Matt Verderame | NFL Insider, Sports Illustrated

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You can find Primal Kitchen at Target, Walmart, or any of your local grocery stores, or you can save 20% off your entire online order with Coke Podcast at checkout on primalkitchen.com. Matt Verderam, who covers the NFL for Sports Illustrated and is joining us from Chicago, dare not sleep at this time of the year. You thought it was intriguing to follow games every Sunday.

Well, this is just as interesting, the legal tampering period. All right, Matt, it's happened. Russell Wilson has a hype video, so what's your reaction to him signing a new deal with the Steelers? I'm not surprised in the sense, look, I thought, you know, it would be the Steelers, maybe the Raiders if things fell through in other avenues for the Falcons, but the Steelers need to get better at quarterback. They made the playoffs last year, but I don't think anybody feels like Kenny Pickett's the future.

Neither is Russell Wilson, but he's better and he's a bridge to the next guy. And so now, at least if you're Pittsburgh, you can look at it and go, all right, well, we're not where we want to be, but we're in a better spot in a conference that if you don't at least have average quarterback play, you have no shot. So it's an easy move for the Steelers. You get them for $1.2 million while Denver pays the freight. And for Wilson, he goes to a team with a good defense, a great coach and some weapons. I like how you put that. We'll talk about the Denver part of this, but for the Pittsburgh Steelers, the one-year deal says what to you, Matt? This is something to get them to a better spot down the line.

I mean, I don't think there's any question. Russell Wilson's in his mid-30s. And while you can look at the numbers and say, hey, you know what? He played better last year, 26 touchdowns, eight picks. Yes, he played better than he played in 2022, which was a pretty low bar to clear. If you watch the games last year against anybody, I mean, I watched every snap Denver had last year. He was not good.

He wasn't atrocious, but he was average at best. But if you're Pittsburgh, average is great compared to what you were trying out there last year of quarterback. So again, I think it's, hey, get us through 2024, make us a better team. And then I still think if you're the Steelers, you are looking for any opportunity to upgrade at the quarterback position here over the next year or two. When it comes to the Denver Broncos, how much does that hurt to pay $38 million for Russell Wilson to play for a team that is competing or trying to compete for the same real estate that you are in the AFC? I think for Denver, look, this is not a mitigated disaster just in general. I mean, you're talking about having to split an $85 million debt cap hit, which is more than twice the biggest debt cap hit that there ever was in NFL history before this. I think the narrative that's going to slowly emerge out of Denver is this idea that, well, now that they've gotten Russell Wilson out of town, they've kind of exercised all their issues.

And I just completely disagree with that. Yes, he's out of town. His $85 million cap hit split over the next two years is going to basically keep them from competing for the next two years. And on top of that, now you've got to cut Justin Simmons, who's still a good player, who's now gone because you can't afford him. Jerry Judy had to be traded.

We'll see if anybody else goes. George Payton is still there as their GM, who is the guy who hired and then fired Nathaniel Hackett. He was the one who gave Russell Wilson a five year extension he never played it down on. He's the one who gave Randy Gregory $70 million. And Randy Gregory then played 10 games in Denver before being released. This has been a disaster in Denver for a while.

And now it's culminating. But Payton is still there running the front office, of course, alongside the other Payton and Sean, who now has to deal with a little bit of a rebuild on his hands. Matt Verderam of Sports Illustrated with us from Chicago, talking about the early couple hours of the legal tampering period and movement already in the NFL among the QBs.

It's after hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio. We also know that Baker Mayfield is staying put, but Kirk Cousins will test free agency. What are the best options for him, Matt? Well, the Vikings remain an option. If you go back there and if you're Kevin O'Connell and you're Minnesota, while Cousins may not be the future as now he's in his mid thirties coming off Achilles, you still need to be for the present. And Cousins, when he's healthy, he's still a top twelve quarterback in football.

That's an option. Atlanta, I think, is the team. You know, I was down in Indianapolis in the scouting comic. Everybody was talking about Atlanta is going to make a move here quarterback. I was there when Raheem Morris was saying, if I had a better quarterback playing Atlanta, I probably wouldn't have this job in the first place, which was accurate.

He's right. I think Atlanta is going to be aggressive here. Doesn't mean they're going to land them, but I think they will be aggressive if they strike out on Cousins. And I think they're a prime candidate to take a quarterback in the first round with the eighth pick. Denver's been tossed around. Denver has no money. Denver has no ability to pay Kirk Cousins.

So I don't think that's viable. You know, the one of the team I'd watch is the Raiders and all this. The Raiders have a lot of cap space. They have Devontae Adams and Jacoby Myers and they need a quarterback.

And Aidan O'Connell is not the guy. Jimmy Garoppolo got himself suspended, which means they can cut him without paying him a dime. I think that the Raiders are the one dark horse here that they really wanted to.

They could make a serious run at Custis. Why isn't there a more active market for a quarterback as young as Justin Fields, who if they decided to trade for him, the Bears would give him up with still a year left on his rookie deal? I think, Amy, just again, being at the scouting combine and talking to people, you just got the feeling like there's just not a lot of interest at the second round price point. I do think it'll get dealt. I do think it could be for a third rounder.

At this juncture, there's just no appetite at the second round level. I think that's because, quite honestly, at this point, while he has shown brilliance in athleticism and being able to make plays with his likes, he's not been good with his arm. He has not been a guy who you look at and go, hey, there's somebody who's going to be a top 10 quarterback in the NFL. Eventually, I do think the Bears will find their way into at least a pick that they can use to help them in the future. They're going to take Caleb Williams. I think everybody in the league feels that way.

But yeah, right now, there's nothing going. And if you're at Ryan Polls and you're their GM, you're sitting there saying, all right, look, if there's nothing going, let's wait. Let's see if a team like the Falcons or the Raiders, if they just strike out across the board and create into a quarterback and if they maybe revisit an idea of trading for Fields, because they say, hey, you know what, let's give up a day to pick so that we at least know we have this kid. And then if we still want to draft somebody, we could theoretically, but it gives you some insurance. I just think right now a lot of these teams are looking at the quarterback class coming out, some of these veteran quarterbacks and say, hey, we have we have better options on the table. Considering some of the speculation, some of the reaction to Williams and his team's decision at the combine, but also some reaction to how he carried himself there. Do you have any qualms at all about drafting him if you're the Bears? I put it this way. I would draft them.

I would draft them. But there's definitely a little bit of uneasiness that comes with some of this, some of this stuff in terms of, hey, I'm not going to divulge my medical history to everybody. It's going to be to a couple teams now.

All right, fine. I mean, if you're the Bears, you get his medical history. I guess who cares? Kind of ask the question like, OK, was that his idea? Was that his agent's idea?

Was that somebody in his own personal camp? And if that's the case, is this going to be something where this is always going to happen or it's going to be, hey, you know what, don't don't listen to a conventional norm? And I know there are people out there say, hey, that's great. Push back against your style.

That's fine. The NFL is not a big fan of that. That's reality. You may not like it. You may love the way Williams handles himself at times. Teams are not going to be enthralled with it. That being said, what they're going to be enthralled with is his ability and his tape. And I think if you're the Bears, unless you uncover something that everybody's unaware of at the moment, I would take that kid 100 times out of 100. It hasn't been a problem off the field.

But yes, he's gone about this differently. And whenever somebody goes about something differently, especially something as rigid as the National Football League, there's always going to be some raised eyebrows. Matt Verderam of SI is with us here after hours. CBS Sports Radio.

The news just starting to break now as we head into Monday and we're just days away from the new NFL league here. The commanders there at number two. If it's not Caleb Williams, Matt, what's the next best thing?

I don't think it strikes me. And I know there's this big argument between he and Jay Daniels. And I get it. We have sat here now for a year and everybody has said, hey, Williams at one made it to. And then all of a sudden, which has happened every year around this time, everything changes. Oh, you know what? Actually, this guy actually that listen, there are some people in the NFL who would tell you they would take Daniel second.

I'm not saying that that's all made up completely fabricated. But if you look at Daniels, his his talent is obvious, obviously winning the Heisman Trophy at the same point. There are definitely spots in his game where, look, if he's got a move, he can move, he can run. He's incredible in that regard, but he doesn't throw a lot on the move.

If you look at some of the underlying stats, that's something that if you're a team, you've got to go, OK, well, can we can we coach that up? Or is this going to be a problem every time there's pressure like he's gone and he won't throw the football? I do think it's a legitimate argument as to which guy you would take. But if you ask me right now, who do I think Washington would take?

I think he would take. Although we still have time, right? Still, what, six weeks to go before the draft begins.

All right. Before we move on from quarterbacks, let's play a little game. I'm going to name a team and you take a wild stab or an informed, educated guess as to who is starting for the team next season. What about the New England Patriots? Whoever Washington doesn't take is who I think is starting for New England. I think they're taking the quarterback at three.

Easy decision for New England here after the first two picks return that. Tennessee Titans. I think Will Lovells.

I think Lovells is going to be the starting quarterback. The Raiders. A lot of sliding doors with the Raiders. I think they will try to trade up and draft the quarterback. I think they'll try to go after something in the top ten like J.J. McCarthy if they don't land somebody in the free agency. In the same division, the Broncos.

Starting a dead cap hit. Jared Spittum. But I will say in all seriousness, I think Bo Nix is a guy you heard tied to him a lot at the combine. So I'll say Bo Nix. The New York Giants. The Giants are a team.

I think if the Raiders can't get ahead of them, I think they might take J.J. McCarthy. Ooh. Okay. And then the Atlanta Falcons. Cousins.

If he gets out of Minnesota, I think that's where he goes. Well, okay. Well, then you left me with the Vikings. I wasn't going to ask. But what about the Vikings then?

That's a great question. I mean, then, you know, Tannehill's out there. So like maybe, maybe he's a bridge there for the team to kind of get the left to Nicole. Or maybe Minnesota goes Michael Penix Jr. Michael Penix Jr. in that offense would be interesting because he can throw the football.

I know those questions. I get it. He's got injuries. He's an older rookie. That kid in that offense, like if he hits, he's going to really hit.

So I'll say Penix. How much of what the Vikings do is, at least with an eye on, trying to keep Justin Jefferson in the fold? I mean, look, it's a big part of this. Like if you're the Vikings, you can't trot out a quarterback who Jefferson's looking at going, what are we doing?

Why? Cousins is a good quarterback. I think Jefferson would be pleased with that scenario. And if they draft a kid like Michael Penix Jr., look, obviously, if he goes south, he could be a bust and then they're stuck. But if that kid goes in there and he's really good, now all of a sudden, now you're in business. Now you've got a cheap quarterback for five years, if he's a first round pick, and you've got this situation.

We're here. You're like, OK, fine, we'll pay Jefferson huge money. We're not paying the quarterback.

Right. That also factors in as well. The Kansas City Chiefs pay their quarterback. Now, Patrick Mahomes is not the highest paid QB anymore, though he's in line for another extension. How do they also pay Chris Jones the ninety five million dollars in guaranteed money? They continue to have this revolving door in which they're bringing guys in and out and back in again. And yet they're still winning because Brett Beach over the last four years is the best drafter in the NFL. If you look at their drafts over that stretch, the draft has been unbelievable. I mean, they had a draft prior to the twenty twenty two season where almost every single guy they took ended up being a plus starter for them. I literally like they drafted Jalen Watson, Isaiah Pacheco in the seventh round. They drafted call office and McDuffie in the first round. They drafted Brian Cook. They drafted Leo Channell in the rest of those drafts in that span. Creed Humphrey in the second round. Willie Gay in the second round. Jerry Snead in the fourth round. Trey Smith in the sixth round.

They just find guys and they plug them in and they play them. And when you have that many guys and I didn't mention or she writes when you have that many guys on rookie deals and they're getting paid next to nothing. By NFL standards for four or five years, you can pay Chris Jones. What essentially is a three year ninety five million dollar deal.

You can pay the homes fifty five against the cap and not care. You can do those things because you have so many guys who are just really, really special players that are getting paid a million bucks against cap for four years. That has been their secret sauce.

That's the problem. The bills have had the bills. I think their last draft class was better, but they've not drafted well. They've been stuck paying older players a lot of money. That's why Von Miller is there on six and one twenty. Because because Boogie Bastian didn't work out when you don't draft well and then you pay the quarterback.

Now you've got a real problem. Matt Verteram of SI is with us here after our CBS Sports Radio. If you check him out on Twitter, he recently shared a photo of Patrick Mahomes enjoying his offseason. So, Matt, how many people look at Pat Mahomes in his swimming trunks and think, are you kidding me? That's the best quarterback in the NFL. I have a body just like that. Believe me, as a father of two who I think pretty much also looks like that swim trunks.

I am I'm thrilled. He's bringing up the standard for dad bots all over the country. The funny thing is, when you really think about it, Brady now is kind of like this health freak by a lot of people's standards. Tom Brady was not exactly walking around with an eight pack.

Mostly right. Like Peyton Manning, like with Peyton Manning, ever the guy you looked at, like that guy's an unbelievable physical condition. Like a lot of quarterbacks you think of, even Joe Montana, like he was a skinny guy. But Joe Montana wasn't some Greek god chiseled out of stone. I mean, maybe there's something to that. Maybe the dad bod is working out with Mahomes. I love doing that photograph. He had like multiple drinks in his hands.

Totally relaxed. But if you've won three Super Bowls in five years and you're really durable, you can run away from the defenders. Hey, man, go for it.

It's working out for you. I think that the dad bod can take a hit. We know that he's pretty tough and he manages to get up from from whenever he does get laid out, which is very often. Matt, other than quarterbacks, what's another major question that you need answered in the next few days? You look at the receivers. Now, it's not quite the group that it was because Evans is now signed. And T.A. against Michael Pittman are tagged. But you still have Calvin Ridley.

You still have Gabe Davis. With the Chargers, neither one of these guys are free agents. But Mike Williams, Keenan Allen, something's got to get because they are over the cap. Those guys are huge cap hits. They're both going into the final years of their deals. I would expect that Allen stays and Williams is gone.

I think they caught him. You know, Hollywood Browns, another free agent out there, Darnell Moody, Tyler Boyd. There's there's a lot of receivers who are were real players. And Deontay Johnson, again, not a not a free agent in that case, but traded. I think that's a really interesting position to stand the offensive side running back.

Yes, they come on Barkley's the headliner. I think he's probably the first off the board. You have Derek Henry, you have Austin Eckler, you have Tony Pollard, you have Josh Jacobs. These are real guys. This isn't like, you know, hey, two guys and a bunch of afterthoughts.

Eckler had one hundred and seven catches in twenty twenty two. It'll be very interesting to see, you know, do those guys go off the board quick and say, hey, look, let's just take the most money we can get right away or do they try to slow play it and and, you know, see what shakes? I think it's going to be fascinating to see that marketplace out. Has there been any change from the franchise or team perspective in paying running backs in the last year since they made so much noise about it? No, no, because the reality is the game is moving away from being a running base game.

The game is moving toward throwing the football. That's the way the rules have been shifting for the last two decades. How many running backs are there in the NFL that you look at and legitimately say that guy has to get another contract with the team he's on right now? Or they're they're sunk. And I know that's unfair to the running backs.

It's the truth. You look at James Cook and Buffalo. James Cook had a great, great year. James Cook had two years and his contract's up, probably going somewhere else. Isaiah Pacheco, he's been awesome for Kansas City, probably not getting a second contract Kansas City.

Which is probably not going to happen. They're going to look at it and go with the way he runs and that style. We're paying him big money.

It's hard. So many guys come out of the draft that are a dime a dozen. And I will say this, goes out to this class in particular, the running back class coming out of college this year is not good. So if you need a running back, you might be inclined to spend a little more free agency this year than you normally would. But a lot of years, that guy's coming out of the draft and you go, hey, I'll take that guy in the third, fourth round and I'm fine with it.

Who would be your first target then if you could have your pick of the litter? I think Barkley's the best of the group, but I think value-wise, Eckler's interesting. We've mentioned that if I'm a team like Kansas City, I'd spend that kind of heartbeat. You know, hey, A. Austin, you know what, two years and twelve million bucks will give you eighty swing passes for Mahomes. And you can just swing on out there for ten yards a year and twelve yards there and fifteen touchdowns. I think Eckler might be the best value.

I think Barkley, though, of the guys factoring in age, everything else, I think he's probably the guy who gets the biggest deal. We are just getting started. New league year in a couple of days, but a lot of drama and intrigue before then. So make sure you find Matt on Twitter, at Matt Verderam, V-E-R-D-E-R-A-M-E, and he's got a lot of insight and also dad bod pictures.

Covers the sport for Sports Illustrated coming off the combine and heading into free agency. Matt, thank you so much for a couple of minutes. It's good to talk to you. Anytime.

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