# The Insiders Podcast: Baker Mayfield and Christian Gonzalez's new contract extensions, Aaron Donald not playing in Australia for season opener

An episode of [NFL: The Insiders](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1543090622), 9 Sep 2026, 43 min.

Audio: https://podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/traffic.omny.fm/d/clips/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/0414225e-5167-477f-9f83-ae390070e4d2/bf1b81c7-bf1d-4070-a47b-b4c0001cbe29/audio.mp3?utm_source=Podcast&in_playlist=3e412703-0644-468e-9001-ae390070e4db

Rhett Lewis is joined by NFL Insiders Judy Battista, Jeff Darlington, Mike Garafolo and Ian Rapoport to talk about Baker Mayfield, Christian Gonzalez, and Devon Witherspoon's new contracts extensions. They also discuss Aaron Donald's choice to not travel to Australia for the season opener against the 49ers. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

## Transcript

[0:09] Speaker 1: Well, it turns out that game day Eve is payday
[0:12] Speaker 1: for Christian Gonzalez in New England, but most surprisingly for
[0:15] Speaker 1: Baker Mayfield in Tampa. We'll also take you down under
[0:18] Speaker 1: today on the insiders, where I guess it's yesterday.
[0:21] Speaker 2: We'll figure that out as well, or today. Maybe it's tomorrow.
[0:25] Speaker 1: We know Aaron Donald is out right now as the
[0:29] Speaker 1: Rams get set to kick off the regular season and
[0:32] Speaker 1: head to Australia to battle the 49ers.
[0:34] Speaker 2: Welcome, everyone.
[0:35] Speaker 1: This is the Insiders presented by Progressive Insurance.
[0:39] Speaker 2: I am Rhett Lewis here with Ian Rappaport, Mike Garofalo,
[0:42] Speaker 2: Judy Batista and Jeff.
[0:44] Speaker 1: Darlington back with us as well. Friends, 25 hours to
[0:48] Speaker 1: kick off and we have news.
[0:50] Speaker 2: And this is what is new today.
[0:51] Speaker 1: Baker Mayfield, despite the self-imposed deadline for contract negotiations before
[0:56] Speaker 1: training camp opened, has now agreed to a three-year $ 165
[1:00] Speaker 1: million contract extension that will pay him $ 55 million in
[1:05] Speaker 1: terms of annual average value, putting him on par with
[1:08] Speaker 1: the likes of Joe Burrow and Josh Allen. amongst the
[1:12] Speaker 1: highest paid quarterbacks in football. All right, let's kick this
[1:15] Speaker 1: thing off. Ian, you kind of said that this was
[1:18] Speaker 1: done under the cloud of darkness. How did it ultimately
[1:21] Speaker 1: come to be here ahead of week one?
[1:24] Speaker 3: Well, as soon as Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay
[1:26] Speaker 3: Buccaneers reached his deadline of training camp starting, negotiations were
[1:30] Speaker 3: essentially off. And what everyone did after Baker Mayfield's press
[1:33] Speaker 3: conference and after his interview where he was clearly frustrated
[1:36] Speaker 3: with the team and the offer they made and all
[1:38] Speaker 3: of that, everyone just went quiet. He went to work
[1:42] Speaker 3: and the front office essentially just watched it all play out.
[1:45] Speaker 3: Then the last couple of days, What they did was
[1:47] Speaker 3: reengage very quietly, as you mentioned, under the cover of
[1:50] Speaker 3: darkness to say, you know what? We weren't actually that
[1:54] Speaker 3: far off. Really, this deal can get done without headlines,
[1:57] Speaker 3: without anyone talking about it publicly, without.
[1:59] Speaker 4: All of the angst.
[2:00] Speaker 3: They made a strong offer, and there were different times
[2:03] Speaker 3: when you wonder, was it going to be a two-year deal?
[2:05] Speaker 4: Was it going to be a three-year deal?
[2:06] Speaker 3: They got to that $ 55 million per year number that
[2:10] Speaker 3: franchise quarterbacks, really good franchise quarterbacks, want to get to.
[2:14] Speaker 3: In the end, three years, 165, 110 additional guarantees on
[2:19] Speaker 3: top of what he's going to make this year. Baker
[2:22] Speaker 3: Mayfield now paid like a franchise quarterback.
[2:26] Speaker 5: Ian, that word that we got that they weren't that
[2:29] Speaker 5: far apart when things broke down was around the Jets-Buccaneers
[2:33] Speaker 5: preseason game, which was a couple of weeks ago. And
[2:35] Speaker 5: I remember after that game, I took a video of
[2:38] Speaker 5: Vita Vea, who was signing the signs that people had
[2:42] Speaker 5: in the end zone that were waiting for the Buccaneers
[2:44] Speaker 5: to leave the field. One of them said, sign Baker
[2:46] Speaker 5: and Vita. The other one saying, you know, Vita.
[2:50] Speaker 4: Better not go.
[2:50] Speaker 5: He better stay here or whatever. I mean, they signed
[2:52] Speaker 5: Vita Vea. And then they signed Baker Mayfield. So at
[2:56] Speaker 5: the time, both looked pretty dire. And then here you go,
[2:59] Speaker 5: which is more proof that you've got to let these
[3:01] Speaker 5: things play out, number one. And number two, that the
[3:04] Speaker 5: start of the season is really a pressure point to
[3:07] Speaker 5: help get numbers where they need to get to that
[3:11] Speaker 5: weren't previously there. And for Mayfield to lift... The ban
[3:15] Speaker 5: on negotiations. Again, we've talked about it. There's nothing to
[3:18] Speaker 5: say that he can't just say, you know what, let's
[3:19] Speaker 5: just re-engage.
[3:20] Speaker 2: And they did it.
[3:21] Speaker 4: They did it quickly.
[3:21] Speaker 2: It needed to get done quietly.
[3:23] Speaker 4: It did get done quietly.
[3:25] Speaker 5: They had countered at the time with two- and three-year proposals,
[3:28] Speaker 5: so they were open, Mayfield's camp, to a shorter-term deal
[3:31] Speaker 5: than we usually see. A lot of times you see four-
[3:33] Speaker 5: or five-year deals for quarterbacks. But in this case, a
[3:35] Speaker 5: three-year deal that gets done, which is on par with
[3:38] Speaker 5: starting quarterback money, shows him the respect he felt like
[3:41] Speaker 5: he deserved, and it's a done deal.
[3:42] Speaker 2: He's locked up for now 12 NFL seasons.
[3:47] Speaker 6: This always made sense, but also you always had these
[3:50] Speaker 6: sort of very natural, instinctive issues along the way, and
[3:53] Speaker 6: that is the chip on Baker Mayfield's shoulder. He was
[3:57] Speaker 6: not going to be slighted, but as we know, guys,
[3:59] Speaker 6: Jason Light is not the type of general manager who's
[4:01] Speaker 6: going to slight anybody deliberately, and you always felt like,
[4:05] Speaker 6: despite that deadline that Baker put in place, that the
[4:07] Speaker 6: more time he spent around Jason, that they would eventually
[4:11] Speaker 6: get to this deal. It always felt like they would
[4:13] Speaker 6: get to this point, but you also have to understand
[4:15] Speaker 6: Jason Light's uh situation in this he hasn't had to
[4:18] Speaker 6: pay a quarterback in forever whether it was jamis winston
[4:22] Speaker 6: on a rookie deal tom brady on his sweetheart deal
[4:25] Speaker 6: or basically pulling baker mayfield uh out of the sale
[4:28] Speaker 6: bin i think that he now understands like i'm gonna
[4:32] Speaker 6: have to pay 55 million baker deserves it he kind
[4:35] Speaker 6: of always saw that coming but the reality of it
[4:38] Speaker 6: was something that You know, I think eventually it was
[4:41] Speaker 6: something he had to swallow. And now they're here. Baker
[4:44] Speaker 6: can play the way that Baker plays. He can go
[4:46] Speaker 6: into the season not worrying about the contract. I think
[4:49] Speaker 6: this is a total win for both sides.
[4:51] Speaker 1: Yeah, so he's finally proven it in terms of landing
[4:53] Speaker 1: this big deal. Yet the Bucs will head.
[4:56] Speaker 2: To Cincinnati as the underdog, which should be right up
[4:59] Speaker 2: Baker's alley in week one.
[5:02] Speaker 1: Okay, let's get to the most anticipated return from retirement
[5:06] Speaker 1: since Brett Favre, but it's going to have to wait
[5:08] Speaker 1: at least a week. Adam Schefter, Ian Rappaport reporting the
[5:11] Speaker 1: three-time defense player of the year. Aaron Donald won't travel
[5:13] Speaker 1: to Australia with the Rams tonight and will miss the
[5:16] Speaker 1: opener against the 49ers.
[5:17] Speaker 2: Head coach Sean McVay on the decision. He's doing a
[5:21] Speaker 2: great job.
[5:22] Speaker 7: You know, I think he'll be ready to go sooner
[5:24] Speaker 7: rather than later, but we're making a decision that we
[5:26] Speaker 7: think is best for him and for our team. And
[5:28] Speaker 7: I think what's cool is, is you have such confidence
[5:30] Speaker 7: in the group that we do have with Kobe, with Fisk,
[5:33] Speaker 7: with Puna Ford, with Tyler Davis, you know, Ty Hamilton
[5:37] Speaker 7: has done a really good job.
[5:38] Speaker 4: And so, um, You know, he's going to be a
[5:40] Speaker 4: big part.
[5:40] Speaker 7: You know, Aaron will be, you know, it'll add value
[5:43] Speaker 7: when he's ready to go. But, you know, being two
[5:45] Speaker 7: years off retirement, he's attacked this the right way, but
[5:48] Speaker 7: it would have been a really quick turnaround. And so
[5:50] Speaker 7: we feel like he can manage, you know, being able
[5:52] Speaker 7: to get himself ready to go and he won't make
[5:55] Speaker 7: the trip and he'll be able to take good care
[5:57] Speaker 7: of himself in terms of getting himself ready to go
[5:59] Speaker 7: whenever that time comes.
[6:01] Speaker 1: So, Ian, it really sounded like this has been a
[6:03] Speaker 1: true day-to-day type of deal for Donald and his return
[6:06] Speaker 1: to the Rams. Is it just as simple as the
[6:09] Speaker 1: ramp-up needed more time?
[6:11] Speaker 4: He is just simply not ready.
[6:13] Speaker 3: And this really did feel, Rhett, like it came as
[6:16] Speaker 3: a surprise even to me and Adam Schefter as we
[6:18] Speaker 3: were reporting earlier today.
[6:20] Speaker 4: Everyone kind of.
[6:21] Speaker 3: Just thought Aaron Donald is not human. He is not
[6:24] Speaker 3: like anyone else. He is just going to roll out
[6:26] Speaker 3: of bed after two years off, ramp up a little bit,
[6:29] Speaker 3: do some football stuff, and just go out and play
[6:31] Speaker 3: an NFL game.
[6:33] Speaker 4: The reality is he is human. I know it's strange,
[6:35] Speaker 4: but he is human.
[6:36] Speaker 3: Needs a little more time, and this is not someone
[6:38] Speaker 3: that the Rams signed for week one or week two.
[6:41] Speaker 4: Yes, they would love if he played week two.
[6:43] Speaker 3: They signed him for week like 17, 18, into the playoffs, and.
[6:48] Speaker 4: Maybe into the Super Bowl. This is a long-term play.
[6:51] Speaker 3: Just needs a little bit more time, and as Sean
[6:53] Speaker 3: McVay very expertly described, he's a luxury.
[6:56] Speaker 4: They have an already awesome defensive front, and they are
[7:00] Speaker 4: going to be just fine this week without him.
[7:02] Speaker 1: And we've got a lot more coming up on this game.
[7:04] Speaker 1: Lindsay Theory is going to join us live from Australia
[7:07] Speaker 1: on a few players for the 49ers who we are
[7:10] Speaker 1: expecting to play.
[7:11] Speaker 2: That coming up here in just a little bit.
[7:13] Speaker 1: Now we'll get to a story that was at one
[7:15] Speaker 1: point the lead on this program here on the Insiders.
[7:18] Speaker 1: And that's Christian Gonzalez agreeing to terms on a four-year
[7:22] Speaker 1: $ 135 million contract extension.
[7:24] Speaker 2: Mike Garofalo told.
[7:25] Speaker 1: Us that this was a deal that was still possible
[7:28] Speaker 1: yesterday before kickoff. And it gets done in a historic way,
[7:31] Speaker 1: surpassing the deal done by a corner who he will
[7:34] Speaker 1: share the field with tomorrow night, Devin Witherspoon, just barely,
[7:36] Speaker 1: about 800K on the average annual value and a couple
[7:40] Speaker 1: million bucks in guarantees as well going Gonzo's way. Also
[7:43] Speaker 1: passes Spoon, as you see there, with the average annual value,
[7:47] Speaker 1: and then he'll get a chance to prove his worth.
[7:49] Speaker 1: against one of the best receiving cores in the game
[7:52] Speaker 1: with Jackson Smith and Jigba, Cooper Cup, and more as
[7:56] Speaker 1: we get back to Ian on this deal. So how
[7:58] Speaker 1: did it all come together in time before kickoff here
[8:01] Speaker 1: for Christian Gonzalez?
[8:03] Speaker 3: You know, Red, there are so many times when deadlines
[8:05] Speaker 3: are coming and the season's coming and people say, this
[8:07] Speaker 3: is just going to get done. This is one where
[8:09] Speaker 3: I really felt the entire way it was unlikely to
[8:12] Speaker 3: get done. The two sides never quite seemed like they
[8:15] Speaker 3: were on the same page. The Patriots made offers, really
[8:18] Speaker 3: strong offers, to make them the highest paid with a
[8:20] Speaker 3: huge guarantee, with a huge signing bonus. And each time
[8:23] Speaker 3: the bar kept getting raised in the corner market, then
[8:27] Speaker 3: the offer kept getting higher. It just never really seemed
[8:29] Speaker 3: like it was anything that Christian Gonzalez would really consider
[8:32] Speaker 3: And then when the Patriots flew to Seattle a couple
[8:35] Speaker 3: days early, they upped their offer just a little bit,
[8:38] Speaker 3: but enough. And that became time for Christian Gonzalez to say,
[8:41] Speaker 3: you know what, I'm already the highest paid with the
[8:43] Speaker 3: highest signing bonus ever, highest guarantee ever. All the metrics,
[8:47] Speaker 3: this deal is getting done. Agreed late, late last night.
[8:51] Speaker 3: Now officially locked in four years, 135, 102 million guaranteed.
[8:58] Speaker 8: Christian Gonzalez is the first Patriots first-round player to get
[9:02] Speaker 8: a second contract from the Patriots since Dante Hightower, and
[9:06] Speaker 8: he was drafted in 2012. That is quite a streak. Now,
[9:11] Speaker 8: Christian Gonzalez is certainly worthy of the contract, but that
[9:14] Speaker 8: does tell you as clearly as it can be how
[9:17] Speaker 8: much the Patriots have struggled to draft at the very
[9:21] Speaker 8: top of the draft.
[9:22] Speaker 2: It does go a.
[9:23] Speaker 8: Long way to explaining why depth has been an issue
[9:26] Speaker 8: for this team and continues to be an issue for
[9:28] Speaker 8: this team. And it also goes to show what we
[9:32] Speaker 8: were saying all along in Tom Brady's final years, how
[9:34] Speaker 8: very much Tom Brady was covering up a lot of
[9:37] Speaker 8: holes on the Patriots. And they were still winning when
[9:41] Speaker 8: Tom Brady was there. It also explains why they went
[9:43] Speaker 8: all the way down before they have now come all
[9:45] Speaker 8: the way back up. This also sends a pretty important
[9:49] Speaker 8: signal to the locker room and to one person in particular,
[9:52] Speaker 8: Drake May, who just saw a premier player at a
[9:55] Speaker 8: premier position get a premier contract.
[9:58] Speaker 2: Drake May will be extended. eligible next year.
[10:02] Speaker 8: Christian Gonzalez got his deal without a holdout. That is
[10:06] Speaker 8: a very important signal to everybody else in that locker room.
[10:09] Speaker 5: Devin Witherspoon, check with the Seahawks. That deal done first.
[10:13] Speaker 5: Christian Gonzalez, check. Joey Porter Jr.
[10:15] Speaker 2: In the Steelers.
[10:16] Speaker 5: That's the last cornerback, last big cornerback one that we're
[10:19] Speaker 5: looking at here to say, is it going to get
[10:21] Speaker 5: done before week one? Unlike the Patriots, this one has
[10:24] Speaker 5: a deadline. The Steelers will not negotiate with Porter during
[10:29] Speaker 5: the season. General Manager Omar Khan has made it clear. Now,
[10:32] Speaker 5: we have said that there hasn't been an offer made. Update,
[10:37] Speaker 5: there has been an offer made. I am told via
[10:39] Speaker 5: sources that the Steelers have made an offer. It is
[10:42] Speaker 5: not good enough for this one to be deemed close,
[10:46] Speaker 5: but the Steelers are showing a willingness to engage, which
[10:49] Speaker 5: means we've got a couple of days for both sides
[10:52] Speaker 5: to figure out what are the right numbers to get
[10:54] Speaker 5: a deal done. There is a lot of work to
[10:57] Speaker 5: be done from my understanding.
[10:59] Speaker 2: I would not call it imminent. I would not call
[11:00] Speaker 2: it close.
[11:02] Speaker 5: But I will call it an actual negotiation now that
[11:04] Speaker 5: the Steelers have made an offer.
[11:06] Speaker 6: I just love that we wait until this moment to
[11:08] Speaker 6: do these negotiations. We spend the entire offseason talking about
[11:12] Speaker 6: the ridiculousness of when are these going to get.
[11:14] Speaker 4: Done, and now they get done.
[11:15] Speaker 6: Deadline spur action. I love hearing Devon Witherspoon, by the way,
[11:19] Speaker 6: as well, talking about the fact that he is happy
[11:22] Speaker 6: to see Gonzalez getting his deal done as well. Witherspoon
[11:25] Speaker 6: last month breaking the record, and then Gonzalez taking him
[11:29] Speaker 6: just inches over that mark. So we've got deals getting
[11:33] Speaker 6: done everywhere.
[11:34] Speaker 9: Who knows?
[11:34] Speaker 6: Maybe the Cowboys will get one done soon. Another one
[11:36] Speaker 6: we're going to be watching. But certainly a fun week
[11:39] Speaker 6: in the NFL just as action is about to get started.
[11:42] Speaker 1: Yeah, and I imagine we'll be talking about a shot
[11:46] Speaker 1: on Wednesday night pregame of Witherspoon and Gonzalez, you know,
[11:49] Speaker 1: kind of hanging out, talking about the deals getting done, right?
[11:52] Speaker 2: Pregame.
[11:52] Speaker 1: I assume that'll be part of the broadcast as we
[11:55] Speaker 1: get ready for kickoff from Seattle and the rematch of Super.
[11:58] Speaker 2: Bowl 60 to kick off this regular season. A lot
[12:00] Speaker 2: more on the way. Let's keep it rolling, shall we?
[12:02] Speaker 1: The Denver Broncos racked up a league-high 68 sacks a
[12:05] Speaker 1: season ago and opened the year trying to harass Patrick
[12:08] Speaker 1: Mahomes on that surgically repaired knee. How does that factor
[12:11] Speaker 1: into KC's game plan?
[12:13] Speaker 2: Just ahead.
[12:15] Speaker 1: It is currently around 9.15 a.m. on Wednesday in Australia.
[12:19] Speaker 1: But don't tell that to Kyle Shanahan, who is currently
[12:22] Speaker 1: having an existential international dateline crisis, which we can confirm
[12:26] Speaker 1: is equivalent to Friday of a normal game week. What
[12:30] Speaker 1: that actually means for the Niners coming up live from
[12:32] Speaker 1: Melbourne next. Sunday is game day on NFL Network. Game
[12:43] Speaker 1: day morning kicks it all off with four hours of
[12:45] Speaker 1: pregame coverage for you.
[12:46] Speaker 2: Starting at 9 a.m.
[12:47] Speaker 1: Then game day live all day long highlights starting at
[12:50] Speaker 1: 1 p.m. Game day highlights at 730 and game day
[12:53] Speaker 1: final wraps up your day on NFL Network. Well, here's
[12:58] Speaker 1: a fun inception like international dateline situation for the 49ers.
[13:03] Speaker 1: As Adam Schefter pointed out to us, defensive coordinator Raheem
[13:06] Speaker 1: Morris turned 50 on Thursday, September 3rd, which happened to
[13:10] Speaker 1: be the day the Niners were traveling to Australia. They
[13:11] Speaker 1: left Wednesday night, but I guess arrived on Friday morning,
[13:15] Speaker 1: which means I guess Morris is still 49. And he
[13:18] Speaker 1: talked about it this week.
[13:20] Speaker 10: I've been missing birthday for years. You know, football comes
[13:22] Speaker 10: with that, especially when you're Virgo and you get into
[13:25] Speaker 10: this business. You probably haven't had a birthday either. So
[13:29] Speaker 10: we're always doing something, whether we're getting ready for the
[13:31] Speaker 10: first game, no matter what's been going on for the
[13:33] Speaker 10: last 20 or so years. Obviously, you guys know I'm
[13:37] Speaker 10: old because it's Jeff D.
[13:37] Speaker 11: Taylor.
[13:38] Speaker 10: Everybody, I'm 50. What is your key is? But it
[13:41] Speaker 10: is what it is. Well, Nick Bosa is really easy.
[13:43] Speaker 10: You know, you watch this guy do it over. a span,
[13:46] Speaker 10: a long time in his career, been able to do
[13:48] Speaker 10: it at different levels, a lot different questioning. What we
[13:50] Speaker 10: just talked about with Romelo, where we haven't seen him
[13:51] Speaker 10: do it yet. Bosa knows his body as well as anybody.
[13:55] Speaker 10: He'll be prepared and ready to go as well as anybody,
[13:58] Speaker 10: whether it's from a conversation to a point, from meetings,
[14:00] Speaker 10: from a conversation to a point, from what he needs
[14:01] Speaker 10: to get ready for his body. Very high confidence level
[14:04] Speaker 10: in what he's going to be.
[14:06] Speaker 1: And joining us now live from Melbourne, Australia, Lindsay Theory
[14:10] Speaker 1: is with us. Lindsay, we know Aaron Donald not set
[14:12] Speaker 1: to go for the Los Angeles Rams, but it sure
[14:15] Speaker 1: sounds like the 49ers are getting some good news on
[14:17] Speaker 1: the availability front from some of their stars.
[14:20] Speaker 9: Hi, Rhett.
[14:21] Speaker 12: Absolutely.
[14:21] Speaker 13: You just heard Raheem Morris there. He spoke about Nick Bosa,
[14:24] Speaker 13: but I just wanted to make very clear that Nick
[14:26] Speaker 13: Bosa would be playing. I asked him a follow-up if
[14:28] Speaker 13: he is indeed playing, and Raheem Morris tells me, absolutely,
[14:32] Speaker 13: we're not trying to hide anything. Nick Bosa is going
[14:35] Speaker 13: to go. We've seen him out there at practice for
[14:37] Speaker 13: the Niners, really getting back into the groove of things. Obviously,
[14:40] Speaker 13: since that ACL injury, he was a full participant or
[14:43] Speaker 13: getting back to practice last week, I should say, and
[14:45] Speaker 13: has been really working back as they have been here
[14:48] Speaker 13: in Melbourne. Also good news for them, tight end George
[14:51] Speaker 13: Kittle coming off that season-ending Achilles injury. He expressed a
[14:55] Speaker 13: lot of optimism before traveling to Australia that he would
[14:58] Speaker 13: be available to play. And Clay Kubiak says, indeed. barring
[15:02] Speaker 13: any setbacks that George Kittle also will be out there.
[15:05] Speaker 13: I asked Brock Purdy what that really means for his offense.
[15:08] Speaker 13: Purdy really emphasizing how explosive Kittle has appeared to be
[15:13] Speaker 13: since being back there out on the field and just
[15:16] Speaker 13: emphasizing really how good it has been to have him back.
[15:19] Speaker 13: As you guys have mentioned, no Aaron Donald, and that
[15:23] Speaker 13: is a big surprise for everyone, including the 49ers. Kyle
[15:28] Speaker 13: Shanahan was pretty adamant that they believed that Aaron Donald
[15:32] Speaker 13: would be in the lineup when they faced him. He
[15:35] Speaker 13: said there was a lot of relief when Donald retired. Cheers,
[15:38] Speaker 13: in fact, throughout that building. For the 49ers, I can
[15:41] Speaker 13: only imagine what that hotel room sounded like when they
[15:43] Speaker 13: learned this morning that Aaron Donald wasn't making the trip.
[15:46] Speaker 13: Trent Williams also was telling me about trying to prepare
[15:49] Speaker 13: for that two-headed monster of Donald and Miles Garrett. So
[15:53] Speaker 13: the 49ers' offensive plan surely to have some changes now,
[15:57] Speaker 13: knowing that Aaron Donald will be left back in the
[16:00] Speaker 13: United States.
[16:01] Speaker 1: Okay, and we are looking forward to that conversation that
[16:04] Speaker 1: you had with Trent Williams, which we'll have coming up
[16:06] Speaker 1: here on the Insiders in just a little bit. Live
[16:08] Speaker 1: from Melbourne, Australia. Lindsay Theory getting it done for us.
[16:11] Speaker 1: Thank you very much, Lindsay. Still to come on the Insiders.
[16:14] Speaker 1: Getting closer to the debut of Dallas' new look defense
[16:17] Speaker 1: featuring the rookie Caleb Downs. What kind of improvement is
[16:21] Speaker 1: on the way? And are there more reinforcements on the way?
[16:25] Speaker 1: Owner Jerry Jones sounding off next. From a one-year prove-it
[16:29] Speaker 1: deal for $ 4 million for Baker Mayfield to initially sign
[16:32] Speaker 1: with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he now signs the most
[16:36] Speaker 1: lucrative or has agreed to terms on the most lucrative
[16:39] Speaker 1: contract in Buccaneers franchise history. Three years, $ 165 million at
[16:45] Speaker 1: $ 55 million average annual value, which is right in line
[16:49] Speaker 1: with guys like Josh Allen. and Joe Burrow back here
[16:53] Speaker 1: with you on the Insiders, welcoming Ian Rappaport back here. Ian,
[16:57] Speaker 1: what were the sticking points that kind of got undone
[16:59] Speaker 1: to allow this deal to move forward?
[17:03] Speaker 4: Really what it.
[17:03] Speaker 3: Seemed like it needed was just time and a little
[17:05] Speaker 3: bit of space. And when Baker Mayfield took to the
[17:08] Speaker 3: microphone at the start of training camp and expressed his
[17:10] Speaker 3: frustration with a two-year deal at that time, at a
[17:14] Speaker 3: level that he just felt was disrespectful to him, everyone
[17:18] Speaker 3: needed a break.
[17:18] Speaker 4: So he played. That was the deadline.
[17:20] Speaker 3: We all kind of thought that this thing was over,
[17:23] Speaker 3: the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. We're not going to re-engage, and
[17:25] Speaker 3: they let a bunch of time pass, several weeks, and
[17:28] Speaker 3: then quietly over the last several days, they got to work.
[17:31] Speaker 3: They made him a stronger offer, and a couple points,
[17:33] Speaker 3: it's going to be a two-year deal, then it was
[17:35] Speaker 3: going to be a three-year deal, which of course is
[17:36] Speaker 3: what it ended up at, three years, $ 165 million, $ 110
[17:40] Speaker 3: million in additional guarantees, and once they got to the
[17:44] Speaker 3: threshold of really good franchise quarterbacks, which is $ 55 million
[17:49] Speaker 3: per year new money. You just felt like this was
[17:52] Speaker 3: getting done. And earlier this afternoon, Baker Mayfield finally paid
[17:56] Speaker 3: like a franchise quarterback.
[17:59] Speaker 8: You know, you can understand why Baker felt disrespected in
[18:02] Speaker 8: the early parts of this negotiation. He had to be
[18:05] Speaker 8: thinking in his head, like, what else do I have
[18:07] Speaker 8: to do here to get the respect of a team?
[18:10] Speaker 8: Consider his career arc, right? He was drafted by the
[18:13] Speaker 8: Cleveland Browns, then pushed aside in favor of Deshaun Watson.
[18:17] Speaker 8: He gets traded to the Carolina Panthers. They let go
[18:20] Speaker 8: of him after a few months. He gets picked up
[18:23] Speaker 8: off waivers by the Rams, and that's when things started
[18:26] Speaker 8: to reignite, that brief stay with the Rams. And then
[18:30] Speaker 8: he goes to the Bucs under impossible circumstances. He has
[18:33] Speaker 8: to replace Tom Brady. And he's done it with no
[18:37] Speaker 8: real drop-off from the team. They've been to the playoffs
[18:40] Speaker 8: two seasons with him. Last year, they were injury-ravaged. Think
[18:44] Speaker 8: of what that team looked like in the first half
[18:46] Speaker 8: of the season, though, before all of the injuries set in.
[18:49] Speaker 8: That is what they think that team can be this year.
[18:53] Speaker 8: They believe they can sort of pick up where they
[18:55] Speaker 8: left off in the early part of the season before
[18:57] Speaker 8: the injuries. And now, finally, with this contract closed, Finally,
[19:01] Speaker 8: the acknowledgement that Baker Mayfield is a franchise quarterback and
[19:05] Speaker 8: he is being paid like a franchise quarterback and he
[19:08] Speaker 8: deserves the respect that franchise quarterbacks get.
[19:11] Speaker 1: And with 27 touchdown passes this year, he will become
[19:14] Speaker 1: the franchise's all-time leader in that category, illustrating the impact
[19:18] Speaker 1: he has had.
[19:20] Speaker 2: In these first three seasons in Tampa. Thanks, everybody.
[19:24] Speaker 12: All right, it's time for good coverage presented by Progressive Insurance.
[19:46] Speaker 1: The Patriots made cornerback Christian Gonzalez the highest paid corner
[19:49] Speaker 1: in NFL history with a four-year $ 135 million deal. Gonzalez
[19:55] Speaker 1: worth every penny, of course, ranking second in the NFL
[19:57] Speaker 1: in yards per target allowed with a minimum of 150 targets.
[20:01] Speaker 1: That's since 2024, according to NextGenStats. Okay, let's get into
[20:10] Speaker 1: the rest of the Week 1 slate, which will feature
[20:12] Speaker 1: the Cowboys taking on the New York Giants in the
[20:16] Speaker 1: Sunday night football debut of this 2026 regular season. Cowboys
[20:20] Speaker 1: busy trying to improve their defense this year, also kind
[20:23] Speaker 1: of creating some additional cap space that Jerry Jones has
[20:27] Speaker 1: talked about, giving them some flexibility should they need it
[20:30] Speaker 1: come this season.
[20:31] Speaker 9: We could use it for this year's team. But that
[20:34] Speaker 9: thing is fungible. The cap's fungible. And it laps over
[20:40] Speaker 9: into multi-years, at least two, conceivably three or four, on
[20:45] Speaker 9: parts of any money you make available. Now, I know
[20:48] Speaker 9: that's hard to put your finger on, but it is
[20:51] Speaker 9: hard to put your finger on. But that does show
[20:54] Speaker 9: that we have really viable, serious room financially to make
[21:00] Speaker 9: a trade if we wanted to right now.
[21:02] Speaker 14: Jerry, you're talking about trades right there. You mentioned in
[21:05] Speaker 14: Oxnard about having substantive talks, that that's what was important
[21:08] Speaker 14: to you with other front offices in pursuit of improving
[21:10] Speaker 14: the team. And you even mentioned you had been on
[21:12] Speaker 14: a call the day before. Are you still having those
[21:14] Speaker 14: sort of substantive talks right now around the league?
[21:19] Speaker 9: The best way for me to answer that is... Not
[21:26] Speaker 9: timing-wise right on something this morning or this week, but
[21:33] Speaker 9: if you looked at it generally speaking, we're in play.
[21:38] Speaker 9: And that's the best way to describe it.
[21:41] Speaker 4: What area of the team would you like to improve
[21:43] Speaker 4: most on?
[21:45] Speaker 9: Again, that's obvious. You can look and see that defensively,
[21:52] Speaker 9: and that's as deep as I'm going to go here,
[21:55] Speaker 9: and I know it's too broad for this answer, but
[21:56] Speaker 9: I'm going to make it anyway. You could look for
[21:59] Speaker 9: it to be defensively.
[22:02] Speaker 2: Okay, Jeff, color's intrigued. What do you make of Jerry's
[22:05] Speaker 2: comments there, right?
[22:09] Speaker 6: Yeah, I'm not going to try to decipher Jerry Jones.
[22:11] Speaker 6: That is a cruel task. But I will say that
[22:14] Speaker 6: I do think that this is Jerry saying, not saying
[22:18] Speaker 6: that we're making a trade, but implying that we have
[22:20] Speaker 6: the room and the ability to make one if we
[22:22] Speaker 6: want to. He sends messages through this program quite frequently,
[22:26] Speaker 6: and I think, to me, this is one telling the
[22:28] Speaker 6: rest of the league that, yeah, we're open for business if.
[22:30] Speaker 4: Anybody's got it.
[22:31] Speaker 6: The only thing that I would say to this is,
[22:34] Speaker 6: Why now? Why not earlier this offseason? The defense needed
[22:38] Speaker 6: these weapons then, too. And they did have a really
[22:41] Speaker 6: good offseason. I really do think that they bolstered themselves.
[22:45] Speaker 6: They made themselves better. They stand to be better. They
[22:47] Speaker 6: stand to compete for the division. I just find it
[22:51] Speaker 6: so peculiar that at the start of the season, we've
[22:53] Speaker 6: got Jerry Jones talking about potentially making trade.
[22:56] Speaker 4: Pure entertainment. Entertainment is right.
[22:59] Speaker 3: The hope, though, is that this defense, Jeff, goes out
[23:02] Speaker 3: there and shows them that they do not need to
[23:04] Speaker 3: make a trade, that they are good enough, and it
[23:06] Speaker 3: is a rejuvenated, much more talented defense than last year, which,
[23:10] Speaker 3: let's be real, not really a high bar there.
[23:13] Speaker 4: They're going to be better.
[23:14] Speaker 3: Again, not a high bar, but listen to the names
[23:16] Speaker 3: of the guys they brought in, from Rashawn Gary and
[23:18] Speaker 3: Dee Wingers and Kobe Durant and Caleb Downs in the
[23:21] Speaker 3: draft and all of that. What that does not include
[23:25] Speaker 3: is the name Christian Parker. And that is going to
[23:27] Speaker 3: become a very important name in the NFC landscape. That
[23:31] Speaker 3: is the Dallas Cowboys' young defensive coordinator. He is really promising.
[23:35] Speaker 3: He is really creative. The kind of guy that people
[23:37] Speaker 3: around the NFL believe is going to be a future
[23:39] Speaker 3: head coach. and they're going to have some answers on
[23:42] Speaker 3: defense in a way that they have not over the
[23:45] Speaker 3: last several years. The offense is going to be probably
[23:48] Speaker 3: what it is. The fact that this defense could be really,
[23:51] Speaker 3: really good puts the Cowboys in a much different level,
[23:54] Speaker 3: trade or not, than they were at any point last year.
[23:58] Speaker 1: Okay, can't wait to see them open it up against
[24:00] Speaker 1: the Giants on Sunday night football. Get our first look
[24:03] Speaker 1: at that new and improved Cowboys defense. Ian and Jeff,
[24:07] Speaker 1: thank you very much. Another team kind of dreaming of
[24:09] Speaker 1: the Super Bowl, certainly the Baltimore Ravens. They head to
[24:12] Speaker 1: Indianapolis in week one. Heard from Jesse Mentor yesterday talking
[24:15] Speaker 1: about the two running games in this matchup and how
[24:20] Speaker 1: difficult they are to deal with. And Lamar Jackson, certainly
[24:22] Speaker 1: a big part of that, talking about what he expects
[24:24] Speaker 1: from this offense this year.
[24:26] Speaker 15: I believe we have a lot in store. You know,
[24:28] Speaker 15: new season, feel like a new breath of fresh air.
[24:31] Speaker 15: I feel like my guys are just ready to get
[24:33] Speaker 15: out there and just start flying.
[24:35] Speaker 8: What excites you about this offense that maybe hasn't in
[24:38] Speaker 8: the past?
[24:40] Speaker 15: From what I see, it's a lot of moving parts.
[24:43] Speaker 15: We can put guys in different positions to win. I
[24:47] Speaker 15: feel like the success rate should be high. That's what
[24:49] Speaker 15: I'm expecting, but, you know, we'll see.
[24:51] Speaker 2: And Amar, what will make this season personally meaningful to you?
[24:55] Speaker 15: That's winning it all. That's winning it all. But, you know,
[24:58] Speaker 15: it starts week one. We got to just stay dialed in.
[25:02] Speaker 15: It actually starts today in practice, you know, but we
[25:04] Speaker 15: just stay dialed in day in, day out. Whatever day
[25:08] Speaker 15: we play, just let the chips fly.
[25:10] Speaker 1: All right, Jeff, back here with us. Jeff, I keep
[25:12] Speaker 1: coming back to it. I've said this before, but that
[25:14] Speaker 1: moment when Lamar Jackson was drafted by the Ravens and
[25:17] Speaker 1: one of the first things he said is you're going
[25:18] Speaker 1: to get a Super Bowl out of me, right? Because
[25:20] Speaker 1: you could feel it, right? That it meant something to
[25:22] Speaker 1: him there. How do the Ravens feel about where they're
[25:24] Speaker 1: positioned to cash in on that and to make that
[25:26] Speaker 1: come true here for Lamar this year?
[25:30] Speaker 6: Well, I mean, I find those words. I find his
[25:33] Speaker 6: willingness to just state what he feels and the idea
[25:36] Speaker 6: of the threshold of success being a Super Bowl and
[25:39] Speaker 6: nothing else. I'm not saying this was intentional, but there
[25:42] Speaker 6: is some poetry in the fact that John Harbaugh made
[25:45] Speaker 6: it pretty known over the years that the idea of
[25:48] Speaker 6: suggesting a team is only successful if it's winning the
[25:51] Speaker 6: Super Bowl is a suggestion that all 31 other teams
[25:54] Speaker 6: have failed entirely. And he would defend that failure in
[25:59] Speaker 6: some sense. And he's a Super Bowl winning coach in
[26:01] Speaker 6: his own right. But the idea to hear Lamar Jackson,
[26:04] Speaker 6: the year after Harbaugh, is no longer with the Ravens,
[26:06] Speaker 6: saying success is only measured in Super Bowls, to me, again,
[26:10] Speaker 6: is a little bit poetic, and I think it speaks
[26:13] Speaker 6: to his intentions here. Lamar Jackson knows that he holds...
[26:17] Speaker 6: Multiple MVPs in his trophy case. He knows that what
[26:20] Speaker 6: he needs to secure his legacy is a Super Bowl.
[26:23] Speaker 6: And this team feels like it is constantly so close.
[26:26] Speaker 6: But kind of like the Bengals, kind of like the Bills,
[26:29] Speaker 6: it's enough talking about them. It's enough preseason hype. Lamar
[26:32] Speaker 6: Jackson knows the only form of success is a Super Bowl.
[26:36] Speaker 1: Well, look, and he'll have a lot to say about it,
[26:38] Speaker 1: but certainly on the defensive side of the ball, if
[26:40] Speaker 1: we look at Jesse Minter's record going back to when
[26:42] Speaker 1: he came to L.A. with the Chargers and Jim Harbaugh,
[26:45] Speaker 1: that defense is in for some improvement as well and
[26:48] Speaker 1: should be fun to watch against the Colts in week one.
[26:50] Speaker 2: Jeff, thank you.
[26:51] Speaker 1: Still to come here on The Insiders, we keep it
[26:53] Speaker 1: moving with a look at Monday Night Football. Chiefs and Broncos,
[26:56] Speaker 1: what a way to open it up from Arrowhead in
[26:58] Speaker 1: Kansas City. We get ready for that one with Mahomes.
[27:01] Speaker 2: Clear to go. But is he 100%? And if he's not,
[27:05] Speaker 2: what does that look like for that offense next? Are
[27:11] Speaker 2: you ready for some football? Monday Night Football is back.
[27:14] Speaker 2: It's opened the season.
[27:15] Speaker 1: Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs hosting Bo Nix
[27:19] Speaker 1: and the Denver Broncos Monday, September 14th, 8 p.m.
[27:23] Speaker 2: Eastern.
[27:23] Speaker 1: Primetime showdown that you don't want to miss, and you
[27:26] Speaker 1: can watch it on ABC, on ESPN, ESPN Deportes, and
[27:29] Speaker 1: stream it live on the ESPN app. But before we
[27:32] Speaker 1: get there, here's a look at this year's Phil Collins-inspired
[27:36] Speaker 1: Monday Night Football Open.
[27:41] Speaker 2: I mean, what a way to wrap up the weekend.
[27:43] Speaker 2: New season, new faces. Only one Monday night.
[27:47] Speaker 9: Monday night!
[27:47] Speaker 4: Monday night!
[27:53] Speaker 11: Monday night!
[27:54] Speaker 9: What you doing?
[27:54] Speaker 11: Warming up.
[28:02] Speaker 2: Yeah, I can feel it coming in the air tonight
[28:05] Speaker 2: and in the morning.
[28:06] Speaker 1: Good morning, football. Hitting the road, kicking off the new
[28:08] Speaker 1: Monday Night Football Roadshow. Crew broadcasting live from KC ahead
[28:12] Speaker 1: of MNF. Bringing you the storylines, the buildup, and everything
[28:15] Speaker 1: you need before kickoff straight from the host city.
[28:18] Speaker 2: Good morning, football. Live from Kansas City, Monday.
[28:21] Speaker 1: At 8 on NFL Network and now also streaming on
[28:24] Speaker 1: the ESPN app. Patrick Mahomes, of course, set to return
[28:27] Speaker 1: to the field for the first time since tearing his
[28:29] Speaker 1: ACL last December.
[28:30] Speaker 2: Head coach Andy Reid.
[28:31] Speaker 1: Giving us an update on his QB before the season
[28:34] Speaker 1: opener against the Broncos.
[28:36] Speaker 16: Pretty good chance that Patrick will go ahead and start
[28:39] Speaker 16: unless something were to come up here in the next
[28:43] Speaker 16: couple days, but most likely he'll be the guy that's
[28:47] Speaker 16: out there. He has missed a day, as you know,
[28:50] Speaker 16: and you guys have seen him out there, so you
[28:53] Speaker 16: know what it looks like, him running around and doing
[28:56] Speaker 16: his stuff, you know, rather than having a brace on
[29:00] Speaker 16: his leg and everything looks normal. I mean, he's running
[29:04] Speaker 16: around the same way he's always done and throwing the
[29:07] Speaker 16: ball like he's always done. So I think we're fine there.
[29:12] Speaker 1: All right, Mike Garofalo back here with us. Most likely
[29:14] Speaker 1: a pretty good chance. I mean, he's starting, right, on
[29:16] Speaker 1: Monday Night Football. But what does that look like for
[29:18] Speaker 1: the Chiefs with where he is in the recovery?
[29:21] Speaker 5: He's going to be able to move enough to protect himself.
[29:23] Speaker 5: If he wouldn't, they wouldn't have given him the green
[29:25] Speaker 5: light to do this. So Patrick Mahomes has done a
[29:27] Speaker 5: great job of getting back to this rehab. But for
[29:30] Speaker 5: Andy Reid to say he looks like normal, he's not
[29:33] Speaker 5: going to be as mobile as.
[29:35] Speaker 2: We've seen him before.
[29:36] Speaker 5: Remember that Super Bowl game where he was under constant
[29:38] Speaker 5: duress and he was throwing while standing? sideways, basically horizontal,
[29:42] Speaker 5: trying to escape the rush and throwing midair and all
[29:44] Speaker 5: this stuff.
[29:45] Speaker 2: You're not going to see that fully.
[29:46] Speaker 5: You may see it as we get later in the season,
[29:49] Speaker 5: and you may see a couple of flashes of it
[29:51] Speaker 5: here and there, but to expect that Patrick Mahomes is
[29:54] Speaker 5: going to be 100% at the start of the season,
[29:56] Speaker 5: it's just unrealistic at this point. That's why the Chiefs
[30:00] Speaker 5: wanted to be more balanced coming into this year. They
[30:02] Speaker 5: want to run the ball a little bit more. They
[30:04] Speaker 5: signed Kenneth Walker as a free agent, knowing that Patrick Mahomes,
[30:07] Speaker 5: if he returned, was not going to be at 100%.
[30:10] Speaker 5: So I do expect that they're going to find ways
[30:13] Speaker 5: to protect him and to put him in a good situation.
[30:16] Speaker 2: It's football.
[30:17] Speaker 5: He's going to have to move, and he's going to
[30:19] Speaker 5: have to get away from pressure. I just don't think
[30:22] Speaker 5: it's fair to put on him that, oh, we're going
[30:23] Speaker 5: to see 100% Patrick Mahomes right off the gate because I.
[30:25] Speaker 2: Don't expect that.
[30:27] Speaker 3: You know what's interesting to me, Mike, is how kind
[30:29] Speaker 3: of nonchalant Andy Reid dropped what should have been, in
[30:32] Speaker 3: any other world, a major news story. That Patrick Mahomes,
[30:36] Speaker 3: eight months plus back from a torn ACL and LCL,
[30:39] Speaker 3: is going to start the opener. That is a crazy
[30:41] Speaker 3: story and a dramatic recovery, except because Mahomes has been
[30:45] Speaker 3: on the field every single day in camp, didn't start
[30:47] Speaker 3: in the PUP, has basically been 100% since then. It's
[30:50] Speaker 3: kind of just, yeah, of course, it should be acknowledged
[30:53] Speaker 3: an amazing recovery for Mahomes. What we also need to
[30:56] Speaker 3: acknowledge is that it does not seem that Mahomes' left tackle,
[30:59] Speaker 3: Josh Simmons, a franchise-caliber talent who really should be one
[31:03] Speaker 3: of the best left tackles in the NFL just based
[31:05] Speaker 3: on what he brings to.
[31:06] Speaker 4: The field, is unlikely to play.
[31:08] Speaker 3: Now, he has been dealing with a back injury, something
[31:11] Speaker 3: the team has been very... Out front and bound, he
[31:14] Speaker 3: has been seeking opinions. It is something that is going
[31:17] Speaker 3: to keep him out this game likely.
[31:20] Speaker 4: We'll see what it means moving forward. But with this
[31:23] Speaker 4: injury that the team.
[31:24] Speaker 3: Is describing and has described over the last several weeks,
[31:28] Speaker 3: what it means is that either Jalen Moore or Khalil
[31:31] Speaker 3: Benson is going to be left tackle.
[31:32] Speaker 4: It means a retooling of the offensive line.
[31:35] Speaker 3: It means this group, which the Chiefs have put so
[31:38] Speaker 3: much resource into to try to make sure Mahomes... is
[31:41] Speaker 3: fully protected, is going to be shorthanded once again as
[31:44] Speaker 3: they were at times last year. Mahomes being back is great,
[31:49] Speaker 3: but this is not a great outcome.
[31:51] Speaker 1: Yeah, but what a story it would be if you
[31:53] Speaker 1: get a player in Khalil Benson who was not just
[31:55] Speaker 1: an undrafted free agent, but a mini-camp invite and then
[31:59] Speaker 1: won a contract and then continued in training camp and
[32:03] Speaker 1: played well enough to be considered a starter there in
[32:05] Speaker 1: Kansas City. But as you guys know, coming from Indiana,
[32:08] Speaker 1: he's got a champion's mindset. Right there, that Khalil Benson.
[32:11] Speaker 1: All right, moving on to the 49ers and Rams from Australia.
[32:15] Speaker 1: Thursday night, 8.35 Eastern time. Fired up for that one,
[32:18] Speaker 1: and the 49ers fired up to have some reinforcements back
[32:22] Speaker 1: with them. Guys like George Kittle coming back from injury.
[32:25] Speaker 1: Nick Bosa coming back from injury. Lindsey Theory talked about
[32:28] Speaker 1: that prospect and some of the new faces that they'll
[32:31] Speaker 1: see with their left tackle, Trent Williams.
[32:33] Speaker 13: You guys on offense have a lot of continuity returning. Obviously,
[32:36] Speaker 13: George Kittle coming back from an injury is a boost. Plus,
[32:40] Speaker 13: you add Mike Evans. What do you expect to see
[32:42] Speaker 13: from your group out there?
[32:44] Speaker 17: You know, hopefully we just play good sound football and
[32:47] Speaker 17: just play our brand of football. You know, I think
[32:52] Speaker 17: everybody right now has the highest hopes for their team.
[32:55] Speaker 17: Everybody's 0-0. Everybody has Super Bowl on the whiteboard. So,
[32:59] Speaker 17: you know, I think you just got to understand that,
[33:02] Speaker 17: With that being said, we still got to go out
[33:04] Speaker 17: there and play, and we still have to go out
[33:05] Speaker 17: there and execute and play mistake-free football. It's the only
[33:09] Speaker 17: way that we can even compete in this division that's
[33:12] Speaker 17: pretty stacked.
[33:13] Speaker 1: All right, on the other side of it, we know
[33:15] Speaker 1: Aaron Donald won't go, not making the trip to Australia.
[33:18] Speaker 1: Miles Garrett, though, will make his Rams debut after that
[33:21] Speaker 1: blockbuster trade this offseason, sending him from Cleveland to join
[33:25] Speaker 1: this Rams defense already stacked on the defensive front. Miles
[33:28] Speaker 1: talking about this opportunity with the Rams and his goals
[33:31] Speaker 1: for this season.
[33:32] Speaker 11: So I'll go out there and, uh, do what I,
[33:35] Speaker 11: I know I can do. So, uh, I think I'll,
[33:38] Speaker 11: I'll be able to play off of some, uh, some
[33:40] Speaker 11: great teammates. No, we have a strong defense all around and, uh,
[33:44] Speaker 11: they'll make it easy. No, even if I am, uh, uh,
[33:47] Speaker 11: a touch off of what I usually am.
[33:49] Speaker 9: Yeah.
[33:50] Speaker 11: I don't suspect that will be, but no, they have
[33:52] Speaker 11: plenty of support. It's all I'm saying. Superbowl. Win it again. Oh,
[33:59] Speaker 11: when DPY again, obviously, but, uh, I think those are
[34:04] Speaker 11: the two main things on my mind. And going on,
[34:07] Speaker 11: just being the best player I can be. I think
[34:09] Speaker 11: there's a whole bunch of opportunities out there for us
[34:12] Speaker 11: at the D-line to be something truly special. And I
[34:14] Speaker 11: just want us to be able to realize that and
[34:17] Speaker 11: never go into the locker room after a game feeling
[34:20] Speaker 11: like we could have achieved more and done more.
[34:23] Speaker 1: All right, still to come on the Insiders, getting ready
[34:25] Speaker 1: for round two for Aaron Rodgers with the Pittsburgh Steelers
[34:28] Speaker 1: reunited once again with Mike McCarthy. Will it look like
[34:31] Speaker 1: it did when those two were running through defenses as
[34:34] Speaker 1: members of the Green Bay Packers?
[34:36] Speaker 2: That's just ahead here on the Insiders.
[34:42] Speaker 1: All right, getting ready for kickoff 2026 in Seattle. First
[34:46] Speaker 1: official injury reports are out, and so is Travion Henderson
[34:51] Speaker 1: for this game.
[34:51] Speaker 2: Did not practice all week.
[34:52] Speaker 1: It's been since late August that we saw Travion Henderson
[34:56] Speaker 1: practicing with the ankle, so that's a big one. Ty
[34:58] Speaker 1: Okada is out on defense and special teams for the Seahawks.
[35:02] Speaker 1: Torrey Horton, the receiver, is questionable, as is the second-year defender,
[35:06] Speaker 1: do-it-all safety, Nick Imanwari.
[35:09] Speaker 2: Keep an eye on those ahead of kickoff on Wednesday night. Well,
[35:13] Speaker 2: we haven't really.
[35:14] Speaker 1: Been keeping an eye on the contract situation for Baker
[35:16] Speaker 1: Mayfield and the Bucs. Remember, he had the self-imposed deadline
[35:19] Speaker 1: for training camp, shut everything down. But Ian Rappaport, Mike Garofalo,
[35:23] Speaker 1: they were on it. And they find out it's a three-year,
[35:27] Speaker 1: $ 165 million contract extension worth $ 55 per year for Baker.
[35:29] Speaker 9: Most.
[35:34] Speaker 1: Lucrative deal in Bucs franchise history as Tampa gets set
[35:38] Speaker 1: to head to Cincinnati to open the season. The Falcons
[35:41] Speaker 1: will head to Pittsburgh to open the regular season. And
[35:44] Speaker 1: on week one, they turn to Tua Tungavailoa as their starter.
[35:47] Speaker 2: Cooper Rush will be the backup.
[35:49] Speaker 1: Michael Penix will be inactive, not where he wants to be,
[35:52] Speaker 1: as he told Kevin Stefanski this week. Okay, Judy Batista
[35:57] Speaker 1: back here with us on the flip side of that matchup.
[35:59] Speaker 1: We get to see Mike McCarthy and Aaron Rodgers reunited
[36:03] Speaker 1: at long last once again. Didn't see him in the preseason.
[36:06] Speaker 1: Seven 4,000-yard passing seasons, Judy, for Aaron Rodgers under the
[36:10] Speaker 1: direction of Mike McCarthy. Are we right back there again here.
[36:12] Speaker 2: For this year? I don't think so.
[36:14] Speaker 8: We've all indulged in the nostalgic part of it during
[36:17] Speaker 8: the preseason. But the reality is Aaron Rodgers is certainly
[36:21] Speaker 8: not the same quarterback he was when he and Mike
[36:24] Speaker 8: McCarthy were together in Green Bay. For example, last season.
[36:28] Speaker 2: He.
[36:28] Speaker 8: Averaged just 5.8 air yards per pass attempt, which is
[36:33] Speaker 8: obviously very low. As a matter of fact, last season,
[36:35] Speaker 8: it was the fewest in the entire league. So he
[36:38] Speaker 8: is not that kind of quarterback anymore, and he maybe
[36:41] Speaker 8: doesn't move quite as well as he once did. He
[36:44] Speaker 8: can still move, though, and they did put better weapons
[36:47] Speaker 8: around him.
[36:48] Speaker 2: They got Michael.
[36:48] Speaker 8: Pittman to join DK Metcalf. They've got Rico Daddle. So
[36:52] Speaker 8: they've got a little bit more offensive firepower. I am
[36:55] Speaker 8: very curious to see how Mike McCarthy designs an offense
[36:59] Speaker 8: for Aaron Rodgers' last ride here, given the limitations that
[37:03] Speaker 8: Aaron Rodgers has right now, but also given the desire
[37:06] Speaker 8: to get him and the Steelers into a playoff run.
[37:09] Speaker 2: Yeah, pretty good.
[37:10] Speaker 1: Offensive lineup there in Pittsburgh that they have kind of
[37:12] Speaker 1: continued fortifying over the last couple of years. We'll see
[37:14] Speaker 1: if it all comes together starting week one against Atlanta.
[37:18] Speaker 1: For the Arizona Cardinals, they'll be taking on the L.A.
[37:20] Speaker 1: Chargers in week one. And in week one of the preseason,
[37:23] Speaker 1: we got a glimpse right of the flash that Jeremiah
[37:26] Speaker 1: Love can provide. The number three overall pick, though, had
[37:29] Speaker 1: a high ankle sprain in that game against the Raiders.
[37:31] Speaker 1: Status uncertain on Sunday, but is progressing as we get
[37:35] Speaker 1: closer to kickoff. On Sunday and Ian Rappaport back here
[37:40] Speaker 1: with us as we look at Mike McDaniel now as
[37:43] Speaker 1: the as the new.
[37:44] Speaker 2: Offensive coordinator for the L.A.
[37:46] Speaker 1: Chargers and loves the weapon he has at quarterback and
[37:50] Speaker 1: Justin Herbert.
[37:51] Speaker 2: What's that expected to look like here as we get
[37:52] Speaker 2: closer to Sunday?
[37:53] Speaker 4: You know, there's so many fun headlines of the offseason.
[37:56] Speaker 3: I mean, Mike McDaniel hired by the Los Angeles Chargers
[37:58] Speaker 3: was one of the more dramatic in the coaching cycle,
[38:01] Speaker 3: former head coach, offensive guru, lands with Justin Herbert and
[38:04] Speaker 3: Jim Harbaugh. There's just so much to like. And now
[38:07] Speaker 3: we finally get to see it. And among the things
[38:09] Speaker 3: I'm excited about for this season, is seeing Justin Herbert
[38:13] Speaker 3: and Mike McDaniel team up and really see Herbert make
[38:17] Speaker 3: McDaniel's plays be what they should be. He is going
[38:20] Speaker 3: to stretch a defense vertically. He is going to stretch
[38:23] Speaker 3: a defense horizontally. He is going to make throws that...
[38:26] Speaker 3: This offense has really not seen any quarterback make.
[38:30] Speaker 4: It is going to be legitimately, legitimately fun to watch.
[38:33] Speaker 4: The Chargers have talent all over. They should be really,
[38:35] Speaker 4: really good.
[38:36] Speaker 3: And on offense, especially with McDaniel running the show, essentially
[38:40] Speaker 3: he is head coach of this offense. With him running
[38:42] Speaker 3: the show, this is going to be extremely, extremely entertaining.
[38:46] Speaker 1: Yeah, and there's certainly some familiarity, you know, in this matchup, right?
[38:50] Speaker 1: With Mike LaFleur as the head coach, shared a coaching
[38:52] Speaker 1: staff with Mike McDaniel in San Francisco for Kyle Shanahan.
[38:56] Speaker 1: So we'll kind of all see it unfold on Sunday
[38:58] Speaker 1: at SoFi Stadium. Thanks very much, Ian. Still to come,
[39:01] Speaker 1: there's some influx of young talent from the draft on
[39:06] Speaker 1: the offensive side of the ball in New York, but
[39:07] Speaker 1: a steady hand returns to pilot the ship at quarterback
[39:11] Speaker 1: and Geno Smith ahead with the expectations are for gangrene
[39:15] Speaker 1: opening this season.
[39:16] Speaker 11: Next.
[39:18] Speaker 1: Building Buffalo premieres September 17th, 7 p.m. Eastern time here
[39:22] Speaker 1: on NFL Network and the ESPN app. It's ahead of
[39:24] Speaker 1: the first Buffalo Bills home game against the Chargers in
[39:27] Speaker 1: the new Highmark Stadium. The series follows laborers. tradespeople, architects,
[39:31] Speaker 1: and contractors who work through extreme conditions to build the
[39:34] Speaker 1: new state-of-the-art stadium. Episode 2 airs and streams on September 24th.
[39:38] Speaker 2: At 7 p.m. Eastern Time.
[39:42] Speaker 1: All right, Mike Garofalo back here with us as we
[39:44] Speaker 1: get ready for a marquee game in the early window
[39:46] Speaker 1: slate on Sunday. Bills and Texans down in Houston. A
[39:49] Speaker 1: lot of talk about Joe Brady, first-year head coach, maybe
[39:52] Speaker 1: a little bit more aggressive on the offensive side with
[39:54] Speaker 1: Josh Allen. But defensively, we're talking about Jim Leonard running
[39:58] Speaker 1: this defense now, a guy who began his career, his
[40:00] Speaker 1: playing career in Buffalo, now calling.
[40:02] Speaker 2: The plays there for that defense. What are our expectations
[40:04] Speaker 2: for that unit?
[40:06] Speaker 12: Yeah.
[40:06] Speaker 5: A lot of talk about Houston's defense as well. How
[40:08] Speaker 5: about Buffalo's defense and Leonard bringing a scheme that's going
[40:11] Speaker 5: to be reminiscent of what Rex Ryan used to run.
[40:14] Speaker 5: He was Leonard was a player under Rex Ryan and
[40:18] Speaker 5: a guy just went out there and went about his
[40:21] Speaker 5: business and was quiet. Didn't talk a whole lot. That's
[40:24] Speaker 5: sort of what he's like as a defensive coordinator. Usually
[40:27] Speaker 5: during training camp, you see animated coordinators, and if the
[40:30] Speaker 5: defense is winning the day, they're yapping nonstop. That's not
[40:33] Speaker 5: Jim Leonard. He's been a calm, cool customer, acting like he's.
[40:37] Speaker 2: Been there before.
[40:38] Speaker 5: There's a lot of excitement for what he's going to
[40:40] Speaker 5: do with this defense, create a lot of pressure, a
[40:42] Speaker 5: lot of exotic.
[40:44] Speaker 2: Blitzes just like Rex used to do. This is going
[40:45] Speaker 2: to be a fun defense to.
[40:46] Speaker 9: Watch, I think.
[40:47] Speaker 1: Yeah, looking forward to that. Rex Ryan just glows with
[40:51] Speaker 1: praise about Jim Leonard from their time together. Excited to
[40:54] Speaker 1: see him now leading that Buffalo defense. Let's get to
[40:57] Speaker 1: the Jets, also in the AFC East, of course. But
[41:00] Speaker 1: taking on the Titans in Nashville week one, also part
[41:03] Speaker 1: of that early window slate as we open the regular season.
[41:07] Speaker 1: Geno Smith back to lead the Jets on offense. And
[41:11] Speaker 1: Aaron Glenn's goal for week one is pretty simple.
[41:14] Speaker 18: It's a game that we're going to win. And it
[41:18] Speaker 18: doesn't matter who it is. I mean, that's the mindset
[41:21] Speaker 18: of these players. That's the mindset of this coaching staff.
[41:23] Speaker 18: That's the mindset of this organization. Our job is to
[41:26] Speaker 18: go out there and play this game and be the
[41:28] Speaker 18: best that we can be on every play and to
[41:31] Speaker 18: go out there and win a game, hands down. Nothing
[41:33] Speaker 18: else is to be thought of. And that's how I
[41:38] Speaker 18: look at it.
[41:38] Speaker 4: What would a successful season look like in your eyes?
[41:42] Speaker 18: Successful season? Obviously winning.
[41:48] Speaker 9: Winning.
[41:48] Speaker 18: I mean, hands down.
[41:51] Speaker 9: Effort. Discipline.
[41:54] Speaker 1: Judy, it is clear that winning is, in fact, the
[41:57] Speaker 1: goal for Aaron Glenn, but how close they are to
[42:00] Speaker 1: consistent winning is the question.
[42:02] Speaker 8: Well, there are a few stepping stones along the way
[42:05] Speaker 8: toward winning. They would like to see competence from Geno Smith.
[42:08] Speaker 8: That's the word that Aaron Glenn has used. They'd like
[42:10] Speaker 8: to see the running game with Brees Hall. Looks like
[42:12] Speaker 8: he is going to go on Sunday. They'd really like
[42:14] Speaker 8: the running game to lead.
[42:15] Speaker 2: The way here.
[42:16] Speaker 8: And they'd like to see their young players develop. They
[42:19] Speaker 8: have some good young talent on the team. They need
[42:21] Speaker 8: to bring it along. Those would be stepping stones towards
[42:24] Speaker 8: success this year.
[42:25] Speaker 2: Okay. Mike, any final thoughts? I just, you know, you
[42:28] Speaker 2: were here, so it's good to see you. I co-signed.
[42:33] Speaker 2: That was great, Judy.
[42:33] Speaker 6: That was awesome.
[42:34] Speaker 2: I agree.
[42:35] Speaker 11: I agree.
[42:36] Speaker 2: That's exactly what we needed to finish off this Tuesday
[42:40] Speaker 2: edition of the Insiders. We are back with you on Friday.
[42:44] Speaker 1: We've got two game days to get to on Wednesday
[42:45] Speaker 1: and Thursday, and then look forward to being back with
[42:47] Speaker 1: you then.
[42:48] Speaker 11: See you.
[42:48] Speaker 2: I'll be here.

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