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Justin Turner, you are our fan of the game! This is the Rich Eisen Show. If we get the Joe Flacco who is out of F's to give, the fact that people want to get on their phones and show people you're an adult. Live from the Rich Eisen Show studio in Los Angeles. Joe Flacco is my favorite player in the week.
I'm saying real fun. Today's guests: NFL Network Insider Tom Pellisero. ESPN NBA Insider Sham Shirania. ESPN NFL Analyst Lewis Riddick. And now.
And Mr. Rich Eisen. That's right. The law firm of Riddick, Shirania, and Pellisero. Those are our guests today here on the Rich Eisen show here on this Friday.
What's more likely, Friday? Always a lot of fun. Let's hang out and chat over the next three hours right here on the Roku Sports channel, right here on the Infinity Sports Network. Also, SiriusXM Channel 375 and Odyssey. Let's hang out and call us 844-204-Rich.
Number 2DO. We got lots of time for everybody. It's going to be a lot of fun. Game four tonight in Indianapolis for the NBA Finals. Game five of the Stanley Cup final returns to Edmonton all tied at two games apiece after another legendary Stanley Cup final contest last night where the Edmonton Oilers found themselves in a pickle with 19 seconds and change to go when an extra man worked out for the Florida Panthers on an empty net goal of their.
of their own uh force over time and then uh leon dreisidel Lit the lamp and try Saido again? Our friend, Rich Eisen Show, Hockey Maven. Mike Hoskins loves sending the Leons getting larger mean to the entire group every single time that he scores. And it happened again last night. It's his fourth this postseason, which is a record or something.
Um, so um, it's just really exciting. Good to see you over there, Christopher Brockman. How are you? Rich, I'm superb. How are you?
I'm great. Jay Felly's wearing himself some Raiders gear. What's up, man? Damn right, it's me.
Okay. Ah, I missed that one. Yeah. How are you, TJ Jefferson? What's up?
I mean, oh, God. I mean, is this going to be metrolated? No, no, no, no, no. It is going to be metrolated. That's what he does.
When your team is good, life is good. The question is just like, how are you? I'm good. I mean, like, I don't really. No, the weird.
Right. I'm assuming it's good. You're smiling. You've got the candle lit. We're here for another three-hour show.
It's fun. To quote 50 Cent, I wake up, stare at the ceiling. I'm alive with a wonderful feeling. Seriously, with the world seriously burning, you know, right now. I mean, the fact that we get to hang here for three hours and hang out in the toy department.
Yeah. And hopefully we're here for you in that regard. Yeah, definitely. Over the next three hours, 844-204-ITC is the number to dial. And we're going to start the show with what you love, TJ.
And I know you love when we do this. Certainly, again, listen, NBA Finals game four is tonight. Oklahoma City's got to win it. All right. I mean, that's the end of the story.
You can't fall down three games to one and have to win three in a row. The odds are stacked against you already in an NBA Finals. Um that have been tied at one game apiece, the winner of game three. Have won the series 80.5% of the time. Their backs are already up against the wall.
Indianapolis, I'm assuming. Uh will show up in full Gear, full throat, right? I'm assuming Caitlin Clark is going to be there because the Pacers are 8-no when she's there. She's coming, even if she has a game. She's going to have to miss her game when she's going to be a little bit more.
Well, she's hurt. She wouldn't be available. It doesn't matter.
So, yes, I mean, that's what's up in the NBA Finals. And, yes, the Stanley Cup final had an incredible game four last night. Edge of your seat. I mean, it was the third overtime game of the first four of the Stanley Cup final.
Well I mean, that that's that's what I have to say about that, as they say.
So, in a sports world of a sports program, three hours sports talk radio/slash television streaming. Podcast. Not good. You know, puff our chest out. There's many ways you can consume this show.
But for shows similar to this one, what do you do on a day like this? You start with the Dallas Cowboys and you start with Dak Prescott. Naturally, Tell me if I told any lies right there. The key to game four tonight is, you know, well, will Halliburton start shooting from jump? Will he be aggressive?
What's SGA going to do? Oh, the way they're going to handle the pick and roll. I'm worried about all that stuff. Seriously. I know.
Sam Burns is on the heater right now in Alkbond. Oh, that's right. The U.S. Open. The US Open's going on?
Yeah, plus four was, you know, tied for in the 40s yesterday.
Now it's like, what? There's only plus 90 yesterday.
Now it's plus 40, right? You tied for 40. Only eight players under par right.
Okay, here you go. I mean. The course is winning. Sure, we can do this stuff. But I'm rather talking about the Cowboys.
I mean, like I said, these are things I try to save people from, but I'm outvoted. And listen, I think we have reason to. Listen, we talk all the time. Excuse me. We talk all the time on this program about quarterbacks under pressure.
You keep saying me, Chris, these quarterbacks are under pressure. If Kamar doesn't win one, he's going to be, yeah, sure, all these MVPs, but he doesn't want to wake up in the morning and turn on his television and hear that he sucks. Josh Allen. I mean, he's got all the pressure in the world on him. Because he can't get past Kansas City.
Forget the fact. Then he's generationally enriched. and happily married. And everything's pointing up. Like, seriously, when he woke up this morning, do you think he's like, man, I'm under pressure?
Or life is amazing. All right. But your point is like, hey, week one, though. Here we go. Here we go.
The reason why I mentioned these two quarterbacks, not just because they're the last two most valuable players of the National Football League and were one and two in the finishing of this year's awards. Um And that's even counting the fact that they didn't count Tony Dungy's vote. Did you read that one over the last couple of weeks? Yeah, they counted someone else's vote twice. instead of his once by accident.
Hmm. I mean yeah, I mean the Associated Press usually is Loose with facts? Wait a minute. I'm told they're not. Listen.
My point is this. I bring these two guys up because they face each other week one, Sunday night football. Yeah, let's go. The pressure will be on. It will be on.
Right off the bat, but you know, I keep saying, no, no, no. Pressure is most On the line. when your job is on the line. Or your ability to continue doing your job. could be on the line.
Or The way you do your job puts other people's jobs on the line.
Now that. is pressure.
So Why would Dak be in that department? He's making $60 million a year, right? Didn't his lovely bride. post photographs of their Latest trial? Yeah, recently.
Okay. Was it his first? I don't know. Second, right. Happy Father's Day to you, Dak.
Um And, you know, Brian Schottenheimer is new to the gig.
Well, are they going to want and done him? Don't answer that question. I believe. No. The pressure.
The man who once upon a time said pressure just makes diamonds, right? Remember that? Jack was the guy who said pressure makes diamonds. That's how you get them. I like it.
This is what he had to say about winning a championship, which as you know. Dallas has been in search for for Quite some time. Yeah. Hit it. Yeah, I want to win a championship.
The legacy, the things, whatever comes after I finish playing will take care of itself. I want to win a championship. Be damned if it's just for my legacy or It's for this teams for my personal being for my sanity. Um Yeah, the legacy will take care of itself. I I I have to stay with my feet though.
For his sanity. Ooh, baby. His sanity. Yeah. And yours too, I imagine.
Well, the thing is, this is why I hate sound clips because they cut it off right before he said in TJ, and I wanted to win it for him, too. But they cut that off.
So editing. Yeah. For his sanity and mine, and yours. You know? For that piece of paper I refused to sign.
Well, because you won't sign that piece of paper because you do believe they have a shot. Add the title this year. Do I?
Well, I mean, again. I do. Look, listen, you've got to believe that. If you are a fan and you are a fan, and for your own sanity, because I imagine. This is the sort of stuff that would make one go insane.
Right here on the screen. That'll make you go nuts. You know.
Somebody sends you all these balloons and flowers when your team does not perform well against the team that eventually does go on to win the series. I wonder what you were whispering to Hoskins about a second ago. And I was like, yeah, put the picture up. Just thinking about it and just put the picture up. Hey, feller, not you too.
A2, Jason, A2. But you have to believe they've got a shot at the title this year. I think if you're a fan, you have to go in there every year that you have. And just take a look at the Indiana Pacers right now. Coming into the season, no one's like, that's the team.
That's the teams that come out of the Eastern Conference. That's the team that's going to catch fire. That's the team that's going to win damn near 60 games after the. They started. Won 47 regular season games in 2025, and you could see they are now two wins shy of the title here, which means you could plus them up.
14 in that wind department. Thus, 61 wins in 2025. Nobody had that for the Indiana Pacers. Why not the Dallas Cowboys? Why can't Dak be the Halliburton?
Why can't CD CeeDee Lamb? Be the Siakam. Right. Yeah. Why can't George Pickens?
Be the Benedict Matherin of the equation here, even though he doesn't come off the bench. Seriously, why can't. Why can't we? Why can't well, I mean. There's reasons.
But there's why can't... Brian Schottenheimer be the Ric Carla. Britt Carlisle. Wanna ring you in Dallas. Facts.
And you got a quarterback that's thinking about it. That's what I take out of it. Everybody think Dax is going happy-go-lucky on his life. We see his Instagram life. It looks pretty happy-go-lucky, but he's clearly.
needing for A championship. to help his own sanity, which leads me. to now giving you Chris Brockman what you like. Top five list. The whole boy.
Of the quarterbacks most under pressure in 2025. I don't think you will like the list. What? The topic, the subject matter is not going to include. The top five you're like.
I don't think you're going to like the list. Hit it. Five. One, two, three, four, and five. Riches, top five.
All right, here we go. Hold on, let me get my always first environmental notepad. Here you go. Here you go. First to last.
All right. This is a pressure. Remediation. Yeah. Number five on this list is Tua Tungo Vailoa.
He's got a long term contract. Uh, that he's just beginning on, right? I mean, it was an extension.
So he's got a lot of runway contractually. But we've got to see him stay healthy. We've got to see him stay healthy. This is the only one on the list of. Of somebody who's under pressure in the manner in which you call it, Chris, which is.
You don't want to be talked about. You don't want to be looked at as an albatross contractually. Or a cinder block tied to the rest of the franchise. as you're thrown into the deep end of the of the Florida keys. Like that's that's what we got to get.
you know He's definitely under pressure this year. Zach Wilson is right behind him. And right behind him. You know? Is a large step down, one would think, potentially.
For Mike McDaniel, who needs this guy to have this offense run as high-powered as possible, I'm putting two at number five on this list. Number 4 on this list.
Somebody who is looking to become The latest quarterback in the category of didn't work out in his first spot. But look at him now in his second or third spots. You know what Trump's talking about. I'm talking about the Jared Goffs. The Baker Mayfields of the world, right?
Okay. Sam Darnold. Right. You're in year four, year five, year six, year seven, you're in eight. Age 26 through 30, and you're getting your other shot.
Now you're finally in the right spot. I'm going Daniel Jones here. Daniel Jones is number four in this list. If he shows up in Indianapolis and has the same issues that we saw with the Giants. Number one, this would help Dayball saying, see, it wasn't me.
It would also be one of those situations where where do they go now if Richardson turns out to be. Injured. What happens next? What happens to Shane Steichen? And again, you know.
We have no idea. what the daughters of Jim Ursa how they're going to run this franchise. We don't know. That's true. That's true.
Okay. I've been winning the bet like they're dead. And so we don't know. And let's talk about pressure. That's number four on this list.
Number three on this list. Could be last rodeo. Most likely, the last rodeo. And I understand he's a first ballot Hall of Famer, doesn't matter. But this is his last shot.
At a title. I'm putting Aaron Rodgers right here, number three on the list. I don't think he's going to feel pressure. As you know, he's. He's doing this for his soul.
And we also know whatever's going on between his temples. He has a firm grasp on what makes him smile and what makes him wake up and breathe the air and Chew on bark. Uh checked. Yeah. I mean, for the football aspect of it.
It's the last shot here, right? I mean And if he does get one more year next year, it means because he went on a deep run and he's shown that he's got the Brady in him in his early 40s. Right. So So that would be What's at stake? If he wants to keep playing, he's got to play well.
If he doesn't want to keep playing anymore, then this is the last rodeo, which means he's got to make the most of it. Which means that's pressure. Number two. Um I'm gonna put my guy here. because he's got the quarterback whisperer as his head coach.
And there are a lot of Vikings fans that are wondering if J.J. McCarthy is the real deal. I don't think he's going to feel the pressure. I think he's got a great head on his shoulders. And he is gonna nail it.
But Outside looking in here. He's got a Ferrari. being handed to him. And we'll find out if he's Andretti or he's Ferris Bueller's. Day off.
You gonna crash it? Or is he gonna go and just... Hit the winner's circle. Yeah. Because they told Sam Darnold, thank you for that great season, but we're going to the kid.
That's number two, and then number one. He's on the list. He said it's for his sanity. It's deck. Come on, Joe.
Yeah. It's first Saturday. Right? Self-admitted. And if he doesn't do it, if it doesn't work out, then it'll fall on the coach.
You know it. I know it. And you know, deep down, Jerry loves hanging on to guys, he doesn't want to dun people. Yeah, so that's I know it. Why I'm hesitant to agree with you.
Yeah, okay. I heard that. I'm like, wow. We gotta get this guy title. Or at least make a nice run of it.
is marvelous. It's time, man. Number one, interesting. Number one. A fourth round pick.
I heard. Go, come on now. We're so beyond that. Wow. I'm still saying, like, we are so beyond that.
People take that stuff into consideration. You have one more. I did not know this.
Well, it's not just one more, it's a lot of one. More. I went back and forth. And I'm just deciding to say every single quarterback at MetLife Stadium. All of them.
Is it Russell's last ride? I know Jameis doesn't have much pressure, but does he want to be a backup? The rest of his career, just a guy who comes in and gives you some energy for four to six. If need be, Eaton W's. You know?
If Tommy Cutlitz gets in there, look out. Yeah. And then this is Justin Fields' opportunity. The jets are Could the Jets be the last team to basically say, this is your gig? This is your team?
Welcome to our franchise. This is your team. He's still a young guy. He is. But This is a talented team that he is being handed.
I think he's got a better offensive roster than he's ever had in Chicago. Ever had in Chicago. And it's better than the one that he had last year in Pittsburgh, with all due respect. Maybe not Pittsburgh had a better offensive line in front of him than the Than maybe what the Jets have right now. I don't know.
We need to see it. There's a lot of younguns on that line. We'll see. But that's Brees Hall. That's Garrett Wilson.
You know? Those are my Top five quarterbacks under the most pressure in 2025. Uh, you're right. I don't like it. I don't like the list.
I know because there's no MVPs on it, there's no people that need to win the Super Bowl in order to be considered great. Here's the deal: those people are fine, Chris. They don't need to win. I buy Dak being on this list, and then maybe the one more could have been Rodgers, but. People without expectations don't have pressure.
Okay. I hear you. In my opinion. That's my list, and I'm sticking to it. Let's take a break.
What the hell's happening with the Bengals? I need to know. Shamar Stewart A rookie. Leaves camp over a contractual dispute. That much more with Tom Pellisero coming up next.
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Venmo purchase restrictions apply. Back here on the program, let's bring him in because we're late. Ladies and gentlemen from NFL Network, NFL Media Group, the one and only, the man who puts the plus and NFL plus. Tom Pillisero. Good to see you, Tom.
How are you, sir? That is the best of all the intros you've given me right there, Rich. What's up to my boys in the studio?
Okay, hold on, this is coming to you. Oh, we're good? You're an adult. Like, be an adult. Thank you.
That's Flacco chiming in right now. We're great. Actually, that's what he's telling you. If you plan to text him photographs during this time, I'm not only planning to text him, I'm texting this video I'm taking right now. Being adults.
I will say, we took a photo afterwards of the three of us, and Tommy P posted it on Instagram last week. That's all I'm saying. That's fine. Just being adult.
So For the record, I'm responding to text messages and to lining calls from other people that are not sitting across from you right now. Thank you, Tom. It's not us. It may be June 13th. It's not us.
Look, my phone is not. Hey, listen. No, no, no. Listen, man. And I appreciate that, Tom, because trust me.
When information men and women appear on this program, I know when they're checking their phones, and I know if they're able to put it away and give me the 15 to 20 minutes of undivided attention that appearing on this program, I believe it requires. I see it all. and I talk about it behind their backs. Wait a minute. Am I wrong?
Rich, did you see Tom's eyes glance to the side when my text went through to him? No, that was somebody else. That was someone. Stop it. Not banned from our show, so it's like perfect.
For the record, Rich, I have their text muted. Their thread is muted, so I don't get the alerts like I do all the other stuff. Oh, that's kind of messed up, too. I see it, it just doesn't come in in real time as much as I want. Ladies and gentlemen, I pick it up.
To balance all worlds for you. That's really the important thing. Ladies and gentlemen. Tommy P. I don't know.
Don't make me shut down the internet like they do on those commercials when the parents get upset with their kids. Just don't make me do it. Parental controls. All right, Tom. How are you?
You good? Everybody good in the studio? We're good. We can now start. We can start.
All right, I'm in early. All right, very good. Tom Pellisero, who has told you a lot about Granger when he sits in this chair as a guest host back here on the Rich Eisen Show, as an NFL Network insider and friend of the program. What is happening with Shamar Stewart? What is in that contract that caused.
a rookie to call out the team for Putting more energy in winning arguments than games before he leaves camp, Tom. That is not what we normally see in the National Football League. No, and I think that that was really the rare part of this, Rich, was Shamar Stewart flat out calling out the team, not just over his own contract situation, but also saying, hey, if it were me, I'd give Trey Hendrickson all the money. Like, here you go, but I guess that's not how they operate. The quotes were unique, but the situation is only unique in that Shamar Stewart declined to sign a participation agreement, which is very common among unsigned rookie draft picks.
There was a time, or it's not that long ago, as you know, before the 2011 collective bargaining agreement, when most of these rookie deals, at least the first rounders, did not get done in the early stages. And there were more holdouts and there were more deals that didn't get done until July and August. And players would sign a participation agreement, which covered everything from rookie camp through the mandatory mini camp. It does not apply in training camp. In order to participate on the field in training camp, you have to have your final contract done.
Well, Shamar Stewart's the rare player who also declined to sign the participation agreement for seven. Separate issues, but when it comes to his actual contract, why this deal is not done yet, it boils down to this: the Bengals are trying. To set a new precedent in terms of their contract language, putting in, and it's complicated, but the simplest way I can describe it is default language. That if you mess up once, it voids the rest of your contract. They have not historically had that language in their contracts, which surprises some people around the NFL because the Bengals have probably taken more chances from a character and background perspective on their high draft picks than anybody else over the past couple of decades.
Here, they have not had that forfeiture language, that default language in place. They're trying to put it in the contract now. They did it across all their rookie deals. The NFL Players Association in the past, there was a big issue several years ago when a bunch of teams tried to do this. And the NFL PA advised all the agents, hey, don't let your guys sign this because the moment that one first-round pick signs it, that then has the precedent that everybody else until the end of time is going to have to have that same language in their contract.
Does it come up very often? No, you see every now and then somebody commits a violation and they could void their contract. And if you have specific Language in there that can happen. All that boils down to this, Rich. This should not be.
As big of an issue as it is. And there is a point at which this is detrimental to everybody involved. But you also can see it from the Bengals' perspective: hey, we want our language to mirror what other teams around the NFL are doing. Abdul Carter was drafted at number three. He's got this language.
From Shamar Stewart's perspective, or his agent Zach Hiller, it's okay, that's fine, but. The Giants have always had that language in. You're trying to make our guy the first one to take this language.
So for now, and Shamar Stewart left on the final day of minicamp yesterday. We'll see where this goes in the next five weeks or so. None of this is getting the Bengals any better at playing football at a time that they also are in a spat with their NFL's reigning sack leader, Trey Hendrickson. Sam Hubbard retired in the offseason. For Bengals defense that gets a lot better, every rep miss, particularly for a guy like Shamar Stewart, doesn't help you win football games in 2025.
So it would be a precedent. for Bengals' draft choices, not All draft choices for all 32 teams. There are some. Franchises that do have this language in the contracts for rookies. It's just the Bengals have never had it and now they're trying to institute it.
Is that what you're saying? Correct. And so there are many teams that have similar or identical types of void language, default language in the contracts. If they came to Shamar Stewart tomorrow and offered him the exact same contract language that Amarius Mims, their first round pick last year, had, Shamar Stewart would sign. But they're trying to have their language mirror other clubs, even though, and this should be noted, the Bengals also don't pay out their bonus money on the same schedule that our teams do.
I think this is one thing that fans don't necessarily understand is that every team has different historical structures. They have different contract language. It is not blanket across the league. Different teams have different clauses. Different teams pay out, like some teams, for instance, will pay out 70% of the signing bonus and defer the other 30 until next year.
There's some teams that pay out everything up front. Everybody does things different. The only thing that you have to go on is precedent.
So there's this constant back and forth. People can ask why, in this day and age, when all these contracts are slotted for rookies, how in the world do you ever have holdouts? How are any of these deals complicated to do? A lot of it comes down to language, and whether it's a team trying to set a new precedent, like the Bengals are in this case, or it's an agent trying to break what they might feel is unfair precedent that another club has had. That's where sometimes these things can end up taking longer than they otherwise would.
And Shamar Stewart just happens to be, again, not a unique argument. These language things happen all the time. But the fact that he's not practiced once since the draft, that part of it is unusual. Certainly, when he got drafted, we were talking about it during commercial breaks on occasion over the three-day draft. uh mentioning that maybe this is Trey Hendrickson insurance, right, by drafting Shamar Stewart at a at a um an edge position.
So Now that guy isn't there practicing, and Trey Hendrickson, as we all know, wants his money. Where does that stand? I mean, Where do we go from here? I always say this, Rich. There is no close.
There is only done or not done. There are a lot of people that in the Trey Hendrickson situation would argue they're not that far apart. This is a deal that could get done, but the Bengals are, you know. Pretty committed at times to the way that they want to get contracts done. Trey Hendrickson is very much dug in on his position, which is he does not want another one-year extension like the one he signed a couple of years ago, which put him in the position that he's in right now.
He wants a multi-year commitment. He wants guaranteed money. There's a bunch of different ways that they can get there, but they're not seeing eye to eye on this right away. I think there's a lot of other teams, Rich, quite frankly, when you've got a guy who's coming off of leading the NFL in sacks and has had, what, 18 sacks, I think, two years in a row, one of the most productive players. He doesn't miss games.
He's 31, but that is not on the older end for that position. We've seen pass rushers play very well, defensive linemen play very well into their mid-30s, and he's not trying to break the bank. He's not trying to get above Miles Garrett, which was four years and $160 million, $40 million per. My understanding is he's not trying to get above that. He's trying to get a fair deal that's in line with the Max Crosby's and the Of the Danil Hunters that we've seen through the course of this offseason.
He feels like his play on the field has earned it. We know from Trey's own words that he feels like the Bengals told him a year ago when he initially requested a trade. Then rescinded it, showed up and played out. That hey, if you play at that same level, we'll take care of you in a year. And he doesn't feel like they've done that to this point.
The other thing that sometimes complicates these deals is Trey Hendrickson is only, and I use that term liberally, but only do $16.5 million this year. That is less than half of what the top pass rushers make. What that creates complications with, and this is broadly speaking across contracts, is when you're talking about cash flow and you start from a very low number, it's hard to make the numbers work without completely front-loading a deal just to make sure that the cash that's going into the player's account makes sense, but also that you're not ending up with a tiny number in the final year, which is something that clubs generally don't want to do. And so there's a give and take here and there's a byplay. The leverage for the Bengals is: hey, if you don't take the best offer we're willing to make you, then you're going to come in and play for the 16.5 or else you're going to lose a million dollars a week.
Top of the fines, the bonus forfeiture that could add up to three, four million dollars through the course of camp. Trey Hendrickson has said, Well, I don't care. I'm not showing up and playing on this contract. I believe that this will get done, Rich. I believe it'll end up being a multi-year extension just because I don't think that they want to do a one-year extension.
They've talked about a variety of different options. Past few days, and Trey Hendrickson, like Shamar Stewart, not in Cincinnati, as many camp concluded, which once again leaves the Bengals as a team facing some level of drama here as we head into the break before training camp. Yeah, I hear you. And Bengals drama will always get our attention in the media, that's for sure. Certainly when it's contractual, but you got to give it up.
I mean, they did get T. Higgins signed. They did get Jamar Chase signed. And you're saying that this is all going to eventually come out in the wash. I mean, McLaurin's not where we're Where the commanders want him.
TJ Watt isn't in Pittsburgh right now. I mean, quarterbacks taking snaps. You know, in Cleveland right now, I mean, anything over the past week. Tom? that you think actually Uh gives you a bellwether to what's going to happen by week one?
You think all these contracts are going to get Solved or the way that reps have been split, say in Cleveland, it gives you a window into anything? Anything mini camp-wise this week, do you think? actually is going to stick is what I'm saying. TJ Watt not showing up for minicamp is significant just because not many players hold out for minicamp. There were only four this year so far that flat out didn't show up.
But TJ Watt, I anticipate a deal is going to get done there eventually. Mike Tomlin said as much yesterday. He's due $21 million in the last year of his contract.
So again, you're talking about coming from a smaller number and also a player who's 31. He has played through a lot of injuries, but he has been banged up over the past couple of years. In the second half of last season, TJ Watt and the Steelers' defense as a whole just didn't play that well. And so the question is with a player of that age, above all else, what's the guaranteed money that's going to take to get it done? Are you comfortable with a player at that age paying upwards of $100 million in guaranteed money on a multiple-year contract extension?
I believe that ultimately they're going to get there just because TJ Watt's really important to a Steelers team that, I mean, shoot, they just signed a 41-year-old quarterback. They're clearly not thinking, hey, let's try to win three years from now. They are in win-now mode as they are every year with Mike Tomlin, who. Himself is at least somewhat on a year-to-year basis as he enters his 19th season as the Steelers head coach. I at least believe that that.
And the Trey Hendrickson situations well could be something that we're still talking about prior to most teams reporting, which I believe is on July 23rd. In terms of the quarterback competitions, the fact that in Indianapolis, Daniel Jones took all the reps because Anthony Richardson, once again, is dealing with an injury. You would anticipate that that's going to give Daniel Jones some level of a leg up. But there are still people in that organization who are hoping that a guy that they bet on the upside with in Anthony Richardson is going to figure it out. It's year three.
It's go time if it wasn't already for Anthony Richardson.
So let's see what happens. When he's able to get back on the field here, obviously, we've got a competition with the Saints that would seem like it's Tyler Shuck versus Spencer Rattler. We'll see how that one goes as we get into training camp. And in terms of the Browns, you know, Kevin Stefanski keeps saying, don't read into the reps, don't read into the order. They don't need to give Joe Flacco a ton of reps in May and June.
He's 40 years old, can serve his body, can serve his arm. I know I've said it before, Rich, but the way that they come out, I believe, in the first week of camp, not the first day, because sometimes you mix it up day to day. You want a guy taking it with the twos one day, the threes the next day. Let's watch the first week of training camp, how they spread out those reps. It is hard to give four guys equal opportunities here.
Let's read into what takes place over that first week of training camp in July. That'll give us a good tell of what it's going to look like come the first preseason game. And after that first preseason game, usually in that second week of the preseason, Rich, that's when, even if the team doesn't announce it for multiple weeks. weeks after that, that's when you have a pretty clear indication what direction things are going to go. Um You dropped a pretty big morsel during that soliloquy, Tom.
I kind of feel like one of my dogs. When I drop something on the floor, they just kind of like, wait a minute, is that they go right up. to that little piece of banana that might have fell on the floor there. You know? And they scoop it up, which is great because I don't have to bend over to throw it out.
But that's a long-winded way of saying, wait a minute. Tommy's year to year. Is that what's happening right now? We don't have any insight as to what happens contractually. Are he and the Steelers on a year-to-year basis right now and uh who who's at and who's doing Is that happening?
that you're willing to share here, Tom? My belief is Mike Tomlin will be the head coach of the Steelers for as long as he wants to be, but he's entering his 19th year. There is not a lot of precedent in the modern NFL, Bill Bella checked aside, for somebody going on 20 years with one team. It just doesn't happen. And there's a variety of reasons for that.
Mike Tomlin, we all know, has never had a losing season in Pittsburgh. He has a lot of influence over all aspects of the organization. Personnel, look no further than Aaron Rodgers, who Mike Tomlin stumped for from the start, basically from the moment that they knew that they weren't going to be able to get Justin Fields back, that the Matthew Stafford trade was not going to happen. Rogers was the guy that Tomlin was willing to say, I'll go through the whole spring without this guy here. And he ultimately got his guy.
But at the same time, every year, Rich, we have a story of some team reaching out on Mike Tomlin. Could you end up trading for him? Every year, there's some level of rumblings about could Mike Tomlin, you know, Decide to do something else. You know, could he go into broadcast? There's a lot of different things that he could choose to do.
I'm not saying he's sitting there right now thinking about I'm going to walk away after the season. I would just say anytime that you get into these types of situations and every year we're talking about what somebody's future is going to be, that's going to give you a pretty clear indication that you're on a year-to-year type of a basis. You look at what they've done, you know, really over the past several years here. Ben Rothesberger, they rode him until the wheels came off. They tried to with Kenny Pickett.
There were a lot of factors in why Kenny Pickett did not work out in Pittsburgh. There were the injuries, there were the concussions. There was an offense that just wasn't particularly functional. As a whole, but since then, you know, it was let's plug in Russell Wilson, Justin Fields, let's try to win right now. It didn't end up working out, though they got to the playoffs.
Now it's let's plug in Aaron Rodgers and try to win right now. The Steelers are never a team that is looking to blow things up and let's go three and three and 14 for a couple of years and start over here. But they certainly have a very veteran roster that is built to win right now. You're paying the Cam Haywards year after year. You're probably going to pay TJ Watt again.
You've got a 41-year-old quarterback now in Aaron Rodgers. You are thinking the window right now, even in a really competitive AFC North to win is here. Sure. You know, the results influence everything here. Mike Tomlin's own wishes influence things.
I don't foresee. And nothing about the history of the Rooney family would indicate that they would fire Mike Tomlin. I talked with our Rooney about this last summer. What he said was: you know, my standard is: as long as the locker room is still listening to the coach and we believe in the coach. There's no reason to make a change.
And that's what Art Rooney picked up from his father, from his grandfather. That's how the Steelers have always run the organization. But again, when the calls keep coming on Mike Tomlin, and when you're coming up on 20 years as a head coach, it's only natural that at some time everything is going to come to an end. Mike Tomlin will be the one, in all likelihood, to choose when that comes. We'll see how this season goes, and I'm sure we'll be talking about the future again in December.
No, and I hear you, Tom, but you know, year to year, that's one thing. When the other option is a three-year deal, plus one, you know, and you know, if we want to part ways, we'll figure out some sort of monetary arrangement, you know, but I mean Do we know? Is it just a tack a year on? That's it? Is that the actual mechanism that's happening?
Or is he on a, this is the last year of his deal? No, he's been on a series, he's been on a series of multi-year contracts. He's not in a contract year right now. Generally, I believe they've done like three-year contract extensions with him. But again, you know, I don't anticipate Art Rooney ever trading Mike Tomlin.
I don't think that Art Rooney fires Mike Tomlin. Does Mike Tomlin at some point say, I need to do something different? If he were to initiate the conversation, I think that it's something that all parties would listen to. But again, they feel like they've got a really good coach, they haven't won a playoff game in eight years. There's no question that there is some level of pressure, you know, particularly locally, to try to take another step here.
But there's a belief in Mike Tomlin that goes far beyond just any number of the record or playoff appearances or anything else. This guy's still a really good football coach. And if you were to move on from him, Do you know that you're getting an upgrade? They believe that they've got one of the top coaches in the NFL. But again, if at some point Mike Tomlin just decided, you know what, at this stage of my life and career, I want to go and see someplace else.
That's what I mean by year-to-year here, which is it's a topic every single year as we get later on into the season of could somebody trade for Mike Tomlin? Could he decide to go someplace else? That part just isn't going away, and that's the nature of the NFL. Tom, thanks for the time, man. Appreciate it.
No one texted you, right, during this conversation? No, I got one video from TJ.
Sorry, TJ. My goodness gracious. In my defense, I made my intentions clear. It was early. It was early while we were still doing that low, just for the record.
Come on, just you're an adult. Like, being an adult. Thank you. I don't know how. Tom, thanks for the timeout.
That's Tom Poster or Tom and B. I'll text you later, Tom. Roll baller, Lonzo ball for Buzz Balls, ready to go cocktails. Take 12. Buzz Balls just dropped their biggest blue balls.
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So um listen, we just heard from Pellisero talking about He said, Mike Tommin's kind of on a year-to-year situation.
Now I'm like, wait a minute, contractually? And it looks like apparently spiritually. That that that he is uh under contract. Um For more than just this year, into the future. And I know I always it's like a third rail subject between yours truly and Pittsburgh Steeler fans and Jinzers who are sick and tired of the Tomlinisms after all this time.
And The lack of playoff wins. I mean, they're closing in on if they don't get one this year, they'll be. just shy of a decade in between The present day and their last playoff win. Yeah, they ain't gonna fly. But I'm just saying again, one more time, again.
For those in the back. He would have a job two seconds flat if the Steelers ever said we're done now. He would go somewhere else and he would potentially have his Andy Reid moment. I guess then you will be in the world of. figuring it out.
You go find somebody as good as him who reaches. into the hearts and souls of veterans. and young players alike. And the fact that you don't hear another word about it. isn't because he rules with such an iron fist.
And woe to anybody who actually speaks ill of Tomlin from his own locker room. It's just that he does have the grasp of the locker room and the hearts and minds of these players. I am sure. He had Aaron Rodgers at Hello. Rogers just was probably, I think, if he.
Outside of whatever he was dealing with personally, if I had to guess. He was just. Maybe part of him was like Is it possible I can sti I I can wind up at the Rams? Is it possible the Vikings might take me? The United States Soccer Federation presents the U.S.
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