It’s officially the NFL Combine time!

I have read enough and listened enough. Why are we even pretending that Russell Wilson is going to spend another minute in the employ of the Denver Broncos? There's no way.

There's no way that marriage can continue, right? Oh, no, no, no. It's done. I mean, it's just a matter of whether or not he's going to be a post June one cut. I mean, I am in a, do they want to do the Broncos say we want to take the $85 million cap hit in 2023 or 2024, excuse me, or do we spread it out over two years? That's the, that's really the only thing left to do, except for, of course, this delightful passive aggressive source off between Sean Payton and Russell Wilson. I don't know.

I don't know about you. Like I understand that, you know, it's like, let's get, let's get on with it and quit, quit with this stuff. And then, and then, uh, Sean Payton, Sean Payton goes on. Russell Wilson goes on Brandon Marshall's podcast. He says that he could like you intimates it basically couldn't get like an argument with Sean Payton because he can get loses contract for like, uh, conduct and, and then, uh, Sean Payton, some up means of the combine and how it's like the next Broncos, uh, quarterback.

And he literally said the next, the next guy on the shirt. And so, I mean, I think it's, it's gotten to the point where these two, I didn't really think they would ever mesh just because, you know, people, people like, Oh, Ross is sort of similar to, to, you know, saw to Drew Brees, but I mean, in terms of personality and sort of the, the cutthroat mentality and, and, uh, sort of, I mean, frankly, not dirt bag, but like, you know, Russell's like a robot and Sean Payton is, is very much not. And so I think that marriage, I thought it might work on the field for a year. It was, I think the Broncos were maybe better than we expected after a rough start.

But yeah, I mean, this is a, this thing's over. It's just a matter of who the Broncos next quarterback is. And then where Russ is going to end up, um, in Pittsburgh is not a bad spot for Russell Wilson, depending on any, like they're, they're currently in a debate on HQ. It's like, can you pick it or Mason Rudolph?

It's like, uh, November 20, 24. I've got better choices then. Well, Brinson is joining us here on the Adam gold show. Um, if, if Russell Wilson can be had, uh, because he's going to have to be cut and he's getting a lot of money from Denver based on the contract he signed.

Could Pittsburgh or any other team potentially add Wilson for like, uh, like a cut rate, really small deal. I mean, look, I, who did I see say that he should go to the jets and back up Aaron Rogers? I don't see him as a backup, but, uh, there's the thing though, Russ, this is what he's done too. And look, Russ, not afraid to work the work, the media angle.

And he came out, you know, greater Marshall's podcast. He pointed out that he's like, you know, I wouldn't be willing to take the veteran minimum to go, you know, to go and help a team down, not to be a backup, to be a starter somewhere. And I think that was important.

He wanted to get that out there. Let's not treat this as charity that Russell Wilson is going to make like 40 million in dress this year from the Broncos, because he wasn't willing to change his contract. And that's why they ended up sort of parting ways. I mean, that, by the way, that trade by the Broncos, if you include the contract may very well be the worst trade in history, giving up what they gave up. They rebounded the Seahawks basically, and they wrecked their, they wrecked their current prospects for winning right now. They rebooted the Seahawks who had given away everything to make, you know, trades, you know, year after year after year as well.

So they, they really helped the Seahawks kind of get out from their own problem. So my fantasy is that Russell goes, I'm not even that big a Russell Wilson fan. But my fantasy is that Russell goes to the Raiders and tortures the Broncos for like two years. But I frankly, is it possible that Russ is washed? I think it's probably likely that Russ is wash. Um, you know, it's, he, he wasn't very good his last, at least year and a half with the Seahawks.

Right. And then we have this, you know, this stretch of time with the Broncos with two different characters. I mean, the data hack thing was a disaster and we'll see how that works out for the jets, but they'll go show up, right? If Sean Payton can't fix him and wants to get rid of him to take either an 85 $85 million cap it, or I think it's like, uh, 55 or 65 and 35, whatever, however it works out. If Sean being willing to do that this quickly into the Russell Wilson era, it tells you that he believes he is in fact Washington and it's like, he's not going to bother trying one more year.

That's how, that's how bad things are. So I think the Raiders could work from a standpoint of Antonio Pierce wants to pound the football. Um, you know, Luke Jesse coming over from Chicago, that's, that sort of makes Justin Fields a problem there. Um, I think you could see maybe a really homeless version of, of what we saw from the Seahawks early in Russ's career, where you just run the ball, but you need to resign Josh Jacobs, pound the ball of him. Let Russ do some play action stuff to Devante Adams. But I mean, I think if you're a betting man, you know, Russ washed is probably like minus one 75 Russ Russ back to pro ball. Maybe like two plus two 50.

Well, that's actually a plus two 50 is that it's still not great odds. Uh, well, Brinson is joining us since you, since we mentioned the jets, since we mentioned the jets, uh, what a fascinating soap opera. This is with former jet me, Cole Hardman. So, um, the, I guess he, he says it on Ryan, uh, um, but the podcast, the pivot that, uh, yeah, he was checked out on the jets. Uh, he was asking the, uh, chiefs to bring me back in. He said it to Patrick Mahomes, sent it to chief's brass. Now Joe Douglas is mad. Now it seems that the jets believe that he was giving away, uh, their game plans.

I mean, what, what, what is going on here? Yeah. I mean, if you're the jets, like this is the second straight year that a disgruntled former New York wide receiver has gone to the chiefs, become the super bowl hero, and then drag the New York team in the way to the super bowl. When can areas Tony remember did it last year?

He like flat, he's like, he's like flicked off New York. So it's off the giants with a Super Bowl ring on a string. Right. And now me, Cole Harmon is doing it to the jets. I mean, take, take the W and move on. Um, uh, yeah, I think, um, if I'm the jets, I, you know, you got, you got, you've got me, Cole Harmon. It didn't work out.

You traded him back to the chiefs and he won a super bowl. Like let him do whatever he needs to do and don't engage. Don't engage in this.

Let it go. Nothing, nothing to be gained from the jets in this spot because you're, you're a team that's, you know, been telling you, you know, as well as everyone been terrible for a long time. And you got it. You got to hope Aaron Rogers is healthy this year. If you, if you want to be good in 2024, otherwise probably another reboot coming to that team. Oh, there's another reboot coming.

It's, it's unfortunate. They're going to waste, they're going to waste this defense. They're going to waste the defense that could be like, you know, maybe not historically good, but literally one of the best two or three defenses in maybe a three or four years span in the NFL. They're going to end up wasting it because they sold it all to bring Aaron Rogers in. And meanwhile, they have allowed Zach Wilson to go seek out a trade.

All right, real quick. Drake May has now. It looks like he has fully been established as the number three quarterback in this draft. I don't know.

I really don't. I think Drake May is going to be a very good NFL quarterback. I think his floor is pretty high. I think his ceiling could be massive.

What, what do you, what do you make of this? Number two for me about Jayden Daniels. I saw Nate Tyson, the athletic, and maybe he did a lot of sports either way. Nate did great work, but sort of looking at Jayden Daniels from a perspective of not really throwing over the middle as much. And additionally, um, you know, the size, size-wise, not in terms of like height, but weight, and there's some concerns there, maybe some red flags there with Jayden Daniels. I think Drake May is a great prospect.

Yeah. You know, I think if he goes to a good spot and, um, good coaching staff, like Washington, if they revamp things, I don't know if I trust Chris Kingsbury, but I do think that that coaching staff could put enough around him where he could succeed. Oh, I, I think Drake May is going to be good. Look, I think Washington is a good spot.

You know what they could do? They could draft Drake May, keep Sam Howell, and then you just hire Mac Brown and win eight games a year. On that note, he is Will Brinson. That's fantastic. We're just going to go off with a flourish. We're going to end the interview with a rim shot.

Uh, Will Brinson, senior NFL writer, CBSSports.com, Pick 6 podcast moderator. All right, man. I'll talk to you later.

See you, buddy. Mate, seriously. I mean, legit, credit where credit is due. Right? Right? It's amazing.

Gotta do it. Look, if I were Washington, I know Washington talked up, uh, the brass talked up Sam Howell yesterday, and they should, because I don't see why you would even consider giving away Sam Howell. Look, I look at Sam Howell maybe differently than a lot of people do, and I've always looked at him this way. I think Sam Howell is a backup quarterback for a long time.

There is zero shame in having, oh, a 12-year NFL career as a very good backup quarterback. As somebody who, yeah, he can start, he could, he could give you, you know, a stretch of games if your number one is hurt. That's what Gardner Minshew is.

Gardner Minshew is not on a good team. You're starting quarterback, but he can certainly be on a good team or even a great team. Your backup quarterback, he can get you out of games and, you know, for a few weeks, help you win some when your starter is out. There are very few teams, by the way, that can survive a season-ending injury to their starting quarterback. If you're a legitimately good team, your backup is probably not even close to as good as your starter.

Not even close. So what you're looking for is somebody who can get you out of a stretch of games. That's Sam Howell, man. If I were Washington, that's an asset. So draft whoever you're going to draft at number two. Or they might trade up to number one.

They might because they obviously want Caleb Williams giving the local ties to, I think it's Gonzaga High School in Washington, D.C. So draft who you want at quarterback. Keep Sam Howell. Let Sam Howell play in year one.

Let him play. At some point, they'll do exactly what the Giants did when they had Kurt Warner playing in front of Eli Manning. I think they waited like five games and then Manning took over. Warner certainly wasn't playing bad. But it's about five games and then they up Eli's job.

That's the way to do it if you're Washington. And you have a backup quarterback and you could have a backup quarterback for a long time. Whoever that backup quarterback is. Whoever that starting quarterback is. Whether it's Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels or Drake May.