Marc Ross, Former NFL Executive

Mark, thank you for the time.

My pleasure. Absolutely. I guess at this time of the year, the NFL has made everything a spectacle, even when the owners get together and meet there. They're looking into the tush push. We got coaches talking about Aaron Rodgers. What exactly happens at these owners meetings?

And why the why is the GM's the coaches? Why is everybody talking to everybody? You know, you could do it over Zoom, but you know, you do have to talk through things and the voting on different different roles and, you know, just just a way to kind of touch base with everybody that's there. And the key thing you mentioned. Yeah, the NFL has turned us into a spectacle, you know, before nobody knew what, when, where, what the owners meetings were. But now, you know, we're talking about, you know, we're talking about, you know, we're talking about, you know, it's a big deal and we we broadcast it.

We have people there live. And so it really has taken on the life of its own. Well, you talk about these storylines. The biggest storyline that I feel like multiple teams have had to discuss is Aaron Rodgers and his status. Everybody from the Steelers to the the Minnesota Vikings. But how do you think his situation is ultimately going to play out?

Is he destined to be a stealer? Yeah, I mean, look, it's all been leading to that. And for the Steelers, they have a lot of time. They have to make it work because they don't have a quarterback in. But look, even if they get him, you know, I'm on the boat by myself with this that I've been kind of sick of the whole Aaron Rodgers situation for the past couple years. And, you know, whether he plays for the Steelers or not, he's not going to make them into true contenders. Just as I said this last year when the Jets sees it and the season before when he went to when he got hurt. So, I mean, we make a whole big fuss and a whole deal about Aaron Rodgers and Woody is and is not going to do because of the history. But you're at this point, you're just getting it below your bottom of the barrel quarterback that's going to be captain in your team.

Well, Mark, what do you think this means? What do you think this means for the Steelers if Aaron Rodgers doesn't show up? They can't go the whole season with Mason, can they?

No, they can't. And that's why I said they just really have to make anything happen and then even draft someone as well. And the Steelers really have just kind of botched the whole quarterback situation. With the declining years of Ben Roethlisberger and really not getting out ahead of it and kind of getting desperate and drafting Kenny Pickett in the first round.

And now here they are another year. You know, the whole Russell Wilson, Justin Fields experiments failed as well. And, you know, it looks like whatever happens next year, they'll be going through similar sort of agony there in Pittsburgh.

NFL Network analyst, former NFL exec Mark Ross is here with us on the JR Sportbreeze show. Minnesota, at least, has publicly said that we're not bringing in Aaron Rodgers. We're going to believe in J.J. McCarthy.

Do you think that's going to be true? Are we going to see him out there starting week one? Yeah, I think, you know, with J.J., they have to play. I mean, they moved up in the first round to take him for a reason. They didn't move up in the first round for two years later.

He's just sitting around watching. So, yeah, and we've seen the success of just looking at his draft class last year. And, you know, Caleb Williams had his ups and downs, but ultimately he looks like he's going to be the guy. Jayden Daniels was transcended.

Bo Nix played really well. So, you know, J.J. McCarthy has to be looking at it like, okay, I've been here a whole year and this is the year two for me. And it's time for me to go. And I think bringing Aaron Rodgers in there, I don't think that does it any good for J.J. McCarthy at all. Find a competent backup and let him just give him the keys and let him go. Well, Mark, you talk about two teams that have a choice at quarterback and selecting. We see the Titans at number one. We got the Cleveland Browns drafting at number two overall. Consensus in a lot of places, most people say that you go with Cam Ward and then Chidor is number two when it comes to the quarterback rankings. Do you share in that thought process?

I do. I think Cam is the clear number one. And I think he's the only player in this draft that can really transform a team. That doesn't mean there won't be great players, but the only one that can have a Jayden Daniels effect that can have a C.J. Stroud effect just the last two years. I think Chidor and Jackson Dart are actually very close as far as what they can do and what they can provide for a team. So I think they'll get, you know, Chidor will get taken high, but I don't see him really changing a team. Cam Ward to me is really the only player that has the ability to do that. Well, Mark, you worked in scouting in the Giants and the Eagles or Bills, what have you.

You're familiar with this entire process. We always get so much news and negativity as we go through the draft. And we know a lot of it can be posturing from certain teams.

Do you think that's taken place with Chidor already? Do you think there's also posturing made by him and his dad on their side? Well, I think what happens during draft time is if someone says something remotely negative, you know, people kind of get up in arms. But really, all players have strengths. All players have weaknesses. All players have really good things they do on and off the field, and some have not so good.

And this time of year, you just everyone just wants to hear the positivity, positivity, positivity. If you say something remotely, almost critical of a player, like you're hating on that guy, you don't like him or you're trying to crush him or make a stop drop. And, you know, I don't think that's really the case.

It's just certain people that are giving their opinion. Now, some of the criticism of Chidor, I think, has been kind of unfair. And, you know, Chidor could go in a meeting room at the combine and meet with 20 people on the staff, and there could be one guy that says something negative about him for whatever reason.

And I just may be intimidated by him or whatever. And someone will take that one negative thing and run with it as opposed to the 19 positive things. So, you know, I think Chidor is definitely in a uniquely unique situation in history to have Prime as his father, you know, someone so prominent and to possibly be a top two or three pick. So, you know, they they know their worth, they know their leverage and more power to them for saying, you know what, this is how we operate and this is how we roll.

And Mark, I got to ask you this. We talk about the Browns. They have that that number two overall pick. And today we heard the owner of the Browns, Haslam, basically come out and say selecting Deshaun Watson was just a massive mistake.

Deshaun Watson, he still has to pay him two hundred and thirty million dollars. I've never heard. I've never heard of such a thing like all the Haslam's. Is he out to lunch? Does he not care at this point in time?

Like what are these comments mean? And why? Yeah.

Yeah. Right now for him to say that it really doesn't do any good. I guess he got a mike in front of him and just decided to cut loose. But, yeah, it doesn't do anybody good. It's obvious to anyone that they know it was a colossal mistake. But maybe it is to take pressure off of Andrew Berry and Kevin Stefanski that maybe he finally said, you know what? You know, this wasn't their decision. Deshaun Watson wasn't their call.

This was my call. And if that is the case, I actually kind of actually kind of support him for that if he was taking a blow for his guys as opposed to, you know, throwing them under the bus for for a couple of years and say, yeah, that was their decision. But but overall, we talked about quarterbacks and struggling that they're going to be right there in the same position next year if they don't get a guy. Do you think they should take Chador? You don't think he's a game changer at the QB position? If you were the Browns, what would you do?

Yeah. So, again, with my opinion and what has happened, it's funny. When I first started kind of helping people throughout this process and I would talk about quarterbacks and saying he's not good, that guy's not good. And then we do a mock draft and I put them in the first round like, well, yeah, this is what I think. But this is what teams do. Teams get desperate for quarterbacks every draft. And someone is going to be desperate for Chador, no matter whether I think he's a game changer or not. There's a team that is that thinks he is. And Jackson Darden, well, he might get taken up there. And so, you know, that that's the process that happens every year, even though there are signs with certain quarterbacks and say, you know what?

This might not be the guy you see them get taken high every year. NFL Network analyst Mark Ross is here with us on the J.R. sport reef show Coast to Coast. There is a quarterback here in Atlanta. He's scheduled to be the backup. He's hanging out in Cleveland, taking photos.

And I guess this is his way to show how unhappy he is. That's Kirk Cousins. There's no way he's sticking around with the Falcons, is he? Yeah, I think it's best, you know, number one, I didn't think it was a good signing to start it. You know, I thought they should have gave Pentax the keys a little bit earlier than what they did. But I mean, if Kirk Cousins fools another team and the pain of the money and making them the starter, man, that'll be unbelievable. But I think the best thing for everyone involved is just to just get rid of them.

I know you're going to have to pay them and there's going to be dead money and and all those implications financially. But sometimes, you know, you just have to make those moves in order to just like, all right, Mike, this is your this is your job. This is your role. Nobody's looking over your shoulder. You know, go for it.

So I think that would probably be best. For the Falcons, if we think about the last time we saw some some NFL action, we saw what Philadelphia did to Kansas City, Philadelphia, letting some of their their veterans go, whether they retire or they're being traded away in Kansas City, trying to figure out their offensive line. I know it's early. We have to get through the draft. But who are some teams outside of those two that you're real interested to see what they do this upcoming season? Well, of course, you know, the Titans, number one, doesn't see what they do with that first pick. But, you know, but the former team, the Giants, what are they going to do in quarterback? And, you know, there's no way they're going to roll into the season. China with Brian Dable and GM Joe Shane saying, OK, Russell Wilson and James Winston save our jobs.

But that to me seems as if you just start packing up the office now. We'll see how much, you know, the the commanders were doing the trade. And for agency period, I thought, you know, they really brought in impact players. They signed Keith reason on their own team. And, you know, they made moves. They were in the NSC championship game last year and they made moves to say, you know what? The Eagles were coming for you. And it's our turn this year.

So I love the aggressiveness that they did. See how well the Bears come along with their offseason signings. You know, the Patriots did a really good job and free agency kind of revamping that team. So, you know, the NFL is week to week. Seeing somebody is interesting, but just right from the start, those teams in the offseason so far have done a good job. And Mark, as we wrap up, I do want to follow up on what you mentioned about your former team that you work with, the New York Giants. Would it not kind of give Joe Shane a little bit more runway to work with potentially if he does draft the quarterback to enter into that room? Albeit, it might be crowded. No question.

I was on air today and that we had a segment about that. And I said they got to do whatever they can because, as I said, if you're going into the season thinking Jamison and Russ are going to save your job, you're going to be a good team and you're just not evaluating your own team. Well, you're not about evaluating those players. Well, and you're setting yourself up for failure. But at least if you draft the door, let's just say they get to trade from three to two or Cleveland doesn't take your door.

They end up getting some door, moving back and taking Jackson Jackson Dart. At least you're hopefully buying yourself time with the owner said, let me work with this. Let me work with this young quarterback. I finally got to bring my own guy in here. Let me coach him up for a couple of years and give me give me some time.

Yeah, I think a lot of people don't factor in self-preservation when they think about some of the moves that get made on the NFL side. Mark, thank you so much for your time and for your expertise. Where can people follow and watch you? Well, we'll be passing a draft is going on now.

And that's on the network of the insiders as well. I'm on there at Mark Ross on Twitter and at Mark Ross, too. On IG. Hey, Mark, thank you so much for the time. We'll catch you on down the line. OK, anytime.