It is the JR Sport Brief Show here on the Infinity Sports Network. NFL training camps are underway. We got some players who are getting hurt, some players who want new contracts. We got angry coaches, angry players. We got fights going on.
To get an update on what we might be missing, what we need to pay attention to, is someone who covers all things NFL for the New York Post. Thank you for joining us right now, Ryan Dunleavey. Ryan, how are you, man? What's up, JR? How are you doing?
I'm excellent. Thank you for taking the time and joining us.
Well, we do know that Trey Hendrickson decided to show up to work today. I guess getting docked 50K was enough for him a day. What do you think his deal might ultimately look like, and when do you think it'll get signed?
So yeah, it never really makes sense nowadays. It's funny, JR, right? Like the hold out never what Hassan Reddick did with the Jets last year where he cost himself like half a million dollars that doesn't really make sense 'cause you can just hold in now.
So like I don't even know why anybody doesn't show up. You just hold it you come, you don't practice and you avoid the fifty thousand dollar a day fine and you just say you're banged up or riding an exercise bike.
So uh It sounds like, you know, the reports are that him and the Bengals are on the same page on years, the same page on average, and it's just the guarantee money that seems to be holding it up. And the doesn't really make a whole lot of sense to me because the edge rusher market is pretty established this year. Like, he's not going to get the $40 million a year that TJ Watt got. He's not going to get the. Uh, 41, the 41 that TJ wants, the 40 that Miles Derek got.
But I mean, he's right there in that next group.
So, like, if you're talking. You know, like a three-year hundred and six, like Max Crosby, like a three-year hundred and six million dollars.
Well, that's two years guaranteed of that is $60 million. Uh, three years of guaranteed to that is like ninety one million dollars.
So you're I mean, it's probably somewhere in in between, maybe seventy five million dollars should be where they should meet. I don't know the exact numbers, that's just me looking at the market and guessing he's probably worth three ninety and maybe seventy five guaranteed. And it sounds like maybe the Bengals only want to do two years guaranteed and he wants more than two years guaranteed.
Well, Ryan, we know somebody who is going to get a deal and is likely going to be the highest paid guy in the league not throwing the football. Is Micah Parsons? Is this going to be one of those typical Dallas Cowboy deals that goes down to two hours before game time? I got to tell you, this is the thing I hear unsolicited about from people in the NFL the most. Like, what are they doing?
Like, they're going to pay him. What are they doing every day? They're just costing themselves more money. If they did it last summer, it would have been. know in the 30 range.
If they did it in March, it would have been in the 35 range. Then it's going to be in the 40 range after Miles Garrett.
Now it's going to be 42 after TJ Watt. Like every day, the price isn't going lower. That's not how these things work.
So, and then you have Jerry Jones pissing him off. with every comment he makes, so that's just gonna make him, you know, uh Want to grab every penny too. Yeah, I think that's what it'll be. We've seen this with Ezekiel Elliott, with Dak Prescott. The cowboys.
Typically, get their deals done after training camp, that first week of training, that first week of the regular season. I guess that's what they'll do, but. Look, what they've done for 29 years hasn't really worked to the degree that it's supposed to work.
So it's time for them to try something new. They should not do this business strategy again. This was a disaster. They should have signed Parsons long ago. It'll end up costing them more.
I think they'll get it done because. Playing without him doesn't do them any good when Jerry Jones needs to win now as he gets up there in age, and Dak Prescott needs to win for his career. you know, career lengths running out, prime running out. Ryan Dunlevy is joining us, covers all things NFL for the New York Post. I guess if we do want to look on the the the positive side of things, if we take a look across the NFL.
Nothing crazy coming out of Steelers' camp. Yet. All things considered, how are you feeling about this situation and marriage with Aaron Rodgers and Tomlin so far? Honestly, I think it's a good one. That might be a minority opinion, JR, but I think it's a good one.
I think if they're. From my year-ish around Aaron Rodgers in New York, somewhat. And from having to talk to people. You know, two or three times removed from him because he keeps the people once removed from him pretty away from the media. But you know how it works.
You know, they tell somebody who tells somebody. I gather he really needs to respect his coach. He needs to think that he is the he is maybe not the smartest one in the room. And I think there's a chance that with Mike Tomlin. See thinks he sees a football equal to his mind.
I know that that wasn't the case with Robert Sala or anybody in the Jets.
So I think with Mike Tomlin, he sees somebody who's his equal as a football peer. I think that'll work. I don't know that I would say, like, long term, these two alphas would get along, but everybody knows it's a one-year deal for Rodgers. It could very well be a one-year deal for Mike Tomlin with the Steelers at this point.
So I think those two guys, as they try to. Write the ship and get their own narratives turned around. I think they can put their egos aside and work together as two really smart guys. Tomlin's been looking for his Rogers since Rothensburg retired. Rogers has been looking for a coach probably since McCarthy who can get this job done.
So I think they pretty much need each other, and for one year, they can tolerate each other. Oh, Ryan, you mentioned the fact that this might be a one-year for Mike Tomlin. You mean with Aaron Rodgers, not for being the last year with the Steelers, right? I know he's in a new contract. I mean, I think that we've learned that coaches Contracts can walk away at any time, right?
So, like, we know the Steelers fan base gets. upset with him every year in the playoffs when they you know, go nine and eight or ten and seven and they'll get the job done. We know that coaches Sean Payton, uh, You know, uh Peach Harrell, we know that these coaches have, after they're in, one place for a long time, they kind of Want to reset.
So I wouldn't rule anything out. I would just say, I feel like every January we go through the is Mike Tomlin coming back to the Steelers?
Somebody asks him, he gets fed up and he walks off the podium. I feel like that happens every January.
Okay. If he left the Steelers, he would be sucked up in a minute by anybody else, and they would probably end up with a worse coach. But hey, we've seen stranger things happen. We have Ryan Dunlavius here with us from the New York Post. You talk about the AFC North, those teams, along with the Steelers.
It's a tough one. Cincinnati will be good if they can get their defense together. We know Baltimore, they should be good if they're healthy competing for another Super Bowl. Cleveland, God only knows what they're doing with their quarterback situation. Who do you think comes out on top in the AFC North?
The Bengals. I think if the Bengals get it all sort of, if they get Trey Hendrickson under contract, They have the offense. I think if they get Trey Hendrickson there, I just think it's you're looking at a team that started slow last year, was the most they were probably the best team ever in the NFL history to miss the playoffs.
So I think that's the team that scares the Ravens, that scares the Chiefs, that nobody would want to play in the playoffs. Uh if Hendrickson is there and they sort that out, And you know, obviously, everything this goes for everybody, got to stay healthy, blah, blah, blah. But all things being equal, I think that's the team I would pick to win the AFC North.
So the Ravens are probably the most. complete team in the AFC, but I think we've seen that there brand of football doesn't always pay off. Uh in the playoffs and I think the uh The Bengals are the team that would scare everybody in the playoffs.
So if they win the AFC North, I might pick them all the way to the Super Bowl. Wow.
Well, we know Cleveland they're they're sitting on the uh well, they're sitting in the outhouse. Trying to figure out their quarterback situation. We even heard from Jimmy Haslam yesterday about Shador Sanders. Pretty much putting that pick on Andrew Berry, which was just odd to hear from an owner who's been in support. Of bringing in someone like Deshaun Watson.
What do you think ultimately will happen with Shador? Is he going to be traded before the season? Are they going to move him, cut him? What do you think happens there? No, I think he'll be on the roster as a quarterback and I think they'll end up starting Probably three or four quarterbacks.
Unfortunately, I've seen this covering the Jets and Giants as much as I do. I've seen this go through. You start four games, then you start four games, then you start four games, then you start the last six games.
So like That's probably what I think Cleveland is headed towards. It's a shame because Kevin Stefanski. Is one of the best coaches in the league, and they're just wasting it with quarterback ineptitude.
So I think Shador will be on the roster. I'm not sure that all four will be on the roster. If you ask me which one I think gets moved, I would probably guess Kenny Pickett. But I would also say Kenny Pickett's good start.
So like It's a total crapshoot. I don't think. There's a scenario where another team is trading for Shador Sanders before he plays an NFL game. for all the reasons that he fell to the fifth round in the first place. And I don't think there's a chance situation where the Browns want to move him.
Because I think that there are certainly people around the Browns who think that they got to steal with him in the fifth round if they can just keep his head on straight. Ryan Dunlevy here with us from the New York Post. You talk about quarterbacks getting shots and opportunities.
Well, we have two that are moving into their second year: Jaden Daniels with Washington, one step away from the Super Bowl. And then you go ahead and think about Caleb Williams with the Chicago Bears now under Ben Johnson. Hard pressed to think that Jaden will have a better year than what he did last year. What are your thoughts on what these two QBs will look like in year two? Yeah, I think that's what you like We do this, right?
Like we look for the guy who's going to take the huge leap and start to take the guy. who's who's good for granted. And I think Like Jaden Daniels, like you said, he had maybe the best rookie season we've ever seen.
So. He's probably not going to take a huge leap forward from that. But even if he takes a small step forward or just repeats that, that's real. I mean, you're talking about a guy who's off the historic start. I do expect a big jump from Caleb Williams.
And I know I've seen the practice videos around Twitter where it looks like he's struggling. From what I understand, Ben Johnson's offense is hard to grasp at first, but once you're in it, you take off, right? Uh I fully expect Caleb Williams is a Cerebral dude, but he's still a very talented football player.
So. They've loaded up the skilled players around them. They've built an above-average offensive line and they've given him a head coach. And this isn't working with a guy like. You know, Zach Wilson or somebody who just doesn't have it, Caleb Williams has it and they've put the pieces around him.
I think he had some, I don't know, JR, I don't have the numbers in part of me. I think he had something like 24 touchdowns and six interception pleasure, and everybody acted like he had a terrible year. But by most five years ago, we would have told you that was a great rookie quarterback season.
So I think that all the pieces are there for him to take off. They're just in a situation where. Even if they're even if they're much improved, they could still be the fourth best team in their own division and go something like eight-nine. Remember that year the AFC North had all four teams above uh 500 or at 500? That's what the NFC North could be this year.
It certainly can be. Detroit might take a step back. Minnesota, who knows what we get with J.J. McCarthy, is certainly a lot of uh. a parody in that division.
You had mentioned seeing the Bengals as potential Super Bowl contenders. We know the Eagles coming out of the NFC, they look stacked to go on another potential run. Is that where you would kind of lean early in the season or before the season starts, I would say? My Super Bowl pick as of right now would be Bengals or Ravens, whoever has the Home field in the playoffs. I think it's going to be the Bengals.
So I'll say the Bengals against the. Eagles, that would be my Super Bowl pick right now. Look, America wants Bill's Lions, right? That's what America wants. I just am gonna need to see.
Josh Allen beat Patrick Mahomes in the playoffs before I ever pick it. I mean, we could have this conversation in 2035 when they're both 38 years old, and I'll still be picking Patrick Mahomes because I need to see it. I need to see it and to believe it. And I know Joe Burrow can beat those guys. I don't know that Josh Allen can.
And on the NFC side, look, I love the Lions. But as we saw with the Eagles two years ago. When you lose both your coordinators, offensive and defensive, it can lead to a step back. It puts a lot on the head coach. Dan Campbell's a great like general energy guy.
It's going to put a lot on his offensive and defensive coordinators that they're both first-year guys for a team where it's Super Bowl or bust. The Eagles couldn't do it two years ago, they had to reset again. I don't know if the Lions will be able to do it. If they can, that's a real credit to Campbell. Oh, yeah, Dan Campbell.
He yeah, more biting kneecaps and crushing ankles.
So he's going to have to inspire a whole hell of a lot more of that. Hey, Ryan, thank you so much for the time. Please tell everybody where they could follow you and all of your work with the New York Post. I appreciate you, J.R. Yeah.
All the NFL coverage for the New York Post is on nypost.com. And then uh me personally Twitter, Instagram, at R-Y, Un-L-V-D-U-N-L-E-A-V-Y, like the basketball family. Of which I have no relation, but tried to at one point have a game. There's no three-point stroke like the Dun Levy's none. I have a base l I have one baseline up and under move I like to break out.
That's about it.
Okay, Ryan. Hey, final question before you get out of here. I just thought of it. Are you sick of Russell Wilson? Have you been inspired by any of his quotes yet?
Look, I think it's real. I think he's in a good part in his career where he keeps bouncing from team to team and it doesn't get dropped. It doesn't get stale. I think that stuff would get stale. It obviously did in Seattle, but it's all new here to Giants teammates, the Giants media, the Giants in the building, just like it was new for the Steelers and the Broncos.
So it's energizing at this point. If they're two and seven and it's still relentless optimism, then I think it wears itself out. Yeah, Russell Wilson can do one of those calendars, 365 every day. You rip a new one off, and it's a new inspirational quote on your basket. You can get a new one.
Hey, Ryan, thank you for the time. We'll catch you on down the line, okay? See you, Jared. Thanks.
