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Randy Mueller | Host of The Football GM Podcast | Former NFL Executive of the Year

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The Truth Network Radio
February 23, 2024 6:15 am

Randy Mueller | Host of The Football GM Podcast | Former NFL Executive of the Year

Amy Lawrence Show / Amy Lawrence

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February 23, 2024 6:15 am

Former NFL Executive of the Year and Host of the Athletic's The Football GM podcast, Randy Mueller, talks with Amy about the looming NFL free agency, the potential landing spots for quarterbacks, and more. 

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2024 Santa Fe available early 2024. There's a lot of build-up to what's to come in NFL Free Agency and then the draft. This is when the money is made in the front office, right? So for that reason, we are pleased to welcome our friend, longtime NFL General Manager and front office executive, Randy Mueller, former NFL Executive of the Year, who now turns that insight into a podcast, the football GM pod for the athletic.

Randy, as always, can't wait to hear what you have to say. Taking a peek behind those closed doors, what's happening in front offices around the league right now? Well, it's crazy because those teams that were in the playoffs and made deep runs, I can tell you how they feel. Their GMs feel like they're way behind. And so they've been busy managing their own team.

Now they've got to play catch-up with the rest of the league. You've got to prepare for Free Agency now in January. And so you've got to have an idea of what's going to be available, which also leads you to having to know about the draft as well. So you've had meetings with your scouts on both sides, the pro and college sides of the personnel booth.

And you have a pretty good picture by now, but that's come over the last four or five weeks. So the window right now of teams being able to tag players that are going to be free agents with a franchise or transition tag, next week is Indianapolis and the combine. And then the week after that, there's, and I laugh when I say this, the legal tampering period, which happened for three days, I got news for you. That's about two months long, that period.

The league just says three days so they don't have to investigate all the tampering. And then the new league year starts in the middle of March. So there is no downtime for GMs and team builders per se. How would you say this particular stretch in the winter time, early spring, compares to what a general manager is doing the rest of the year in terms of its hectic nature? I would say it's the most hectic time. It's the busiest time. It's the time, in my opinion, when GMs that can multitask make their hay.

Because you may have, Amy, 20, 30 different deals popping around in your head at this point. Don't forget, you've got 15 of your own free agents that you're dealing with trying to figure out who to keep and who not, and probably negotiating with half of those people. And when you get to Indy, you'll have 25 meetings set up with agents and you'll have an idea then of whose market is going to be where in the free agent market. So it is busy now. It's exciting. That's the part probably I miss the most is this window up until the draft. It's negotiating, it's free agency, then it's the draft, and one duck tails right into the other one. So it's a crazy time for decision makers. Coaches in particular have been busy the last six months. Now they've passed the baton to the GM and the scouting staffs. This is the time of the year when we see some players become salary cap casualties.

But how challenging are those types of moves? I think it's the hardest task a GM has, and I've been asked this over the years, what is the hardest part of it? It is when you have to decide that guys who have given you their all for sometimes maybe a decade, that you can no longer use that and you no longer use them. It's the hardest thing to decide if you have to part company with these guys who have really been your partners in business for the last, you know, depending on who it is, 10 years. So it's a hard job.

It really is. And it's a lot more than just finances. It really is because you're a team builder, not a collector of talent. So a lot of these guys who do make the money are there also because of their intangibles and leadership and everything else. And so these are decisions that don't come likely to to GMs and to coaches.

And you've got to all be on the same page. And it's hard to shut the door on these guys who have given you their whole livelihood as a professional. We're always excited to spend a few minutes with Randy Mueller. He's a former NFL executive of the year as a general manager. And did you just tell me you were in an NFL gig from the time you were 22 years old?

Yeah, full time all the way through for, I guess, about 36 years. So, yeah, it's the only thing I ever knew. That's how I grew up. Because I actually started as a ball boy when I was 16 in the summertime. So it's the only job I really ever had. And I always tell my buddies back home, they always say, what's it like?

I said, will it be working for a living for 40 years? It was awesome. Now he's with the athletic and has the football GM pod as well as weekly columns during the season.

It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence here on CBS Sports Radio. How much emphasis did you place on veterans and how much emphasis did you place on younger guys that you might get a little cheaper? Yeah, it's definitely a puzzle that every team kind of fits it together differently. And again, I mentioned the fact that free agency comes and then the draft. But in order to participate really functionally in free agency, you have to know what your options are going to be in the draft as well.

So they work together. I think the financial part of it, everybody sees when free agency starts the big money that gets spent that first three or four days. I think the smart teams end up waiting and finding the right value and the right fit. It's really not about when you're a team builder getting a bunch of great players. It's about getting the right players for you and your scheme and your coaches.

And that's sometimes I think flies under the radar for fans and for listeners is they think you have cap space. So spending equates to being successful. Spending does not necessarily equate to being successful. You've got to make good decisions.

And sometimes that's easier said than done. When you look at a team like the Kansas City Chiefs that have had extended success now or even going back to the Patriots, how much does it help to attract free agents and big names and maybe even get them to not take top dollar when they're looking to win and you've had some extended success? I think it's definitely a factor.

It's a thing. The underlying fact of it is and you mentioned the Patriots, it's really about the quarterback. Players want to play with Pat Mahomes. Players want to play with Tom Brady because they know success is going to bring you whatever you want, whether it's more financial security, more accolades, you know, more attention, whatever it is that floats your boat.

Winning brings you that. And Pat Mahomes does that. Tom Brady does that. You know, these other quarterbacks that are at the top of their game, people want to get on board with that. And to be honest with you, the guys who have made their money, they're going to sign up to play for that just to win.

And they'll not necessarily be driven by the almighty dollar. Right now, we've got some quarterbacks who are likely to hit free agency. Kirk Cousins, Russell Wilson, Jimmy Garoppolo, who's got a two-game suspension to start next season, Ryan Tannehill, Mason Rudolph. Oh, my goodness, a Joe Flacco, maybe a Justin Fields. Where would you start to find your QB?

Well, you're on to a bunch of them. Don't forget Baker Mayfield as well, who had a pretty good year in Tampa, who's going to be free agents. So I think what happens is teams kind of segregate the UFAs in that maybe there's two or three guys that you view as starters. And there's two or three guys after that that might be starters or guys that can compete for the starting job. But it's really all about options. You mentioned Kirk Cousins. That's an interesting spot because Minnesota, here's their choice. Do we pay Kirk Cousins 40 million dollars a year, a 36 years old coming off of Achilles, or do we go a different route and maybe as a bridge, pay a Mason Rudolph or pay a Sam Darnold or somebody like that for 20 million?

And that gives us 20, 25 million extra to build this team up in some other areas. So it's all about options. It's all about choices.

But to get to the point of pulling the trigger, you've got to have researched it all. You've got to met with them all. You've got to talk to all the agents with all these guys. That's why I'm saying the volume of deals that are on the table are crazy. Are there any of these guys that you wouldn't touch?

Oh, I don't know. I think it's kind of like Baskin Robbins, right? That's why there's 31 flavors. We all get to pick the one we like when we walk in the door. What Amy might like, Randy might not like. I think there's always some guys who you really are hesitant about. I think initially, you know, age is a factor.

There's no doubt. But it kind of depends on where your team is, too. If you're an older team or if you're a successful team or one that's around the playoffs every year, you might not be deterred by older, whether it's a running back or a Derrick Henry type or a quarterback or somebody at a different position.

Age really isn't that much of a factor if you've got a one or two year window to get it done. Kind of depends where you are as a franchise in the team build. Do you believe there's still a market for a Russell Wilson considering the last couple of years and how tumultuous they've been? Well, that's a sticky one.

I would say there has been more failure than success there. But here's what's attractive about Russell. You're going to get him for minimum salary. He got thirty seven million coming from the Broncos if they cut him. And that's going to be offset by anything that you pay as a team. So let's just say the Falcons want him. They're going to pay minimum salary because they're not going to pay money that just comes off Denver's deal. Russell's going to make the same, whether he plays or his home on the couch.

So he'll be targeted and he'll be sought after somewhat just because of the finances. Randy Mueller with us here after hours on CBS Sports Radio, we're able to pick his GM brain. And it's not just quarterbacks. Of course, you've got guys like Josh Allen, not the quarterback, Chris Jones, who is a Super Bowl champion again and worked out his issues with the Chiefs in a way that I think impressed a lot of people because he didn't alienate the team.

He was there to support the team when they started this season. If you're the Chiefs, how much of a priority is he? Well, I think the Chiefs had some tough calls to make without a doubt. They've got to find a way to to not only save a couple of their better defensive players with Chris Jones and the Darius Snead, they've got offensive woes. And I know they just won the Super Bowl, but I don't think they'll be happy with the group they have going into next year.

So I think they're going to tweak that as well. I just came out with a huge package for the athletic last week or not necessarily all me, but the staff and I. And we put together our top 150 free agents. And I think the strength of this year's free agent pool is definitely on defense.

You mentioned Chris Jones. There's several defensive linemen. Josh Allen, like you mentioned, I think it is a great year in free agency to help your pass rush. There's probably six or eight guys now. Some of these guys are going to get tagged over the next week or 10 days. But once those tags hit, I still think there'll be players that are good in that front seven. And I think a lot of teams will focus on that because that is a hard position to find and one that the draft seldom puts volume of those guys on the market.

This is a chance to get a guy for nothing. I do think the defense will rule in free agency. I just think them in the quarterbacks are probably the way if you have money, you're going to be looking. So then thinking about the draft, of course, at the top, there is the Chicago Bears with a big decision to make. We know Ryan Polis generally plays his cards close to the vest. But if you're sitting in that position, which direction are you going at, QB? Well, I think Ryan has to play his cards close to his vest.

I understand that. He's also got to put out certain intentional messages, which helps their positioning. I don't think it's a hard call. And I have nothing but respect for Justin Fields. I think he's progressed the last three years.

He's just not to the point where I could turn my back on Caleb Williams from USC. Having the first pick, I think that's what they'll end up doing. I think they'll they'll manage to get something for Justin Fields. It's not going to be a lot. I don't think anybody's going to give them a first round pick for Justin Fields. But maybe it's a second or third and they move on in a different direction. But when you can reset at the quarterback position your salary cap for a, you know, what would have to be Justin Fields, you know, in the 20 million range a year from now and supplant that with a rookie first year deal, that's a no brainer as far as if you if you don't take a step back on the field. And I don't think Caleb Williams is taking a step back to anybody that's in the free agent market for sure. We have seen a bunch of new head coaches and there's always chatter about a general manager and a coach coming in at different times.

And who predated who and who's in charge of what? You've been in these situations before. How much is that a challenge when the two guys weren't hired at the same time or didn't come in together? It's definitely a little more it's a little more difficult. It's like I say, a little more sticky, but it can surely work.

And here's the only thing I use this as a gauge. I worked under coaches. I worked even with coaches and I've worked as the coach's boss. The relationship never changed in any of those situations.

We always made decisions together. And my theory was if we can't agree, we're going to pick a different lane that we agree on. So as far as a team build goes, I think they can work out those things. The calendar and how that reflects their own contract. Sometimes that can be an issue if a GM maybe has a year or two left and a coach has four years left or vice versa. The agendas on how you make decisions sometimes can be a little difficult and problematic. So you've got to work through those. It's challenging. But if the if there's communication and if there's, you know, an effort to team build together as a staff, I don't think it is going to hold you back by any means. But it's definitely a little difficult to do that way. Is it possible that front offices around the league are intimidated by a Bill Belichick?

Oh, 100 percent. I think we saw that in Atlanta and I don't have that from any great source, but this will maybe make people cringe. But I think maybe this happens in any industry.

I don't know of only known football. There's people within the building that guard their own desks, right? They don't want anything to change for them. They don't want to feel uncomfortable. They don't necessarily want to be pushed. So some people say they really want to win. But what that means to others, I don't know, because everybody I think needs to be a little bit uncomfortable in order to get the best out of them.

Even a Mike Frable. People might fear that a little bit with him. Definitely with Belichick. I don't know as much with Pete Carroll, but they're going to hold others accountable, which I think is awesome. But there are some that really don't want to change. They want to kind of keep things the same because it's best for them. And therefore it's it's hard for a guy outside the building to crack that code. And I always say this, the GM jobs, the head coach jobs, sometimes and most of the time, I feel like they don't go to the best candidate.

They go to the candidate who fits within the box that the people doing the hiring have made. And I think that's the case with Bill this time around. But he's one of the best coaches that the league has ever seen. I agree. I think some people have the owner's ear and for Bill to get a job, it's going to take an owner to just say, hey, I don't care what any of you guys say.

They're going to say just what you did, Amy. Here's the best coach we've ever had. We're going to hire him. And if if other heads have to roll or if other people have to be uncomfortable, so be it.

But this is the route we're going to go. Randy Mueller is with us from Seattle. He's got the Football GM podcast.

Really great stuff. It's after hours on CBS Sports Radio. I asked my listeners this question and it wasn't specific to football. What is the toughest job in sports? And my answer was coach at the pro level because there's no job security. But looking around the landscape of the NFL, what is the toughest job?

Well, the toughest job for for my money is the quarterback. That's why they make 50 million a year. There's only think about it, maybe six or eight of these guys in the whole world, the whole world that can do what they do at the highest level. And therefore, that's why they make the money they do. They are also the one guy on the field that can't protect himself.

They're out there ducking, diving, duking, running from people trying to take his head off all the time. I just think it's the hardest job in sports. It's it's a it's it's one thing to be talented, but your skill level then has to rise above that talent. And the Pat Mahomes, the Josh Allen, the Lamar Jackson, those guys can do it at a level where nobody else can. And therefore, I want to say anybody deserves 50 million, but they sure do in this world, that's for sure. Well, hey, they make the teams a lot of money. So if someone's going to make that money, the quarterbacks are billed as the faces of the franchise. When I say this, a third of America was tuned in to the Super Bowl, literally a third of our population.

Randy, what's your reaction? I think it's awesome. It's truly become a world sport. I mean, even the numbers across the pond are crazy with with fandom and what they can spend and the passion that they have. I think it just tells us that our our sport is growing. It continually grows. You see it with these international games.

I would think, Amy, in the next year or two, we're going to find out that every team every year will have an international game. Wow. And that's just the way it's going to be because they want to spread the word. Think about this. And I don't Roger Goodell makes a lot of money. Right. And everybody everybody in the world says, how can the commissioner make that much money if he does and the owners are OK with it? How do you think the owners are doing? Probably pretty good. Right.

So it is a healthy business. How would you evaluate him as a commissioner now? It's funny because he came into the league about the same time I did. So we kind of grew in it together and have known each other for probably almost 40 years.

So I've kind of seen that position and and Roger evolve as well. And I think people underestimate how hard the job is, the amount of politics that he has to play is crazy. I think the research that the people do around him doesn't get enough credit because there are a hundred people that are involved to have his year to make these decisions. I just think it's an enormous task. It's it's similar to being the president of the United States.

It's crazy how many people are involved. So I think overall, he's done a really good job in regard to growing the game and growing revenue. I think that's the bottom line. Sometimes I wonder if the decisions that get made are necessarily for the good of the game on the field, but for revenues, which he works for the owners, that's what they care about. That's I don't think you could argue that he's done a great job for improving revenue.

Now, what did I see? Twenty two billion dollars most recently for the annual revenue and his stated goal is twenty five billion. So a few more of these streamers that jump on board for playoff games and that'll be nothing. You can find Randy on Twitter at Randy Mueller underscore.

He's a former NFL executive of the year, spent decades in the game. When the whole family comes together to watch the game, nobody wants to miss a second of the action to run to the grocery store. With Instacart, you can get all your weekly groceries in as fast as an hour.

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