man. I mean, how silly is that? I know it's important. Yeah, I do, I do, I do. I honestly do. But we're talking about practice, man.

47:26Rich Eisen:What are we talking about? Practice. We're talking about practice, man.

47:37Rich Eisen:Eric, I think that's your finest work, if you don't mind me saying. Well, thank you very much.

47:44Rich Eisen:I think our claps after each one of them is my favorite part about that. I can feel it. I think that's your favorite drop, Belly. Yeah, I do. I do. I honestly do.

47:57Rich Eisen:I can feel it. I can feel it. That's your favorite. Oh, man. That's great. I don't know where it is, though. Fantastic. everybody check out our YouTube channel please do you think Mike Florio could do an hour of positivity oh yeah don't play into his brand you know what I mean Mike and I are cut from a similar call I know you are I know you are I know you are Doug in North Carolina line 2 intrigues me what's up Doug Well, Rich, I'm a proud graduate of Eastern Michigan University. Ypsilanti, Michigan. Wonderful. Right next door to you guys in Ann Arbor. Washtenaw County. Yes, sir. What's up? But I've never called into this show before, and I'm just stirring the pot.

48:51Rich Eisen:I'm a frequent caller into the Dan Patrick Show. Okay. And earlier today, I called in because they were off last week, and I shared TJ's allegations that Fritschie cheated on the family feud, and it did not go over well. Okay. It did not. It did not go over well. Can you can you can they can't deny that it happened because it totally happens. They said they said you guys have sour grapes, that you were owned by them, that you that the doubt that you had the answer that fits you. The second answer that Fritzie gave, because as Dan said, you guys didn't come up with one correct answer all evening.

49:28Rich Eisen:And then he really heated things up. He read a text message on the air that he claims came from your wife, which said, congratulations. I'm embarrassed by our team's performance. So just wanted to throw that out. All of that stuff might be true. Hold on a second. Let's walk through here. Walks through here. Sour grapes? Absolutely. Yes, absolutely. Do we get everything wrong? That's not true. We didn't get everything wrong, but they did dominate us. You won control of the board. I did. I have the top answer. Right, and then when Dan won control of the board to start, we stole and we got it right.

50:02Rich Eisen:Right. Right, so that's not true. And we had that answer lined up. And we did have the answer. And we were specifically told at a pre-meeting to not do what Fritz did. One second. Let's take one at a time here. Well, let me answer that because I'm the one who's got. Please, please, please. Let's take one at a time here. And so does that sound like a text from Susie? 100%. Yes. I can do that, Susie. Can they know that we had the answer that Fritzie had? They can't. They have no idea. They have no idea. Now, in the meeting beforehand, specifically, they told us if you say an answer that's already been done, it's over.

50:38Rich Eisen:That's an X.

50:42Rich Eisen:That did not happen. And it was carefully edited, so you didn't see what would happen. I didn't see the edit because I was, okay. So, yeah, we've never denied that we got dusted. And I wasn't sour grapes. I'm just pointing out a fact. Right. it happened correct we lost we got murked and we're not denying that and fritzy did something they specifically told us not to do in the pre-meeting well because the answer that he gave wasn't exactly similar to what was on the board according to my recollection it was it was it wasn't it wasn't word perfect about what was on the board but it was something very similar to it he said spiders and bugs critters was already on the board and they let him give another answer.

51:24Rich Eisen:They did. But before the show, they told us, if you do that, you will be given a strike. And it didn't happen. And it didn't happen. And we were even commenting about it while it was happening. Live. Right. And afterward, after we had lost, we were all talking about it afterward. Oh, that's right. With them, right? With them. Doug, you still there? Yeah, they brought that up, too. They said that while they were enjoying their victory, jumping up and down, that one of you guys ruined the moment by saying, you guys cheated. you guys cheated. Oh, well, that's definitely not true. We were celebrating with them.

51:56Rich Eisen:Yes, that's not true. I can't see anybody saying that you guys cheated. Jell Tupo's the only one who's not here, but that doesn't sound like him. No, we were more than overjoyed that they got the 200 points on the final round. Because I think, if I'm not mistaken, the Boys and Girls Club of Milford, Connecticut won$25 ,000. Yeah, right, which is great. Doug, is this what you were looking for? That you're stirring it up? I just wanted to get everyone on the record. You know, I listen to their show just because of the time of the day. By the way, I listen to Dan's show on the way to war. I mean, we all do, so we love him.

52:33Rich Eisen:But this means war, though. For the record, you should know two things. Fritzie says he has no memory of this happening. False. And recently, in a pickleball episode that they have where the Danettes were playing each other, he was accused of cheating by staying in the kitchen. So cheating allegations against Richie are a common thing. Well, we already know this about Todd. No, but it was nothing that Todd did. It was the gameplay. And we're like, we were told this was going to be a strike and they gave him another option. And by the way, if you're playing pickleball and you don't call someone in the kitchen in the moment, that's on you.

53:06Rich Eisen:I mean, but that said, we, when you took control of the board, that was our high point. Yeah, we were winning. We went downhill after that. And we had control of the board. They got everything right. Yeah. And I have not seen the edit yet because I was at the American Century Championship. You should watch it. It's on Hulu. And so was Dan, but they had a watch party. We did not. We did not. No, no. I still haven't seen it either. I was a solid one for one. And Susie definitely hasn't seen it. I'm a little disappointed in Susie. Why would she sell us out like that? I can't believe I'm saying that.

53:38Rich Eisen:Because, you know, it does sound completely like her to do that. Yeah, it does. She's a front runner. It's completely like Dan to use my wife's text. Yes, exactly. it's all on brand it's all on brand including fritzy cheating

53:56Rich Eisen:I don't think I can be your friend Isabella said Rebecca's stomach flipped this is the love story of real hinge couple Isabella and Rebecca written and read by me Tammy Denton-Hurst listen to the free audiobook now