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00:00A football Wednesday, live right here on the early line on SportsGrid.
00:04He is Donnie Wright's side.
00:06I am Ben Stevens.
00:07Again, this is a Donnie dream.
00:09This opening hour, as we go stop by stop, practice facility by practice facility,
00:15all around the National Football League, as mandatory minicamp got underway yesterday.
00:20It's not just great, DRS, to see who is out there on the practice turf,
00:25but we also get to hear from players and coaches for the first time in a long time.
00:31And, of course, one of the big stories yesterday,
00:33Aaron Rodgers reports to minicamp for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
00:38Let's hear from Aaron right here, right now, on how he is finding his new team.
00:43I think I just want to be a servant leader here
00:45and just pass on the knowledge that I have for 20 years, the experience,
00:50and just try and fit in with the guys, get to know them, let them get to know me.
00:53And just enjoy the process, you know.
00:57Everything's new.
00:58It's like the first day of school.
00:59I don't know a lot of guys' names.
01:01They don't have names on the back of the jerseys here.
01:02They don't have names on the doors in the meeting rooms.
01:05I literally walk out of the locker room lost, try and grab somebody, hey, where am I going?
01:10But I'll get the feel of it, and I'm excited about making this home.
01:13Aaron, at this point in your life, why do you still want to go with you?
01:18Yeah, I mean, I think that's what it is.
01:19It's like, I don't need it for my ego.
01:23I don't need it to keep playing.
01:25A lot of decisions that I've made over my career and life from strictly the ego,
01:32even if they turn out well, are always unfulfilling.
01:34But the decisions made from the soul are usually pretty fulfilling.
01:39So this was a decision that was best for my soul.
01:41And I felt like being here with Coach T and the guys I got here and the opportunity here
01:46was the best for me, and I'm excited to be here.
01:51A decision made directly from his soul.
01:54Has he earned the respect, DRS, of Mike Tomlin to call him Coach T on his first day of practice?
02:01What was your reaction to what Aaron Rodgers had to say about being the newest Pittsburgh Steeler?
02:07Yeah, by the way, my reaction to that, too, is I was listening to what he's saying.
02:09And I said, wait a second, like, why are there no signs in a practice facility
02:12of where you should actually go at this point?
02:14And at an OTA, you have a ton of rookie players out there.
02:17Nobody knows who anybody is out here.
02:18Sounds like a great organization right now for the Pittsburgh Steelers,
02:21just trying to make it simple for everybody to get to know each other.
02:24Hey, walked in.
02:25No, I have no idea.
02:25I can't even look at the back of their jersey to know who they are.
02:28Shout out to New York Yankees.
02:29Should be putting their names on the back of their jerseys at home.
02:31Because, again, people don't know who Aaron Judge is sometimes when he comes up to the plate
02:34without that name on the back of the jersey.
02:35But, yeah, but as I digress right here, this is – I just want to get to the Aaron Rodge point.
02:40Like, hey, like, I'm just happy to be here at this point.
02:42Look, and this wasn't your first choice, Aaron.
02:44You should have just been honest.
02:45Hey, I'm in Pittsburgh.
02:47Who wants to be in Pittsburgh?
02:48I want to be in Minnesota.
02:49I want to be in San Francisco.
02:51The only place I can get a job here is with Coach T in Pittsburgh here.
02:54I'm going to try to make the best of it.
02:55I would rather that, you know, scenario went like that yesterday when they're asking any questions.
02:59But, Ben, let's get to the big elephant in the room right now.
03:02Aaron Rodger's married.
03:03So, I do – social media wins every single time.
03:06And all I kept seeing was, you know, asking Grok, like, who he got married to.
03:10And people were asking if he married himself because nobody knew he was dating anybody at this point.
03:14And he's so secretive on what he wants to do.
03:16Like, hey, Aaron, why are you away in the offseason here and not with the Steelers you're signing earlier?
03:20Ooh, mysterious shroud of secrecy here.
03:23Then shows up with a ring and it's basically like, yeah, I got married a couple months ago.
03:26Don't worry about who she is, what she is, what the name is, where she lives, or what she's doing at this point.
03:31But I'm going to wear this ring on my finger, which was so ridiculous that people were asking him if it was an aura ring.
03:36Like, oh, you're wearing an aura ring.
03:38It's like, no, I got married.
03:39Wait a second.
03:39What did we miss you at this point?
03:41This is the Aaron Rodgers cycle that you're just getting into.
03:44And it's time for Spin City right now.
03:46And we're getting it already.
03:47I love that he mentioned his ego in having made decisions in his past based on his ego.
03:55That might have been the most honest thing you've ever heard Aaron Rodgers say.
03:59You saw it right there.
04:00He's got a ring on that left finger.
04:03He mentioned that he was married a few months ago.
04:06DRS.
04:07There was a lot of questions about it when he signed his contract over the weekend on a Saturday in that Steelers facility.
04:14And in the picture that Pittsburgh put out of him signing the dotted line, you also saw that marriage band on his finger as well.
04:23You are very correct in how Aaron Rodgers likes to practice his business, right?
04:28Everything is a secret.
04:30I am the story.
04:32What I decide is the story, despite what he might say.
04:37Not sure who he is married to.
04:39He did mention earlier in the offseason, I believe, on the Pat McAfee show, of course, formerly of the Sports Grid Network, that he was dating somebody.
04:48I'm sure that is who he is now married to.
04:51I did see somebody yesterday say he has been matrimonized instead of immunized, as he said back in the day.
04:58I thought that was a pretty good one.
05:01But DRS, outside of the personal identity, outside of Aaron Rodgers and his love life, he was on the practice field yesterday as mandatory minicamp begins for the Steelers.
05:13You and I, for a very long time, even as it was the worst kept secret in the NFL that Aaron Rodgers would play in Pittsburgh this year,
05:21have talked about if it moves the needle, if it changes the outlook for the Steelers at all in 2025.
05:28Here's the schedule for the Steelers.
05:31The win total is eight and a half.
05:3318 consecutive years under Coach T.
05:37Never a losing record.
05:39The under has the juice of the eight and a half win total.
05:43If they do stay under, which is the most likely outcome from the odds perspective, that would be a losing record.
05:50Do you think that is most likely for Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers this season?
05:55No, I do think they're going to win nine games this year.
05:57I do.
05:57Because, number one, the M.O. with the Steelers, they always win nine games, plus they're under Mike Tomlin.
06:01You should theoretically have a better quarterback situation than you even did last year.
06:05And also understand this.
06:06Sometimes you just got to get the team headed in the right direction to get all the naysayers off your back.
06:11And that schedule, the way it sets up at the beginning, Ben, could get that done here.
06:15And you could ride some momentum into the middle parts and later parts of the season.
06:19At the Jets on the road, Seahawks, Patriots, Vikings, and Browns.
06:22Every single one of those teams unsettled at the quarterback position.
06:26Or should I say, not coming into camp with, hey, an ingrained starter that we had last year who looks fantastic.
06:31That's not the case here.
06:32So you theoretically, for the Steelers, you should be no worse than three and two.
06:37But optimistically, you should be 4-1 or better after five games.
06:41And that should set you up for at least a nine-win season.
06:44Let's not forget, DRS, entering the second weekend of December, third Sunday of December.
06:50Pittsburgh was 10-3 last year with Russell Wilson and Justin Fields kind of splitting that time at the quarterback spot.
06:58They were in position at a certain point entering the full final month of the regular season to be the AFC's number one overall seed.
07:06Winning regular season games, never in question in the Steel City.
07:10It's about winning a playoff game, which they have failed to do since 2016.
07:16Dramatic day in the AFC North.
07:19More next.
07:24Mandatory minicamps starting yesterday around the National Football League.
07:28Sometimes it's not about who is there and who is participating.
07:32It's about who is not.
07:34For the Cincinnati Bengals yesterday, DRS, we knew that Trey Hendrickson, in a stalemate with the Bengals' front office, would not report to mandatory minicamp.
07:45How about the first-round pick this past April, about a month and a half ago?
07:50Shamar Stewart, who has not participated at all in rookie minicamp, OTAs, or now mandatory minicamp.
07:57He's there, but he's watching from the sidelines as he is and his representation continue to negotiate with the Bengals about wording in his rookie deal.
08:09And let me just tell you this.
08:11The Rook has all the bravado in the world.
08:14Here's Shamar Stewart with an update on his situation.
08:16We all agree Trey will be right, right?
08:20But technically, he's still 1% wrong for being under contract.
08:24So, in my case, I'm 100% right.
08:28So, it should be a no-brainer.
08:31And in Trey's case, I think it should be a no-brainer, too.
08:34I mean, he led 17 and a half sacks for two years back-to-back.
08:38If I was the GM or I was the owner, I'd take all my money.
08:42But I guess they don't operate like that.
08:45But...
08:47Shamar Stewart, DLS, basically saying what you have often shared about the Bengals and their practices in that front office.
08:56What did you make of what the rookie had to say yesterday?
09:00I root for this kid.
09:01I do.
09:01Like, understanding coming from, what, Texas A&M, where they probably got paid, like, professionals down there anyway at the NIL.
09:06They just signed a quick piece of paper and got their money and went out and played some football.
09:09He's like, wait, isn't the pros supposed to be easier?
09:11Like, we're slotted in our draft positions.
09:13We all step in.
09:14We make a lot of money.
09:15And, by the way, correct me if I'm wrong, our defense here in Cincinnati is set up to stink.
09:20You're already, as he's saying, messing with the sack leader in the NFL where you don't want to pay him.
09:24I'm a defensive end.
09:26It should actually work opposite.
09:27Like, damn, Trey's not going to show up.
09:28We better get our young first-round rookie draft pick in here as a defensive end getting caught up to speed, and instead they're just nickel and diming the kid.
09:35And it's amazing.
09:36And when I say that, it's amazing to me that this organization is still able to operate like that.
09:40And I feel, again, I feel so bad for you Cincinnati Bengals fans.
09:43I do.
09:44Like, you deserve great football in that town.
09:46Your team stunk for years, and you lucked into Joe Burrow.
09:49And, yes, you have to sign quarterbacks.
09:50You stunk really bad and lucked into a Jamar Chase, and you got him there.
09:53First-round draft pick in Tee Higgins.
09:55Those all worked out.
09:56You paid those guys.
09:57And it's like, well, we still want to make enough money where, you know, our bottom line is more important than the wins on the field.
10:02Why do you do this to your fan base?
10:04Like, you should be in the prime of that organization, the sweet spot of all sweet spots, absolutely pushing all your chips in the middle of the table and saying,
10:12Joe Burrow, we got you here for the next five to six years in your prime with your wide receivers and a competent defense.
10:18Let's go out and win Super Bowls.
10:19And, instead, you have a rookie exposing your entire franchise like, I just want to play.
10:24Give me the normal contract.
10:26I'll sign it, and we'll get out there.
10:27And the fact that this didn't take, like, imagine just getting the contract in front of you, Ben.
10:31It's like, all right, well, let's figure this out over the next 48 hours.
10:34This is dragging on into months now where you're just not signing a standard contract because you want to get some stupid clause put in there that's probably meaningless.
10:43And the agent's going, like, this clause isn't supposed to be in here.
10:46Just give me a normal contract.
10:47The kid wants to play.
10:48We want him in camp.
10:49You know what he's going to make.
10:50What are we doing here?
10:51But this is the Bengals being the Bengals who probably think, hey, man, if this kid doesn't sign and doesn't play for the first three weeks,
10:57we can recoup probably some of the signing bonus that we possibly could get and all that other stuff we don't have to pay the kid.
11:02Like, that's how the Bengals operate.
11:04Who cares who's on the field as long as my stars aren't there and we don't have to pay them?
11:07Like, that's what I feel like the Bengals operate under every single day.
11:10Yeah, DRS, it's actually a very matter-of-fact situation.
11:15You might think they are negotiating back and forth on dollar amount, money, this, that.
11:20It's really not the case.
11:22The Bengals are trying to add what is known as a default clause.
11:26Basically, if Shamar Stewart were to get injured or not meet expectation, they can take away the guaranteed money in his rookie deal.
11:34That is specific to Cincinnati.
11:37It's also different than what the Bengals offered their first-round pick, Amarius Mims, last year.
11:43Shamar Stewart is not even negotiating for something new that Cincinnati has never done before.
11:48It used to be the standard of what they did.
11:51It's what the other 31 NFL organizations already uphold as well.
11:57Rookie contracts are rather simple now in the slotted era.
12:00Depending on where you are picked in the first round, here's your guaranteed money.
12:05Here's your annual average value.
12:07Here's how the cash works out over the four or five years of that rookie contract.
12:12And yet the Bengals even mess this up.
12:16That is the issue, DRS, with Cincinnati.
12:20And that is why you can get mad at Shamar Stewart because he's a rookie and you can say he hasn't earned it yet.
12:26He's really just trying to do what every other rookie in the NFL already has.
12:31Just wants to play.
12:32That's it.
12:32And by the way, remember the Giants were like, ooh, that's a bad contract.
12:35No, no, no, it's not.
12:35Because he stinks and we'll get out of it in two years.
12:38Is that what they're doing to the Bengals?
12:39Rookie, like, if you stink, we'll get out of it?
12:40What are we doing?
12:41What are we doing?
12:42Crazy.
12:43More around the NFL next.
12:46So when mandatory minicamp comes around in the National Football League, sometimes it's about not the guys who are there at the practice facilities and on the turf, but those that are notably absent.
12:59TJ Watt, excuse me, DRS, as we discussed earlier on for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
13:07Trey Hendrickson absent yesterday for the Cincinnati Bengals.
13:11Terry McLaurin absent for the Commanders.
13:14And then two guys we'll discuss in just a matter of moments.
13:17Basically, everybody on this list is not showing up to mandatory minicamp, DRS, because they are hoping for a new deal.
13:25They are unhappy with their contracts.
13:28You saw Jalen Ramsey and Jonu Smith on that list as well.
13:32DRS, when these veterans do not show up to minicamp in early June because they are hoping for a contract extension.
13:39They are hoping for a new deal.
13:42Does that concern you at all, their absences and not being present at camp?
13:47No.
13:48TJ Watt will be signed.
13:49Trey Hendrickson, he'll be back one way or another because the Bengals will tell him, be happy with what you're making.
13:53So I do expect him to play and not sit out and lose out on $20 million.
13:57Terry McLaurin will be paid as well.
13:59Jalen Ramsey sort of, I don't really know if it's really a contract decision as opposed to my time maybe is done in Miami.
14:04I just want a fresh start and they'll pay me my new position.
14:07But Jonu Smith, that's the player that should be up there.
14:09Like if Jonu Smith plays or doesn't play or holds out, does that move the needle at all?
14:13I mean, come on now with this, with Jonu Smith up there, you know, with TJ Watt and Trey Hendrickson and Terry McLaurin.
14:18It doesn't even make any sense here.
14:19But for me, no, it doesn't make a big deal now.
14:21It's OTAs at this point, especially with defensive ends.
14:24It's not like you got to learn the playbook.
14:25Like, what's your job?
14:26All right, hike, I'm going to sack the quarterback.
14:29That's what I do.
14:30I'm not worried about those guys.
14:31But I do laugh at Jonu Smith not showing up like, pfft, there goes the Dolphins' futures.
14:36Listen, Jonu Smith was the only pro bowler for Miami in 2024.
14:41All of those guys there, of course, are veterans.
14:44They have been around the block.
14:45They have been through the offseason for nearly a decade at this point.
14:49Not quite Terry McLaurin, but the other guys on that list.
14:54Right here in early June, not overly concerning.
14:57They are using the leverage they have to try to negotiate for that long-term contract extension or a raise.
15:04It seems as though TJ Watt and Terry McLaurin will certainly get that here rather soon.
15:09Trey Hendrickson, the Bengals, of course, are an anomaly.
15:13But that's our take on it.
15:14For those final two guys on the board with the Miami Dolphins, how about the head coach in South Florida, in Mike McDaniel?
15:22Is he concerned at all by the absence of those two players?
15:26I'll just confirm Jalen Ramsey not here.
15:29Oh, he's not here.
15:31We are focused on building the Dolphins today.
15:36And anything outside of that would, any sort of distractions, I'm not focused on.
15:45I'm surprised he has taken the song to find a resolution.
15:49I don't personally, and I would lump you into this with me, I don't give a shit about what I feel.
15:59I don't even really go down that road of how do I feel about it.
16:06My job is to react and control my controllables and make sure that people are moving in one direction appropriately.
16:19About to be your number four DRS in Miami with Mike McDaniel as the head coach.
16:24And again, those final two guys on that list, Jalen Ramsey and Jonu Smith, not only looking for a new deal, but also probably on the trading block, it's the rumors around both Ramsey and Smith at this moment.
16:37And by the way, you're headed for one of those seasons where it's put up or shut up, and it doesn't look like that team trying to back him by putting up.
16:44Looks like they're shutting up at this point.
16:46But I always joke about, like, right, he buys the Rolex, but doesn't set the time because the time is set on when he signed his contract to always remember it.
16:53He wears shoes with, you know, if you walk out of the building, they buzz because it looks like he stole them with the tags on it.
16:58He's a real cool dude.
16:59Ain't going to be so cool there in Miami when they go under 500, and he's bounced from that organization.
17:03But I understand, like, the frustrations.
17:05Like, you're asking me, like, hey, what do you think about Jalen Ramsey not being there?
17:08What do you want me to think about Jalen Ramsey not being here?
17:10It's a contract dispute between him and ownership.
17:12If I could write the check today with, you know, no balance on it, yes, I would just give him it.
17:16We'd move forward.
17:17But I'm trying to move the Miami Dolphins forward.
17:19But it's interesting where you can do that as a coach when you've won multiple Super Bowls and deep playoff runs.
17:25It's hard to do that now when he's on the hot seat.
17:27It's like, I don't want to alienate my players anymore right now than just telling you, like, I don't care if Jalen Ramsey's here or if he's on some cruise ship, you know, in the Northeast by the time we play football season.
17:35It doesn't matter.
17:36I've got to coach this football team.
17:37You can tell the pressure starting to get to him now.
17:40The Finns made the playoffs in the first two years under Mike McDaniel.
17:44Missed out on the postseason last year.
17:47Of course, the injury to Tuatunga-Vailoa was that main focus.
17:51Not overly optimistic to sense around Miami entering 2025.
17:56Eight and a half.
17:56The win total.
17:57The under has a hefty bit of juice at minus 175.
18:02And if the Dolphins are going to be looked at not optimistically from the odds and booked as an underdog, not a good side.
18:09Miami as a dog in the three seasons under Mike McDaniel.
18:13Five and 18 outright.
18:16They have beaten the bad teams under McDaniel.
18:19They have lost to the good ones consistently in the last three seasons.
18:24TRS, a quarterback that was at mandatory minicamp yesterday.
18:28The most expensive backup maybe we have ever seen in NFL history.
18:33That is Kirk Cousins in Atlanta.
18:34Of course, the starter, Michael Penix Jr.
18:37Cousins remains on the roster.
18:39As that reserve signal caller.
18:42Here was Kirk Cousins meeting with the media yesterday and what he had to say.
18:46Quote, we're moving forward.
18:48And it's about how we as a team and as a quarterback room can be the best we can be in 2025.
18:55That's the right thing to say.
18:57And that's what Kirk Cousins did yesterday.
18:59Yeah, he wants to start.
19:01And also, is there one quarterback in the league that you actually got demoted?
19:05You're making a big salary.
19:07Instead of saying, I'm not showing up.
19:08Like, you know what?
19:09I'm just going to make the best of it here.
19:10And I'm good friends with Michael Penix.
19:11I like the environment that I'm in.
19:13I'll just come to work and work hard every day and not be a distraction.
19:17Because, quite frankly, if he really was a – I don't want to say – a bad guy is not the right word.
19:22But a competitive guy, he would drive the needle home.
19:25And every time he took that microphone and be like, I'm expected to be the starter.
19:28I'll beat this kid out here by the time we see week number one.
19:31He would be off that football team in less than 24 hours.
19:33But he is playing the good soldier at this point.
19:35And also, the Atlanta Falcons still trying to hold on to him.
19:38We told you we liked him as a backup.
19:40We don't care about the money situation.
19:41All along, picking up the phone all day long trying to get him moved to a different team.
19:46Hey, can somebody take Kirk Cousins, take him off our hands, take him off the salary structure,
19:49limit the damage when we do trade, and if we're cut him at this point.
19:52But good on him for being the good soldier.
19:54Because, quite frankly, he shouldn't even be in that building right now as even a building block that's saying,
19:59you know what?
20:00If I'm Penix, like, hey, who's behind me back there?
20:03Oh, I just threw an interception.
20:04Looks like Kirk's coming in the game.
20:05You can't have that here.
20:06He should be going sooner than later, but he's playing the good soldier right now.
20:09And I guess good for him.
20:11Yeah, DRS, when it really comes down to it, right, it's easy to say all the right things here in early June
20:17at mandatory minicamp.
20:18What happens if Atlanta is 3-4 midway through October could be a very different story.
20:25If Atlanta even trades Kirk Cousins, it's a $37.5 million dead cap hit.
20:32Of course, you would assume the training partner takes on some of that financial responsibility,
20:37but there's not really a training partner or any team in need of Kirk Cousins services at this moment.
20:44Maybe as training camp starts to play out in about a month and a half,
20:48if there are injuries or issues or deeper in to the regular season.
20:53A couple of guys that showed up yesterday that are looking for a new deal.
20:58Michael Parsons in Dallas, Garrett Wilson and Sauce Gardner in New York.
21:03Everybody looking for that second extension following their rookie deal.
21:07Same story, DRS, in Buffalo for James Cook.
21:10He is looking for that extension, playing in the final year of his rookie contract in 2025.
21:16Asked why he attended minicamp.
21:18He simply said, quote, I like my money.
21:21That's why I am here.
21:23He is hoping for more money.
21:25Of course, he is hoping not to get fined if he misses mandatory minicamp.
21:29Exactly.
21:29Like, if he misses mandatory minicamp, does that sound like shivers up Buffalo?
21:33Like, no, you know he's probably going to show up in training camp and play this season.
21:36Do you want to probably get him a deal?
21:37Yes, you do.
21:38But it's got to be on your terms along with his at this point.
21:41And he's right about that.
21:42I'm going to sit out when I want my big payday that cost me hundreds of thousands of dollars.
21:46That sounds like it's counterproductive.
21:47I'll show up.
21:48I'll get paid.
21:49They know when to get paid.
21:50Hopefully, work something out.
21:51Quickly, I'll make a Parsons.
21:52I love the fact that he and Jerry months ago already worked out the dollars, the guaranteed,
21:55and the length of the contract.
21:57But yet, there's no contract.
21:58Help me out, please.
22:00Help me.
22:01It's not happening until September.
22:03That's Jerry Jones and Ashley.
22:05More on the early line next.
22:12Minicamp around the National Football League.
22:14All the boys are back.
22:15They even got off the boat.
22:16Some of them to do so.
22:18That being Stephon Diggs, DRS, who showed up yesterday in Foxborough.
22:23He was in attendance at Patriots Minicamp.
22:26Of course, a few weeks ago, Stephon Diggs, for his new team, was not out there at voluntary OTAs.
22:33He might say, okay, he's a vet.
22:35He knows what he's doing.
22:36But it's a new organization.
22:38In that viral boat video, Stephon Diggs was there, surrounded by some ladies.
22:43And of course, had an unidentified pink substance in his hand.
22:48Let's hear from Stephon Diggs about that viral boat video and his reaction to all the chatter.
22:54Obviously, I want to be as candid with you guys as possible.
22:57And I kind of like to have a big breath.
23:00Talk about my personal life with people.
23:02I don't know personally.
23:03I'm pretty sure everybody here I'm in and with are great people.
23:06But I kind of keep my personal life personal.
23:09I had a conversation with Grave, obviously.
23:12I'm going to echo everything that he said.
23:14He told me, you know, hoping everybody makes a good decision.
23:17And I haven't had a conversation with people in the building as well.
23:20So, you know, everything else, everything else, in particular, is all your time.
23:26That's a pro's pro right there, DRS.
23:28I don't care if my video has millions of likes.
23:32It is my personal life.
23:34And I will keep it personal.
23:36Wide receiver one behavior.
23:38I'm starting to buy in on the Patriots this year.
23:41Yeah, look, he wants to be a private guy.
23:43Who's he dating?
23:44An absolutely international superstar.
23:45He is a superstar athlete.
23:47He's on a boat with cameras.
23:49And he has elicit what we think illegal drugs on the boat with him that he's shown parading around at this point, right?
23:54Allegedly, yeah.
23:55We're saying this.
23:56Unidentified.
23:57When you're looking at it saying, what is actually going on here?
24:00But he handled it exactly the way you are supposed to handle it.
24:02Because he could have just said, like, no comment, no comment.
24:04You're guilty.
24:05He could have said, yeah, that's what I do in the offseason.
24:07We don't get drug tested until I show up to camp.
24:09So, yes, I enjoy myself.
24:11But I'm here to work hard.
24:12Like, you could do things like that particularly.
24:13But I think he handled it the way that we don't need to ask any more questions after this because he didn't give us anything at this point.
24:20We know what happened.
24:21The Patriots know what happened.
24:23And basically he's saying, I met with Coach.
24:25And Coach was like, you know you can't do this.
24:28Coach, it was so stupid on my part.
24:30I wasn't even paying attention.
24:31I was having a good time.
24:32I saw there was a camera there.
24:33I probably should have just ended it right there.
24:35But I didn't.
24:35I'll make sure it won't happen again and be a distraction.
24:38End of story.
24:39And that's probably where they left it at that point.
24:41I'm pretty sure, DRS, that's what it went like.
24:44I'm sure Mike Grable was like, dude, come on.
24:47Like, don't be an idiot.
24:48And Stephon was like, yeah, it was dumb.
24:51And they went out there.
24:52They had the party line prepped.
24:54The PR rep for the Patriots did a great job of making sure he stuck to the narrative.
24:59And Stephon Diggs did.
25:01Reporters asked follow-up questions, DRS, in that scrum you heard right there.
25:05And Stephon Diggs was basically like, listen, guys, I've been in the league for a decade.
25:09You're going to keep asking me different questions with different angles.
25:12And I'm going to say the same exact thing.
25:14And that ends it.
25:16So kudos to Stephon Diggs.
25:18And again, if it does not detract from him being on the football field right now in mandatory minicamp,
25:24and it is not actually any legal issue, guys enjoying his summer while he still can.
25:31Again, unidentified pink substance, that's all we know at this moment.
25:36All right, DRS, more quarterback news around mandatory minicamp yesterday.
25:41Of course, when you go to voluntary OTAs and you're throwing a ton, your shoulder can hurt.
25:47Your arm can hurt.
25:48That's the story in Duval County.
25:50New head coach, Liam Cohen, saying that Trevor Lawrence was wearing a sleeve, not a sling, as some said on social media,
25:58a sleeve on his throwing arm because of, quote, general soreness from how many balls he threw last week at OTAs.
26:06It was really just maintenance and something to keep it warm.
26:09Trevor, quote, feels good.
26:11It's not an issue.
26:12And it's not really bothering him.
26:15And Trevor Lawrence did participate, by the way, in all those drills yesterday at minicamp, just with a sleeve on that right throwing arm.
26:22Yeah, I'm not worried about it.
26:24And also understand this, people.
26:25The reason that NFL teams bring, like, five or six quarterbacks into training camp isn't because, Ben, they want to get a look at the fifth and sixth string quarterback.
26:32It's because there's so many reps that you have to take that you don't want to leave it up to your first or second string quarterback throwing 160 balls every single practice.
26:40That's the reason why.
26:42And arm fatigue is a real thing.
26:43And also understand this, like, I'm sure Trevor Lawrence is probably working out in the offseason, but once you finally get into that OTAs training camp mentality, like, everything gets up, more torque on the shoulder, more footballs you're throwing that you weren't throwing over the past couple months.
26:56General soreness is a thing for quarterbacks, not just pitchers in baseball.
26:59I'm not worried about it.
27:01Not worried at all, DRS.
27:02There you see the sleeve on the right arm.
27:05Some people on social media saw him walk into the practice facility and were like, what?
27:09What is that on the right arm?
27:11You hope that Liam Cohen is the guy to reinvigorate the career of Trevor Lawrence entering year number five around the National Football League.
27:19Last week, however, DRS, we were both slightly concerned, despite the party line out of Houston, about CJ Stroud dealing with shoulder soreness and not throwing at voluntary OTAs.
27:31Well, now at mandatory minicamp, Stroud back-throwing during this time after a spring of taking it easy.
27:40D'Amico Ryans told us last week, listen, no big deal, no big issue.
27:45Both you and I thought, maybe there is some slight concern.
27:49Ryans saying yesterday, quote, he'll be good to go.
27:52No concerns on my end there.
27:54DRS, has it dissipated any of your concern around the shoulder issue for CJ Stroud?
28:00I'm not worried because in the offseason, you're going to take everything slow.
28:04And if something starts to flare up, you're going to shut it down quickly because the most important time of the season comes in mid-July to late July when everybody gets in the training camp.
28:12Then if we're worried about managing CJ Stroud, I'm going to have an issue because this is a quarterback that gets by on an absolute rocket on his shoulder there with a great completion percentage here.
28:22I don't want to see that damage heading into the season.
28:24So I understand why they're taking it easy with CJ Stroud.
28:27We're not panicking just yet, but understand this.
28:30We show up there, let's just say July 21st, and say, hey, CJ is going to take it easy the first two weeks of camp.
28:35Then I'm going to get worried.
28:36Right now, I'm not worried.
28:38Yeah, DRS, it was a little bit concerning despite what D'Amico Ryans was saying last week.
28:44Where did this shoulder soreness come from?
28:46CJ Stroud has no history of issues with his right throwing arm.
28:50Why is he taking off time in early June if it's just to take off time?
28:55So to have him back out there at mandatory minicamp may be a more important step of the later portion of this offseason program around the NFL before summer break.
29:05Kind of gets rid of all of that.
29:08Those two quarterbacks, of course, expected to lead their franchises.
29:11Maybe the top two teams DRS contending in the AFC South because we'll talk about the quarterback situation in Indianapolis a little bit later on in our number two.
29:23Who is most likely to be the week one starter in Indy?
29:26It might not be Anthony Richardson any longer.
29:29MLB news and notes from yesterday.