Rob, thank you for taking the time to join us!
Great to be with you, I appreciate it. No doubt about it. I guess we can start off with some of the news that we received today. I mentioned some of the names that were let go and cut. Kadarius, Tony, Bailey, Zappi.
No big surprises today when it comes to cut down day. Yeah, I think Kadarius Tony is a name that there's a lot of familiarity with. He was a first round pick by the Giants, got traded in season two years ago, made a strong impact in winning the Super Bowl with the Chiefs, helping them in that game when they beat the Eagles. But then things didn't really escalate well for him from there, and there were some rough moments for him last year.
And with all the additions that the Chiefs made, that was one that we saw coming. Another first round pick in 2021, Caleb Barley from the Titans cornerback, he's gone. So that's three years later that they give up on a first round pick.
You don't see too many teams doing that. Usually you want to be able to give a first round pick, at least his entire rookie contract. But Barley at 22, taken three years ago, he's gone now.
He's looking for a job. But really, Bailey, Zappi, I think we saw that coming. Mike White, who was released yesterday by the Dolphins, who started seven games for the Jets a couple of years, 21 and 22, combined seven starts. I think a lot of folks saw that coming.
So it's not a lot of surprises. There's some guys, as you mentioned, who are going to start the year on the pup list, meaning they're out for four weeks. But for me right now, beyond the cuts, it's the guys who aren't in camp who are holding out or holding in, whatever it may be, because of contract disputes that are really, it's time for them to get something done and to make it happen because they're running out of time. Rob Monti is joining us courtesy of the Associated Press. Let's talk about a few of those names. Hassan Riddick, the man that the New York Jets traded for.
And there's obviously a dispute as to what was said and not said. Do you think we're going to see this man show up to play against the 49ers? There are ultimately, if he wants to get paid, he's got to show up. I think that this was just a poor foresight by the New York Jets. When the Philadelphia Eagles were willing to move on from a premier edgerusher, a guy who had a tremendous impact on them making the Super Bowl two years ago, and is just one of the elite sack men in the NFL, they were willing to move on because they didn't want to restructure his contract, give him an extension, and they traded him to the Jets. The Jets had to know that he wanted a new deal, that he wanted his contract reworked. To be able to make that trade and not have any at all desire to rework it, to redo it, to whatever the Jets are thinking, for a team that is in win-now mode with a small window with a 40-year-old quarterback coming off an Achilles, they're a better football team with Hassan Riddick on the field, even though he's never played a down for them, than they would be without him out there on the field.
So they've got to find a way to get this done, but he's under contract, he's getting fined every day that he's not there, so if he wants to continue to get paid, they know they hold that over him, but it would behoove them to make something happen, to bring in Hassan Riddick. You've got a playmaker on defense, a guy who can really impact the game. He impacted the NFC title game when the Eagles beat the 49ers by knocking Brock Purdy out of the game. That basically won that game and sent the Eagles to the Super Bowl, so he's a big-time playmaker and the Jets got to figure it out. Well, Rob, opposing them that same night, the San Francisco 49ers, they're having their own issues with Trent Williams.
We've seen him sit out with Washington. Do we see the same thing this year, but this time around with the Niners? And that's another situation where the 49ers know how much they need Trent Williams. They can look at their record when he was out of the lineup with injuries last year. I would argue that he's probably more important to the 49ers' success than the other guy, Brandon Naiuk, their wide receiver, who's got a contract dispute because of what he means to the run game, protecting Brock Purdy's blind side, all of that.
Trent Williams is, if not the best, one of the top two or three left tackles in the NFL. And I know he's older and he's got years left on his contract, so that makes it a little bit difficult. But you would think that the 49ers, and they certainly understand his value and his importance, can find a way to make him happy, guaranteeing more money, paying him something more upfront. I think he's going to be out there.
Something's going to happen. The 49ers realize what he means to the team. So I would anticipate him being in the lineup on the field Monday night against the Jets, but it may take another five or six days to get this done. A guy like that, he doesn't need much training camp.
Just plug him in and I'm sure he'll be ready to go. I'm here with us from the Associated Press. Those are those are guys who can actually play all things considered if they were, you know, under contract. Odell Beckham Jr. has signed a deal months ago with the Miami Dolphins. He is on the PUP list.
We got to a Tonga below us saying I haven't even thrown a football to this guy. There's an undisclosed injury here. He had surgery in the off season. What are we expecting from Odell this year? Nothing like we're going to see him in December.
What are we doing? Yeah, if if you're still haven't drafted in fantasy, certainly you don't want to think take Odell Beckham anywhere at all. He's the guy that you might anticipate coming back later on. But that's the team that goes with the run game and Tyreek Hill and Jalen Waddle and anything that Odell Beckham Jr. can give the Dolphins this year is just slicing on the cake. He's got some veteran leadership.
He's been part of the championship team, although he got injured at halftime or in the first half of that Rams Super Bowl a couple years ago. Tua did speak about how how they've developed the relationship off the field. He just hasn't thrown him a pass.
There's no chemistry on the field. It's going to probably take time. Whenever he's ready to go physically, it's going to take some time to develop that. But I'll tell you what, if he's able to step into the lineup at some point later this season, he's going to be a guy that defenses are going to have to account for because he's still Odell Beckham Jr. And then with Tyreek Hill, with Jalen Waddle and the run game they have, he could certainly improve that offense and take it to new heights if he can get himself physically ready to go. So the teams talk about, right, adding guys at the trade deadline.
Maybe the Dolphins don't have to make a deal. They can add Odell Beckham Jr. to kind of give that offense a little bit of a jolt later in the season. Well, Rob, Odell isn't the only dude coming off of a surgery or an injury. We have quite a few players and quarterbacks who are trying to bounce back. Deshaun Watson and his shoulder. We can look at Aaron Rodgers, Deshaun, Deshaun Watson's shoulder.
Well, Kirk Cousins, I should say with his Achilles. Who do you think stands to have the best bounce back season with the team having the best success? I like what the Falcons have been able to do, not only bringing in Kirk Cousins, but some of the pieces that they've brought in, certainly on the defensive side, the offense that they have, the three first round picks the previous three years before Michael Pennix with Drake London, Dijon Robinson and Kyle Pitts. They've got the players there. They brought in Darnell Mooney.
They've got a new head coach. I think they're in a position where they can really compete for the NFC South. The Buccaneers have won it three years in a row, but nobody has really, in that division, stood out and been a team that you saw as being a double-digit win caliber. I still think 9 or 10 is going to win the NFC South. So I like Atlanta's chances, and I do like their head coach. I think since 2006, JR, we've seen a rookie head coach, at least one rookie head coach, go to the playoffs.
So that may be my pick. I haven't finished my season preview yet, but as far as overall impact, Aaron Rodgers has a lot to prove. You know he's someone who certainly is aware of what folks say about him. He was brought to New York to the Jets to end that playoff drought, but not just take him to the playoffs and get to a wild card, but to be the first QB to win a Super Bowl since Joe Namath. I don't think they're in position to get there just yet, especially with the Hassan Redick situation the way it is, but I do feel that if Aaron Rodgers can stay healthy with that defense and some of the pieces around him, they could win the AFC East, especially with some of those losses that the Bills have suffered. So Aaron Rodgers could make the overall greater impact. Kirk Cousins being in an NFC South certainly can step in and help the Falcons, but you know who's going to be drawing the headlines, and it's going to be A. Rod and it's going to be the Jets. As far as Deshaun Watson, this is a big year for him because he really hasn't lived up to expectations. He hasn't proven to be the quarterback that the Browns really gambled on, gave that guaranteed contract to coming off all of the off-field issues he had and brought him in. They go to the playoffs last year thanks to Joe Flacco coming in off his couch in November. So it's a big year for Deshaun Watson, and you wonder what the Browns will do if he doesn't get off to a good start and if he does struggle with Jameis Winston there. It's going to be Jameis time real soon. I can't wait for the memes and the jokes.
Rob, let me ask you this in general. We know the team at the top of the heap. It's the Kansas City Chiefs.
You've got to knock them off. Do you see them going for or actually completing a three-peat? And who has the best chance of knocking them off if that's not the case? I think they're certainly positioned well unless they suffer injuries. If the Chiefs stay healthy, as long as Patrick Mahomes is out there playing, they will have a chance to win every game with Andy Reid coaching. This is a team that has an elite combo at coach and quarterback, the likes of which we haven't seen since Belichick and Brady. And yet they're only halfway there, and I don't know that they're ever going to get there to six.
That's a whole lot that you need to happen, and it includes staying healthy. But they're in a tougher division. You've got Jim Harbaugh now in the AFC West.
You've got an improved Broncos team. You've got the Raiders, who are always going to play the Chiefs tough. And then there's a ton of teams in the AFC, whether it's Aaron Rodgers leading the Jets back to prominence, Buffalo trying to finally get all over the hump with Josh Allen, who's under a ton of pressure. You look at the South that's got Jacksonville and Houston with C.J.
Stroud and Will Anderson and what they were able to do. And don't discount the Colts if Anthony Richardson can stay healthy. And then the North is always tough, J.R., right? There's a lot of teams there. You know Lamar and Baltimore want to get back and get over that hump and get that W. So there's a lot of teams gunning for the Chiefs.
All said and done. I haven't finalized my prediction. I kind of want to pick an Eagles-Chief Super Bowl rematch.
I'm two days away from having to make that decision. I'm kind of leaning towards it, but so much can happen, especially in a tough AFC. And I didn't even mention the Dolphins that we talked about.
They also are going to be competitive enough to be a contender for knocking off the Chiefs. Rob, I got to ask you this last one before we roll out. It's certainly been a topic of conversation over the past 24 hours, especially with C.D. Lamb getting his deal. Do you see Dak Prescott getting a contract before the season? We got a little less than two weeks at this point. What do you say?
Great question. You know, if you would have asked me this two or three weeks ago, I would have said no. And I thought when Dak came in to training camp and talked about this being a business and watching other quarterbacks like Montana and Brady and Peyton Manning and other greats finish their career elsewhere.
And I started to think that the writing, the foundation was laid for a breakup. But we've seen some conversations that have been a little bit more productive. And I know Dak's team is going to want to get it done. I think it would be in the Cowboys best interest to get that done rather than go through the season with a lame duck quarterback and the possibility if he's on the open market, somebody can come in and do to them what Atlanta did to Minnesota by nagging Kirk Cousins away and giving Dak 60, 65. So I would say the odds are higher that it gets done before the start of the season. It wouldn't shock me if it didn't. But if I had to lean one way or another, I'd be probably at 55, 60 percent that it does.
Yeah, I'm leaning that way as well. Hey, Rob, thank you so much. Where can people follow you and all your work with the AP? I know you do a lot with the awards and what have you. A busy guy. Where can people keep up? They can follow me on Twitter at Rob Madian. And everything I do is on AP news dot com as well as just anywhere out there. Fifteen thousand or so different publications. And they use the AP. Well, absolutely.
AP is everywhere. Rob, thank you so much. Appreciate the time and the expertise. Appreciate you, man. Have a great night.
