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🏈 NFL updates dropping now! On today's show:
Chiefs Sign Trey Smith — A four-year, $94M extension with $70M guaranteed makes him the highest‑paid guard ever. We discuss how this strengthens Mahomes’ protection and Kansas City’s dynasty outlook
arrowheadpride.com
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chiefs.com
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timesofindia.indiatimes.com
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m.facebook.com
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reuters.com
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espn.com
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si.com
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si.com
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timesofindia.indiatimes.com
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Commanders' Terry McLaurin — The veteran WR is “pretty frustrated” over stalled extension talks, sparking trade rumors and potential holdout (missing OTAs/minicamp)
clutchpoints.com
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washingtonpost.com
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profootballnetwork.com
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TJ Watt & the Jets — Could Watt make New York a serious AFC dark horse? We break down what his potential addition brings to the defense and Jets’ playoff hopes.
🎙️ Featuring expert breakdowns, insider insight, and fan reaction — get caught up with everything moving the NFL offseason!
🔖 Hashtags + Keyword Tags
#Chiefs #TreySmith #NFLContracts #TerryMcLaurin #Commanders #TJWatt #Jets #NFLLive #NFLNews #Offseason
Chiefs Sign Trey Smith — A four-year, $94M extension with $70M guaranteed makes him the highest‑paid guard ever. We discuss how this strengthens Mahomes’ protection and Kansas City’s dynasty outlook
arrowheadpride.com
+14
chiefs.com
+14
timesofindia.indiatimes.com
+14
m.facebook.com
+15
reuters.com
+15
espn.com
+15
si.com
+2
si.com
+2
timesofindia.indiatimes.com
+2
.
Commanders' Terry McLaurin — The veteran WR is “pretty frustrated” over stalled extension talks, sparking trade rumors and potential holdout (missing OTAs/minicamp)
clutchpoints.com
+4
washingtonpost.com
+4
profootballnetwork.com
+4
.
TJ Watt & the Jets — Could Watt make New York a serious AFC dark horse? We break down what his potential addition brings to the defense and Jets’ playoff hopes.
🎙️ Featuring expert breakdowns, insider insight, and fan reaction — get caught up with everything moving the NFL offseason!
🔖 Hashtags + Keyword Tags
#Chiefs #TreySmith #NFLContracts #TerryMcLaurin #Commanders #TJWatt #Jets #NFLLive #NFLNews #Offseason
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SportTranscription
00:00Right before the franchise tag extension deadline hit.
00:04But that is not all.
00:05We heard today from Commander's Wide Receiver Terry McLaurin.
00:09He is not happy.
00:10He says he won't play unless he gets a new deal.
00:13And just moments ago, cornerback Sauce Gardner got a long-term extension from the Jets.
00:20So, you know, just a regular slow Tuesday, off-season Tuesday in the NFL.
00:26Here to talk about all of that.
00:27I'm Dan Graziano here to talk about all that.
00:30We have Tim Hasselbeck.
00:31We have Booger McFarland here.
00:32And we have our brand-new ESPN NFL Nation Chiefs reporter, Nate Taylor.
00:38Nate, you started on what, Thursday was your first day with the company?
00:41Yeah, I started on Thursday.
00:42Let's throw you right in here.
00:44Let's do it.
00:44What more can you tell us about the Trey Smith deal in Kansas City?
00:47This deal had to be done on both parties, in my opinion.
00:51And what it ultimately does is it completes the Chiefs off-season.
00:54We saw what happened in the Super Bowl against Philadelphia.
00:57Patrick Mahomes was sacked a career-high six times.
01:00But the Chiefs, knowing that they have to beef up their offensive line,
01:05well, they need Trey Smith because he was entering the league in 2021
01:08the last time the Chiefs overhauled their offensive line.
01:11So, you don't want a player to play on the franchise tag if you want to keep them long-term.
01:14Trey Smith was a six-round pick who dealt with blood-caught issues, a diagnosis in 2018.
01:24And now he is the highest-paid interior offensive lineman in NFL history.
01:28It's a massive day for him.
01:29But it's also a successful day for the Chiefs because Patrick Mahomes put a little smiley face
01:34on X to tell you how much it's important to him to be protected for the offense to be successful this season.
01:39Yeah, it would have been a $23.4 million franchise tag if they hadn't done a deal,
01:43but they get the deal done before the deadline.
01:46Smith has sustained 95.6% of his pass blocks for at least two and a half seconds.
01:52That is the fourth-best mark of any active offensive lineman since Smith entered the NFL in 2021.
01:59Teammate Creed Humphrey, who got paid earlier this offseason, tops the list just ahead of former teammate,
02:04now bear Joe Tooney.
02:06So, Tim Hasselbeck, obviously the Chiefs have been making the interior of their offensive line a priority
02:10for the last few years.
02:12How important was it for them to get this deal done today?
02:16Yeah, I think it's a big deal, and I think it's a sign of why the Chiefs are so good.
02:22Look, Trey Smith, we just heard, he had blood clot issues coming out of Tennessee.
02:26If he didn't have those health concerns, he'd have been a first-round pick, maybe a second-round pick.
02:31He'd have been a high pick.
02:32So they've had him basically at a discounted cost.
02:35You know, his health issues behind him, he's been good at pass pro, he's been extremely
02:41physical in the run game.
02:43And look, I think it's just another example of the Chiefs doing a good job drafting.
02:47And then also, when you think about just the confidence with the group, the draft, you
02:51know, at tackle early on in this past year's draft, you know, they re-sign guys that they
02:55have.
02:55They do let some guys out the door.
02:57But you almost just have to trust the plan that Andy Reid has in place.
03:00It's a little bit like, at least I used to feel about New England, when you'd be like,
03:05really, those are the receivers that they're bringing back this year?
03:07And then you'd look up and it was like, David Patton goes for, you know, six scores, you
03:12know, by halfway through the season.
03:13I think it's a very similar kind of situation in Kansas City.
03:18Like, you just have to trust that what they've done up front, what they've done a wide receiver,
03:22because of who they're being coached by, and because of who their quarterback is, is typically
03:29enough for them.
03:32And it just creates stability on the offensive line.
03:34Joe Tooney's no longer there.
03:36So now you look at Creed Humphrey, you look at Trey Smith, the stability on the interior
03:40of the offensive line is what they need.
03:41And when Patrick Mahomes gets in Super Bowls, guys, if he's protected, they win.
03:45Exactly.
03:46And I think if you're Brett Veach and you're Andy Reid, you got to do everything you can
03:50to make sure the interior of the offensive line is set.
03:52We know they got some question marks at tackle.
03:54We'll see how that goes in training camp and throughout the preseason.
03:57But you have to have some mainstays, some stability, some core pieces.
04:01And Trey Smith, Creed Humphrey, two of their core pieces are now locked up.
04:05And I think if you're a Chiefs fan, you got to feel really good that you have a guy who's
04:10one of the better young football players in the National Football League locked up.
04:13And quite frankly, this has been a long time coming.
04:15As was stated earlier, he should have been a first-round pick, dealt with some health issues.
04:20So this is one of the more not only team-friendly deals, but just throughout the league, a lot
04:26of people are smiling because Trey should have got paid a long time ago, and he finally
04:31gets what's coming to him now.
04:32So they're good now?
04:33They've moved on from Tooney?
04:34Maybe a lurking left tackle?
04:36Still some questions to answer on that offensive line?
04:38Oh, of course.
04:38And that's another reason why you had to get this deal done with Trey Smith, because he's
04:42the player that you actually know is a known commodity alongside Creed Humphrey.
04:45We will see what Josh Simmons does, the first-round pick in training camp.
04:48He is in a competition battle with Jalen Moore, the veteran from San Francisco.
04:52And you also have Kizzi Suamataia, the guy that they thought were going to be the left
04:55tackle of the future.
04:56Well, they're sliding him to left guard.
04:57You still have Jawan Taylor, a very good veteran at right tackle, at least for one more year.
05:02And so now it's about, can the rest of the offense come together if the offensive line
05:07is more stable than what we saw last year?
05:09And one more thing, based on Sauce Gardner's deal today, the Chiefs will now sift their
05:15focus to all-pro cornerback Trent McDuffie, who you could argue has been the more productive
05:21player.
05:22Can they get a deal done with, you know, Trent McDuffie before training camp, before the regular
05:28season starts?
05:29There's always another deal to do.
05:31He is Nate Taylor.
05:32He's our new Chiefs reporter.
05:33You're going to be seeing plenty of him.
05:35But we have breaking news elsewhere in the NFL coming down this afternoon out of Washington.
05:40Wide receiver Terry McLaurin, who sat out of mandatory minicamp as he looks for a new
05:45contract.
05:46Well, he had this to say to the media today.
05:50I've been pretty frustrated, I'm not going to lie.
05:53You know, everything that has transpired up until this point has been disappointing and
05:57frustrating.
05:59You know, I've wanted to continue my career here.
06:02I've created my life here.
06:04You know, my wife and I have bought our first home here.
06:07So this has been somewhere where I've always wanted to be.
06:10I haven't decided that yet.
06:12I'm trying to take things day by day.
06:14And, you know, I think that's the disappointing part where I was hoping up until this point
06:20things would clear up a lot more than they have.
06:24We are absolutely loaded today with special guests.
06:27This is our Commander's reporter, John Kime.
06:29All the NFL Nation reporters are here for meetings this week.
06:32It's been wonderful, and they're here to help us out with NFL Live today.
06:36So, John, when you hear that from Terry McLaurin, what do you make of it?
06:38So there were a couple of things that stood out to me, Graz.
06:40One, he spoke for about 30 minutes.
06:43That's a long time, and most of it was about the frustration over the pace of negotiations.
06:48No talks for about the past month.
06:51So that's one thing.
06:51He reiterated that he wants to be here.
06:53It's where he has a lot of value.
06:55They value him.
06:56But the other two big things, Graz, that he addressed, the age issue.
06:59He's going to turn 30 in September.
07:02Sure, it's an age where receivers start to slow down, but he's only been in the league seven years.
07:07He doesn't have the same wear and tear that maybe some other receivers at that age do.
07:11Then the other part is he talked a little bit, or certainly enough, about what he went through in the past here.
07:18I think anybody who's an NFL fan knows what this franchise was like prior to Josh Harris arriving.
07:25Terry McLaurin was the face of the franchise then, a team leader, a respect in the locker room.
07:29But if you're the new group, I think you're probably looking more at, okay, that's great, but what's the value going forward?
07:35Yeah.
07:36Booger?
07:38Well, the value going forward is going to be that you have a young quarterback who you're looking to make a nice jump from year one to year two in Jaden Daniels,
07:46and you want to create stability.
07:47You've already come in and brought Laramie Tunstall on the offensive line.
07:50So you're trying to surround this young quarterback with protection and playmakers,
07:54and there's no better playmaker on your team than Terry McLaurin.
07:57Now, is he Justin Jefferson or Jamar Chase when it comes to the $40 and $35 million a year?
08:04That's for the GM to decide.
08:05But I know this.
08:06Terry McLaurin is a top ten receiver in the National Football League,
08:09and if you look at what they're making, they're all making above $30 million.
08:12So wherever the deal comes in, whether it's $30, $32, $34, figure it out.
08:18Continue the continuity that you have in Washington,
08:20because right now the commanders are everybody's darling pick.
08:24They've got a lot of momentum.
08:26They've got a lot of positive national momentum.
08:28And the last thing you want to do is create a negative controversy on the side as you go into training camp.
08:34I think Washington and Adam Peters, they've done everything right so far.
08:38Continue this.
08:39Get this deal done.
08:40Whether it comes in at $32, $34, $35, whatever the number is, Tim,
08:44I think you've got to pay him,
08:45because his production, not only on your team, but in the league, says so.
08:49Yeah, and Boog, how about this?
08:53He's also one of your good guys.
08:55You know, like this reminds me of the Trey Hendrickson situation in Cincinnati
09:00and the fact that, like, look, he's been a team guy.
09:03He's been a leader.
09:04He's been great in the community.
09:05When things were not good, like, he's kind of risen above, you know,
09:09kind of the disaster that's been there, as alluded to,
09:12in terms of what was going on in Washington in the early part of his career.
09:16So here you go, you've got a, you know, basically a star wide receiver,
09:19a true number one.
09:20Like, yes, he's around 30 years old, but, like, also the reality is,
09:24is he's been an incredible leader,
09:26and he doesn't come with some of the baggage that other elite wide receivers
09:30come, you know, come with.
09:32I think that's some of the frustration.
09:34Like, to me, when I hear Terry McLaurin talk,
09:37it reminds me a little bit of hearing Trey talk,
09:39where we'd be like, wait a minute, I've done everything right.
09:42Like, why is this not moving faster?
09:45Sure, that's what it feels like to me.
09:47We'll see if it gets moving as we get closer to training camp.
09:49John Kime will be all over this story for you.
09:54More news breaking on this Tuesday.
09:56The Jets giving out money this week.
09:58They signed star cornerback Sauce Gardner to a contract extension
10:02just within the last about hour and a half.
10:05This comes a day after they agreed to an extension
10:07with wide receiver Garrett Wilson.
10:10So two cornerstones of the 2022 NFL draft.
10:12They're just one of four duos to win offensive and defensive rookie of the year
10:18in the same year for the same team.
10:20Gardner was the first team All-Pro as a rookie and in 2023 as well.
10:26So, Bug, Jets giving out money.
10:29What do you make of the Sauce Gardner signing?
10:33Yeah, man, this was only a formality.
10:36I think we all knew it was coming.
10:37If you look at what he's done, Gras, since he's been in the league,
10:39he's been one of the better corners in the league.
10:41And the longer you wait, the more the price grows up.
10:44Somebody tell Washington that when it comes to Terry McLaurin.
10:47But he earned this deal.
10:49And you knew a couple of months ago when we saw Derek Stingley Jr.
10:52from the Texans get paid and the number came in at $30 million a year
10:56or whatever, you knew at some point Sauce Gardner was going to come in at 30.1.
11:00We'll see where Trent McDuffie comes in at the corner for the Kansas City Chiefs.
11:04But all these guys are bright young cornerbacks in the National Football League.
11:08And when you look at Sauce, a guy that can play man-to-man,
11:11and we know that the new head coach, Aaron Glenn, a former defensive back,
11:15he recognizes game.
11:16And the fact that they pay him now, once they get Aaron Glenn,
11:19should be another notch in the belt for Sauce Gardner.
11:22But job well done, young man.
11:23Now, they're paying you this money not for what you've done, but what you can do.
11:28Now you've got to go out and earn it because a lot of teams are going to go
11:30after Sauce Gardner now and see if he can earn that money.
11:33New coach, new GM in New York.
11:35They did not just Gardner, but as we mentioned, Garrett Wilson yesterday,
11:38another one of their young stars.
11:39What does that tell you about where things stand with a team that hasn't made
11:42the postseason since 2010?
11:47I think when you look at this, Grass, they're starting to lock up some of their
11:50young players.
11:51And I get it.
11:52Regardless of who the coach or who the GM is,
11:54they understand who are going to be your key players.
11:57Is this a finished championship roster?
11:58By no means.
12:00But you've got some young cornerstones when you look at Garrett Wilson,
12:03you look at Sauce Gardner, they've got some other guys when you look at
12:06McDonald and Jermaine Johnson, a lot of other young players that they want to
12:10keep around to build the core of this football team.
12:13Yeah, so maybe the future could be bright in New York for the Jets.
12:17We have a lot more to get to today on NFL Live.
12:22Aaron Rodgers, the king of the Hail Mary, but his success in Pittsburgh,
12:26a long shot for him and the Steelers.
12:28We have one person here who thinks it might be easier than...
12:32He's excited about him being here.
12:33He's excited about being here.
12:35...and Latrobe next week.
12:36I know you'll be there.
12:37What will Aaron Rodgers find there that might surprise him?
12:40Well, Mina just used the phrase 42 years old and uncomfortable together.
12:45And something else that is going to make a 42-year-old uncomfortable is
12:49sleeping in an XL twin bed is what he'll be doing.
12:52Because when the Steelers report to Latrobe, the players live in the dorms.
12:57There has been, I believe, one exception of a guy that didn't stay in the dorms one time.
13:00That was Antonio Brown.
13:02I think that is an exception, not the rule in this situation.
13:06And not only is Rodgers going to be in a dorm bed,
13:11but he's also going to be practicing at the hottest part of the day.
13:16Mike Tomlin moved practice back to 1.55, goes from 1.55 to 4 p.m.
13:22When he was in Green Bay and in New York, his practices were mid-morning,
13:27which is when they were last year in Latrobe, by the way.
13:30But Mike Tomlin was asked, hey, why did you shift practices back to the afternoon?
13:34And he said, well, it wasn't hot enough.
13:36It wasn't miserable enough.
13:37So I don't know if Aaron Rodgers enjoys being miserable.
13:41I can tell you, though, related to the beds, when he was in Green Bay,
13:44he was so vocal about sleeping in hotel beds before home games in a way that he did not want to.
13:52He said, I have a nice mattress at home.
13:53I want to sleep in that one.
13:55Instead, Matt LaFleur made it so that vets did not have to sleep at the hotels the night before games.
13:59And now Aaron Rodgers is going to be in a twin XL mattress in a dorm room.
14:04I don't maybe he can bring his own, but it's going to be an adjustment.
14:06Hey, Brooke, I love you, Brooke, because that is some detailed reporting.
14:14Let me shed a little light on this.
14:15Number one, anytime you go to the dorm and move in the dorm room,
14:19Aaron Rodgers has made enough money he can bring his own bed,
14:22pay somebody to come in there, bring it, set it up, and clean his room every night.
14:25So I'm not concerned about the bed.
14:27As far as the time of day, it can be 110 degrees.
14:31He's a quarterback.
14:32Tim can tell you this.
14:33Ain't nobody touching him during practice whatsoever anyway.
14:36He's not going to even have his chin strap bucked.
14:38So the fact that it's 105 degrees does not affect the quarterback.
14:42It's going to affect the big dudes on the offense and the defensive line.
14:45So cry me a pity party for a guy that's made $250 million,
14:49who's got to bring his own mattress in,
14:51and he's got to come out and stand around during the hottest part of the day.
14:54I love the reporting, Brooke, but cry me a river.
14:57Come on now.
15:00Let me tell you, I learned this early on.
15:02The last thing a quarterback needs to do is whine about training camp with a bunch of 300-pounders
15:09with a bunch of equipment on, leaning on each other all afternoon.
15:15Like, that is the worst mistake ever.
15:19Listen, Brooke probably lost 10 pounds of sweat every practice.
15:22Although, like, that's not...
15:24No question.
15:25All quarterbacks need to stay away from that one because he's exactly right.
15:28The chin strap is not buckled.
15:31There's a few water breaks.
15:32QB Indy is a little bit different than what Boog was going through.
15:35Look, and I think for Aaron Rodgers, like, at this point, how that team is built,
15:39what Pittsburgh wants.
15:41Look, here's what...
15:42Like, they just need to get good, solid, consistent quarterback play.
15:45Does he need to be an MVP candidate?
15:47No.
15:48But can Aaron Rodgers, you know, have a season where he throws 30 touchdowns and 5 interceptions?
15:56He's absolutely capable of that.
15:59And if you get that type of production and don't put your defense in a bad spot,
16:04Pittsburgh can be pretty dangerous.
16:05I want to make Booger happy, Brooke, by asking you about a guy on defense, TJ Watt.
16:09His contract extension situation continues to linger as camp is just around the quarter.
16:15What do you expect to happen next week with TJ Watt, if anything?
16:18Well, I'm going to give Booger a little bit more detailed reporting here.
16:21When the Steelers report, they drive up to the dorm and carry their stuff in.
16:26But it's kind of a long driveway.
16:27You can see the cars come in from a little bit away.
16:29So that's what we're going to be doing Wednesday morning is keeping an eye on those cars to see
16:33what's driving in.
16:34I'm going to be looking to see if TJ Watt's SUV is coming down the driveway
16:37because it didn't park in the parking lot at minicamp in Pittsburgh.
16:41And that's a sign to me that this contract negotiation is very contentious.
16:46This is not a done deal.
16:48The Steelers typically try to run out the clock and get these deals done right before the start
16:52of the regular season.
16:53Once week one hits, they do not negotiate contracts.
16:56So it's not even an arbitrary deadline.
16:59That is their drop dead deadline.
17:01So we'll see if he shows up.
17:03Maybe he can help move Aaron Rodgers' mattress into the building.
17:07Maybe.
17:07Maybe they'll put that in the contract and that'll help get it done.
17:10There's a lot going on with the Pittsburgh Steelers who have failed to win a playoff game
17:14in eight straight seasons, which is their longest such drought since the 1970 merger.
17:19So a lot still has to come together there.
17:21Brooke Pryor will be following it all for you on ESPN.
17:24The Sports Humanitarian Awards, now in their 11th year,
17:29they're a platform that celebrates the athletes, teams, and sports industry professionals
17:33who make an impact on their communities and throughout the world.
17:36The Indianapolis Colts are a finalist for Team of the Year for their initiative to help raise
17:41awareness about mental health disorders.
17:44Here's a look at some of the work the Colts have done.
17:46All four teams have high hopes for this year.
17:49So let's run through it.
17:50Starting in Green Bay, one of the Packers' goals is going to be to play better against
17:53the top competition in the NFC.
17:55Last year, Green Bay was 0-6 against the top three teams in the NFC and 11-1 against everyone
18:01else in the league.
18:02Jordan Love had no touchdowns and three interceptions in the season-ending playoff loss to the eventual
18:08Super Bowl champion Eagles.
18:10Green Bay putting up a season-low 10 points in that wildcard game defeat.
18:14So Rob Domofsky, who covers the Packers for us, is here.
18:18Rob, you know, Jordan Love looked like maybe took something of a step back last year,
18:22according to the numbers we're looking at at least.
18:24What are the Packers saying about where he is in his development?
18:27Well, I'll tell you what, Dan.
18:28And don't tell Jordan Love he took a step back without being prepared to back it up.
18:33And that's noteworthy because he never challenges anything.
18:36But for the first time since he's been in Green Bay, including the two years that he's been
18:39a starter, he fought back on that idea this offseason.
18:43And he said, what is a step back?
18:44I mean, we won more games than we did the year before.
18:47So I ask you, what is a step back?
18:49But Matt LaFleur, his coach, knows that it's out there.
18:52He even said there is this perception, for whatever reason, that he wasn't as productive.
18:58The reason might have been, according to LaFleur, that he had that knee injury in week two.
19:02But he had a lot of time to recover from that.
19:04And he was only so-so for the rest of the way.
19:07Now, this is year three for him as a starter.
19:09And we all know what Aaron Rodgers did in year three, right?
19:12Super Bowl.
19:12Yeah.
19:13Booger?
19:16Yeah, I don't know if when we talk about a step back, I think we need to talk about the step forward
19:20because that's where he needs to go.
19:22Well, because he's been giving his money.
19:25They continue to go out and surround him with weapons.
19:27They took Matthew Golden from Texas in the first round, who ran 4-2-9.
19:30So a lot of speed.
19:31You're going to get Christian Watson back at some point.
19:33They got a plethora of wide receivers.
19:35So at what point, if you're Jordan Love, can you continue to take that next step?
19:39Matt LaFleur, one of the better play callers in the National Football League.
19:43So if I were him, I wouldn't even be concerned about a step back.
19:47How can you continue to take the step forward?
19:49Because that's where your pace says you need to be.
19:51And that's where the team says you need to be in order for them to take the next step.
19:55And worth noting, the Packers had the youngest roster in the league last year
19:58with an average age under 26.
20:00He's the mayor, Rob Domofsky.
20:02We're going to go to Minnesota now.
20:04The runway is clear for J.J. McCarthy to finally see some regular season action
20:08after he missed his entire rookie season with a torn meniscus sustained in last year's preseason.
20:14McCarthy, just the fourth top 10 quarterback this century
20:17who didn't make any starts at all as a rookie
20:19and the first one of those in 13 years.
20:23We are joined now by Ben Solak and our Vikings reporter, Kevin Seifert.
20:29Covering all things Vikings, excuse me.
20:31Kevin, the story of the Vikings offseason is the change.
20:34Under center, Sam Darnold off to Seattle.
20:36J.J. McCarthy taking over.
20:38What are you seeing on the ground there?
20:39Two things, arm strength and personal magnetism.
20:43To the extent that people thought that J.J. McCarthy's arm strength was not up to par
20:46from what they saw at Michigan, I know there was some pre-draft analysis that suggested that.
20:51I did not see that during minicamp, during OTAs.
20:55The ball was being delivered on time, with strength, with velocity.
21:00And just don't take my word for it.
21:01Asking Justin Jefferson about it, who I think is kind of more important than my take,
21:05he said if he had one thing that he learned about J.J. McCarthy this offseason,
21:09it was that his arm strength is plenty good and will get him the ball wherever he needs it.
21:13If anything, he needs to slow the ball down a little bit and put some more touch on it.
21:17And the personal magnetism thing, J.J. McCarthy is somebody who I think we found out that people want to be around,
21:23they want to talk to, they want to be led by, they want to entrust the team to.
21:27People in Michigan probably know that already and that watched his career there.
21:32But I think that already has taken place in the Vikings locker room.
21:36And again, don't take it from me, Harrison Smith, their 36-year-old safety,
21:40who's a decade and a half older than J.J. McCarthy,
21:42they have lockers right next to each other in the locker room.
21:45And he said that he is a very interesting fellow and he likes spending time with them.
21:50And if you pass the Harrison Smith test in the Vikings locker room, you're doing okay.
21:54Yeah, having the traits is great for the rookie, but we talk about young quarterbacks,
21:57destination is destiny, right?
21:59A lot of it is that landing spot where you grow.
22:01And we know the Vikings are about as QB-proof as it gets in the NFL.
22:04You have Justin Jefferson, best receiver in football.
22:06Jordan Addison and T.J. Hawkinson has the secondary options.
22:09But what interests me is the fact that they really want to run the ball this year.
22:11You go back to that Michigan offense that J.J. played in,
22:14Kevin O'Connell talking this offseason, we need to be better on early downs.
22:17And that's the proof of the pudding is in their offseason, right?
22:19A whole new interior guard to guard.
22:21Donovan Jackson, Ryan Kelly, Will Fries, we are going to run the football trade for Jordan Mason.
22:26This team last year was second in pass rate over expectation with Sam Dollar.
22:30They threw the ball a ton.
22:31And for a rookie quarterback, you don't want to put him in those third longs
22:34where he's going to get those big blitzes.
22:35So they're going to, I think, run the football a lot more
22:37and keep the plate for J.J. small at first and then grow as the season goes on.
22:41He'll try to keep it on track.
22:42Vikings won 14 games last year, second most in a season in their franchise history.
22:47That's Minnesota.
22:47We head to Detroit now, where head coach Dan Campbell lost both offensive
22:51and defensive coordinators to head coaching positions.
22:54Not unprecedented to have success after losing coordinators on both sides of the ball.
22:59Each of the last three teams to be in that position won double-digit games
23:03on their way to playoff appearances.
23:05So Detroit looking to do more than just make a playoff appearance.
23:09They're looking for a deeper run.
23:12The coordinator change is going to affect the Bears as well,
23:14as Detroit's offensive coordinator was Ben Johnson, who's now the head coach of the Bears.
23:18And to talk about all of that, we have our Lions reporter, Eric Woodyard,
23:22and our Bears reporter, Courtney Cronin, with us now.
23:25So, Eric, what's the feeling in New York after losing both coordinators?
23:29How are they moving forward?
23:30They're moving forward like it's winning the Super Bowl right now.
23:33I mean, Dan Campbell and these guys, although they lost both coordinators,
23:36they feel like the DNA has been built.
23:38Although Aaron Glenn and Ben Johnson have gone,
23:40they feel like they're bringing in guys that they're familiar with,
23:42with Kelvin Shepard, they brought in John Morton as well, an offensive coordinator.
23:46And they feel like they can win right now.
23:47I feel like the nucleus is built.
23:49You know, that's what Dan Campbell's mentality, this nucleus is built.
23:52And they're also healthy as well.
23:53They're feeling fairly healthy coming into the year.
23:55Aiden Hutchinson obviously was a frontrunner for defensive player of the year last year.
23:59He's cleared to go.
24:00He's ready to go.
24:01I also spoke with Amirat St. Brown.
24:02He had an off-season knee injury, knee surgery.
24:05He's feeling like he's ready to go.
24:06He should be ready to go for day one of camp.
24:08And guys are just ready to go.
24:09They're locked in, and it's Super Bowl now.
24:12That's how they feel.
24:12Yeah, last season ended a lot earlier than the Lions wanted it to,
24:15and they'll have to make do without offensive coordinator Ben Johnson,
24:18who's now the head coach of the team you covered, Courtney.
24:20What is Ben Johnson doing to help second-year quarterback Caleb Williams in his development?
24:25Well, they tried to spend the spring finding out Caleb's weaknesses and his strengths.
24:29There are a number of different ways they did that.
24:30They would give him long play calls.
24:32They would give him multiple plays, a line of scrimmage.
24:34They would go tempo, and there was a specific emphasis placed on the red zone offense,
24:39the type of throws that they want Caleb to make in a condensed window, front pylon, back line, front line,
24:45all of it in a tight area.
24:47And Ben Johnson noting that creating an efficient red zone offense takes a whole ton of time,
24:52so that's why they wanted to have a lot of work done there during the spring.
24:56And there's about one or two throws from every practice that Johnson said stood out to him about Williams.
25:01And the thing that he knew coming into this job is what makes Caleb so special,
25:06the ability to create out of structure and make this offense right when a play breaks down.
25:11I'm going to bring in our quarterback now, Tim Hasselbeck.
25:13What does Ben Johnson mean to a young quarterback?
25:18Yeah, he comes in with instant credibility in terms of what he did in Detroit,
25:23the creativity of what he's done for Jared Goff in his career.
25:27And so I think that right off the bat, you know, establishes trust.
25:30But I think we're going to see him do things to make Caleb Williams a little bit more of a traditional quarterback,
25:35playing under center, finding ways to get easy completions, some move-the-pocket type stuff.
25:41And then, you know, the stuff we all talk about, you know, the kind of the icing on the cake is the creativity
25:47and the timing of calling those plays.
25:50So I think that's, you know, kind of what he brings to the table, you know, especially as a play caller in-game.
25:56And I think it'll take some time to see it, but I think it'll be felt immediately by Caleb Williams
26:01and the guys on that offense.
26:03NFC North going to be wild this year, no doubt about it, thanks to all four of the stars
26:07we have covering the division for us at ESPN NFL Nation.
26:11And when we come back on NFL Live, a defensive player has never won the ESPY's Best NFL Player Award.
26:18Could this be the year that that changes?
26:20We have the exclusive reveal of the ESPY for 2025 Best NFL Player when we come back on NFL Live.
26:28I'm an El Segundo Jart.
26:30The Chargers veterans head to camp tomorrow.
26:32They are the first of the 32 teams to report because they're only going to be 15 days away
26:36from the Hall of Fame game, July 31st, against the Lions in Canton.
26:41Probably not going to see much, if any, of quarterback Justin Herbert in that game.
26:45But we want to talk about Justin Herbert because as part of our Jeremy Fowler's top 10 quarterbacks rankings list
26:50that came out Monday, Herbert came in at number 7, and a veteran NFC personnel evaluator had this to say about Justin.
26:58Quote, the offense he currently plays in is by far the least QB friendly in terms of the passing game,
27:03which doesn't help him.
27:04But Justin can get there, he has the ability, so it should come in time.
27:09And to discuss this further, we welcome in NFL Nation Chargers reporter Chris Rim.
27:14You're there every single day.
27:15You were there every single day last year.
27:17You saw what the offense was like.
27:18You see how it's coming together this offseason.
27:20What are you expecting from the Chargers offense?
27:22Yeah, some of that quote is correct, right?
27:24The Chargers need someone not named Ladd McConkie to step up in the offense, right?
27:28That Texans loss was the greatest example of that.
27:31Ladd McConkie had eight catches for 197 yards and a touchdown.
27:35All other Chargers receivers combined for 14 yards in that game, right?
27:39So the Chargers are looking for Quinton Johnson to step up this year in the passing game.
27:42They want their pass catchers to be more dynamic on 50-50 balls.
27:45That's why they drafted second-round pick Trey Harris among and signed wide receiver Mike Williams.
27:51Now, they will be without Trey Harris, who's currently holding out.
27:54The rookie, you know, is an unsigned player right now among with all second-round picks.
27:58And Mike Williams is on the physically unable to perform list.
28:01Yeah.
28:02It's Chargers.
28:03Boog, what are you expecting to see from the Chargers offense in the second year with Jim Harbaugh and Greg Roman?
28:09Well, you've got to understand who you're playing for.
28:11And when you look at Jim Harbaugh, we know he wants to run the football.
28:14Greg Roman, they want to run the football.
28:16They want to be physical.
28:17Now, what that's going to do is that's going to force defenses to play a single high safety,
28:22going to create a lot of play-action passes, and it's going to define a lot of throws.
28:25When you look at that quote, and Tim can do a better job than I explaining it,
28:29it's not a quarterback-friendly offense because you're not coming out in 11 personnel,
28:33three, four wide receivers every play, and get to throw it 50 times.
28:36This is an offense that's going to be ball-controlled, run the football,
28:40we're going to force the safety to come down, we're going to create play-action,
28:43and we're going to take shots down the field.
28:45Justin Herbert is a really good quarterback.
28:46He's got to stay healthy, he's got to become more accurate down the football field,
28:50and they need other weapons to step up.
28:52So the offense is what the offense is.
28:55We've seen this offense go to a Super Bowl before when Colin Kaepernick was the quarterback
28:59running the football.
29:00It's a really good offense.
29:01You just have to be very precise, very accurate,
29:05and you have to take advantage of your opportunities in this offense if you're Justin Herbert.
29:09We'll see, charge.
29:10Yeah, go ahead, Tim.
29:11Yeah, look, I think the way I would just jump in, like, quarterback-friendly,
29:15like, look, so the Dolphins quarterback-friendly because Tua can throw for 5,000 yards,
29:20like, that's great.
29:21But if, like, what quarterback-friendly is to me, anyhow, is, like, yeah, run the football,
29:26be physical, create opportunities.
29:28Like, Philadelphia, I think, is quarterback-friendly.
29:31That's a quarterback-friendly offense because they run the heck out of the football.
29:34All right, we'll keep an eye on the Chargers again, maybe a little ahead of schedule.
29:39We'll see what they have for an encore this year.
29:41With the 2025 ESPYs taking place tomorrow, it's time for our ESPYs moment,
29:46presented by Capital One, as we will announce the winner of the award for Best NFL Player.
29:51You can take a look here at the nominees, Josh Allen, Saquon Barkley,
29:55Lamar Jackson, and Patrick Sertan II, and now you know the nominees.
30:01The winner is Saquon Barkley.
30:05Huge year for Saquon continues.
30:08Boog, you agree with the pick?
30:11Yeah, I agree with it.
30:12Anytime you rush for 2,000 yards and you dominate the way that he did,
30:16I think you deserve it.
30:17Some people thought he should have been the MVP,
30:19but the quarterback is always going to win that award.
30:21So if you can't win the MVP, I like it upon Disney,
30:24and the ESPYs have given Saquon the best NFL player.
30:27He had a historic season.
30:28He got paid in the offseason.
30:30It's been a tremendous year.
30:32Now he's got his offensive line back again, and can he go out and do it again?
30:35But to answer your question, Graz, very well-deserved award for Saquon Barkley.
30:39Yeah, move to Philly has definitely worked out for Saquon.
30:43The 2025 ESPYs, Wednesday, July 16th.
30:45That's tomorrow night at 8 p.m. on ABC and streaming on ESPN+.
30:50Available to stream on demand the next day on Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+.
30:54Made it to quarterbacks this week, which always is a lot of fun.
30:58Jeremy spoke with executives, coaches, and scouts league-wide,
31:02and this is where they landed with their list.
31:04You see Patrick Mahomes at the top, followed by Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, Lamar Jackson.
31:08Are the AFC quarterbacks any good right now?
31:10Like, seriously, reigning offensive player of the year,
31:12Jaden Daniels rounds out the top five,
31:14and you saw Super Bowl champion Jalen Hurts all the way down there at 9,
31:18and his coach, Nick Sirianni, had a pointed response to the notion
31:22that Hurts was just along for the ride last year.
31:24He said, I think that's Bulls.
31:26Is that what he said, Bulls?
31:27No, there's something else to that.
31:28I think there's Bulls something.
31:30I mean, he plays the most important position in all sports,
31:32and it's the most ultimate team game there is.
31:34What I admire about him is his selflessness of doing anything we need to win.
31:40Joined now by the one, the only, Sal Palantonio,
31:43as well as Ben Solak, who was with us earlier.
31:46Sal, when you see those comments from Sirianni, what do you make of him?
31:48Well, I think he's sticking up for his quarterback, obviously, Dan,
31:51no question about it.
31:52And I think there are 31 other teams that would love to have Jalen Hurts
31:57in their locker room.
31:57I've been around this young man since the day he was drafted,
32:01and I can tell you his influence on the team, his impact on the team,
32:05goes way beyond what happens on the football field.
32:08He is a real gentleman, a great leader.
32:11He pushes his teammates in a way that gets the most out of them,
32:14and they get the most out of him.
32:16I was taught by Ron Jaworski,
32:18another guy who played quarterback in Philadelphia a long time ago.
32:21Hey, quarterback is the most dependent position in the National Football League.
32:26You put a great offensive line there, a big offensive line.
32:29A good quarterback will do great things when he has a running back
32:33and good wide receivers.
32:34Who else would you have?
32:35Throw that bomb, that dime, that dagger down the field in the Super Bowl
32:40to Devontae Smith against the Kansas City Chiefs.
32:42He hit that thing right on the money.
32:44I think I'd rather have Mahomes and Lamar and Josh Allen.
32:47I think it's a justified spot at nine.
32:49I do.
32:50We talk about that on-field play, right?
32:52Jalen Hurts this year in the Eagles offense.
32:53They were the fourth highest team in run rate over expected.
32:56They handed the football off a ton to Saquon Barkley, and he's excellent.
32:58That offensive line is excellent.
33:00Devontae Smith and A.J. Brown, both top ten receivers by catch rate over expectation.
33:03Yeah, Jalen's throwing the ball well, but they're making excellent catches down there also.
33:07This was, unquestionably, a super-duper team.
33:10And so it's hard to take Jalen and place him above such quarterbacks as the elite guys,
33:14but also your Justin Herberts, who don't have those elite players, those highly paid guys,
33:18above your Jared Goss, right, who've grown so much over time.
33:22I get why he's ranked there at nine.
33:23He certainly can race.
33:24He's gotten better every single year.
33:25But I understand the spot.
33:26Sure, and that's part of the issue, right, with these kinds of rankings.
33:30You have to judge these guys, Tim, based on the group around them and all that.
33:34So as our resident quarterback, what do you think of where Jalen Hurts came in on this survey?
33:40Yeah, look, I think it's generally fine.
33:43Like, a couple of spots, you know, move him up to seven, move some guys in front of him, you know, down.
33:47But, like, I think generally speaking, I think it's a fair ranking.
33:50But I think it's really important what Sal brought up, okay?
33:53If you were to do a quarterback challenge, you know, I'm not sure he'd be the ninth best in the league.
33:59But to me, he strikes me as a guy that kind of has, like, almost like Eli Manning type, you know, leadership qualities about him.
34:06And I say that because I used to say with Eli, you never knew if he won the lottery or if his dog died.
34:12Like, he was so steady.
34:14And, like, no matter what was going on around him, he just was, like, unfazed by it.
34:18To me, like, that's Jalen Hurts.
34:20Like, all these different coordinators, you know, a head coach that's pretty emotional and will get fired up.
34:27And, like, Jalen Hurts, like, answering questions of people being critical of him and how good is he, whatever it is.
34:33He's just got this steady leadership about him that I think is remarkable.
34:39And, look, as important as, you know, the quarterback position is and as physical as it is,
34:44I think there are other aspects of it that are equally as important, assuming you can make all the throws which he can do.
34:53Leave it to us to come up with an individual list from a team game.
34:56And, you know, I always feel like any time you look at a list, criteria is important.
35:00Like, what is the criteria?
35:01We're just ranking the top ten quarterbacks based on town?
35:04Are we ranking the top ten quarterbacks based on how they can run an offense?
35:08If you look at it individually, is he the ninth most individually gifted quarterback in the National Football League?
35:14That's probably about right.
35:15But if you say what quarterback can run the offense at the highest level in a system,
35:21he might deserve to go number two right behind Patrick Mahomes because if you look at the Philadelphia Eagles system,
35:27how they run the football, the play action, how they lean on the quarterback run game,
35:31the way he moves the chains with the first down, the tush push,
35:33you've got to add all that in there, Sal, when you look at how he's asked to perform within the system that Nick Sirianni has created,
35:41there's probably no better quarterback in football than Jalen Hurts outside of Patrick Mahomes.
35:46So criteria is important, guys.
35:48What are the qualifications for this list?
35:51I get it.
35:52For the sake of conversation, I love when we come out this list.
35:55Leave it to ESPN to create their own content and then have a show about the backlash from the content.
36:01I love it.
36:02I think Jalen Hurts is a good quarterback.
36:04And, Sal, hello to you and hello to Ben also.
36:06Hey, Boog, I'm hearing you.
36:08And, Ben, you gave us a lot of nice next-gen stats.
36:11But the most important stat in football is scoring the football, scoring touchdowns.
36:17The Eagles outscored their opponents by 95 points in the NFC Championship game and the Super Bowl.
36:23That's the highest in those two games in the Super Bowl era.
36:27I was always taught by Bill Parcells, the number one job of the quarterback is to put the team in the end zone.
36:34And in the critical moments, championship moments, against the best teams and the best players, Jalen Hurts did that.
36:40Not just last year, but two of the last three years, he outplayed Patrick Mahomes in the Super Bowl.
36:47His ranking is way too low in my mind.
36:49Yeah, Bill Parcells didn't teach me anything.
36:50I haven't had much time yet with Bill.
36:52But I will tell you that Jalen Hurts this year had 68 total passing attempts trailing in the second half, only 13 of which came after that week five bye.
37:00So you're right, the good quarterbacks win games.
37:01The Eagles did so by generating a lead in the first half and then sitting on the ball in the second half.
37:05When it comes to ranking top ten quarterbacks, there's information about Jalen Hurts in 2024 that we didn't get relative to the other guys.
37:12That's why I understand the list for as impressive as the season was.
37:14It's just amazing.
37:15And when you talk about quarterbacks, we can talk about the numbers, we can talk about the game results, but we talk about the intangibles too.
37:21And obviously, Jalen Hurts has a lot of that, makes these lists a lot of fun.
37:25Yeah, it took a couple of them.
37:27Hey, Booger, we got another list for you.
37:29Bill Barnwell had an article, came out today, ranking the top 25 teams since the year 2000.
37:35And Booger, do you know anything about that team ranked number six on the list of O2 Buccaneers?
37:40Look at that.
37:40I like it.
37:41That team ranked number six is way too low because we are the defense.
37:45And I know some people don't like it, but we can stop a lot of people.
37:49Go ask the St. Louis Rams and the greatest show on turf.
37:52You're right there behind the Nick Foles Super Bowl champion Eagles.
37:55Would you have liked to crack at them for a chance to move up the list?
38:01Would have loved to crack.
38:03I would have loved to crack at anybody on that list, baby.
38:04Defense still wins.
38:07Outstanding.
38:07Good memories for Booger of the great Buccaneers team of 2002.
38:11Hey, that was a lot of fun.
38:13We had a whole bunch of people.
38:14Thanks to all of our NFL Nation reporters who joined us.
38:17We had a great time on NFL Live.
38:19We'll be back.
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