Start your day with Quaker Protein Instant Oatmeal, the instant oatmeal ready to help you tackle whatever your day brings. like wrinkling your toddler into their car seat. Yeah, it's fun. Coaching your sixth grader soccer team. Little girls!
And carrying all the groceries. In one trip. Try Quaker protein, instant oatmeal, granola, and bars. Great taste and a good source of protein. Quaker, bring out the good.
The world moves fast. Your workday, even faster. Pitching products, drafting reports, analyzing data. Microsoft 365 Copilot is your AI assistant for work, built into Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and other Microsoft 365 apps you use, helping you quickly write, analyze, create, and summarize.
so you can cut through clutter and clear a path to your best work. Learn more at microsoft.com slash m365 copilot. This is The Rich Eisen Show. Hey, everybody! Can't get enough of The Rich Eisen Show?
You're in luck. You can find us everywhere. Watch us weekdays on Disney Plus from noon to 3 Eastern. Miss the show? We've got a podcast, so you can listen anytime.
But here's the best part. Our YouTube channel. Subscribe at youtube.com slash rich Eisen Show and you'll never miss a moment.
Now, on with the show. Coach, what do you think went wrong? What do you mean? This is the Rich Eisen Show. Upset Madness, VCU!
The Rich Eisen Show. The High Point Panthers, Stun, Wisconsin. We played somebody now. Earlier on the show, actor Josh Dumel. High Point men's basketball coach Flynn Klayman.
Basketball Hall of Famer Chris Weber. Coming up. NFL Network Insider Tom Pellisero. And now, it's Rich Eisen. Hour three of the Rich Eisen Show here on this March Madness round of 64 Friday edition on Disney Plus, as well as the ESPN app, as well as SiriusXM Channel 80 and our ESPN radio affiliate network, Coast to Coast.
We say hello to all of you in 20 minutes' time. Tom Pellicero will join us with the latest in the National Football League.
Meanwhile, as we come on the air here, top of hour number three, less than five minutes to go. Kentucky on top of Santa Clara by three. Texas Tech on top of Akron by nine. With 15 minutes to go in the second half of that one. Virginia in Wright State in the early stages.
Arizona taking on Long Island in the battle of yes, one versus 16 seed. But the battle of who has the best iced tea. 29 to 18 is a score right there. I saw that one online, but I appreciate the courtesy laugh anyway, Mike. Good to see everybody here.
We already had a great chat with Chris Weber last hour and Flynn Klayman, the head coach of High Point Basketball. Just Got off the zoom with him, our number one, the very handsome And devilish Josh Dumel was in studio in hour number one. If you missed anything, there's our YouTube channel and so much more. Boy, do I love when my takes get better every day. And it's great.
Um I was talking yesterday about why can't the Lakers make a run for the finals, and that was met. Across the aisle with a bit of a scuff. I agreed with you. Um And I understand why there would be a scoff because the Lakers, since they've gotten Luka with LeBron. Um haven't really been able to put it all together in a way where it looks like they're getting better, ascending, and also potentially unstoppable.
And then this week happened. to cap off what we'd already seen. And they've now won eight in a row. And they are clearly right now the three-seed going into these playoffs in the Western Conference. and getting better and stronger.
They came up with two wins in Houston, one on Monday, one on... Wednesday, and we went off the air yesterday where the Lakers listed LeBron and Luca and Austin Reeves as questionable for the night. last night in Miami, and LeBron said he's playing. And then according to Austin Reeves after the game, they said, well, the 41-year-old's playing, I'm playing, and then Luke is like, I'll play too. And Luca scored 60.
Yeah. Yada yada yada. With a stat line, 18 of 30 shooting, 9 of 17 from 3, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 5 steals. Only the fifth 60-point five-steel game in league history. Joining the last guy who did it, James Hardin.
Alan Iverson before that in 2005, Michael Jordan in 1993, and Rick Barry in 1974, and that's it. And that's it. The last 60-point game, the Lakers. had seen from one of their own Kobe's Career finale. And he only took 19 free throws.
Wow. Uh-huh. And you could see Lukas basically passed out when he came out of the game. And this is a guy who's in better shape. than he's been in recent years, but I the Lakers haven't been in this great a shape just period.
In quite some time. Certainly, when you're entering the late stages of March, 100 points for Luca in the last two games. And LeBron, how did he fare at age 41? on his back-to-back would a triple-double surprise you. Started the game 7 for 7 from the field.
He was 13-14 the night before. Finished with 19 points of 8 or 12 shooting, 15 boards, 10 assists, second triple-double of the season. Austin Reeves. scored twelve of his eighteen after half.
Okay. Lebron had this to say about his surging squad. I was out a couple of weeks ago and I was able to come back in. and see how I can best fit the, you know, fit those guys because they were just playing so dynamic off one another. Um I mean it sales I mean it sales papers are a lot easier and clippings and podcasts have You say LeBron.
Bet their team is better off without them. A lot of people try to like view it, so I get it. They're absolutely wrong. He's able to say that with zero problems now, all the conviction in the world. It's working.
If they could only start the playoffs right now, man. Why they're on fire?
Well, I mean, see, you got me confused because I only agree with you, like, they can do it, but then I don't want them to do it. I understand that, but in like this weird thing, though. You could see it with your own two eyes. Do you see where they want to go? For me, I don't understand why Luca's not getting more MVP runs.
Well, he got the chance, there were chance in the arena in Miami of MVP. Yeah. He's on such a tear the last two weeks. He has finally jumped Wemby for second, but Shea is minus 2,000. I know you hate this, TJ, but.
Bet $2,000 to win $100 and Wuka's 15 to 1. Why aren't they closer? and odds. I think that's going to change now. I mean, that was a lot of talk last night.
After Luca had this game, why isn't he more in the conversation? And he should be moving up the ranks.
So it makes sense. I agree with you. There's no doubt about it. There's no doubt about what he's doing, is so remarkably special. He's been on an incredible tear right now.
And again, we'll see if his better conditioning will. Um lead to A longer run in the playoffs. Yep. Then we saw certainly when he was walking around looking like Ben Roethlisberger at practice when the Mavs were playing and, you know, doing deeper than playoffs the year before. Also, disrespectful.
Also, you know, a little bit of this. He hasn't got a T, he hasn't got tech up in about two weeks.
Well, it's because his next tech, he's sat. He's sat. And I, I mean, it's working. It seems like him not worrying about the refs and just playing his game over the last two weeks.
Well, whatever it is, JJ Reddick is getting it done, and you got to give it up. You got to give the CUDA. And I know what's going on with this floor. The 60. Points were the most ever By an opponent against the Miami Heat.
Yep. Ever. And we also saw an 83-point game on the floor. That very floor just a couple weeks ago. And listen, as much as I want to keep turning the page with Bam Autobio, comments like this are going to make it difficult.
Hit it. Nah, he is some tough shots out there. Like it is what it is. Uh I know it's like the be in that mode. As people can see, it's not easy to get 80.
I love it. Does he know that that's only going to open himself up to how he got the 80? Yeah, I think by or and he's he's now trolling us or what he don't care. He doesn't care. Like everyone's turned the page.
Right. They don't care. I wouldn't care. Say what you want. The self-awareness is.
It's it It's not that again, no. I don't know, man. As much as I do want to echo the chorus of what Weber said before. See, Webb, I asked him about it an hour too. He laid it at the feet of.
He called the Wizards the generals three times. He did. He didn't even stutter either. And he didn't stutter. And he just, he's pissed because what he was building for the Wizards, right?
He was part of that organization. Uh-huh. I led Jawan. No, but it's just. You'd be the same way, right?
Keep talking about it. If I had 70 and I was that close, and you guys decided not to give me the ball, like in the locker room, we're going to have to have a talk. I'm still. But it's not like he wasn't being fed. It was that they were fouling to get the ball back.
But they were fouling him every time he got the ball. I was trying to explain this, you know, again. Taylor did ask me the other day: what's the deal? Why are people upset about it? And I explained to her, I'm like, what if you, okay.
'Cause Listen. Her all-star games are uh Her her team's done so well that when they're up by thirty, they turn the scoreboard off. Um And all three of her all-star games so far, I'll brag. They've turned the scoreboard off all three times. And so I'm like, let's just say the scoreboard's off.
It was, they don't turn the scoreboard off, obviously, in the NBA, but essentially it was for the game, right? They turn the scoreboard off. Because the game was over, it was decided. And let's just say you had a chance to get a record after the scoreboard's off, and your teammates kept fouling the other opponents who you're beating the crap out of. just to get the ball back for you.
Would that be cool? And she's like, no, that's not cool. A 12-year-old.
Now that just to explain it that way.
So, but I understand what his achievement is, and he should be proud of it. But to basically say, I know how tough it is. to get 80. And as if there's not a conversation about how he went from 70 to 83. First of all, you tend to be a little petty sometimes, too.
Petty? You mean to tell me like you. That was, I thought it was funny because he hears all the noise. He hears what everyone's saying.
So of course he's going to be like, yeah, I know how he's the same guy, though. The next game after he shot. He's complaining about not getting the calls. He's complaining about the efficiency. He just got 43 free throws.
Yeah, but everybody complains about the efficiency. Yeah, but game to game, that one I don't blame him. It's just, you're in a box now. It's a game to game. It's a different night.
Can you just stop talking about it? Like, move on. I don't think he ever will. No, why would you? Which means we won't.
It's a Friday. It's time for what's more likely presented by Pella Windows and Doors. Hit it, please. What? What's more likely?
Never say never, but never. All right, Christopher, what do you have over there? Hey, guys, more likely presented by Pello Windows and Doors. Mike, happy boy and birthday, man. Thank you, Chris.
I saw you yesterday. Let's make it about you. Guys, here we go. Let's get right to it. More likely, disgruntled star to be on their current team week one.
Max Crosby or A.J. Brown, who was working out yesterday with Kevin Byard? I'll go A.J. Brown. I'll go AJ Brown.
More likely to be there. I think Crosby, I don't know. I kind of believe it. Crosby's like, I don't want to talk about it anymore. I'm here.
And we'll find out. I can't wait for Pellicero to join us in just a few minutes' time. They'll give us what this scoop is. They'll just keep it quiet now and see if anything happens before the draft. AJ Brown is something that I just they don't have to do it.
They don't have to do it. I don't think A.J. Brown has demanded a trade within the walls. Don't you think that would have gotten out? at any point in time from Philadelphia?
Hey B. I just say that: that it's more likely that potentially Crosby there's a Um you know, that that there's these A.J. Brown's going to stay put, and there's still more of a chance for Crosby to to be moved, that this is He's done with talking about it. But let's just see if This is just to let's reset the. trade market because you can't just do it now.
You're not going to get anything close to the two ones if you do it now. If you make it seem like you don't have to do it, like the Eagles don't. I just think A.J. Brown will stay put. I think maybe both of them will, but this is.
Called What's More Likely? Putting you in a box. What else? Guys, happy birthday to Lions running back Jameer Gibbs. Turns 24 today.
Okay, happy birthday. Who's the more likely running back to threaten 2000 this season? Jameer Gibbs or Bajon Robinson? I'll go uh Oh boy, both of them. Um Oh man.
Oh, I'll go Bijan.
Now that Algier is gone, we might get 30. Yeah, now let's see what's up. Yeah. Let's see what we got here. No more David.
I know David Montgomery either. I know. I know they both have. The decks are cleared for both, which is why you're putting me in this box. I'll go, Bijan, just.
Just cause I'll just do it. New coach there. I know what Stefansky's play calling looks like. Drew Petzing, we've seen before, but let's... L let's let's stick with Bijan.
That was a royal wee with the Let's. What else you got, Chris? You know, I don't think you're going to like this one, but I was thinking about it. Great setup. I was thinking about this after watching the WBC this week, and I like to talk about legacy a lot, TJ.
More likely New York MVP whose legacy most needs a championship. Aaron Judge or Josh Allen. Hmm. No. I don't think this is easy.
I don't like this question. I don't think this is as easy as you can. I knew you wouldn't, but... Top of mind this week. I think this is kind of easy.
Do you want the do you want the. Yeah. I could give you this tr I I Just say it, Rich. It has to be. Just say it.
It has to be. You know what it is. It has to be Aaron Judge. Thank you, T. It is Aaron Judge.
Because the Bills, respectfully, have never won a championship.
So. I understand that. Are you an all-time great or not? Who was telling me the other day, like, he just can't ever be put next to Jeter and DiMaggio and Mantle and anyone else in the end? He can't.
Without a ring. Without a ring. No, no, no, no. You just like. I'll just take the one.
Craig Nelson. No, Craig Nels was the man. By the way, Craig Nettles is in the new MLB The Show. You know why I know that? Because Cooper's Cooper's telling me again, the questions he asked me, Dad, was Travis Hafner good?
Like the oh god, you know, that's what he said, Dad. Was Jeff Conan any good? Conine the Barbarian. These are the questions I asked. Mr.
Marlon, Jeff Conan.
Okay. I mean, Conine the Barbarian. What else you got over there?
So wait a minute, Chris.
So you are saying it? Because I don't. Did you actually say it? Yeah, yeah. He said it.
We want him to say it. He said Aaron. He did. Well, just so everyone knows what's going on around here, Kentucky just threw one in with no time left to tie it. Yeah, I just saw that.
Off the back. With no time left? Like, we're going over. Santa Clara just dropped in a three and then a desperation three from Kentucky off the backboard to force over. Oh, my gosh.
Wow. It is just crazy. People are flipping out right now. I think RJ just screamed in the middle. You heard it.
You heard it. Guys, I guess they're going to check to see if he got it off, but I think Michael Rubin was here yesterday. We got the flag football classic tomorrow. More looking to be the bigger number. Tom Brady TD passes.
Or Raiders wins in 2026. Oh man. I'll go Raiders wins in 2026. Tom is sharing it with Hurts, isn't he? I think that's the idea.
You know what I mean? I don't know. Yeah. It's not on a team. Burrow and Jason.
He's got to share. Yeah. I'm going to go glass half full for my silver and black friends. There you go. And there is, in fact, overtime.
That was a wild, wild finish. Uh, right here in the middle of what's more likely. Did you wear double zero? Didn't Tony Delkwear double zero, TJ? What else you got, Chris?
Uh, more likely to be the higher number, a little March Madness here. We got double-digit seeds to win yesterday. There were four, or double-digits today.
Well, geez, I mean, Santa Clara almost bagged it. I know. You know, almost bagged one of them right here. How many were yesterday? We had four yesterday.
I'll just say that's a, that's, I'll go with Thursday or Friday. Because I have a ton of them on Friday, and I think my bracket, if these results. You know, I know people sometimes watch this on YouTube or listen to it taking it back. If these results between Akron and. Santa Clara, do not go my way.
I might like my bracket on fired and the program. Wait, set off the fire. Ah, guys, here we go. How about this one? Is it more like we all ate one and two seeds, make the sweet 16?
Or? Two double-digit seeds advance through the Sweet 16 through the weekend. Through the weekend. Um Um Yeah, I'll go. I've got two, I've got all the one and two seeds advancing in my brackets, so I'll go there.
But again, I'm currently 9.7 million. You know, that's the worst foam finger ever. I've been using that joke the entire show. Holy strong. Yeah.
A couple NBA ones. Is it more likely that Luca scores 70 in a game this year or Bam has a 40-point game? I'll go Bam has a 40-point game. He only has two in his whole career. I'll give him a 40-point game.
Okay, good. Yeah, because things are going his way. Are you counting to 80 amongst those 40? Yeah, 80, and his career high was 42. 38 are free throws.
Just saying. You keep on hammering at that whole thing. Yeah, because it's not legitimate. Rich, you're loving the Lakers so much. Who's my lovely?
To make the. You sound like Cooper. You're such a passionate Laker fan. Who's more likely to make the conference finals, Lakers or Knicks? I'll go Lakers.
Yeah, okay, look at you, Mr. LA now. He's got the car full. I'm not Mr. LA.
Like, he's like you. He's going to have a dual hat soon. Never. There you go, Rich. I can, I can.
You're going to have a dual hat. Not ever. Mr. LA. Not ever.
I'm not doing that. Ever. This guy, never. I will never stoop to that low. Ever.
What's more likely is brought to you by Pella Windows and Doors. When it comes to your home, Pella Windows and Doors always have the winning game plan. That's why your neighbors trust them. Visit pella.com/slash Eisen. We go from Pella.
To Pellicero, hey now. Don't dream it's over. Tommy P when we come back. Mm-hmm. Uh Rich Eisen here.
You know that feeling of handing off your taxes and then hearing nothing? Total radio silence.
Well, not anymore.
Now your taxes are done for you by a TurboTax full service expert who checks for every deduction and keeps you in the loop with real-time updates on your phone. Just match with your dedicated expert, upload your docs, and go live your life. Confident you're getting every dollar you deserve. This is how taxes should be. Visit TurboTax.com today to learn more.
Real-time updates only in iOS mobile app, only available with TurboTax Full Service Experts. Get into the Hyundai Getaway Sales Event and get away with a deal so right it almost feels wrong. Because right now, you can get great deals on our most popular models, including our adventure-ready SUVs like the Hyundai Santa Fe or Santa Fe Hybrid, and the Tucson or Tucson Hybrid. Plus, there's our bold and stylish Elantra loaded with the latest tech, or go all-electric with the IONIC 5 or IONIC 9.
So, get down to your local Hyundai dealer and get away with a deal you'll love during the Hyundai Getaway Sales Event. Visit HyundaiUSA.com for details. Mm-hmm. The Rich Eisen Show Podcast. Tom Pellisero here on The Rich Eisen Show.
Our radio audience is rejoined. What Are the Miami Dolphins Up to Like what is their plan? I understand, clear the decks of a bunch of salaries, take your salary cap medicine now. Then they still go ahead and get Malik Willis anyway, which I thought was a terrific idea, very bold. and aggressive as well.
Um the Jalen Waddle deal led me to scratch my head a little bit here.
So walk me through. First of all, why was Waddle dealt?
Well, let's go all the way back to before the trade deadline last year, and they had significant interest in Jalen Waddell. The Bills, among others, the Bills offered them a first-round pick in the 2027 draft, as well as a day two pick in 2026. That was at that time the interim regime. Chris Greer had already been fired. There were other people, including Mike McDaniel, involved in the decision-making in Miami.
They ultimately, especially within the division, just decided that wasn't enough. They wanted to get a 2026 first if they were going to move Waddell.
So they didn't trade him. But once you start to have that type of interest, it's going to generate teams calling again in the offseason.
So this was not something that came up spur of the moment. I knew that they had been talking a couple of weeks ago and they had gone back and forth. And it was just the Dolphins' standpoint was they didn't want to, you know, they weren't going to give away Jalen Waddell. It would have to be something that really moved the needle for them in order to trade their top wide receiver.
Now, albeit a guy who didn't even have a thousand yards last year, has not over the past two years. Been a bounce. He did bounce back last year. He's still 27 years old. He's in the prime of his career.
But I would think about it this way, Rich. Number one, the Dolphins get not just number 30 overall pick, but they get a third and a fourth. There's a fourth that goes back, but they get an additional pick in the 2026 draft. They now have seven picks, and I think it's the top 94 selections.
So you're talking about this is your young, cheap workforce that you're bringing in as you undergo a complete roster reset. Number two is they are eating loads and loads of dead cap, including at the moment, over $99 million for Tuatunga Vailoa. That'll end up being split over two years. But they are, from a salary cap perspective, have almost as much money going out the door in terms of cap as they do actually cap on the team. And so you knew you were going to have to bite the bullet now.
This is merely following that pattern.
So you shuffle more money off the books. It gives you additional flexibility. And then number three is this. For a player who, again, has not had a thousand yards in either of the past two seasons. He's 27 years old.
If they didn't get the offer they wanted for Jalen Waddell, absolutely he was going to be on the team. But for the Dolphins, if you're thinking 2026 is a reset year, 2027 might be a reset year. Realistically, you're trading Jalen Waddell at some point, and his value is not going to be higher at age 29 than it is at age 27. In other words, you would have to be three years down the road when you got a 30-year-old wide receiver before you really feel like, all right, we're ready to compete with the Patriots and the Bills at a really high level, just based upon the cadence of this rebuild. That's a long time.
So you have a substantial offer now. Flip side of it for the Broncos, you know, you didn't feel like you were going to, they've got a really strong roster that George Payton has built there. They don't have a lot of holes. They hadn't signed a single unrestricted free agent. They were looking for an offensive playmaker, whether that was a running back, a tight end, a wide receiver, somebody to really kind of take that offense to the next level on a team that if Bo Nix doesn't get hurt last year, they may well be in the Super Bowl.
They feel like there was not going to be anybody there at number 30. They didn't feel like the prices were right. I mean, when Alec Pierce is going out and getting $34 million a year, they didn't feel like anybody was going to come into their laps in free agency.
So for Jalen Waddell, this is basically, it's not. Just their first round pick, but it's their significant free agent acquisition. Where, if that ends up working out from Denver's perspective, it is well worth that type of investment on a team that's ready to win right now. That maybe you would not have had that really, really impact player there at the end of round one in a draft that isn't regarded as all that deep, especially at the top. Tom, I totally get why the Broncos would do it, right?
I mean, running it back, that was clearly a part of their plan, was not just to run it back, but also to pay their people. Right? Like, that's what their free agency period was about: to tender or re-sign their own. Run it back. And then to get someone like Jalen Waddell 30th overall.
Is a great idea, and you're flipping your third, you get an improved fourth, makes total sense. Um Miami, you're you're now stripping everything down to um the studs pretty much on On your wide receiver room, you still have Devin H. In, I get that. And To sign Malik Willis as potentially your quarterback for the future, I know it's not some massive. financial commitment But I'm I'm wondering did Based on your reporting, did the Dolphins tell Malik Willis that it's possible you're not going to have?
Jalen Waddle here, because he could have had Apparently. Marvin Harrison Jr., Michael Wilson, name it. in Arizona.
So I'm wondering what you're reporting is there and what the Dolphins' plan is. from here forward. Listen, the wheels were in motion again on the Jalen Waddell trade. Nothing was imminent at that time because they had not come to an agreement on that. Certainly, when you're walking into a groundup rebuild like Miami, I guarantee you his agent, David Mulageda, would have had that conversation about exactly what you're walking into.
But he's got guys he knows in Jeff Hafley and John Eric Sullivan. Trust that they're going to have the right plan for him. I will certainly say this. My concern with trading Jalen Waddell would simply be: are you going to find out what Malik Willis is if you don't have guys around him to help elevate him at a time that every win, every possession is going to be a battle just because of where you are? But again, if you want to build a draft and develop program, if you're trying to build it the right way, and John Eric Sullivan has been very, very clear about what his vision is.
Seven picks in the top 94. Those are cost-controlled players for the next four years at a time that you are biting most of the bullet, not all of it because they use post-June one-on-two at tongue of the low, but you're biting the majority of the bullet in 2026. This just continues to accelerate things. I would not say that they are tanking here. It's more about philosophically what they want to be.
And if the value of Jalen Waddell is never going to be higher and Jalen Waddell is not going to be the difference between you being a playoff team this year and not, I understand where Sully and those guys were coming from. Again, they drove a hard bargain. They could have taken the Broncos offer three weeks ago. They didn't do that. They kept talking.
The Broncos kept calling. This was their target. They end up with a package that's not just the first round pick, but it's also a three and a four with a four going back. It's significant type of draft capital. We've seen, you know, if you look at some of the other wide receiver trades, Rich through the years, you know, A.J.
Brown famously was traded. For a first, and I believe it was a third at that time, or first and a fourth, whatever it was, that the Titans turned into Traylon Burks. Hollywood Brown, everyone forgets that same night was traded straight up for a first-round pick, you know, number 25 overall. That's basically the value that the Dolphins got in Jalen Waddell. And you can see, you know, all the picks here for the TV audience here.
That's a big-time haul. This is not an all-pro type of player you're generally going to get two first-round picks for, but certainly solid value for Miami. And time will tell in the big picture whether it was worth it. You know, a huge piece of that is going to be what does Sully do with all those picks? It's great to aggregate all the picks.
First time, though, that he's going to be, you know, he's been in draft rooms for 20 plus years. First time he's got to put his name on these players. There's never been a more important draft than the one that the Dolphins have coming up at the end of April. My guy, Tom Policer, NFL Network, and so much more right here on the Rich Eisen Show. As you know, we do what's more likely here on a Friday.
So it's It's now time for you to. Um, be posed this question in the form of such a construct, Tom. What's more likely that The Raiders saying, Welcome back, Max, and Max is like, I'm a Raider. This is what was meant to be, is in fact going to be the case. Or this is a concerted effort, In concert?
to reset the market best they can to get back to the two ones. That they got for Max Crosby and send Max somewhere else before the draft. What is more likely? Tom. I would definitely say what's more likely is that Max Crosby really plays for the Raiders again in 2026.
There are teams that are still interested. In a Max Crosby trade, there are still teams that are going to call about a Max Crosby trade, as you would expect, because regardless of how the Ravens felt about his medical situation, Max Crosby is still one of the top edge players in the NFL. He is on track in terms of what his doctor, Dr. Neil Eletrash, has laid out for his recovery. And there is no question, even for the Ravens, about whether or not Max is going to be playing week one of the 2026 season.
However, my understanding is when teams have been checking on this, they have been told the same thing that Max told everyone from Mark Davis to John Spytek to Clink Kubiak to Rob Leonard, which is Max wants to be a Raider. Max is no longer trying to get out of Las Vegas. And whether you want to look at that as a sign from God or the world, the universe, you know, giving you a message, whether it's the reality that you went all in on this idea and it didn't work out and you saw, you know, something that you hadn't experienced before going and having all your hellos with the Ravens and then being told you're not actually going to be on this team. It seems to have led. Again, from everything that Max has said and everything I've been told that other teams have been told, that Max doesn't want to go anywhere.
Now, does that mean that the Raiders absolutely will not trade him? I would look at a couple of things. One, Max is really close with Mark Davis. Mark Davis never wanted to trade Max Crosby. And even with the reporting on, you know, setting up succession plans and things like that, Mark Davis is still the owner of the Raiders and he has a big voice in this.
It is hard to imagine. That Mark Davis is going to sign off on trading Max Crosby against his will. The other thing you have to look at here is there was a plan that was in place that did not involve Max Crosby. $30 million cash and cap, which they can absorb. They had a lot of space.
But from a budgetary perspective, that's a pretty significant change for where you were. And then, of course, the third part is you're still getting calls. There's going to be, it's going to heat up again around the draft. It might even heat up again in June, July when Max is going to be getting closer to 100%. There are teams right now, Rich, that would trade for Max Crosby.
It could happen tomorrow, but Max is no longer the mindset that he wants out. Max is of the opposite mindset, which is he is now a Raider again. He's going to do everything he can to be a part of the Raiders. Does that change? I don't get that sense.
Obviously, there's a lot of things that can evolve over the course of time here, but really the next step is what do the Raiders want to do with this? If they get another reasonable offer for Max Crosby, it's in the neighborhood of what the Ravens were willing to do. They'll have some things to think about here in terms of whether or not they want to go down that path.
So what's the timeframe, the draft, right? Correct? The draft psychological time. Right. It's not going to be like a Micah Parsons end of the summer trade deadline because.
Right. I mean, well, the only thing to remember is that he's not going to be cleared till June from the meniscus surgery.
So maybe it could be revisited there. But even, you know, even the draft is a month and a half past where he was in his recovery when he had the scans that spooked the Ravens. And so, you know, it's certainly plausible that as we get into draft week, that you could have new scans done. And if teams are serious about it, they may be able to get additional medical information, maybe have a greater comfort factor. But I also don't think, Rich, I know that it was not as if the rest of the league all felt like Max Crosby was a ticking time bomb and it was going to be a problem medically.
The Ravens were, they made their own determination. It was within their rights to do that. There are other teams that are just not going to have that level of concern. Because, again, it's not a question of can Max Crosby play football again. It's about your medium-term investment in a guy who's 28 years old.
Every 28-year-old has wear and tear, and he's still a hell of a football player. All right, last one for you, Tom, in the few minutes we have left here. Why? Do we keep hearing A.J. Brown's name?
Why? Because there is still a chance that the Eagles trade him prior to the start of the 2026 season. It's a complicated situation. Part of this, a large part of it, honestly, goes back to the way that the Eagles structure their contracts. They use void years, which is essentially a way to push out dead cap beyond the end of the contract.
They use options to continue to trigger future void years, which works well in terms of creating short-term cap space. But every dollar you spend hits the cap eventually. And this is one of the things that undercuts the whole the cap of the myth argument. It's not. You can create the short-term cap space.
And if you are playing this out as if the cap is never going to go down, which the Saints were doing until COVID, and then they had a reckoning with that, or you're playing it that, well, no one's ever going to wanna leave. These are players we're gonna keep, so it doesn't really matter.
Well, if all of a sudden you have a situation where you feel like A.J. Brown may need to move on from this team, but doing so prior to June 1st would cause a substantial acceleration into your 2026 cap, that now makes it disadvantageous to try to trade him prior to June 1. You're not allowed to agree to a trade and hold a trade. That would be cap circumvention. And so even though you're having talks and could they make the trade?
They could, but the consequences would be so significant that it only makes sense if they're really going to trade A.J. Brown, it is sometime after June 1st. And just to clarify that for people who see all the time teams release a guy in March and use a post-June 1 designation, you can do that with releases where you can designate someone you release. And then come June 1st, it's counted like you released him after June 1st. It keeps your future cap hits out into 2027 in this case, and only this year's dead cap hit.
In 2026. With trades, there's no such thing. If you trade in before June 1st, the entire acceleration, any cap you pushed off in the future from money you've already spent, cash you've already spent, it all hits you right now.
So I do anticipate that things like a potential trade to the Patriots remains possible. I wouldn't say it's dead, but if it's going to happen, it's probably not going to be prior to the start of the 2026 draft. And as much as we would normally, in normal cases, say, well, the GM's going to, you're going to do it before the draft because you want to pick this year. I don't get that sense, Rich, from a lot of people in the league. That's why you've seen going all the way back to the trade deadline last year when the Jets deliberately.
Asked for and received the 2027 first from the Cowboys instead of the 2026 fifth or 2026 first. You have seen other teams that have been putting more into getting picks in 2027 because it's regarded as a better draft. It's regarded as a better quarterback draft. And so, if you're the Eagles and you might feel, I haven't asked this to Howie Roseman, but if you feel that draft is going to be better anyway, then there's really not a lot of urgency other than you're trying to figure out how do we replace an AJ Brown. The short version of answer that is you probably can't.
So, one way or another, if you don't feel like AJ Brown, it makes sense to keep him in 2026. Wait until after June 1st to make that trade, or could they end up just keeping him and saying we're taking one more run at this? You can't rule anything out. It's just, it's a really complicated situation with a player who has shown frustration at various times over the past couple of years, even in the Super Bowl season, reading a book on the sideline at times. Last year was not his most productive season.
It was still productive by most wide receiver standards here. You're talking about a top player who's still only 28 years old. Howie Roseman wants a significant return, a first-round pick, and more. Is he going to get that? Is he going to get it after June 1st when teams have deployed a lot of resources?
These are all part of the moving parts that are going to continue to generate, Rich. We're going to talk about this every week on the show, quite possibly until we get into the spring here. You are the man, Tom. Thanks for the time. Have a great rest of your week, and we'll chat next week.
Thanks, everybody. Tom Peller. Everybody, ladies and gentlemen. Right here in the program. All right, we'll wrap this up and recount.
one of the wildest March Madness sequences. We've seen in some time. That's next. This is the Rich Eisen Show to wrap up this week in a second. In my line of work, I'm fortunate enough to travel quite a bit covering the biggest moments through the football season.
While I'm on the road, I sometimes miss the comforts of home, which is why when I travel with my family, we always check Airbnb for places to stay. It's our home away from home, providing the comfort and safety that allows us to wind down and relax. Families like mine are looking for homes that fit their needs to make new memories in, and your home may be exactly what they're looking for. If you're looking to save up for a new addition to your house or a once-in-a-lifetime trip to see your favorite band in another country, for instance, hosting your house on Airbnb could help you reach those goals. It's easy to list your home for short trips or extended periods of time, allowing your house to earn you some extra money, make your home work for you while you're away, and enjoy the benefits of hosting on Airbnb.
Your home may be worth more than you think. Find out how much at airbnb.com slash host. O'Reilly Auto Parts can help take the guesswork out of your check engine ABS or maintenance light with O'Reilly Veriscan. The service is free and provides a report with solutions verified by ASC certified master technicians. O'Reilly Veriscan can identify the most likely problem with just one scan.
If you need help, O'Reilly Auto Parts can recommend a shop for you. Don't ignore a check engine ABS or maintenance light. Ask for O'Reilly Veriscan today. A free service exclusively at O'Reilly Auto Parts. As you know, managing maintenance, repair, and operations is never easy.
But for the ones who always rise to the challenge, Granger has your back. From professional grade products you can count on to fast, dependable delivery. They're there to help you keep things running smoothly. Plus, their technical product specialists are here to help answer your toughest questions. And because Granger knows safety is always a priority, they're committed to being your partner in protecting both your people and your facilities.
Call 1-800-GRANGER, clickgranger.com, or just stop by. The Rich Eisen Show, the podcast. Back here on the Rich Eisen Show, 844-204 Rich. We'll sneak in a call maybe before we get out of here.
Sometimes teams take a timeout to regroup and call the right play. When it comes to your home, Pella Windows and Doors always has the winning game plan. They're not just window and door experts, they're experts at taking care of you in your home. At Pella, they find the products that most. That meets your needs, and their experts then install them.
They do it every day, and that's why your neighbors trust them. Discover why Pella is a trusted choice for homeowners everywhere. Visit pella.com/slash Eisen today. That's pella.com. Slash eisen.
Speaking of taking a time out.
So we're conducting What's More Likely earlier this hour? Yes. Santa Clara, who I've chosen to beat Kentucky, I think I'm looking like a genius because it's tied at 70, less than 10 seconds to go. I look up and I notice Alan Graves of Santa Clara dropping in a 20-foot 24-foot tray comes down and bangs it. And just like splash.
Splash City does that with two seconds to go. And um and then Otega Owe, by the way, whose brother Is in fact the National Football League's Odafe Owe. Oh, nice. He just runs right down to court. And heaves one from 32 feet to bank it in to tie the game.
And sure enough. Go figure. A coach named Pope has a prayer answered. And we go to overtime. And I'm looking at the ESPN.
Um Stats group. It went from Santa Clara having a 97.6% chance to win to a 50-50 coin flip in overtime, and Kentucky wins it in overtime. As always, by the way, becomes the first Kentucky Wildcat ever with 35%. 35 and 5 is a stat line in an NCAA tournament game. It's never happened.
So, congrats to the kid from Newark, New Jersey, right across the Gothels Bridge from where I grew up. Um and um I'm sitting here thinking to myself. Why didn't Maybe Santa Clara call a timeout because the same. way that Ohio State lost. Not to bring that up, but it's a perfect example.
If you're trying to score the length of the court from an inbounds pass. Not as easy of when people are celebrating, going nuts, and you can immediately inbound it and get it up the floor and have an easy. Run at it. Like Owe had. And sure enough, I was looking up during the commercial break and The uh CBS or Turner crew.
Caught Herb Sendek, the head coach, former NC State guy. He was calling for timeout, but the official closest to him was already running up the floor to officiate. Mm. Always shot. Never saw it.
Ugh.
So what do you just run on the floor and tackle somebody and call timeout? What are you supposed to do? Or I guess do it faster? Like, as soon as the shot goes through, bang, call timeout. Make sure you guys see the replay.
It all happens so fast. Like Kentucky ties it. Santa Clara comes right down, hits a three. Kentucky immediately inbounds and sprints down the court, and a guy, you know, just kind of chucks it up. It all happens there.
And so Kentucky advances.
Meanwhile, as we go off the air right here, Wright State is five up on Virginia at halftime. Ooh. And Arizona is dominating the battle of iced tea, Arizona versus Long Island. Arizona's good. 5729 right now.
And speaking of fast, I mean, it was a two-possession game between Akron and. Texas Tech and that thing wound up being I think a twenty point victory.
So 91, 71 is the final. Five beats a 12 right there. 12 was not going to as the. Carriage turned back into a pumpkin. Yeah, a couple women's scores, Rich.
That's underway. Three games. Oregon leads Virginia Tech by 20. That's an 8-9 matchup. Washington, South Dakota, that's a 6-11.
They're tied at 15. Almost in the first quarter there. And Baylor, the sixth seed, up four on Nebraska. Thank you there. Thank you there.
John in New York City, a minute ago. Just one's for you, Chris. What's up, John? Fine one, Mikey. Hey, Rich, how are you doing?
Thanks for taking the call. Happy Friday. Chris, this call is for you. Syracuse, fellow Syracuse alum here. Shout out the new house school.
Shout out. Another March Madness, another missed year for our alma mater. We're going on five years now. No one seems to be talking about us anymore. We're the quintessential ESPN school, but we're lucky if our games are broadcast on the CW.
So I'm just curious with the reports of Hodgson turning down the job and the GMAC rumors swirling and the state of NIL. Do you think our days of blue blood are in the past? Are we supposed to accept this new normal? You know, where do we go from here? Yeah.
John, thank you. You got 12 seconds to sum it all up. First time in 60 years with back-to-back losing seasons, it's really rough. Jerry McNamara is right there. He is the prodigal son.
Let's bring him home. There you go. You can never say never it's over. Ever. Except for this show.
Thanks for listening to the Rich Eisen Show Podcast. You can watch and listen to The Rich Eisen Show live weekdays from noon to 3 Eastern on ESPN Radio, Disney Plus, and on the ESPN app, The Rich Eisen Show, the podcast. Calling all sightseers and selfie takers, welcome to Texas, where a day on our hiking trails will lead to a lifetime of memories. And family road trips become family legends. Yeah.
where thrill seekers make a splash into spring-fed pools. And picky eaters will clean their plates. This is your invitation to visit Texas and see it for yourself. Visit traveltexas.com and plan your family's trip today. Let's Texas.
Mm-hmm.
