Chiefs Disrespected? (Hour 1)

I'm Larry Mullins, host of the podcast, Your Weirdest Fears, the show that explores the odd things that make your heart stop. I am so scared of the Grinch. He is bad vibes. We talk to everyone from therapists to exterminators to lizard man. I was 25 when I actually got my tongue split.

I have one tattoo that covers my entire body. Listen and subscribe on the Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts from. There's a lot to listen to, so get started and download the free Odyssey app today. Live from the palatial yet not overly ostentatious studios of CBS Sports Radio here in beautiful New York City. Sitting on top of the 10th floor 345 Hudson Street. Welcome on in to a Wednesday edition of the Zach Gelb show across all the great local CBS Sports Radio affiliates.

Sirius XM, Channel 158, and that free Odyssey app. 855-212-4CBS, the number to jump on in. 855-212-4227. You can always get at me on Instagram where I'm straight flexing or via the good old cesspool of Twitter at Zach Gelb.

That's Z-A-C-H-G-E-L-B. Coming up 20 minutes from now, former Packers and Saints fullback John Kuhn will stop by. At the top of the hour from the Dallas Cowboys, Kevonta Turpin will be joining us.

And then at 820 PM Eastern, 520 PM Pacific, from Sports Radio 94 WIP, former Philadelphia Eagle Ike Reese will be joining the Zach Gelb show on CBS Sports Radio. But first up, producing this extravaganza for the next four hours is no other than Hot Take Kiki. I don't know about that Hot Take Kiki. When you do this job, you're supposed to have an opinion. You're supposed to be unapologetic about that opinion, and you're supposed to go all in on one side.

But there are times where you have to say, I don't know, or I don't have a feel on something. This AFC title game I think is one of the trickiest games to ever pick. On one side you have the Cincinnati Bengals, who have been just this great force for the last two years, but for whatever the reasons are, they get no respect, and they constantly get disrespected. And you have a team in Cincinnati that you would think you would easily go with the Bengals this week, because they're going up against the Chiefs, even with Patrick Mahomes and how much we have great respect for him, but they've defeated the Kansas City Chiefs the last three times. But on the Kansas City side, you have the great eraser in Patrick Mahomes that no matter the deficiencies on the team, no matter who they lose, no matter how many points you're down, nine times out of ten, he always finds a way to get back into the game or win the game. But then in that AFC division round, you saw an injury that you thought could have been, at the time of the injury, season ending for Patrick Mahomes. You know, he finishes the drive, then comes out of the game. You had the Chad Henney drive right before the end of half, and then he plays the second half, and the Kansas City Chiefs win. When you saw him play in the second half, I thought to myself, well, yeah, absolutely he's going to play in the AFC title game, but how effective is he going to be?

And earlier in the week, it was I don't know. Today, he's off the injury report as he was a full participant in practice, and I'm seeing a video right now of him walking to the podium when he did his press conference earlier today, and if you didn't tell me that there was an ankle injury and that this guy has a high ankle sprain, you wouldn't know. Then you see his ankle taped up in practice, and he's kicking extremely high, and that leg is hitting the ground once again. He looks fine, but just because he looks fine on a practice field, just because he looks fine walking to the podium, we truly don't know how healthy he is because he did suffer a high ankle sprain. But the way that he's moving in practice from the limited videos that we saw, and it's different in a limited media session when he's practicing compared to taking hits and dealing with pain during the game, but you know Mahomes is going to be able to tolerate that pain. It just comes down to is how much lack of mobility will there be for Patrick Mahomes? But still, even if you get a good-to-go Mahomes, I don't know if the Chiefs are winning this game.

And Vegas, I think, and the public's reaction to this as well, I think it's very tough. Because right away, and I was in the betting mood when these lines came out, and I parlayed the Eagles, I think they opened as a 1.5 or 2.5 point favorite, whatever it was. I know Cincinnati opened up, though, against the Chiefs as a 1.5 point underdog.

I got that late Sunday night. When I woke up Monday morning, Cincinnati started to move into a favorite. And Cincinnati, as of yesterday at one point, was a 2.5 point favorite. Then today, when I looked at the line, this is an even game.

It's a pick-up. And I just don't know what Vegas is trying to get you to do. Now, that's always a tricky game, because whenever you think you're a gambling expert, and clearly I am not. Just look at my picks this year. But last week, look at the Bengals-Bills game. You thought that was going to be a close game, right, on paper? But then, you saw the Bills got up to a 5.5 point favorite, and it was like, hold on. What is Vegas trying to tell you that we don't know? Because Vegas was begging everyone to take the Bengals last week, plus the 5.5 points.

They were plus 190 at one point on the money line before the game. And I said, yeah, this should be, bare minimum, a close game. It should be a three-point game. But that doesn't make sense why Vegas is begging you to plus the points of the Bengals.

If Vegas is begging you to do something, you should do the opposite. So last week, when you probably should have plus the points, what did I do? I laid the points with the Bills, and I ended up being a loser on that one. So this is a game, and in the last two games, Bengals-Bills, Chiefs-Bangles, where I just don't know where to go.

And early in the week, I went with the Bengals, so I'll probably stick with the Bengals. But as the week is moving on, I just keep on looking at the number, and now it being even, I'm saying to myself, are we disrespecting the Kansas City Chiefs? Because Kansas City is the number one overall seed. Kansas City has Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City has Travis Kelce, Kansas City has Andy Reid, and their defense has been improving. Now, the Chiefs are never going to have a great defense.

They're never going to have this unstoppable defense. But when they won the championship, and when they won it all a few years ago, they made timely stops. And Steve Spagnola's defense got better down the stretch. And really, the game that it turned, I think they were in Denver, I want to say. It was a Thursday night when Mahomes got hurt, and then they scored a defensive touchdown late. I talked to Spags after this, you know, about this after the Super Bowl. He thought, Steve Spagnola, that their turning point was whatever that game was where Mahomes got hurt in that Super Bowl-winning season, and the defense made a big play late in the game, and they got a defensive touchdown.

He thought that gave that defense more confidence. So, you look at Kansas City, you can't admit that they are getting disrespected going into this one. Because people like me, earlier in the week, are leaning to picking the Cincinnati Bengals. Luckily, I have until Friday to make an official pick.

I may have to get a cash-out option if I'm going to change that. But, you look at this Chiefs team, they have Mahomes, they have Reid. They usually should get the benefit of the doubt, but this is the first time in this Chiefs run where the Chiefs aren't getting the benefit of the doubt. And the Bengals have beat them three straight, the Bengals are confident. You have Mike Hilton in Buffalo saying, we can't wait to go to Burrowhead.

Think about that. That's disrespectful. You got Eli Apple, who usually looks like burnt toast. He's chirping all throughout this week as well. Like it's one thing when Joe Burrow talks. It's one thing when Joe Burrow is a little bit cocky. He's the leader of that team. And he's one of the better, he's the second best quarterback in the NFL. Maybe in two, three weeks he could be the best quarterback in football.

But when other people start to chirp that don't have the credentials like Joe Burrow, that's when I get a little bit of an uneasy feeling. Because I could only go based off my football fandom. And my football fandom, for 20 years having Brady and Belichick, whether it was a Steelers team in 07, like whoever it was, whether you go through all the years, all the chirping, Brady Mitchell with the Eagles, whenever someone would open their mouth and disrespect Brady and Belichick, there was no doubt in my mind that they would win the game. And you look at this Chiefs team, even though they have not become a dynasty, we all thought they were going to be a dynasty and if they win the next two games, then the dynasty pushes back on. But I go into this week and as the week goes on, I do think there are people that are flip-flopping and are like me in this position, I thought Bengals are in the week, now I'm thinking Chiefs, at the end of the week I'll probably think Bengals.

But I really do believe we're going to have a classic game. And I would imagine if there wasn't this Mahomes injury and this fear of what Mahomes is going to be, that the Chiefs easily, not easily, but the Chiefs would be like a three-point favorite I'd probably say. Because usually the home team is a three-point favorite. But in this case, they were a one-and-a-half point favorite to open up, then quickly were a two-and-a-half point dog, and now it's back to even.

So I'll just ask you simply this right out of the gate. Do you think the Chiefs are getting disrespected? I'm not saying it's egregiously disrespectful, but I do think there is some disrespect being shown to the Kansas City Chiefs. When I look at Philly, San Francisco, I think the Eagles are winning the game. I haven't wavered off that all week. I think those teams are evenly matched. I think they have an advantage at the quarterback position with Jalen Hurts compared to Brock Purdy, even though Brock has been rocking out with his Brock out.

He's been sensational. But that game I just haven't had a conflicting feel all throughout the week. I thought Eagles on Sunday, thought Eagles on Monday, Eagles on Tuesday, Eagles today on Wednesday.

We'll see what Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday have in store. But when it comes to Bengals and Chiefs, this feel is just going back and forth, back and forth on the seesaw ride. And there is a level of confidence. There is a level of arrogance coming from the Cincinnati Bengals.

And I saw Travis Kelce on his podcast with his brother, Jason Kelce, say, yeah, we hear that they're calling it burrowhead. So the Chiefs are writing it down. Not that you need any extra motivation for an AFC title game, but we're going to learn a lot about if the Chiefs can become a dynasty or not on Sunday. And then we need one more win after that. I get that to start to get that dynasty push back on because you learn a lot about the heart of the champion when a champion is doubted. And I think there are enough people right now that are continuing to doubt the Kansas City Chiefs.

Hickey, let me run this by you. What is your feel on the game right now between the Bengals and Chiefs? Because for most of the postseason you've been, or for most of the year, you've been Chiefs, Chiefs, Chiefs, Chiefs, Chiefs, Chiefs, Chiefs. I think you said earlier on Monday that you like the Bengals in this game.

But watch all that away as we sit here on a Wednesday. If you had to make a pick right now, who do you think is winning the game? And then I'll give you a follow-up to that. Do you think the Chiefs are getting disrespected nationally? Despite what we saw today of Patrick Holmes at practice and looking not limp whatsoever, not hurt whatsoever, I will still say the Bengals because I still think he's hurt. Okay. And then the second question. Do I think the Chiefs are getting disrespected?

I would say no. You're talking about a team that's won three in a row against the Chiefs. You're talking about the best quarterback in the athlete. I'm calling that Patrick Holmes.

Hurt. I think it's fair to right now be puffing up the Bengals and believe that they're going to win this game. It was just weird to me how the Bengals got up to a 2.5 point favorite yesterday. And then it quickly goes right back down to now this being a pick-up.

That to me was a little bit weird, just how this line is going all over the place. Because if you want to tell me from the start, Bengals have won three straight, they should be the favorite, make them a 1.5 point favorite right out of the gate, I get that. But they started as a 1.5 point dog, the Bengals. Then they quickly shot up to a 2.5 point favorite.

And now this spread is being back to even when I checked about an hour ago. I think a lot of people, they're conflicted on this one. And let me just remind a lot of people, I know different injuries, I know there's a lot more time in between. When it came to Jalen Hurts last week, why did a lot of people, including yours truly, plus the 7.5 points with the Giants, another wonderful prediction by me. I thought the Eagles were going to win. I wasn't like, hey, you thought the Eagles were going to lose.

But I, plus the 7.5, thought it was going to be a tight game. Because I didn't know what Jalen Hurts was going to be. And I think a lot of people here don't know what Mahomes is going to be. And it wouldn't shock me if Mahomes has just this heroic performance coming up on Sunday. Now if it does get into a shootout, and this is a high octane offense type of game, where it's like 38-37, a 34-31, something like that, and Mahomes has to leave the pocket and Mahomes has to extend some plays with his legs, that's going to be fascinating to see how he's going to be able to withstand that as the game does go on, as you get deep into the fourth quarter, and where that ankle's going to be and how that ankle is going to hold up. It is the Zach Gelb Show on CBS Sports Radio. We'll break, we'll come on back. What's the dealio with Aaron Rodgers?

Should he stay or should he go? We'll talk to a close friend, the former teammate of Aaron Rodgers, and that of course is Jon Kuhn, who joins us next on the Zach Gelb Show on CBS Sports Radio. To catch up later, there's a lot to listen to, so get started and download the free Odyssey app today. The NFL playoffs live on Odyssey, and Westwood One brings you the AFC and NFC championship games, streaming live for free this Sunday on the Odyssey app. The 49ers visit the Eagles. Touchdown, Jaylen Hurts! Get into McCaffrey, off the middle, into the end zone. And then it's a rematch between the Bengals and the Chiefs. Wide open, Jamar Chase takes it in. Touchdown, Chiefs. Catch all the action from Westwood One. Your playoffs, your Odyssey.

Get in the game and download the free Odyssey app today. I'm Larry Mullins, host of the podcast Your Weirdest Fears, the show that explores the odd things that make your heart stop. I am so scared of the Grinch. He is bad vibes. We talk to everyone, from therapists to exterminators to lizard man. I was 25 when I actually got my tongue split.

I have one tattoo that covers my entire body. Listen and subscribe on the Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts from. You're listening to the Zach Gelb Show. And you can think of O'Reilly Auto Parts. What are your car care needs?

Get guaranteed low prices and excellent customer service from the professional parts people at O'Reilly Auto Parts. Let's go out to our Aaron Rodgers expert, because whenever we have a question about Aaron Rodgers, we go to one man and one man only, and that's someone that knows Aaron Rodgers pretty damn well and did play on the same team with him in Green Bay from 2007 to 2015. And that is the Super Bowl champion, the three-time Pro Bowler, and a good friend of our show in John Coon. John, how you been? I'm doing great, Zach. Aaron Rodgers expert.

Well, that might be a bit heavy there of a push, but I appreciate it nonetheless. And I'll say this. The last two years that we've had you on to talk about this, because this story never goes away, you've remained pretty positive, and I've been pretty positive that Rodgers would be back in Green Bay. This year it feels different, and yesterday I said I'm starting to think that Rodgers is going to get dealt this offseason.

Where do you sit on this one this year? I remember two years ago very vividly you and I starting a little bit of a twister here, a sports world twister, when we started making our predictions of Aaron Rodgers, will he, will he not be back in a Packers uniform. And I agree with you, Zach. We felt very strongly then he was coming back. We felt strongly last year he was coming back after a second MVP.

This year feels a lot different, and for a multitude of different reasons. And you could go down a whole slate of reasons why if Aaron Rodgers is not back as the Green Bay Packers starting quarterback next year, it would make sense. But I think most importantly, you look at the season that they just had, and you ask yourself the simple question, is this Green Bay Packer team closer to a Super Bowl than what it was a year ago? Is it further away from a Super Bowl than what it was a year ago?

I think the answer is clearly further away. And I think it's more than just bringing Aaron Rodgers back that can get the Green Bay Packers to a Super Bowl. I think it's going to take a lot of pieces here in Green Bay. And I don't know if that's the time or the effort or the energy Aaron Rodgers wants to put into what would be a 19th season. It feels like right now we're in a good old-fashioned staring contest where I think Rodgers would be fine with leaving and the Packers would be fine with trading him, but they just want to see who's going to say it first.

Oh yeah, you definitely get the feeling. The other thing too, Zach, is you can kind of feel a tone within the kind of gestures that Aaron Rodgers has made throughout this season, some of his press conferences, even afterwards, and his weekly talks on McAfee. The fact that he tends to go a little bit back and forth with how much a piece he is with his situation, and then if he comes back he wants to rebuild, but then yesterday takes back the number of guys. He doesn't need those guys to come back in order for him to be able to come back. There's definitely the elephant in the room, and to some extent you wonder if they have even had the conversation as to, yeah, if we were to trade you, where would you like to go?

Because that's the first step. Aaron Rodgers has pretty much veto power to not be traded somewhere that he doesn't want to go. The Green Bay Packers don't want to trade him to the NFC, so if this were something that were to go down, they obviously need to have a conversation about it first, and I just don't know if anybody has actually breached the subject. Right now, in your heart, do you feel like you've seen Aaron Rodgers play his final game with the Packers?

No, man. Right now I'm sitting right on the fence. I'm right on the fence. Because I know in my heart that Aaron Rodgers would love to retire a Green Bay Packer. I know also Aaron Rodgers would love to finish his career with another Super Bowl championship. I know the Green Bay Packers would love to win a Super Bowl championship with Aaron Rodgers, but just because they want all those things to happen doesn't mean they can all coexist.

And I just don't know if Aaron Rodgers can come back to this team and within a year or two build it back up to Super Bowl caliber. The one thing people really tend to forget is that last year when Aaron Rodgers decided he wasn't going to retire, and he was going to sign that big three-year deal, three-year extension with the Green Bay Packers for $150 million, he was under the impression that Devante Adams was going to be franchise tagged and come back to Green Bay. Green Bay Packers were under the exact same impression that Devante Adams and Aaron Rodgers would be a combo deal and that the first leg of that deal was getting Aaron Rodgers to come back. When Devante Adams chose to leave, that sent quakes through the theory that Aaron Rodgers and Devante Adams were going to be here and they were just going to run it back. And you saw what kind of chemistry they had this year.

It was not the type of ball fence that we were accustomed to seeing. And I'm just not sure that Aaron Rodgers without a Devante Adams is a team that's pressing on the doorstep of a Super Bowl. Talking to John Kuhn, so we know they missed the playoffs, we know they got off to a terrible start and they almost salvaged it and they lost that game to Detroit. We all expected a little bit of regression when you lose a Devante Adams, but I don't know about you John, I was stunned that they ended up missing the playoffs where I thought they were going to be before the year started. Yeah, they actually, the crazy thing is they started off the season better than I thought they would Zach at 3-1.

They really did and there was definitely a learning curve, especially on the offensive side of the ball. And the defense played well early in the season before they lost with Sean Gary. And what I mean by played well is they kept the Green Bay Packers in ball games. They kept the Packers in a ball game against the Jets. They kept the Packers in a ball game against the Washington commanders. They kept the Packers in a ball game with the New England Patriots before the Packers offense decided to turn it on in the second half. So it was one of those things where the offense never really got its legs under itself until the last month of the season.

And that's about the point in time where they needed to run the table. I'm with you, I was surprised to a certain extent how much was the broken thumb for Aaron Rodgers. Did that really play a part? I never really get a clear answer from Aaron. He says that it bothers him, but he doesn't say it's going to affect his play.

But you've got to imagine it did a little bit. And that probably weighs in the back of his mind what kind of season would he have had had he not had that broken thumb. Do you think if Aaron could go back and operate these last two years differently in any way that he would do so?

Or do you think he's at peace with everything, with the way that it's gone down? That's the one thing I'm sure about Zach. The one thing I'm sure about is that Aaron Rodgers is in a really good head space right now. What his objectives and his goals and where he's going to play next year, he's the only one that knows that. But the one thing that I do know about Aaron Rodgers is he's at peace.

And he's happy and he's content. And this is also why I feel more likely this year than the other years there's a chance that he's not the Packers' quarterback next year. It's because you could see him throughout the season embracing the moment, soaking it all in, really kind of looking up at the fans, looking at the stands, really spending some extra time on the sidelines soaking it in. You could see an introspective and Aaron Rodgers looking around really enjoying his environment the last month of the season. And I do think all the uncertainty the last two years did kind of drive Devante Adams out.

Now you could put that blame on some of it. Rodgers may be more of it on the team because even with the uncertainty of Rodgers, they should have taken care of Devante Adams a year or two ago. And they let that linger and I think Adams just had enough with it.

Yeah, I mean, Devante has been very outspoken. He wanted to go closer to home, which is the West Coast. He's a Fresno State guy.

Obviously, Las Vegas is much closer. It's much easier for his family to get to the games to see his family. He now has young kids and a wife.

That didn't take place by the time he extended his first contract extension into his second contract. Things have changed in his family life. And he wanted to play with his buddy out there, Derek Carr, in Las Vegas.

So all of those things kind of play a part in this. And I also believe that not knowing Aaron Rodgers, not knowing Jordan Love, not knowing who his quarterback was going to be. One thing about Devante Adams is he's also trying to stand on his two legs.

He's also trying to cement his legacy. And this year was a part of that, being able to be first team All-Pro without Aaron Rodgers as his quarterback. Not a whole lot of wide receivers have left Green Bay after flourishing Aaron Rodgers and have done the things that Devante Adams did this year away from Green Bay. John Kuhn, could you see a Rodgers-Adams reunion if he does get traded in Las Vegas with the Raiders? You know what, Zach, when I speculate where Aaron could possibly play if not in Green Bay, I think a couple places really make sense. I think Las Vegas is very high on that list. I think a New York Jets team is up there on the list because of where they're at with some of their offensive weapons and the strong defense that they have. And I think the Miami Dolphins potentially could be on that list as well.

I know for myself, when I got later in my career and I went south to New Orleans to play, that warm weather sure felt good on the body, sure felt good on the joints. So I think that's probably something that if Aaron Rodgers does play somewhere else, he could possibly play there. But if you notice I said three AFC teams, I'm fairly certain about as much as I can possibly be that if the Green Bay Packers do trade Aaron Rodgers, it'll be to the AFC. Wrapping up with John Kuhn. So if Jordan Love is the starting quarterback next year, what could Packers fans expect out of that first round pick from a few years ago?

Well, you know, I would say go back to where we were in 2008. And I remember this very vividly and I was talking with my old teammate Nick Collins today and we were going back and forth about what it was like doing the transition from Brett Favre to Aaron Rodgers. And Packer fans were conflicted. You know, a lot of fans really wanted Brett back and they were upset with the trade and there was a lot of scrutiny and a lot of eyeballs on Aaron Rodgers. And throughout the season, a 6-10 season, which is a struggle season for the Green Bay Packers, you started getting glimpses, you started getting signs of what Aaron Rodgers could be and what Aaron Rodgers would be going into the future. So I don't know if the record, the win-loss record will be all that great if Jordan Love is the starting quarterback. But I do believe we've seen some signs out of this kid, especially this year at Philadelphia, that can show he could potentially be a good starting quarterback in the National Football League.

And I for one would be excited to see it. What about your former coach when you wrapped up your career in New Orleans and Sean Paden? I know he's still out there. I don't think any team has got a second interview with him yet. Do you think Sean will be back next year on the sidelines?

Because I'm starting to think maybe he's going to be back at Fox for another season. Zach, I'll tell you, I thought this would have been done weeks ago. I can't believe we're this far into the playoffs and one of these five teams haven't snatched somebody up yet. I thought Sean Paden would easily be the first one to get snatched up. Is he sitting out there waiting? Was he waiting to see what the Chargers were going to do with Staley? Was he waiting to see if something crazy shakes down with Mike McCarthy in Dallas? I don't really know why Sean Paden is not signed yet, why Sean Paden is not a head coach yet. Obviously, it's not just his say. The Saints got to accept the trade, so a team's got to pony up not just the salary that it would take to get Sean Paden, but a couple draft picks for the New Orleans Saints as well. That's a big question mark.

And to me, I'm with you. The longer this goes, you might think Sean Paden may miss out, but I know he wants to get back into it. I know he'll be a coach again someday, but just will it be this year? I know you said you're on the fence about Rogers going back to Green Bay and it does feel different. If you had to go 51-49, do you go more 51 that he's leaving or 51 that he's staying? If you make me pick, he's going to stay. He's going to stay for one more year and it'll be one last push to try and get back into the playoffs and pull off something crazy. But Zach, just like I started this conversation, I'm going to finish this conversation. This doesn't feel like the last two years when Aaron Rogers requested a trade around the draft in 2020 and when Aaron Rogers pondered retirement before 2021.

This year feels entirely different. John Kuhn, you're the best. I appreciate it. Thank you. Always great talking with you, Zach. Take care. There you go.

John Kuhn joining us on the Zach Gelb show on CBS Sports Radio. I panicked there for a second. Whenever I start to throw out numbers like 51 and 49 to get them equal to 100, I got to make sure they're equal to 100.

And thankfully for my case, they did in that regard. So good job out of me. There we go. Dr. Raymond Coughlin would be proud of me at Temple University for the one math class that I've ever had to take back when I was a student. I was trying to be a wise owl. Not really the case. I got one big reaction from that John Kuhn interview.

I will give it to you coming up. There's a lot to listen to. So get started and download the free Odyssey app today. The listening you love is on the free Odyssey app. Your trusted local radio stations, coverage of your favorite teams, live news from your hometown and millions of podcasts on demand. Best of all, you can completely customize your listening experience. Follow topics you care about like leagues and teams. Pause or rewind your local sports and news and add shows to your queue to catch up later.

There's a lot to listen to. So get started and download the free Odyssey app today. The NFL playoffs live on Odyssey and Westwood One brings you the AFC and NFC championship games streaming live for free this Sunday on the Odyssey app. The 49ers visit the Eagles touchdown. And then it's a rematch between the Bengals and the Chiefs wide open. Jamar Chase takes it in. Touchdown. Chiefs catch all the action from Westwood one. Your playoffs.

Your Odyssey get in the game and download the free Odyssey app today. You're listening to the Zach Gelb show. Zach Gelb shows CBS Sports Radio. My big reaction to the John Coon interview.

Now, he said if he had to lean one way or another, he would go fifty one forty nine. Rogers is back in Green Bay. But you need some context on that. John Coon in the last two years, when things look so bleak, things look so pessimistic, things look so negative that Rogers would not be back in Green Bay. If you recall on this show, he said he felt like there was a 75 percent chance that Rogers would be back. And at that time, that number and that quote went viral. It was all over every major network, TV, radio. That's all people were talking about, because it was the first conflicting report or conflicting thought from someone that knows Rogers, where everything at the time was Rogers leaving, Rogers leaving, Rogers is leaving.

I think heading into this off season, a lot of people were like me, where they were just like, oh, I don't care. We've done this song and dance the last two years. Now we're going to do it a third time.

It's going to have the same end result. But I said it yesterday on the show. And I'll say it again. And I wanted to see where I would be after this John Coon interview, because I do value John's opinion on this stuff. And yesterday, I admitted on the air for the first time in the last three years, I think Rogers is done in Green Bay. That's the way I felt.

And I even said it to John in the interview, I'll repeat my analogy today. This is like a relationship that went to couples therapy. They tried to fix their relationship. They both know it's going to end, but they have some great memories, so they're still skeptical of it ending. But they know in their true hearts it's going to end. They just don't want to be the bad partner here. They don't want to be the person that says first, well, that's the Packers or Rogers.

I want out. And eventually both are going to realize it's the best part and it's the best thing for each other. And someone's going to cave. And I do think it's the Packers who are going to cave first, because the Packers, if you hear the reporting from Adam Schefter, would only explore trade inside the AFC.

So they're already thinking about it. And you hear Rogers giving hints about him thinking about playing elsewhere as well. But after hearing John Kuhn on the show, the fact that he even admits that this year feels different, even though he leaned 51 percent coming back, 49 percent going away and going to a different team.

The fact that that number has dropped and it's truly like 50-50 in his book and he said this year feels different. I think there's enough clues in that interview to make me feel now even more confident that Aaron Rogers will not be back in Green Bay next year. And I don't know when it's going to happen. I don't know if it's going to be this week, next week or whatever. It's got to be after the Super Bowl, but you get the point anyway. There is going to be an alert sometime that Rogers is going to get dealt. And it wouldn't surprise me if this lingers a little bit. Actually, it could happen during Super Bowl week. Maybe it does.

I don't know. We've had announcements get leaked out and they get finalized at a later date when the league year does start. But I would think at some point after the Super Bowl, you get that announcement and it would be before the draft that Rogers is traded. And you could go through all the destinations of the AFC teams and John even threw out a few. I think the Raiders would be in play. They'll also be in play for Tom Brady. I think the Jets would be in play and that was my prediction yesterday that Rogers is going to wind up with the JTS Jets. If the Dolphins are thinking about moving on from Tuatunga by lower or don't think that he's going to play football or is going to be able to play football. Then Miami could definitely be in play.

So there's a bunch of teams that come to mind inside the AFC. But when it comes to my answer on is Rogers going to be back in Green Bay, I don't think that's happening. Hickey, your reaction to the John Coon interview because I know you've been on a different side. The last two years it's been John Coon and yours truly up against hot take Hickey where Hickey's like, he's leaving, he's leaving, he's leaving. And I've been sitting here with John saying, no, he's staying, he's staying, he's staying. I know that you have tripled down here this year.

Third time's a charm. I guess that expression's going to come to fruition if John and I are right that even though what John said at the end of the answer that this does feel different. And I am saying it clear that I do not expect Rogers to be back in Green Bay next year. And that's the main difference this year compared to the last two is I thought the last two would be Rogers driven. He wants to get away. He feels disrespected by the team. He wants to go to a situation that's better than Green Bay to win a Super Bowl. This offseason you kind of heard John sense it. Now you're kind of getting the sense and reports leaking out as well that you're getting the sense that the Packers now are the ones for the first time in three years of this whole drama are the ones saying, you know what? Maybe we're the ones that should move on and we're okay now finally ushering in Jordan Love and moving off of Aaron Rogers. You see John mentioned before, you know, if they run it back next year, is this team truly going to be that much better?

Probably make this the plastic. It's fair. I'd say that they'll bounce back and be a playoff team, but they anywhere near right now the Eagles of the 49ers.

No, no, absolutely not. And you never know what happens from year to year, but I think the biggest part and you got to look into some of those comments is that we've seen the last three years. Even when they had Devante Adams before this past offseason where they traded him, there has been that thought go get a legit other weapon for Aaron Rogers and that's never happened. Like I'm not saying to Rogers that he doesn't deserve any of the blame like he could have got them to a Super Bowl. He played bad when he had chances to go take a lead up against the Buccaneers like we've done this dance so many times.

The 49ers again, they score a touchdown on the opening drive then did nothing after that this year. You can't play in the special teams this year. You can't play in the defense.

This was in the final game of the season against Detroit, an offensive failure. And I just think it's the perfect storm whether Rogers wants to take ownership or Rogers wants to place blame in different directions. Like if I was Rogers, the way I would approach it is I don't think we win a Super Bowl here. And I don't have Devante Adams anymore. Sure, Christian Watson, he's looked really damn good down the stretch in the second half of the season. But if you're Rogers, you have to ask yourself this question. Do you have confidence that Brian Gudekunz this offseason and the Packers brass is going to go get me another number one type of option? To throw the football to. And if that answer is no, and I think that answer of Rogers being truthful with himself.

The answer would be no. I would say, guys, thank you. Been wonderful. Been fantastic.

I wanted to end my career here, but it's just not working out. And that's the big question I think Rogers has to ask himself because you even kind of brought it up, Picky. I think it was two weeks ago when he was on McAfee and he made the MVP comment, which was not a good look. But later on in that interview, he did say he would not play if he didn't think he could win a Super Bowl. So even though we all went to the MVP comment, he did talk about that feeling of wanting to win another Super Bowl and only playing if he thought he could still win a Super Bowl. Even if that team is improved next year in Green Bay and I'm with you, I think they'll be improved next year if Rogers is there. Do they go from the jump of missing the playoffs to them being in the Super Bowl? I know there's always belief.

I know you always want to bet on yourself. But if you're being transparent with yourself, this is not a Super Bowl roster because they've had better teams and they've had home field advantage. And I'm not talking about years ago.

I'm talking within the last three years. And they've come up short, whether that's in an NFC title game or that's in the divisional round. And with the holes that they have, we know this has been a team that is not going to go all in.

No Adams now. So right, if you're not going to basically bring Rogers back and then do everything possible to put yourself in the best position to be a Super Bowl contender, then why are you going to pay him $60 million instead of just go bring Jordan Love and usher the new era in and just cut bait for once? And it's not only this year, it's future years too. It's like, do you think they're going to be a Super Bowl contender two years from now? Once again, even if Watson turns out to be the star and let's say, and I don't think, right, I like Christian Watson, but I'm not ready to say like, oh, he's going to be on par with Devante Adams. But even if he gets to that level of being in the same conversation as Devante Adams, you still have the same problem.

Where there's not a legit other weapon there. So I don't see where you think if you're Rogers, this ends up with a happy story with you winning a Super Bowl again in Green Bay. Now, I will say the three teams that he brought up, the Jets, the Raiders and the Dolphins, even if he goes to one of those three teams, I still don't think it's very likely that he's going to Super Bowl. Like the Jets make the playoffs next year. The Dolphins already made the playoffs this year without Aaron Rodgers.

They could maybe win a game or two. The Raiders, yeah, they could be a playoff team, but I would still look at the Chargers as a better team. I'd still look at Chiefs as a better team inside that division. So trying to find an option that you could go win a Super Bowl in the AFC, where you have a conference that's going to be dominated by Mahomes, by Burrow, by Josh Allen for the foreseeable future, I think is actually kind of tough as well.

You could improve your chances. I don't think Rodgers, though, is going to win another Super Bowl with the options that I see that are in play right now potentially inside the AFC. I think Dolphins, he definitely would be a contender, without a doubt. I think Jets, like I said, playoff team, probably I would agree with that. Raiders, I think, are the slimmest margins of the three teams. But Tyreek Hill, Jalen Waddle, I like Mike McDaniel and what he's done so far in year number one. That's definitely a team out of the three that listed. And really, any team in the AFC that's reasonable and realistic, that's the team that you have the best chance to win next year. Defensively, though, they got to go take a jump, because they did decrease in their defensive play without Brian Flores.

You got to get more consistency out of that line. And you got to fix that running game, too, with the Miami Dolphins. You got Tyreek Hill, you got Jalen Waddle. I just think that would be more of an all-star team, let's say, if you have Rodgers, Hill, and Waddle, compared to a team that is going to be a Super Bowl team.

I think there's a difference where you look at a fantasy all-star team compared to a team that could go on out there and win a Super Bowl. This is Zach Gelb's show on CBS Sports Radio. We'll break, we'll come on back, we'll talk a little Cowboys with Kevonta Turp. So get started and download the free Odyssey app today. The listening you love is on the free Odyssey app. Your trusted local radio stations. Coverage of your favorite teams. Live news from your hometown. And millions of podcasts on demand.

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