Jets pay Sauce, Terry McLaurin unhappy, Puka Nacua joins the show | The Insiders

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For the second straight day, the
Jets have locked up one of their
young stars for the long haul. But what does getting Garrett,
Wilson and Gardner’s deals done
now say about a new era in New York? We will tell you the
details of sources, record
setting, extension and how it all went down. The defending
champs report to training camp
one week from today. And is it possible this Eagles team could
be even better? Our Marc Ross
will be here to talk about the latest additions in Philly, as
well as who else to watch among
newcomers to the NFC East. Puka Nacua has a new running mate
with the Rams, and you won’t
want to miss what Puka has to say about Davante Adams
potential impact in L.A. Puka
Nacua joins the show tonight to discuss his big plans for 2025.
Our plans? More football.
Welcome inside with the insiders alongside Ian Rapoport I am Tom
Pelissero. 51 days now out from
the kickoff to the 2025 season, all 32 teams will have reported
to training camp by the middle
of next week, starting with the Chargers tomorrow. There is
still a lot of off field
business to take care of before then, except for the Jets. They
have officially finished
basically everything on the old to do list for the second
consecutive day. That is where
we begin in Florham Park, where a day after they got Garrett
Wilson’s monster extension done.
Step right up. Sauce Gardner. It is a four year, $120.4 million
contract extension. Ian, that
ties sauce to the Jets through 2030 and locks up another one of
those core players and they hope
leaders that’s going to take this new regime forward. Yeah no
doubt. A huge, huge day. Really
huge week for the New York Jets. And so much of what we’ve done
over the course of the last, I
would say decade or so for the Jets has been tougher issues,
right? I mean, it’s whether it’s
during training camp or during the season or leading up to
training camp or holdouts or
contracts or things that can’t get done. It’s really been about
when are the Jets going to do
what they’re supposed to do? Well, they did it. They did
everything they were supposed to
do, everything their fans would want them to do, everything
that’s prudent for a really good
organization. They took care of their really good homegrown
players. You mentioned Garrett
Wilson yesterday. Today was Sauce Gardner with a four year,
$120.4 million deal, $85 million
in guarantees, $13.75 million signing bonus. There was no
doubt that he was going to come
in just over Derek Stingley. Of course the Texans star corner.
He does so differently.
Structured contract. But either way Sauce Gardner now the
highest paid corner in the NFL
and excellent day to be him. Four year extensions for both of
those players. They had two
years left remaining on their original rookie contract. So
sometimes in those situations
teams are going to play it out, say, hey, we got you for two
more years, plus we’ve got
franchise tags and all that. But if you get in early and if you
hit on those deals, potentially
you actually save yourself money by investing, especially in a
market like cornerback that
continues to explode. Speaking of franchise tags, Trey Smith
got one. He had already signed
it. It would have been worth around $23 million. But Ian,
just hours before the deadline
for Trey Smith and Trey Smith because he was the only
franchise tag player left to
sign a multiyear deal, the Chiefs got the deal done. Yeah,
Trey Smith was going to be the
highest paid guard in the NFL no matter what, whether on the 23
plus million dollar franchise
tag or whether on a new contract extension. But what everyone
wanted was the contract
extension from Trey Smith, who wanted to be locked up long
term. And in fact, that is
exactly what happened. Four years, $94 million deal that has
now been agreed to $70 million
in guarantees in a deal done by Tory Danny and Jimmy Sexton of
CAA. It is something that for
Trey Smith he has been working toward. And no doubt when there
were all these discussions about
blood clots and how many teams were not passing him in the
draft and him going in the sixth
round, said of the first round, was probably a day that Trey
Smith never thought was coming.
It came today. A great, huge deal for him and a great, huge
deal for the guard market and
for the Chiefs. What they have done is lock up all their really
good offensive linemen.
Obviously traded Joe Toon in the off season in part to be able to
do this deal. Creed Humphrey,
now highest paid center. Trey Smith highest paid guard by a
lot. No wonder Patrick Mahomes
was tweeting the smiley face emojis. It’s a great day to be
Mahomes. And then for the
Chiefs, they get a little salary cap space just for the just for
locking up their guy. A lot of
millions of dollars flying around in the days leading up to
training camp. None of those yet
have fallen into the bank account of one Terry McLaurin,
the Pro Bowl wide receiver for
the commanders, spoke to reporters today after shooting a
commercial for Valley Forge
Auto. Excuse me. Eastern automotive talked about his
contract situation and sure does
not sound happy with the progress. I’ve been pretty
frustrated, I’m not going to
lie. You know, everything that has transpired up to this point
is just been disappointing and
frustrating. You know, I’ve wanted to continue my career
here. I’ve created my life here.
You know, my wife and I have bought our first home here. So
this has been somewhere where
I’ve always wanted to be. I haven’t decided that yet. I’m
trying to take things day by
day. And, you know, I think that’s the disappointing part
where I was hoping up until this
point, things were would clear up a lot more than they have.
And so I haven’t made that
decision yet. And I’m just going to see how the rest of this week
goes and take it day by day.
Terry McLaurin turns 30 in September. Ian. But if you just
put side by side blind taste
test style his numbers versus Garrett Wilson’s numbers. Very
similar stats with fewer targets
for Terry McLaurin. We now live in an age where the receivers
are getting $20 million a year.
Just a few years ago, all of a sudden those $20 million players
are $30 million players. Therein
lies the issue. He’s due about $20 million on his contract this
season. Probably the last big
contract he can get. And to this point Ian it’s abundantly clear
the sides are not seeing eye to
eye. Not seeing eye to eye yet. And, you know, rarely do we see
deals done on July 15th or July
14th. Like we saw three huge deals done over the past two
days, usually right up against
the start of training camp is when these things really kick
into gear and when the deadlines
end up creating deals, the commanders are not there. So
just because Terry McLaurin does
not have a new contract yet, doesn’t mean he is not going to
get a new contract. You
mentioned some of the numbers. My understanding he wants to be
in the 30s and judging by his
stats, 30s makes sense. And the fact that Garrett Wilson on his
first big deal, obviously much
younger than Terry McLaurin, but on his first big deal, got more
than $32 million per year based
on new money. You’d think that would be good news for McLaurin.
We also know that he is pretty
serious, right? I mean, he was not there at a mandatory
minicamp. He spoke today to
reporters on many, many local reporters and some other people
who were there to listen to his
words. He sounds serious. He is obviously not happy. Commanders
want to get this done. You
really do have to think, Tom, that this will get done in time.
These receiver deals are getting
to a point where they are so massive. Teams have to make
absolutely sure you want to lock
a guy, a guy up before you do so. Commanders, veterans like
most teams, veteran players set
to report to training camp one week from today. As McLaurin put
it, it is crunch time and the
sides have not talked in more than a month. We got more
rookies reporting to training
camp this week. Six more teams in the building earlier today.
There are some some players that
are not there yet, mostly second round draft picks. More on that
a little bit later on. But right
now let’s dive into some of the guys that we do expect to see on
the field in training camp as
our guy Cameron Wolfe joins the show. Let’s start right down
there where you are, Cam in
Miami. Give me a name that you’re excited to watch when we
get to training camp. And if
this is who I think it is, I’m going to let you pronounce his
last name. Yeah. I’m looking
forward to seeing Jonah Savaiinaea there. Guard. They
drafted in the second round
coming in for Miami. Look, this is a Dolphins team that we know
the issues. Can they have the
physicality and toughness in December. In January they spent
their first two picks on
offensive and defensive linemen. And I want to focus on Jonah
because this is a team that was
sixth in the NFL in rushing, first in yards per carry in
2023, fell to the bottom 12 in
each category, mostly because of guard play. They expect Jonah to
be a plug in day one starter, so
he’s got to come out in training camp and contribute. You don’t
learn a lot about offensive
linemen in OTAs. You do in training camp. And Tom, you just
mentioned it earlier. He’s one
of those second round picks that is still unsigned, 30 or 32,
unsigned. I know you’ll talk
about it later, but he’s got to be out there on the field for
him to get that chemistry. The
Dolphins need to run the ball and protect Tua and hopefully
perform better in the winter
months. He’s the 37th overall pick, picks 33 and 34, got fully
guaranteed contracts, one of
many things to watch. We still have time to go until the
veterans report for a lot of
these teams. Let’s stay there in the AFC East. We know Buffalo
did. It was defense, defense,
defense. But which defender Cameron are you most excited to
see. Yeah I’m going to switch it
up a little bit and focus on their third round pick Landon
Jackson the edge rusher out of
Arkansas. I talked with their general manager Brandon Beane
after the draft and he said,
look, we think we got three impact players in our first 3 to
4 picks that can contribute.
Right now, he thinks they have enough on the edge and Landon
Jackson was a very productive
rusher in college. I was there at that AFC Championship game.
The bills lost to the Chiefs and
the one thing they had missed and they continue to have missed
year after year, is that guy who
can sack Patrick Mahomes or Lamar Jackson late in games to
finally get a stop. They hope
Landon Jackson can develop into that. Of course, we know they
signed Joey Bosa. He’s already
dealing with a soft tissue injury. And so a guy like Landon
Jackson could be asked to
contribute a lot early. I know they like him a lot. He had a
really good spring and now I’m
eager to watch him and how he goes against Dion Dawkins and
that elite offensive line in
training camp with the pads on. Landon Jackson, also a standout
at Senior Bowl practices, did
deal with some injuries in college. He’s actually starting
out on the physically unable to
perform list. Never fear in training camp the active pup
list. You can come off that at
any time. How about Baltimore? Cam? There have been one of the
best drafting teams for a long,
long time. Who do you get your eye on? Yeah, I can’t wait to
see Malachi Starks out there in
Baltimore. Their first round pick. He’s a guy who is an elite
playmaker in college, a guy who
can play everywhere. He played 1500 snaps at safety, another
500 snaps at slot cornerback.
And I love what he can do for defensive coordinator Zach Oren.
This defense, they were the best
defense in the NFL in the second half of the year when they moved
Kyle Hamilton to deep safety.
Now you got Malachi Starks who can play deep who can play slot.
And so he allows you to do a lot
of different things. For Kyle Hamilton. This Ravens defense is
ready to get back to that that
nastiness that we know them for. And I can’t wait to see the
elusiveness or can use using
Hamilton and Starks in different ways for this defense. They are
also got Jaire Alexander to add
with Marlon Humphrey. This Ravens defense could be really
special in 2025, and we’re going
to see him early in camp. Malachi Starks also one of those
guys who can light up a room. I
met him at Draft Week in Green Bay. He is one of those guys
from a culture perspective,
knowing how Baltimore wants to build was a natural fit. Cam,
thank you very much. We will
talk to you again soon. But first we’re going to talk to
somebody who plays wide receiver
in the NFL. You might have heard of him right there. Puka Nacua
the Rams star wide receiver. How
is he feeling after all those injuries last year? And what’s
it like now working opposite
Davante Adams with Cooper Kupp. Off to Seattle. We’ll ask Puka
when he joins us next on the
insiders. This is buddy I’ve care for your loved one. Add two
eggs. Learn the early warning
signs at ten signs. One week from today, the Rams
will be reporting to Maui. No
just kidding. That was for minicamp. They will be back in
California as training camp
launches one week from today. A lot of new look parts on that
offense, including Davante
Adams. But one guy that you know is now a mainstay with the Rams
is our next guest. It is Puka
Nacua Puka. Seven more days man. This is it for you for vacation.
Tell me where your mind, your
brain, your body is at at this point my body feels fantastic. I
can’t wait to see the guys. I’m
like, I just want to see Matthew Stafford spin it. Like, that’s
my favorite part of the day. As
soon as that first practice comes out and you see that ball
spinning, right? I’m like, all
things will be well in the world. You know, obviously for
some of the off season, there
was some uncertainty surrounding Stafford, probably more so this
year than ever before. You
probably know as well as anyone why he is so good. You talked
about the way he spins it when
you get the news that Stafford is definitely coming back, and
when you kind of get into get
into the offseason, do you do you get reminded of just how
good of a football he throws?
Yeah, 100%. We were just throwing routes and he has his
quarterback coach that comes out
to our facility and we’re out there running routes and he’s
like, oh my gosh. Like I was
just training this other guy and you just wouldn’t believe how
how different the ball looks
coming out of Matthew Stafford’s hand. I’m like, he wears that
arm sleeve because he’s
protecting that cannon he’s got on that right arm anywhere on
the football field. He can put
the ball. I’m like with the coach McVay. He calls him long
handoffs. We have 45 yard
handoffs coming from Matthew Stafford. So it’s pretty cool I
love that we have Matthew
Stafford slo mo video to right there on cue hitting you on a
deep ball. That wide receiver
room is going to look different right. Davante Adams in Cooper
Kupp who you had a close
relationship with over the past couple of years. Moving on now
to Seattle. How if at all, do
you envision that group and your passing offense in general being
different in 2025? It’s
definitely going to be different. DeVante, as soon as
he stepped into the facility has
been fantastic. The ability to learn the game from another all
time great has been I feel like
I’m stealing. I’m like a kid in a candy store. I’m like, I’ve
had Matthew Stafford, Sean
McVay, Cooper Kupp and now Davante Adams. I’m like, my life
is pretty good. I can’t complain
too much and it’s going to be fun. We signed two two back. We
got some speed. We got a bunch
of young guys who are excited to play. And 17 is going to lead
the way for us. And it’s going
to be fantastic to be out there on the football field with him.
So you talk about learning from
DeVante. I mean, you are obviously a veteran. You have
done it at the highest level for
several years already. What specifically can you learn from?
I mean, is it is it route
running? Is it how to read a defender. Like what? What kind
of goes on when he’s saying
like, all right, take a look at this or take a look at that, I’d
say it’s definitely route
running. His ability to change to change pace while he’s moving
on the football field, the
ability to win against negative leverage, his suddenness at the
line of scrimmage. It’s
fantastic to see and be able to see it in person and be lining
up right next to him. It makes
you make sure you have all the gas turned on when you’re going
out there with number 17. So
it’s super fun. And yeah, I think when you watch him win
against negative leverage, it
gives you confidence. You start trying new things, you start
working different techniques.
His ability to move defenders at all over the football field is
very awesome to see, and I can’t
wait to see it live in action. Started off by saying that your
body feels great right now. I
would imagine that was not the case for a big chunk of last
season. Me and Ian are the
insiders. There are multiple times where we’re sitting there
watching games going, oh no,
this looks really bad for Puka Nacua. You continue to push
through through the course of
last season, but how hampered were you, how hard was it to get
on the field, and how much
better do you feel right now? I feel fantastic, we’re in July
right now. I’m like, this is
probably going to be the best I feel for the rest of the year.
So I take advantage of these
moments because they don’t last too long. You start getting into
training camp and you start
hitting all these big guys. I’m like, Joe, I’m going to see Nick
Bosa twice a year and I’m going
to. So I got to make sure I feel good from now all the way to
February. So but it was it was a
battle last year. Every every season is a grind. There are so
many different bumps and bruises
you go throughout the season, but I, I think the Rams training
staff for keeping me safe
because I just want to be out there and play football on
Sundays. You know, we talked
about the different way that, you know, how different your
receiver room will look. And,
you know, the whole team seems to take on a little bit of a
different vibe. I mean, last
year it felt especially at the beginning of the year, like a
little bit of a transition year
does not feel like that. Now. You guys are kind of kind of
locked and loaded and seem to be
really, really talented. What’s the optimism level for you going
into training camp in the
season? I think it’s super exciting. We got a bunch of
young guys on the defensive side
of the ball who keep practice interesting for sure, and it’s
so exciting to go against them
and to find the nuance of moving back out on the football field
and seeing everybody communicate
and trying to be on the same page and push our defense to the
limit. So it’s fun to be able to
watch them combine all of their skills together and communicate.
So everybody’s on the same page.
And then it’s also even more fun to be in the offensive meetings
with coach McVay and Coach
LaFleur, because they’re cooking up the best place possible. So
we’re making our defense sweat
for sure. The motions, the routes. DeVante is coming in
with new things that we’re
thinking about. Matthew wants to say, I want to put the ball on
this part of the field. So the
trifecta that we have of great football minds is keeping
everything super interesting. So
we know from the backdrop and the towel on your head here,
you’re working with Gatorade
right now. You are the Gatorade Player of the year. Back in high
school in 2018, I had to go and
find your stats. Okay, this is what the Orem Tigers in Utah 103
catches for 2336 yards and 26
touchdowns in that season. How did you put up numbers like that
in a 14 game high school
schedule? And what does it mean to be on this unique list of
people who have won that award?
I think it’s one of the greatest feelings when I go back to my
high school and you see the
banner and it says my name, I had a teammate, Noah Sewell, who
plays for the bears, who ended
up winning it the year after me as well. So to have that list to
represent my football career is
such a blessing. And it’s, it’s funny because now I get to
represent Gatorade. This is me
on the sideline. You can check all 18 games from last season as
soon as after any touchdown,
after any play, I got my towel on. I got my Gatorade towel. I’m
like, I feel like hoodie Melo.
So I’m like, I’m getting into my demon time and I’m rocking and
I’m playing. So it is a blessing
to be that. And I when I go back to my high school and I get to
see that banner, it takes me
back to good times. So you are obviously a Gatorade guy through
and through, as you just
discussed. How important is it for a young athlete, maybe like
you were back in the day, to
understand the science between hydration and Gatorade works? I
think it took me definitely a
couple years to figure it out, but just recently we had the
Gatorade testers come and they
do the sweat test for us, and they give you the information
that allows you to have success
at practice because everything starts at practice. Everybody,
they have the cameras, the TVs
are on on Sundays, but Tuesday or Wednesday through Saturday,
those are the days that you need
to have everything on the schedule and you have it
prepared. And when you’re out
there running routes, they have the amount of Gatorade that you
need to be having. They’re
giving you the water and it allows you to have success. So
when Sunday comes around, you’re
ready to roll and you feel fresh, hydrated and recovered so
you can go out there and have
the best performance. So it I’m blessed because I drink glacier
freeze only on game like my game
day Gatorade bottle has nothing but glacier freeze in it. They
don’t even give me any water
Gatorade. So wait a second. Hold on. If they hand you the bottle
and it’s got like the berry, the
red one, you just go like, I can’t do this. You need to get
me glacier freeze 100%. There’s
no chance they would bring me a red one. They wouldn’t do that
to me on game day. That would
mess up the energy. It would be all bad. I’m a blue guy myself.
Puka. Thanks a ton for being
here, man. We really appreciate it. Best of luck. Stay healthy
out there. We’ll talk to you
again soon. Thank you so much. We’ll see you guys on Sunday.
See you. Thanks man. Rams and
Texans. That’s the week one kickoff. The Cowboys have a
pretty interesting couple of
months ahead of them as well. At least they got CeeDee lamb in
the building for training camp
this time around. Our Jane Slater will join us next to talk
about that new look receiver
room new coaching staff all things new with the Cowboys. But
you want to do is save hundreds
with Liberty Mutual customizes Networks. Giants rookies among
six teams that reported today,
which means the Jaxson Dart will no longer be throwing passes to
somebody who, it appears, either
falls or dives off the back of that jet ski. That would
probably be ruled an incomplete
pass. You need two feet on the jet ski, not one. This is the
pros, young man. Take a look at
the rest of the reporting dates for the NFC East. Like most
teams, everybody coming in next
week. Cowboys getting a one day advance on that with the full
team reporting out to Oxnard,
California on July 21st, our Jane Slater surely will be
joining them sometime shortly
thereafter. But first, she joins us right here on The insiders.
Jane, I think every segment you
were on last year at this time, it was CeeDee lamb. Where is he?
What’s he doing? What kind of
shape is he in? When are we going to get the contract? We
don’t have CD drama this time
around. We do have CD and George Pickens. And what that wide
receiver room is going to look
like. What do you expect? Don’t worry. We’ll be talking about
Micah Parsons and where that
contract is soon enough. But you know, it’s interesting, Tom,
last year there was a lot of
talk about the crowds. The crowds seemed off. I tend to
think some of that had to do
with just when they were out there. When school starts in
Texas and economics. But you
honestly can’t ignore the fact that CeeDee lamb wasn’t out
there. You also had questions
about your run game. So let’s say, what have the Cowboys done
to address both these areas?
I’ll start with the wide receivers. You’ve got CeeDee
lamb back. And after he got that
extension last year he had a big, big season. I mean we’re
talking about I believe let’s
see he led the league in receptions. He set a franchise
record with over 1700 receiving
yards. And then they went out and got him some help. You know
we had heard that they were
going to get a wide receiver either through the draft or
through free agency. George
Pickens that shocked a lot of us. I don’t think a lot of us
really realized that that was
going to happen. It did. And then there’s been all these
questions is he going to be a
problem? Is he a diva? In my interactions with George
Pickens, he has essentially
summed it up as a little bit misunderstood. He’s passionate,
he wants to play the game. And
just seeing the way that he and CeeDee lamb are gelling
together, you’re adding CeeDee
lamb is coming off a huge year, feels fresh. He has got a
healthy Dak Prescott that’s
coming back, something that he didn’t have last year. And now
you’re adding a true vertical
threat in there with the George Pickens who is averaging 18
yards a catch I think this is
what’s going to attract fans out to training camp this year. So
something I’m sure we’re going
to be talking a lot of. But also what is Brian Schottenheimer
going to bring to this offense,
particularly with those two type of vertical threats? And that
type of a vertical threat also
can open some things up in terms of the running game, which I
would fairly say has been a
point of consternation from Cowboys fans over the past
several years of what is the
plan? Zeke leaves, Pollard leaves, Zeke comes back. Nothing
worked. Last year. They
overhauled the room once again. How does this shake out now with
a couple of veterans and some
young guys in that room as well. It was one of the first
questions I asked of Coach
Schottenheimer. Are we going to try that running back by
committee thing again? It didn’t
seem like it worked, but I don’t know if you’ve got a head and
shoulders above the other guys
running back right now. That’s why I think this is going to be
one of those true competitions
out there. Remember, they did go out and acquire Javonte Williams
this offseason from the Broncos.
Now, when healthy, Javonte Williams is a deadly guy on his
feet. When it talks to what you
can expect from him. And then you went out and you got a guy
like Jaydon Blue. This is the
rookie out of Texas. So here are two potential threats from you.
But a little bit of an unknown.
You know you’ve got Javonte Williams again when he was at
his best when he was healthy.
Typically it takes a little bit of time to come back from the
injury that he had. That’s sort
of the feedback that I’ve gotten from a lot of people, and with
blue, there’s a lot of potential
there, but this is a team that was, I think, 17th in rushing
last year. It was always an
issue for them and that it didn’t help when really it felt
like your only real threat on
offense was CeeDee lamb. I think they did a really good job this
offseason of addressing some of
the areas that needed to happen, and I have to laugh. One of our
producers asked us before the
segment, well, how good do you think the running game is really
going to be? And I said, I don’t
know because it depends on that offensive line. Remember, Zack
Martin did retire this
offseason. They did go and acquire an offensive lineman
during the draft. But my
producers aren’t the only ones asking these questions. I’ve got
family and friends asking it,
but for whatever reason, just the vibes and the energy. And I
know a lot of people don’t want
to set their fantasy leagues around vibes. It feels different
now. Pull off the tape of what
I’ve said that in years past. I just truly believe there’s
something to be a little excited
about when it comes to this roster this year. That’s going
to be my fantasy team name now.
Jane 2025 All Vibes. Thank you very much. We’ll talk to you
again soon. Ian. I set my
fantasy team on vibes. Do people not do that? AKA guessing
whatever. Anyway, my fantasy
team is going to kill it as per usual. Are any of those guys
going to be on it? I am in a IDP
league so maybe Abdul Carter could be on it. Cam Jackson Dart
a lot to like of some Giants big
name rookies. I have a feeling we’re going to be talking about
these guys a lot, especially
with this guy. Mark Ross. Thank you for hanging out with us. So
let’s start right there. Right.
Mark, can you go into some of these rookies. And of course
Giants rookies reported today,
as did I believe it was five rookies of five other teams.
What rookie are you looking
forward to learning about from the Giants? Well, it definitely
has to be Jaxson Dart. And not
just because he’s throwing the guys on Jet Ski and Tom. He
dropped that. Let Tom know he
dropped the ball. The kid on the jet ski. He didn’t just fall off
but Jaxson Dart look the Giants
Abdul Carter is going to be a star. But Jaxson Dart the Giants
traded up to get this young man.
They’ve been starving for a quarterback after the waning
years of Eli Manning. Of course
the Daniel Jones experiment. And of course they’ve openly said
that this is a redshirt year.
But I don’t think there’s any way with the combination of
Russell Wilson and Jameis
Winston in front, that Giants fans, Giants staff, Giants
coaches are going to want this
guy to show flashes of why they traded up to get him and say,
look, we’ve got to get this guy
on the field sooner rather than later. So I think the hope is,
hey, this will not be the
redshirt year. We may have a tough go of it as we have, but
we’ve got to get Jaxson Dart on
the field and just moving down 95 to other teams in the NFC
East. We’ll go down to Philly
there and who I have my eye on there is Jihaad Campbell right
there who was my absolute
favorite player to watch to scout in the draft. I had him as
a top ten talent, fell down
there because of the shoulder injury questions. But the big
questions will be is he healthy?
And number two, where will he play in that Eagles defense?
Because at Alabama he was all
over the place rushing the pass dropping man to man coverage. So
where will he play and will he
be healthy. And then moving further down 95 down to
Washington there. And it’s a
veteran. We talked about two rookies and it’s Deebo Samuel.
And what does Deebo have left.
No he had the injuries last year. Some questions. If he got
a little bit bigger than what he
usually looks always a stocky build. But. And then also with
the Terry McLaurin contract
situation, even more pressure on Deebo to perform if Terry’s not
there. So that will be super
intriguing. With Jayden Daniels as an MVP candidate. If Deebo
can raise that offense to
another level and if he’s the same old Deebo there. Ian. Yeah,
no doubt the situation to watch
for the Washington Commanders. You’re right. If Terry McLaurin
not on the field how does that
receiving corps develop. Mark thank you very much. Great stuff
as always. But don’t go
anywhere. We’re going to have just a little bit more from you
before we wrap this thing up.
Are the Bengals going to wrap it up with that guy. Trey
Hendrickson one of the best
edges in the NFL. Does he get paid Micah Parsons does he get
paid. Give him all the money.
All right. Well, anyway, let’s figure out when we come back on
the insiders who’s getting the
bag and who isn’t. Rise and shine. We’re here, baby. Let’s
get it. Gmfb is live from LA,
and we’ve got all things mayhem? It’s a miracle. Can you
believe it? Get NFL RedZone now.
Ravens rookies in the house today, including their first
round draft pick, Malachi
Starks. Veterans for Baltimore and most of the other teams set
to report to training camp one
week from today. That includes Lamar Jackson, the multiple time
MVP who now, according to the
team and Lamar himself, has been the subject of talks on a
potential contract extension.
Welcome back to the insiders, Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport.
Ian a unique situation, but
everything else about Lamar, including the way his
negotiations work, have been
different. Eric DeCosta has said we want to get an extension done
proactively here. Where do we
stand? Yeah, they do want to get an extension done proactively.
Lamar Jackson wants to get an
extension done regularly, and there is a reason why his cap
number is a big one this year.
Balloons up. That’s basically the way his deal was constructed
to get to the point where
they’re at right now and say, all right, it makes sense for
both sides to take another look
at this. Really, the question is, where does it land for Lamar
Jackson? Does he eclipse eclipse
the $60 million of Dak Prescott? Or does he get just a little bit
lower maybe in the 55 range like
Josh Allen got when he got a new deal though Josh Allen’s deal
was more of a ripped up deal, a
brand new one rather than extension. A couple of different
ways to do this. But you’re
right, they got about a week to go. It is very clear this is a
top priority for Lamar and for
the Ravens. But just because they don’t get it done before
the camp doesn’t mean the Ravens
keep working on deals throughout the season. So if it doesn’t get
done, there’s still a chance
that it eventually ends up getting done. One of the handful
of big contract situations we
will be monitoring around the league. Another one in Buffalo,
where running back James Cook
did show up for minicamp and participated last month. We’ll
see if that holds and if
potentially he could get that new deal prior to the start of
training camp. He has said
himself on social media that he is looking for $15 million per
season. That would be right at
the top type of an end, behind only the likes of Saquon Barkley
and Christian McCaffrey. In
terms of average per year. We all know the impact that James
Cook makes for that team. The
bills have also spent a lot of money in this offseason, I would
imagine. Ian, this is one that
we’re going to be talking about right up until the start of
training camp here. Kind of like
the one with the Dallas Cowboys. That could end up going on
significantly longer than that.
Yeah. If history tells us anything, it’s that we’re
probably going to talk about
Micah Parsons right before the start of training camp. Then
we’re going to talk about Micah
Parsons all throughout training camp and maybe even right up
until kickoff, if it’s anything
like the Dak Prescott negotiations last year, which
were literally, literally right
up until kickoff, of course, for Dak Prescott, it was worth it
became the highest paid
quarterback in the NFL. When Micah Parsons gets his new deal,
there is no doubt he is going to
be the highest paid defensive player, likely the highest paid
non-quarterback in the NFL.
Makes sense given his talent. It’s also why Micah Parsons
knows he’s going to get it. Is
content to wait, wants the right deal. Not the fastest deal. But
yes, we are going to be talking
about Micah Parsons plenty moving forward for the Dallas
Cowboys and considering how much
we’re on air for the next month or so, that makes sense as well.
I would anticipate Micah Parsons
shows up on time to training camp. Doesn’t necessarily mean,
though, that he’s doing much of
anything in terms of on the field work. As for Trey
Hendrickson, his status remains
very much up in the air. We’ve been talking about this one now
for a couple of years. Most
recently Trey Hendrickson himself holding an impromptu
press conference back in late
May. While these teams were practicing, his team was
practicing on the field and
saying he’s not going to play for the 16.5 million that he is
due this year. It doesn’t sound
like anything is imminent on this front. Still, we know that
the Bengals have specific things
that they like to do in terms of contracts. Trey Hendrickson has
been unbelievably durable. He’s
been one of the most productive pass rushers over the past
couple of years, led the league
in sacks in 2025. There were they were trade talks back
before the draft. Nobody was
willing to offer a First-Round pick at that time, so it’s hard
to imagine this doesn’t end with
Trey Hendrickson back in Cincinnati. We’ll see, though,
when and with what type of
contractual adjustment that ends up taking place. As for their
other pass rushers, Shemar
Stewart, he remains unsigned at this stage. There was a dispute
in the spring over language in
the participation agreement that most rookies signed to
participate in voluntary
practices. Then he was also in the midst of a dispute over the
actual contract language for his
fully slotted deal. His representatives and Shemar
himself have said they just want
the same language that other Bengals draft picks in years
past have gotten. It’s a
standoff again, Ian, you would think all logic would tell you
Shemar Stewart ends up getting
in, if not before the start of training camp in the early
stages of training camp. But
he’s under contract. They can’t find him. Keep an eye on this
one as we move forward as well.
Yeah, but it makes sense to get a deal done. We’ll see if
they’re able to do it. There’s
so little to negotiate in these rookie deals. Just do the.
Anyway, that’s my soapbox. We’ll
see where the Steelers and T.J. Watt end up. A T.J. Watt very
serious about wanting a new
deal, wanting to be among the highest paid, if not the highest
paid defenders, has put his foot
down and essentially been clear about how much he wants this,
where he believes it should be.
This has been negotiation, actually pretty quiet, but no
doubt they are ongoing. It does
not, for me feel particularly close. The Steelers have done a
lot of things, a lot of things
this offseason. This is the one thing they have not done, but I
would expect it to ramp up
either start of training camp or right up against the start of
the season, where the Steelers
often end up doing their deals. If you’re T.J. Watt, you’re
saying, why would I take less
than Myles Garrett? I’m also a former defensive player of the
year. I’m your best defensive
player on a team that’s gone all in with all these moves in the
offseason. If you’re the
Steelers, you’re saying you’re on the wrong side of age 30 at
this point and didn’t really
produce the second half of last season. It’s a really unique
situation. You would think,
again, logic would tell you they find a way here. T.J. Watt also
doesn’t do a ton in training
camp. This one might take just a little bit. There are a lot of
other things you’ll be able to
watch for the Steelers. If you get tickets to the games. That’s
right. The wait is over in the
countdown to kick off has begun. Single game tickets for the 2025
NFL season are on sale now.
Visit NFL.com. Tickets to purchase tickets today. Tickets
are available through the NFL
Ticket Network, including Ticketmaster, SeatGeek and
Sports Illustrated tickets. Did
I mention there’s tickets? Tickets, tickets? We’ve also got
stars. Stars, stars Kyle
Hamilton, Jalen Carter, Derwin James. But which teams could
have the best overall defenses
in the league? Our Mark Ross is back with his breakdown on that
and more coming up on the
insiders. Mark, when this They’re the top five defenses of
2025 according to NFL.com.
Genaro police. So we don’t have to play. Why bother playing the
season? He has named him right
there with the Broncos being number one. To be totally
honest, that’s actually a pretty
good list. And I do think the Broncos are going to be really
good. How good? Who agrees with
this? Is anyone going to step up and say generic is dead wrong?
Mark Ross. I am waiting for you.
So you saw that list, right? Why don’t you, instead of generic
police, why don’t you project
the top five defenses in the NFL starting with number five? Well,
I sent my list list in last
night. I didn’t even see Gennaro’s list, but we’re pretty
much straight on. I had the
Kansas City Chiefs at number five, and of course, the Chiefs
had some stars like Chris Jones
and McDuffie in the secondary there. But the really the
mastermind is Steve Spagnola.
Ian. And no matter the pieces that he has, they’re the tough
guys, the smart guys. Spags is
going to find a way. The last two years, they’ve led the NFL
with 18.2 points per game,
leading the league there, and I think Spags will do it again.
Chiefs have been very fortunate.
Spags has not become a head coach again because he’s their
defensive coordinator. All
right, Mark, what about number four. Well number four he had
Houston I got Minnesota in
there. And Minnesota led the league last year in takeaways
and interceptions. And they’re
only going to be better because they signed Jonathan Allen and
Javon Hargrave to get to shore
up that inside there. And then also Dallas Turner, last year’s
first round draft pick who
didn’t really produce much. I expect him to take a big leap
this year to provide even more
havoc up front for Brian Flores blitz scheme in that D Ian.
Flores brings it. Expect him to
do it again this year. What about number three. Number three
the Philadelphia Eagles the
defending champions there. They lost a lot with sweat and BG and
Milton Williams getting a big
payday in slay. But a lot of young talent coming back with
Jalen Carter. And also keep your
eye on Jihaad Campbell who I talked about earlier. The first
round draft pick who will
absolutely be an All-Pro player in the future. And of course,
Vic Fangio, another mastermind
back there, will have the Eagles right there back in contention.
543. What about number two?
Mark. Number two we got the flip here. Gennaro’s got the Broncos
at one. But I have them at
number two. They could end up being number one. But last year
Vance Joseph really had that
defense cooking leading the league in sacks third in points
per game. And again they only
got better by signing the 49 ers duo of Greenlaw and Hufanga. And
then also first round pick
Johnny Barron. Another one of my favorites to watch and scout who
will be an absolute versatile
piece in that secondary along with Defensive Player of the
Year Patrick Surtain. Ian. So if
the Broncos are number two, who is number one? Number one, the
Baltimore Ravens, who from week
11 on last year were the best defense in the NFL in points per
game and total yards per game.
And again, they’ve only gotten better with Zach or getting that
experience the defensive
coordinator. But also look at the personnel they brought in.
They’re already loaded there.
And now they bring in first round draft pick Malachi Starks
out of Georgia. The versatile
safety Mike green, who was the best pass rusher outside of
Abdul Carter last year and then
signed Jaire Alexander to go in that secondary. That might be
the best in the NFL, the best in
NFL history. We’ll see. So they’re going to be number one
with all those pieces Ian. And
that Jaire Alexander thing happened the middle of the
summer. People probably still
haven’t thought about it. They will when the season begins.
Mark, thank you very much. Great
stuff as always. For the full list from Janeiro, go to
NFL.com. For more of what Mark
thinks. Just keep watching the insiders. He’s on all the time.
Anyway, great stuff. Appreciate
you Mark with NFL plus keep the NFL in reach. Stream live
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apply. The insiders is brought to you by the Farmer’s Dog. Dog
food made fresh and delivered
right to you. This is buddy. plays. All in one place all year
long. Welcome home. It was a big
throwback Tuesday. Several teams announcing alternate jerseys
including look at these
beauties. Let’s be honest, in the 70s and 80s you thought that
they were completely ugly, but
now they’re retro. The Bucs going full creamsicle. Can’t
wait to see Baker Mayfield and
Mike Evans making some connections in those this fall.
And speaking of connections,
let’s play a little game right now called NFL connections. Ian,
I believe that you have been
briefed on the rules of this game. We’re going to show you 16
words. You’ve got to try to
group as many as possible into groups of four that have some
type of connection between those
words 60s on the clock and go. Rapoport. By the way I, I hate
these games. My wife used to
torture me by making them do on the New York Times app. They’re
awful. I’ll start I see my name
there okay I see Pell. That’s your name I see that’s Batista
and G for Garafolo. Okay, so I
got the initial the first couple letters of our names. That’s one
group. Okay. I got that one. I
think we got some running backs. Right. So we got Barkley, we got
Ashton, we got Tyler. And surely
there is a running back named. What? That’s wrong. No, there is
a running back. How could that
be wrong? Can you hear the buzzer? Have we buzzed you
enough times? You got one more
guess here. You got, like, 10s left. Anything else? This is a
stupid game. I don’t have any
other guesses. My guess was great. Why is that not what you
guys were thinking? This is the
problem with these games, right? It doesn’t make any sense. Draft
picks. It was first round draft
picks. Let’s show the graphic again here. First round draft
picks, which was cam Ward Travis
Hunter Ashton Genti is in there. And Tyler Warren you got MVP
finalists from last year. Yeah.
This is why you got the Hall of Fame class right there. So you
were very close. Technically, I
think you get three wrong answers before we would buzz you
completely off the game and kick
you off until tomorrow. Guess what, Ian, this is the stupid
part of this game. Because just
because you were thinking that connection doesn’t mean that’s
actually what the connection
was. It doesn’t make any sense. We are now going to play this
game because you’re thinking it.
The one I’m thinking is >>> HEY!
HEY HEY HEY!