Welcome to NFL Daily, where we continue to make marquee additions. We don't even put our marquee additions on the practice squad like they did with Dalvin Cook in Dallas. We're adding members to the NFL Daily family, and that includes Keegan Abdu today from NextGen Stats. Right on. That's also got Steve Weish and Jordan Rod Week here in the Chris Wesling podcast studio. And yeah, Keegan, you work here for Next In Stats, and you still had no idea where the podcast studio was. I took that as an insult.

We're just very siloed at the end of the call. You work within your department, and if you cross over, you might get reprimanded.

I was excited. Look, Keegan, I met him at a get together at the Super Bowl with Nate Tyson, a lot of movers and shakers at the Super Bowl. I was like, this guy's in our building. He's a secret weapon. A great follow on Twitter. And we've been talking about NFL Pro and next Gen stats and everything that they have. That he can bring that angle to the conversation today. It's an NFC preview, your favorite conference, Jordan, fresh off the Ram's practice field.

Fresh being the keyword this week off the practice field. Were you aware that you almost hit Keegan in the face four times?

My hands fly around. What happened? Steve, good to have you back here.

Good having you. I'm an NFC guy, too. Growing up in between Minneapolis and St. Louis, I grew up loving the NFC back when it was on CBS, I believe, exclusively long days ago.

Then you were based in St. Louis, were you ever? Was it professionally?

No. No. Once I left the University of Missouri, I was gone. That city was my rear view mirror. I love the Cardinals, and that's about it.

We hit the AFC on Thursday with nick Wright. That was a lot of fun. We're going to go through same questions, essentially, as the NFC, and go through them all today. Hit every team. We're all going to predict our seeds. Keegan's predictions hold a little more weight because they have so many numbers behind them, but we all get to make our predictions. But we do have some news, so I want to fly through the news quickly before we get to the NFC preview. News. It's just like we've been talking about these quarterback battles all offseason. Now that they're officially over, we should at least mention it, Jordan. Let's talk Patriots, Jacobi Braset, officially over Drake May. I actually thought this was up in the air the last day. My conspiracy theory is Drod Mayo might have been more on the fence or leaning Drake May than maybe his offensive coordinator, Alex Van Pelt, who made it very clear he wanted Jacobi Braset. But they did end up going with Jacobi. Mayo said in a radio interview on Wednesday, actually, that the right guy for us now might not be the right guy for us down the road with telegraphted a little bit.

It makes me think he's got a pretty short leash.

Yeah, obvious. I mean, they're trying to be safe with the guy that they're developing to be their next franchise quarterback. I think in that same interview, didn't he say Jacobi had outplayed Jake May?

No, he said Jake May had outplayed Jacobi earlier this week. It's all very confusing. That's the thing. So as a Patriots fan-You're just not trying to rush, and I know you really want to finish that sentence as a Patriots fan, Greg, but you're not trying to rush the guy into making too many mistakes, getting a little ghost early, anything like that that could potentially happen to set him off trajectory.

You're trying to develop him. Yeah, you want your starting quarterback who he's going to be your starter eventually to play. You want him to get reps, but you also want to protect him sometimes from himself and sometimes from the environment around him.

Any thought, Steve, that Mayo stepped in it a little because he said all along, it's not about Drake May showing that he's ready, it's about who wins the competition. And that's where I think he got in trouble because the last few weeks, everyone there, including Gerard Mayo, say, Drake may outplayed Jacobi Brisset. I think Jacobi, and it's a tough situation he's in, wasn't playing his best either because of all the pressure and everything that's going on. May can make some plays and look more comfortable. By all accounts, outplayed him in the preseason and in practice.

Yeah, look, I think this comes back because remember, I'm on the record on this show saying that Drake May should start. Me too. But I think they looked at the schedule. It's like, Jeez, this is really, really no joke. But you're going to have to be thrown into it at some point. But I think the audience looked at the rest of the roster. They Maybe he really want to? I don't know. I'm a big believer in letting him play. When you talk about Alex Van Pelt having some sway, he had Jacobi in Cleveland as well. There's that relationship and that familiarity and how he can deal with in-game situations that Drake may has not seen in the regular season. That may be why he's slowing it down.

Over under, Drake May starts Keegan this year.

I'm going to go 10.

Okay. That's the over underlined?

I mean, he's saying, yeah, I would go 14 or 15. I think this is quick. I think it's like, let Drake May see what the regular season is like. It's probably not going to go that well, and that they'll be impatient. What was your view on May as a prospect coming in?

I really liked May as a prospect. I thought that, honestly, the Daniels pick was a little bit questionable compared to May's tools. I thought he was the second best quarterback in this draft, and I really wanted my Giants to go up and grab him.

They tried, it sounds like.

There was that rumor that was happening. Unfortunately, the Patriots as a Giants fan seem to have maybe gotten another franchise quarterback.

I think they will, and that's why I think Patriots fans should just relax. Calm down. It's so hard to get a quarterback. Just believe that this is going to be your guy. You're not going to win many games this year. Enjoy it. What are you talking about?

He said Patriots fans relax.

Yeah.

That's the biggest-Do you want to address him now?

That is the biggest when pigs fly thing. Patriots fans can't relax.

You've been up there.

They said. I do want to just say one thing, make one thing really clear. What I'm not going to do in Gerard Mayo's first year is get on him for flip-flopping on something. This is also a building that never said anything about anything, about anything, about anything for years and years. Gerard Mayo, I think, in the first year, he is allowed to, A, change his mind, B, receive more information, C, consult his coaching staff, D, talk to the media and change his mind. He's allowed to develop. I'm not going to hold him for what he said last Wednesday and change his mind this Wednesday, especially if they're developing a plan for this guy along the way.

That's why I like Jordan. She takes a step back. She's empathetic. She sees the big picture. You're right. I got a lot of feelings. I like that Mayo says whatever is on his mind. It is a beautiful thing. He's a tough guy.

He's a former player they love. I just want Jordan to go on the steps of the City Hall in Providence, Rhode Island or someplace, and say this to the people who are kindly known as Masshaw because they are not going to be as forgiving as you. No.

I'm too soft for that. But you know what? It's a miserable way to live because the Celtics are the team that has my heart the most now where I'm up and down. You know what I saw all last season was thousands and thousands of people who were miserable during a championship season. Enjoy the ride. This is going to be a fun ride with Drake May. Just enjoy the process. All right, the process in Pittsburgh seems less enjoyable. I thought it was really interesting. After they announced Russell Wilson is the starting quarterback, which we expected Justin Fields. Keegan didn't seem like he did enough to win the job, in my opinion. He just didn't play that well in the preseason. I actually think the door was open. They opened it for him, and he He struggled, too. It's a tough situation. I thought it was interesting, though, on the Rich Eisen show that Mike Tomlin immediately threw it out there that Justin Fields is too talented to just keep on the bench, that my friend Raheem Morris, in his words, should be ready for some Justin Fields. Maybe that's gamesmanship, but I do believe him that Justin Fields will have some role in this Steeler's offense in the first month of the season.

Yeah, I could see that happening. Also, just both quarterbacks are such a weird fit with Arthur Smith. He loves to get wide open throws over the middle using play action. Both of those guys are not really in structured quarterbacks, so that'll be interesting to see how either of them fit in that offense.

Yeah, we talked about it. It's like everyone was popping a tiny mini bottle of champagne every time they saw a throw between the numbers because they knew that this is what was going to be a key element of Arthur Smith's offense. What I really hope to see, which never quite manifested. Yeah, it was a preseason, but just didn't really manifest, was the ability of Justin Fields to be used in a multiplicity way within Arthur Smith's reputation or reputation among some as a run game guy and able to marry the run in the past in that way.We just, you know.You'll probably see it. The door was open and he just didn't quite walk through.

You saw something in the third preseason game, which I thought was interesting because Russell Wilson comes out, leads a touch down drive, and he's out. I was in studio working with Ron Rivera. He's like, Russell's the starter. You don't just go ahead and play him one series and take him out if he's earning the job. He's starter. But then when they put in Justin Fields, they did some RPO stuff. They did some stuff almost like some old-school Vera option type of stuff. I think that's going to be part of it. It's just interesting because, again, when I see the Falcons' preseason games, he had a chance to draft Justin Fields and wanted no part of him. I don't think he's a huge...

And to that point, though, Steve, I did like seeing that as well. It's just I don't think that enough of it popped for them in order for him to fully walk through the door.

They're bracing on practice, too, and the offensive. I honestly think they just felt like unless fields played excellent, not that they felt like they owed it to Russell Wilson, but this was the vision. This was the plan all along, and it was going to take something different to veer off. I do worry, though, we have our predictions up on nfl. Com. If you want to check it out, Keegans are in there. I don't know if Steve filled out the email this year. He's big time.I didn't get one.I'm sure you got one.I.

Did not get one, my friend.He's.

Checking right now.Out.

Of 30 analysts, only one even had the Steelers in the playoffs. I think we did the opposite of what we did last year, where we overrated the Stealers because they had a nice preseason. Maybe we were overreacting to a bad preseason. They're still the Stealers, and they have a great front seven. Quickly, I just want to go through the wide receiver drama before we get to the NFC preview. Surprisingly, Jamar Chase and Brandon Ayuk, that it's taken new turns, that Jamar Chase was back practicing. Then he wasn't after Zack Taylor expected him to be all systems go and said he was confident Jamar Chase was going to be playing week one. I wonder if those comments had something to do with him not showing back up at practice on Wednesday. He was there on Thursday. You're shaking your head.

Yes, Steve White. I think that very much was like, Oh, no. Oh, you think I'm going to practice? Why should I? Oh, I'm under contract? Yeah, but I want to get paid. I think those comments very much-But he did practice.

That was the weird thing. So, Ayouk is in a similar situation where both teams are saying, Okay, we haven't been fining you. You've been doing this holding, which we've allowed. But Brandon, I believe in you. I believe this will get done. It's why I drafted you in the fourth round of my fantasy draft. People are too afraid of this contract. It'll show up. He's still a great player. A couple other items just in transactions before we take a quick break. I mentioned Dalvin Cook, who was advertised as a big deal. Marquis signing, and then he went to the Practice Squad for the Cowboys. Let's calm down there. The Commanders signed Noah Brown. There was a lot of practice squad shuffling. Nothing to me that was that crazy. Taylor Heineke got traded to the charges. We've been reallyWe figured he was going to get to. Campaigning for the charges to get a backup, and so that's an upgrade for them. Tyler Hunt is on the loose. The Browns cut him after not getting a trade partner for him, so he'll probably end up somewhere else that could use a quarterback, too. Let's take a quick break, and then let's just have a clean start of our NFC preview.

We're going to go through. We're going to tell you who makes the playoffs, who doesn't, who's going to be a little surprising, who's going to get fired?

Who's going to ruin our prime times?

Now we have to do that one, too. Yes.

For years, California's most beloved football franchise has been left wanting in the playoffs, lacking protection at key moments while opponents glibly celebrate World Championships. You're going to have to deal with the- That's why we introduce Prop 71. California Prop 71 diverts key funds to the protection of Brock Purdy, resulting in a binding agreement with an institution bound for Kent, Ohio, for the rest of his career, paid for by the collection of rational humans who believe Trent Williams should be properly compensated.

Yes.

That is fantastic. Oh, my God. It's an election year. It's an important issue. I think 49ers fans and Brock Purdy are going to be in big support of that prop.

Make sure you read that fine print on those props.Yes.How they are in California.

Yeah, that's a good point.

Yeah, they're not always the best written props.

I suggest anyone check us out on YouTube, the NFL Daily, so you can see everything that went along with that. Thank you to Patrick Claibon and his campaign to protect Brock Purdy. Maybe there'll be an answer early on. I'm going to start with this. A team favored to make the playoffs that won't, to see if anyone actually would go as big as the 49ers. I do want to say who are the teams that are favored to make the playoffs in Vegas. The 49ers are the team most likely to, according to the desert. The lions, the eagles, the packers, the cowboys, and the falcons. Those are pretty strong six who are favored to make the playoffs. The Rams and the bears were next. They were even odds as the seventh team. A little surprised the bears were in there. We're going to go around the room. Everyone's going to pick one of those teams that you do not think make the play off, Steve, you look like you want to jump in.I'm.

Going to go with the Cowboys.Okay. I mean, it's crazy. It sounds here's a team that routinely wins 12 games. It only takes nine to get in. Will they make that six-game swing? They could. I mean, I just I know they got CeeD back. Their offense is going to get better. Their young offensive line looks good. Daven Cooke, I mean, is he your answer in the ground game?

No. Is he going to be better than Rico Doudle? I mean, I don't know.

Yeah, I don't like what they have in the run game. I know Mike Zimmer is a great defensive coordinator. I don't know. When I look at the team, when we say favorite, I mean, that's the thing. I personally think they are a playoff team. But when you look at the teams that is favored.

Well, then they shouldn't be your answer.

You got to eliminate someone. Well, okay. You know what? I'm just going to say the Cowboys. Here's where I hedge because I just don't know if there's a division that's going to give us three teams. We're going to see in the AFC North again. We're going to see three teams. I just don't know if there's that division.

I think the The NFC West or the NFC North. I have the Cowboys written down, too. I think they're thin at a lot of positions where one injury really hurts them, but they're linebackers. The offensive line going from what was a strength to a weakness, the depth of the wide receiver group. I don't know if this is going to be a good defense in Dallas.

Yeah, I have the Cowboys written down. Okay. I really think part of it is because the specter of what could possibly become of this team is just waiting right around the corner. It feels like the coach on the final deal, the Dax situation. Here's a hypothetical. If you're Jerry Jones, and they know more about this situation internally than we know publicly, clearly, right? But here's just the hypothetical. Play this string out with me a little bit. If you are clear or if internally you are aware that your franchise quarterback potentially is not going to sign a deal with you or you're not going to pay this guy, You already know you're not going to pay him what he's asking. Then you're collecting calls, trying to see if you can recoup anything from the loss of what this player will be before November, and you're not resigning your head coach, and you're not resigning several players, and you have a core receiver who can help a different quarterback develop into that roster. This is a hypothetical situation, but I think if I'm Jerry Jones and I'm talking to our guy Clarence Hill about what a great GM he is, and you're obviously thinking about, If this guy leaves, what can I recoup instead of just coming away with nothing and just having to rebuild with no resources on the backside?

If I'm Dak, I do want to go and actually test free agency and actually get paid what I think I'm worth and what I think he will be worth.

Well, you mentioned those Jerry Jones quotes, and he was talking about Dak Prescott this week. Let's listen to what Dak Prescott said on Thursday, courtesy of KDFW Fox 4 in Dallas.

Yeah, I understand that. That's the business and the nature of this game that we play. Yeah, I mean, I stopped, honestly, listening to things that he says to the media a long time ago. So it doesn't really hold weight with me.

I mean, it's funny.

I know there were some chuckles, but there was some biting in there.

When he says he, he's talking about his boss, Jerry Jones. Wait, was it a clean sweep? Did you write down the Cowboys, too? I did not.Okay.I did not. Okay, we'll stop burying the Cowboys for a second, but I'm I don't know if I can get there on that they could ever trade deck in season. They would have to really start slow for that to happen.

If you're already committed that you're blowing up your team after this season, then you are trying to get back whatever you can.

But they're going to try to make it work this year. They're a live in the moment type of franchise. But you're right. Just a coach who won't be back, a quarterback that won't be back, those are bad signs. Let's hear from you, Keegan, in terms of the team you wrote down.

All right. So the smart take, I think, would be the Falcons, just because I think that people are putting them in by default, and there's still a lot of questions about that offense. Their defense is not going to be as good after losing Ryan Nielsen. But I'm going to start out with a boom, going to go on the Eagles.

I noticed that I was the only one in the staff mix.

This is how we get the Cowboys fans back. Exactly. Listening to the show.

The only one in the staff fix. I noticed it had them missing out of 30 people. Wow. So let me go through a little bit.

And by the way, clever that your last name is the first in every list, so you get more pop than all the other analysts.

That out to the Levinian I see what you're doing. Anyway, so basically, I think the loss of Kelsey, everyone talks about it, but I do think that's going to be a huge loss, especially with the new coordinator. This will be the first time that Jalen Hertz ever calls protections in his life, if that's up to him, if not, it's Cam Jurgen's, who it would be his first time playing center as a NFL pro, because last year when Kelsey missed a game, I think they kept him at right guard or left guard for continuity. From an offensive perspective, I think the book might be out a little bit on Jalen Hertz. You blitz him. Someone said that in Mike Sandos tears. It was an anonymous coach that said, You just cover zero, blitz him. They have supreme talent. Don't get me wrong. They have Saquon Barkley. That's going to add explosion. But I don't think that just automatically assuming this offense's problems are going to be fixed that we saw for the second half of last season. Then on the other side of the ball, one of the worst defenses in the league last year, they invest in the secondary, have two great picks by most people's metrics in the draft, but you're expecting a lot out of rookies.

You have two aging cornerbacks outside of that. Chauncey Garner Johnson is a big improvement for their slot defense, especially. That's where they really struggled last year. I think they allowed the most yards to slot receivers last year. But you have Fletcher Cox retiring. You have Bryce Huff, who's going to be a full-time player for the first time in his career. And you have really no depth beyond Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis, who are not really full-time players. That's an issue. Jordan Davis has never really eclipsed 60% Snapshare in his career. I don't know. I just think it's a lot more of a fragile team than people are saying. If the heat's hot, I could also see Seriani getting canned early.

Yeah.

That's a great... Real quick, talking about the detackle lack of depth there. That's an issue because behind him, you don't have a great linebacker. I mean, N'Cobi Dean is a hell of a talent, but that guy, when you look at him in person, you would think that maybe he's a slot corner. Like, he's about as big as Kenny Moore.

I don't think he's going to start either, which is also a problem. I think he's coming off the pitch. You're right that I think They were a little more fragile. I'm high on them because I like the talent, but there's a lot of teams like this, and they're similar to Dallas, where just if things start going poorly, it's going to really test that coaching staff and the structure. We know that the front office were the ones pushing these coordinators, and you have some guys there that are just ready to elevate, and the vibes weren't great with Hertz. I'm hoping that they really integrate him into the running game and that they provide some answers that maybe Siriani didn't as a coordinator. I'll go with Falcons, by the way, anyways, just because I didn't have them in my in my playoffs, so I might as well. I just think there's a lot of projection there with the defense, assuming that it's going to be a lot better. And a 36-year-old, Kirk Cousins, who is always an inconsistent player to me, coming off an Achilles tear, I'm just not convinced that he's going to be a plus-plus quarterback.

And if he's an average quarterback, we'll see. All right, let's go to positive news. I feel like we've been so down so far. How about a team that's not favored to make the playoffs? That will. Let's start with you, Jordan.

I have the Seahawks here. I think the NFC West is going to be spiccier than maybe people are looking at at first glance just because of how dismal the Cardinals were for much of last year. We've already talked at nauseam about how they turned it on offensively in the back half. I think the Seahawks are going to take a second to get their defense figured out under this new scheme, the language of the new scheme. Although Mike McDonald, his teaching tools, his teaching progression, you hear people rave about it inside coaching circles across the league, and everybody he's worked with just raves about how, year one, you can start to see it come together, year two is when you really start to see this thing take off and players understand understand where they're supposed to be. I think that this offense is going to be really fun. I agree. I think that the combination of Ryan Grub, who was doing a lot of things that married very well in an NFL world, less so even in a collegiate world, because he's not necessarily exploiting the different hash marks in college. Instead, he's using his motions and shifts as it would adhere to an NFL field, and he's changing formations.

All All of his top receivers, which, by the way, the Seahawks have three very good receivers, all of those guys, the concepts, you can see the philosophy behind what they might try to do. They also brought a former Ram's past game coordinator, Jake Pete, up to Ryan Grub staff to talk about the little intricacies, like spacing, like how to spring people out of different concepts and give them space in the second and third levels of the field out of those cut splits by moving like one inch to the left. Let's go. I think that that's something that's really, really significant. If this offensive line can block anybody this year, which is always a question with this team, I do think that this is going to be a really fun year to watch for the Seahawks. I think they're going to be frisky, really, really tough out, especially down the back half. And Gino Smith is a great quarterback. There it is.

There it is, Greg. There it is. You set it all for me. They're my pick, too. I think the coaching is so key, and we're taking a leap of faith, certainly, on both sides of the ball, but especially on offense, where you need Grub and their scheme to make the offensive line passable. It doesn't need to be great, but it needs to be not league-wise. Like, PFF ranked just pure offensive line talent, and they had them 32nd. That's a problem. And they played like that last year. It's why Geno Smith struggled so much on third down and in long-distance situations, because otherwise, I think they're going to be a very difficult team to prepare for. I do think new coaching staffs sometimes have an advantage that way. I think It's just such a great division. But yeah, if you look at just the players, just think of players and coaches that could win awards or make a Pro Bowl team on that team. Witherspoon. I think Rick Willen can be a Pro Bowl. Byron Murphy, I think, could be a defensive rookie of the year. Dike, Gino, Ken Walker. It's like they have guys, and I think the defensive line is actually a lot of fun.

I know it's not superstars, but once Nuoosa is back, and it sounds like he's not going to be out long, you got him, you got Leonard Williams, you got Draymond Jones. You have a to work with there. I'm going with them to win the division. Let's go.

I've been high on Seattle the whole time. I'm like, Why don't we talk about the Seattle Seahawks? Because you look at McDonald, where he's coming from. You talked about all that front seven talent that they have on defense. That's where Baltimore, where he came from, makes its money. Now he's got a stud. I've talked to people up there. I mean, what they're going to do with Devon Witherspoon is very similar from the corner, what the Ravens did with Kyle Hamilton at the safety spot. Look, this guy's going to be in contention for defensive player of the year. Yeah, I'm calling that shot right now, and I'm with you offensively. Gino is going to be fine. If this offensive line can do things, anything in that run game, which they got two stud running backs, Tony Man, Seattle is going to be a pain.

Did you put them in the playoff, Keegan? I did. Good. Smart man. I don't like all this agreement.

I don't want to be... Well, we did this. We planned this on purpose, so you'd have to pick against them.

No, I will not pick against them. We got our picks out there. It's online. All right, give me a team. Do you have another one that's in favor of the play?

Yeah, I would say the Cardinals are going to be interesting. To make the play? Not to make the play, but I think they'll be competitive and maybe in the wild card race. I'm worried about their defense. That's really what's holding me back. But I mean, a full year of Kyler with Drew Petsing as a coordinator. You got Marvin Harrison, you got Trey McBride. I'm excited for seeing that off the field.

Paris Johnson. Okay, let's talk best division race then, because my answer is NFC West. To me, this is just from a dorky matchup perspective, it's the coaches, it's the players. Every one of these matchups is compelling to me because also it's one of the few divisions where there's four good quarterbacks, four really good quarterbacks, so that helps a lot. It's always going to make it more watchable. I'm going around the room for best division race, but to me, these are all blockbuster box office because to me, even if the Cardinals don't win a ton of games, I'm not as high on you like them taking a big step in the win I'm like, They're going to be fun to watch.

I think that the history is getting really juicy between all of the coaches in this division versus just two of them. I think that this is going to be really interesting. Some of the game planning, they're starting, finally. It's always been Sean and Kyle, but then not even really Sean and Kyle in hiring off of each other's staffs. They're starting to hire off of each other's staffs a little bit, which you only saw that a couple of years removed out of any one Kyle staff or Sean staff. It would be the Ram's 49ers. Now you're starting to see them pluck each other's staff a little bit, trying to get each other's ideas in the building. I think just on a coaching level, I mean, quarterbacks-It's a little incestuous what's going on.

I even notice how She's talking about the second edition of her. Right. Playmakers, too.

Coming in 2026.

It's personal. I like how the Rams claimed the 49ers running back/return, guys.I.

See what you're doing. You saw when Seahaw It's preseason game. Use a couple of the run concepts, man. Go back and watch the 2023 Rams film. It's very interesting.

I feel like the Rams are a team a lot of people steal from. Same thing with the 49ers, around the whole league, not even just.

That's because all the coaches are everywhere. They're running the same stuff.

Anyone have a different division?I do.It's the best race.

I do. When you talk about the most competitive, and it's because it's mediocrity.

It's the NFC South.Okay..

You've got three defensive coaches. You have three defensive coaches down. It's probably the only division In the NFL where you have three defensive head coaches. You've got the one offensive head coach is Hot Stuff going to Carolina, where they're going to be better. I mean, they're not going to be a two-win team. They're going to be better. I just think it's going to be like it's been. 8-9 might be the best you get. When you talk about the best overall race, I think it's going to be those four teams stumbling over each other.

But that's just ugly football. I love it. It might be competitive.

That wasn't the question, man. That was not the question.

It's true. I like a good ugly division.

It was the best division race, right? That's not the most competitive. Well. Did I misinterpret that?

No, I think there's room for interpretation however you want it. I am totally down with a season when the Panthers, when they were 4-10 with Ron Rivera, and then they won three straight to make the playoffs or something like that. It's like, I'm fine with some ugly. Give me mess. I'm with you. I like it.

I got NFC North. Okay.

I like that. I almost went there.

I honestly think that the packers and the lions might be the two best teams in the conference this year.

Wow. That at the top. I like that.

I also I think I'm really high on the bears this year. I think over the second half of last season, after they traded him on Ted Sweat, arguably a top five defense, they retained everyone.

Top run defense in the NFL.

Yeah, sick run defense. Eberfliss, he figured it out near the end. I think from an offensive perspective, you get Odunze, you get Keenan Allen as the third wide receiver. That's a great place for him to be in this part in his career. I think Caleb is really set up to hit the ground running.

You have all these stats, Keegan, in front of you, these crazy next-gen stats. When are you going to break them out? You're pulling from all this crazy information. I want this version of next-gen stats. Can I have it? You have this version. I can get it? Yeah, you can get it. You're working for the NFL. This is good. I can get it. I'm excited. All right, let's go. You mentioned you think the Lions and Packers might be the best teams in the NFC. Should we go number one seed? I'll throw out mine. I'm going to go Lions. I just think the NFC is so much weaker than the AFC. It is. Overall, there's a lot of good teams, but I obviously think the 49ers are coming back to the pack if I have the Seahawks winning the division. The Lions are the team. It sounds so crazy to say that. I just trust the most. That if you told me they had a losing record more than any team in the NFC, it would surprise me. So ultimately, I'm just going to put my faith in continuity in this system, being really ready to go both sides of the ball, really like lines on both sides of the ball.

I'm going to go lines in one seed.

I picked that as well. I hate that we've agreed on almost everything to this point, but I do agree with you. Also, if the Trent Williams and Brandon Aukes situation weren't unfolding, I would have picked the 49ers here. But I picked the lines. Line play, quarterback has certainly raised the floor from several years ago, and they have their faith in him as a city and as a team. Coordinator continuity, fixed some of the holes in their defense.

I mean, the secondary, they addressed it so well.

I love that their biggest problem this spring or this summer was like, Oh, who's our third receiver? That's luxury now for the Lions. That's what we're asking. That's a good football team.

They brought in Tim Patrick, rather. I love that. How about that? And their practice squad.

That's a guy who can dig out a safety or two. They're going to use him.

Coming off some big injuries, but that would be great to see Tim Patrick in a big spot. They need Jamison Williams to come through, but I think they will. Why are you so high, Adam Keegan?

On the lines, I'd think the secondary, as you said, I think that's going allow Tara Austin for the first time in his few years as coordinator to lean more into man coverage, which I think he wants to play, and he's shown that over the course of the years. They've just struggled to do that. When you had who was the guy, who were their cornerbacks last year? I can't even tell.

They all got hurt. Emmanuel Moseley was in and out. He's out now. Camp Sutton was-Real quick, Aaron Glenn is the DC there.

Terrell Austin is in Pittsburgh.

Anyone I have a different number one seed. I do.

All right. We both do. Yeah. Go ahead.

I'm going with the packers. Okay. Wow. I am betting on second half of the year. Jordan Love, you want to talk about stats. He was second in EPA over the second half of the season. After starting, I think he had one or two games above his 50% success rate in his first eight games, finishes the year, seven of his last 10 above that, he ends up top five in that metric in terms of consistency, because that's what was lacking over the first... You saw the flashes over the first eight weeks, but the consistency, the getting rid of the ball quickly, trusting the short game and trusting his receiver. I think all of his receivers are so young. I mean, that was one of the youngest receiving cores last year. Hopefully, they all take a step up. I love Jaden Reid this year in terms of his dynamic abilities, that tight-end room. I mean, Tucker Kraft and Luke Busgrave is awesome. Always have one of the best offensive lines. Now you get Josh Jacobs, probably a little out of lateral move from Aaron Jones, but he might stand in the field more. The defense, I'm a little bit more worried about, but I trust that offense to be among a top three unit in the league, and I'm going to ride them.

Man, they would be feeling like they're just so back. They're a one seed. With this age, it's just crazy. Randy's going crazy back there.

I'm going off the grid with my number one seed. I know you talked about you didn't love them. I think the Eagles are going to be the number one. I thought about them. Because they play in a division where I think they honestly could be the only team from their division to get into the playoffs. The other two teams could each have two. Even if you go to the south, you could see Atlanta and Tampa. You talked about Green Bay in Detroit, in the north, in the west, you could have your choice of Seattle, the Niners, and the Rams. That's why I think the Eagles are going to have an easier opportunity to become the number one seed if Some of those injuries in those key spots, they can't be weak up the middle on defense. Right now, that's a soft spot, potentially.

They are thinner than they've been. They used to have the big rotations, and they have a coordinator now in Vic Fangio who doesn't really rotate It's a different philosophy than Howie Roseman had. You mentioned it, can those guys, can the edge guys be good enough? Otherwise, though, I think you're onto something that the schedule, I think, is overall going to be pretty favorable, Especially if we're projecting the Cowboys to be worse, then it's suddenly the easiest division in the league. You get the Carolina Panthers and the entire NFC South. Out of division, I don't hate that at all. Some of the out of division games, just because of their schedule. I'm in on the egos, maybe being a one seed, but it could go in a million different directions. All right, last one before taking one last break here. Let's go first QB to be benched, if any.

I got one.

Please. Derrick Cough. There it is.

I knew it was coming.

It's happened before, first of all. The Saints, I think, are over 90 million over the cap next year already.

Okay, I will push back on that. That's every year, though. Every year. They always make it.

They'll clean it up. I mean, this is the last year.

The easiest move you can make, that's 60 million in terms of dead cap after this season. But you're going to be paying them 50 million either way. I think in general, also, Carr, having Kamara the whole year is going to play to his worst instincts. When Kamara was on the field last year, Carr got rid of the ball 0.3 seconds faster, which is an eternity over the course of a lot of dropbacks. He just is so much more willing to check the ball down when Kamara is there. Kamara is a little bit older. He's going to be checked down car. I think Dennis Allen eventually is going to try and pull the plug, and maybe-If he's there to pull the plug.

If he's there to pull the plug. I know. I feel like those two guys are connected at the hip. But yeah, there's been more than a few people in the media. They're pushing #TheAgenda, and that is Spencer Rattler. Spencer Rattler, baby. He's not a normal fifth-round pick. It's so loud. And shout out to the Saints Block Party podcast for starting this. But the agenda is strong if Carr struggles. That is not a popular quarterback.

Yeah, and play the string out. If another coach comes in, of course, he is going to play Spencer Rattler. You're going to get the breath of fresh air if another coach or an interim coach comes in, of course, you are going to do that.

I put him third on my list, actually. I had Daniel Jones as the most likely.

I said Daniel Jones, the most likely, but usually when you pull your quarterback, you've got a succession plan. Tommy Cutlin is not one. And Drew Lock is not your-Yeah, but-It's telling.

It's sad that I actually completely forgot about Daniel Jones. I have Derek Carr on my list. I wouldn't disagree with Daniel Jones. I still think it's Derek Carr, but I got to say. I don't know. We heard whispers or Daniel Jeremiah heard whispers even around draft time that Drew Lock might play some games for them.

Yeah, I think they signed Drew Lock with the idea of playing him at some point. I don't think they were encouraged by him, and then he got hurt a a little bit, although he should be back soon in the preseason.

He's a talented dude. My whole thing, though, is just after seeing the hard knocks. It is all about Daniel Jones or all Otte. I think they have hitched their wagon to him, and if he makes it, If they're one in seven, though, and that contract is not guaranteed for injury, they might make a business.

Everybody's gone. Steve brings up a good point, though. I mean, that's the emotional attachment to it. If you've made your cards that clear that this has to work no matter what, then, yeah, you're going to stick with that guy a little bit longer. They already have stuck with him a little bit longer.

I think Kirk is more likely than Derek Carr to get benched early.

No, not unless it's an injury.

I think if something went south, I think they're just going to love Michael Pennex. And if they're losing, which is a possible scenario. They love him. They love him now. I don't really expect it, but if they're losing, I could see them going to Pennex. It would be crazy.

The head coach has got too much grace period down there.

They're not going to make that move right now. Okay. Speaking of head coaches, grace period. I guess this one's too obvious. In negative, first coach, if any, to get fired. Dennis Allen, I think, would be the favorite there. Stable, maybe if things went really south. Let's zoom past that. Let's take one more break, and then we're going to come back, and we will be wrapping up the show getting all of our playoff seats. You will learn who wins the NFC Championship.

Glad to be with all of you today. There's been a lot of talk about the road we've traveled and road ahead for America's team. Let me ask you all one question. If all we do is choke and lose, then who is the one truly living in the past? If we are the bandwagon, then shouldn't it be more fun? If you want fun, ask yourself this, why not now? What would be more Dallas than a season born of contract disputes resulting in the ultimate goal before it all falls apart? They want audacity.

What about the audacity of Cope? That is the campaign for the Dallas Cowboys, and I like it. Patrick Claybon putting himself That's a smart take corner right now is actually to be big in on the Cowboys because no one is, and they still have Dak Prescott as their quarterback and a whole lot of talent. They have had a history of winning through the drama over the years.

I thought that was a Richard Nixon AI voiceover. That was incredible. That was very well done.

I'm almost annoyed that Patrick Claibon has won today's show MVP without even having to show up for work.

Well done, Patrick.

This is going to live in your head.

No, it's a great thing. I love that Patrick is such a huge part of the show, and he's going to be with me on our preview show each and every week, starting next week. I'm really excited about that and getting him back in here. All right, let's throw out a team that you just don't know what the hell to do with. I'm going to throw out the Saints because I was there at their camp, and I think people who are around that team see a scenario where it goes really bad, and they have a top three or top five pick. And yet, you look beneath the hood. I don't know what the next Gen stats say, but for instance, the football outsider's number, their projected wins. You look at the players they brought in, how consistent Dennis Allen's defense has been, how it's a pretty loaded defense. Their win projection over at FTN is, I think, winning the division division. They're overnight. I can see it because the whole point of this franchise, year after year, is to keep Mickey Loomis employed. That, to me, is everything is geared towards getting to that ninth win, getting to that 10th win, just keeping the party going that Sean Payton started.

I can see it. It's a bad division, and so I don't know what to do with them. They could be three wins, they could be nine or 10 wins. That was the team that came to mind for me.

They fall below that line for me just because we can see very clearly, even outside looking in, what should have been done with this team, what continues to should be done with this team. This is the time to capitalize and punish the rest of the NFC South. Last year was the time.

It was It's going to possibly be their defense. The road for them, to me, is their defense being a top three to five defense.

They've been a top five to eight for seven years.

And they're great. Let me not discount that because I've said this before on this show. That's a badass defense. Yes, it is. However, that can be a little bit of a firefly situation just to continue to kick the can, continue to just, Okay, well, we've got this going for us. Awesome. That's great. But also, again, if you're looking at the division itself for the last two, three years, especially as the Carolina Panthers continue to struggle the way that they have and be like, dipped in chaos every year. This and last year and the year before that, this has been the time to punish the rest of the division to really make those really strong moves and those really aggressive moves that show either you're ripping it up and starting over or you're making a push over different personnel or you're getting the up and coming young bright head coat or Whatever. These last few years-How about just running it back to try to get the nine wins? Has been the time.

That's been the time. That's what I mean, though. If they do it, they'll all stay employed again. Anyone have a different team? You don't know what the hell to do.

The Vikings.

Oh, yeah. That's a good one.

The Minister of Vikings, I think they're talented football team. They've got a very good offensive line, two very good tackles, the best wide receiver in the NFL, great young wide receiver in Jordan Addison. T. J. Hawkinson is coming back at some point. They've got Aaron Jones at running back. If Sam Darnold could play 17 games at a halfway decent level, they've got some players on defense now. Those safeties at Tana, Harrison Smith, and Bynum.

I think it's the best division in football. I don't think it's the best race because I do think the lines of packers are ahead, but I think it's the best division.

I mean, the Vikings, and they're coaching. I mean, we consider to say whatever. Brian Flores is damn good. Kevin O'Neill, hey, man, he showed me last year that he is nobody to mess with as a hell of a head coach.

I think Kevin O'Neill is the coach of the year front runner, frankly. I think that especially if he can coax some things, make Palenta with Sam Darnold, like I said on a previous show.

You got to win 10 games, though. He's been a candidate every year. He's coach.

He was freaking close last year.

I didn't say candidate. I said front runner. I did not say candidate.

Do you have them in the playoffs?

I don't have them in the playoffs.

He's not winning Coach of the Year.

But I think that every year there's been people that have just been close and just missed it that should have deserved it. Then teams that won maybe more games. We're not going to get into this argument right now, but I have takes on that once we do get to it. But I do have the Eagles as a team that I don't know what to do with. I am not discounting their talent. They have so much talent on the offensive side. I do have a big question about the center situation. I question the secondary less now that they've overhauled that position. Some of that young talent coming up, I do not question it as much as I probably would have had they made different decisions or not brought in a new coordinator and not had the DB's assistant coaches that Vic Fangio then brought with him. However, I think that the weird thing about the Eagles for me or the thing that I can't quite square is we've seen their ceiling, right? But I think their floor can be potentially a lot lower than some of these other teams that are maybe in the middle of this division.

They showed it last year when they were one of the very worst teams in the NFL over a six-week period, which is a crazy thing to envision. Shio Capadia, who does a great job at the Ringer and lives in Philly, said he feels like he always has a good read on what the Eagles are going to be like going into the air. He says he can't remember a year where he has less of a feel, which I think gets to what you're saying and that the people there even are just like, it makes sense, but we're not really sure how this going to go. Do you have a different team?

I have the Cowboys playing in division. Good point. First of all, the defensive philosophy change and how the personnel fits within that. You go from one of the most single high safety teams in terms of their coverages.

Pressman corner.

To Mike Zimmer, who was the only guy back way before all these teams started moving towards more split safety coverages. He was the only team from 2018 to 2021 to play split safety coverages on a majority of drop. Through the preseason, showed a similar thing. You normally see teams play a lot more vanilla coverages. He's still doing it on over half of his dropbacks. They actually played, I think, more cover six or almost as much cover six in the preseason in three games as Dan Quinn did in three total seasons as coordinator.

And they lost their best DB.

Yeah, that's always a problem when you bring in a new coordinator to do the piece that still fit.

They also lost all of their pass rush steps. They were the The best pass rush by pressure rate we've seen in the last five years last year, and only beating themselves the year before, they lose Dorrance Armstrong, they lose Dante Fowler, and Sam Williams goes out with a ACL tear. I think they lost all their pass rush depth, but they still have Micah Parsons. And what the hell is Mike Zimmer going to do with Micah Parsons? Is he going to line him up over the A-gap and do a bunch of double mug fronts? Is he going to move him around? Or is he just to say, Pin your ears back, we needed to get pressure because we have no other way to get pressure now that we lost all those ancillary pieces. Also, what the hell are they going to do? Who's playing linebacker for that team?

I think Micah Parsons might be a little bit. Not all the time.

He'll move him around. He'll be a chest piece.

More than he's been. I like that pick quickly. Let's just do a speed round of this one. Biggest win increase in the company. This one was tough because I just had a hard time going against chalk when I looked at the wins from a year ago, this was a tough one. I'm just going to throw out a... Even though I'm down in the Falcons, I don't think it'll be the Falcons. They won seven games last year. They have a chance. I think the Panthers have pretty good chance. They only won two games last year. I just think I've always said it's really hard not to win five games in the NFL. Coaches are always like, It's the hardest thing to do in the NFL or in all of sports is to win a game in the NFL. I hope it's the exact same as every other sport. It's a 50% of the team's win. It's exactly the same. Usually, you win five, and it's a bad division. They could get to five, which that's a three-win-win increase right there. The commanders, I think, have a chance. We haven't mentioned them all day, and yet I just believe enough in the Dan Quinn juju and culture and energy and Jaden Daniels, even though I don't think that team is very good, they strike me as a team that's not going to be good.

And their analytics profile says they should be a 3-14 team, but they end up winning a bunch of close games and win six, which that would be an increase. So they got a chance. Those are some teams.

So you're going plus three.

I just said I'm going speed round and then went on a long rant about it. So that really sums up NFL Daily.

I don't have a I'll comment on that. But I say Carolina because bless their hearts, first of all. Then second of all, I absolutely see them winning at least three more games. Hell, make it four more games. Okay, that would do it.

I'm going Cardinals. They were a four-win team last year. I think they could easily get paid.

Good call. I'm going Arizona and Washington plus four.

Don't worry about the Arizona defensive talent, and they've had a lot of injuries. Good coach. I get too spooked by August. August really changes me. I'd be higher on the Rams right now if they haven't had such a strange one. Maybe we'll get to that with the playoff seeds, because I'm sure one of us at least has the Rams. We haven't mentioned them at all. Let's all go through our playoff seeds in order.Let's go one at a time.A reverse order. Reverse order, and we'll each say ours and say our NFC Championship. We'll have a quick discussion about each of ours, and then we'll each take a turn. Why don't we start with Keegan?

I'll start with the Seahawks. It's a seven seed. A lot of the things you guys said earlier in terms of... I think Witherspoon is going to be awesome in this defense offense, and Gino in that offense, I'm really bullish on that. The bears is my six seed. Nice. I do think Caleb has a very high-level rookie year. I mean, maybe not C. J. Stroud because that was historic, but he shows us why he was considered a generational prospect. Lions at the 5C, just missed it out. They still might have the second best record in this.

That's tough. Three teams in the same division in the playoff, but it's possible.

It doesn't really make that much sense. But just in terms of team ratings and how I'm rating them, I think the Lions might be the second best.

They could all roll out of division, and that's how it happens, and we've seen it before.

Bucaneers at fourth. I just don't know what to do with the NFC West and South. I defer to who won last year, and I don't think they got that much worse. I like Grant Barton a lot. Maybe the run game can be a little bit better this year. Cowboys at three. Again, don't really know what the hell to do with them, but still trust in Dak and Micah Parsons enough and Mike Zimmer, to screen together a division title in a very weak division. 49ers at two. We haven't talked that much about them. I'm not picking them as the one seed for all the holdouts and stuff. I could be completely proven wrong. They could be a juggernaut again. But I also think that team is a little bit more fragile and has a little bit of a Super Bowl hangover, and the packers at one as I love that.

I like that Keegan was bold. No Rams in there, no Falcons in there. Different teams like the bears and having the packers one. That's fun. And your NFC Championship. We'll hold I'll go my list. Seven packers, six Rams. If my daughter wasn't fan, I don't know. Maybe I would be harder on them. A lot of talent. I mean, a lot of talent in terms of the coaching staff and Stafford. It's still hard to totally go against them. Five 49ers, four Bucks. I went with the Bucks as well. I think they're a good defense, a good enough offense, a lot of continuity, like the coaching staff. Three Seahawks winning that division, two Eagles, and number one, Lyons.

What do you got, Jordan? I'm just going to tell you who my playoff teams are. Lyons, Niners, Rams, Packers, Falcons, Eagles, Seahawks. Okay. Yeah.

A lot of Seahawks love here. What do you got?

Seven is Cowboys, six Seattle, five Green Bay, Four Atlanta.

I like it.

Three Niners, two Lions, one eagles. Okay.

A lot of agreement, and I've been seeing online. It makes sense. I think it was hard. I'm glad you got the bears in there. I feel like they should be represented. I do think that the Vikings have at least a better chance than people are given, but I'm not ready to go there. There's really only three teams in this entire conference that I'm like, or four teams, rather, that I feel like have almost no chance to make the play, which is Washington. Of the Giants. I think the Cardinals, you wouldn't throw them in there, and then the Panthers as well. It's a fairly open conference. You want to go your NFC Championship game?

Get the Lions over the Niners. Okay. Yeah. I think the Niners are going to be red hot halfway through the season to get all these guys back, including Talono, Hufungo, but just not enough. I think Detroit, it's their time.

I have Lions over Niners as well. I think you see these poetic arcs every once in a while in the league. You saw it a few years ago when the Rams beat the 49ers for the first time in what seven attempts to actually advance to the Super Bowl. There's some poetry sometimes in this sport, and I think the lions get theirs back.

Lions be a whole lot more than poetry.

I'm with you.

God, that would be a history book.

It'd be beautiful. Usually, I'm afraid of the team that It proves so much from one season to the next. It's hard to maintain.

Yeah, but they've been the one of the few teams, Greg, that have done it successfully in steps. It has not been one seismic leap after one seismic leap.

You know who they remind me of more than anyone is Joe Shane and When he was in Buffalo as the assistant GM in that Bills team, but they never really quite got over the hunt. They just stayed at that level. I also have the Lions winning the NFC. Man, I thought a lot of people would take the packers this year. I got them. Okay. You got the packers. Packers over the line. All four of us have the lines in the NFC Championship. I had the lines over the eagles in mind. That is fun. We have, as we're taping, we have breaking news. I'm so glad this happened before we left the studio.

Lucky.

We always complain about it. This is like a sign. It's like Groundhog Day that we're going to have a great NFL season. Brandon Ayuk is staying in San Francisco. No surprise. There the deal is done. Four years worth 120 million. It's reportedly front loaded, according to Ian Rappaport and Mike Garafolo. I don't even care about all the details. It's front loaded. It's about $30 million a year. You can tell that number meant a lot to Iyuk. I think it's the right average because it's quite above the guys like Jalen Waddle and Devante Smith, who signed earlier, who had two years left on their contract. I would say we're just a little tick below where Iuk is as a player, but it's not quite where Jefferson and CeeDee Lamb is. In fact, it's significantly short of that, and that's fine. Not everyone needs to make 33 million. Thirty sounds about right for Brandon Ayuk, and it's another reminder, Keegan, just sign them earlier in the process. I can guarantee you if they had offered Brandon Iyuk about 29 with its front load of 28, like the 49ers could have saved money if they had just done this a little earlier, but it's all happening in the end.

And that's my wide receiver three on my fantasy team because everyone was too afraid of him in the draft. Have a long-term vision. That's what you need as a fantasy owner and as a GM, but everyone's happy here.

Yeah, that's awesome. He was just electric downfield last year, leading in a breakout year, led in a lot of our metrics. Very awesome to see that happen.

What metrics? Like the downfield throws, basically?

Yeah, I think he had more yards. I'd have to double-check this, but more yards over 10-hour yards than almost any player in the league.

He became that guy. Brack Purdy wants to go down the field, almost to his detriment. I think something Sometimes, but you like that out of a quarterback. You'd rather have them take that out of it. And yet, Debo is not really that guy. Jowan Jennings is not really that guy. George Kittle, you can scheme it up, but he's not really that guy in the same way. And Ayuk is.

Exactly. He's actually in intermediate area, NFL Pro, shout out. That was really quick. He had over 100 yards more than any other player in the intermediate area last year.

Yeah, it adds a dimension to their offense, frankly, adds help for the quarterback. I actually look at this from microscopic and telescopes a little bit with this because the 49ers not only got this done, which should have been done way sooner than this, our long national nightmare of hearing about this is over. Thank God.

Jamar Chase, you're up next.

But I will say on the other side of this, as the months and even the next year or so continues, all the teams that came out of the woodwork to show their own cards to the 49ers about what they would potentially do for a player of Brandon Ayuk's caliber, they have all that information now. So let's say, and I think he will maximize this contract. He's a great player. I think he's a great receiver and deserves this payday. Let's say in a small chance or an alternate world that he doesn't well, or that they move on, or that they, Hey, we have to pay our quarterback, or that something happens down the road, and they now know what other teams are willing to do to get a player of that caliber, and those other teams know what he'll be paid. I think this is one of those win-win wins. You do wish it happened earlier. This is also probably the best case scenario for Brock Purdy right now.

That's fine. In the end, we get bothered by it because there's these ups, there's these downs.

Yeah, they're probably not bothered by it one bit.

I mean, the 49ers, I think, were.

I'm talking about the timing. They're not going to be relitigating the timing over Maybe he's not fully up to speed week one.

He has a little bit slow of a start. They're not worried just about week one. It's great. I do think Debo Samuel is going to be the odd man out. Depends how this season goes, certainly. I just think it's going to be very difficult to keep paying everyone. If Trent Williams is going to be around there for a long time and nick Bosa, I do think Debo Samuel could be a guy that is on the trade market next offseason. But we'll see because Ayuk, to me, has become that guy. I think the reason they were so annoyed, in part, was because of how much Brandon Ayuk means to them and means to their development. Kyle Shannon was so hard on this kid. It was his hand-picked kid that he wanted. The perfect one for his offense out of Arizona State was a surprise pick. He was so hard on him, was in the doghouse, wouldn't play him, got on him, and then he slowly got better and better and better to the point where he developed into exactly what Kyle Shannon had imagined. It took Ayuk's credit that he improved so much as a route runner.

Then right when it gets there, he wants to get out, and it's just a lot of feelings. It's the one that you love that hurt you the most, Jordan.

I love that Brandon Ayouk did this, and you're putting it in that context because, hey, he'll be hard on you right back then. It's time to pay up, and all of that work and sweat equity that he did put in to become the exact perfect player for them, which probably came up in negotiations, by the way.Of course. Then absolutely, he's going to get what he is owed and make him sweat a little bit. Perhaps that's where some of the annoyance leaks out a little bit is, yeah, okay, you're going to have to sweat for a second and then pay the player.

And by the way, I think Brandon Ayuk was annoyed how the 49ers tend to play things through the media sometimes, and that's not going to make your players happy. But in the end, the Steelers, if they had just given up more, probably could have had him. Brown's Patriot didn't sound like he was going there in any scenario. Just wasn't interested in it. Fun show today. We did it. We predicted exactly what's going to happen in the NFC this season. Congratulations, Keegan. Way to go. Amazing performance. I should have mentioned, Steve Weiss is no longer with us on this show, but he is. Jesus. Okay, sorry. I put that poorly. He's on the Insiders. He's so popular. He's on the Insiders. We were so happy to have him.

Steve is fine.

He's totally fine. If you're watching on YouTube and he just disappeared, it's like that weird three men and a baby thing where it looks like there's a ghost. It's It's fine. He just left.

So now you're doing the verbal means.

Yeah.

Let's say goodbye, Randy. I'm really excited. We have a nice little weekend here, but then we're coming back on Monday. We're going to start looking ahead to week one with Ollie Connolly. That's going to be a fun show. We're not quite into our week one schedule, but we're close. We're just days away from the scene starting for Steve, for Jordan, for Keegan. I'm Greg Rosenthal. Football is back.