Club Shay Shay

Best of NFL News Part 1: STUNNED the Cowboys put Pickens on LAYAWAY for Javonte Williams, JSN wanting more CASH than Ja'Marr Chase! But is he BETTER?

41 min
Feb 25, 2026about 2 months ago
Listen to Episode
Summary

Club Shay Shay hosts discuss NFL contract negotiations and player valuations, focusing on George Pickens' franchise tag situation with the Cowboys, wide receiver salary market resets by JSN and Puka Nakua, and a comprehensive ranking of the greatest NFL quarterbacks of all time.

Insights
  • Franchise tags and fifth-year options give teams significant leverage, potentially controlling players for up to seven years while delaying market-rate compensation
  • Wide receiver salary market is rapidly escalating with multiple players (JSN, Puka, Pickens) competing to reset the highest-paid position record above $40M annually
  • Teams strategically delay long-term deals to spread cap hits across future years when salary caps are projected to reach $450M+, reducing immediate financial pressure
  • First contract negotiations require different leverage than subsequent deals; players should maximize initial deals rather than accept team-friendly terms
  • Historical quarterback rankings reveal era-dependent statistical comparisons are problematic; modern passing statistics inflate contemporary players' historical standing
Trends
Wide receiver salary inflation accelerating faster than other positions, with market reset cycles occurring annuallyTeams using franchise tag strategically as negotiation tool rather than final resort, creating player frustration and market uncertaintyNFL salary cap projected to grow 15-20M annually through 2030 CBA renegotiation, incentivizing teams to delay long-term dealsRookie contract fifth-year options and dual franchise tag rights creating extended team control windows (7 years potential)Player agents increasingly vocal about market value disparities and demanding guaranteed money, lifetime health benefits, and franchise tag eliminationWide receiver position becoming highest-paid non-QB role, surpassing running backs and tight ends in market valueStatistical era-bias in quarterback rankings as modern 17-game schedules and pass-heavy offenses inflate contemporary player statistics
Companies
Dallas Cowboys
Primary focus of discussion regarding George Pickens franchise tag decision and contract negotiation strategy with ex...
Seattle Seahawks
Employer of JSN (Jackson Smith-Njigba) who is seeking highest-paid receiver status in NFL
Cincinnati Bengals
Referenced for Joe Burrow contract negotiations and franchise history; mentioned as example of delayed contract decis...
Circle K
Subject of legal dispute over $12.8M lottery ticket purchased by store manager; company suing manager and Arizona lot...
Arizona Lottery
Defendant in lawsuit with Circle K regarding $12.8M winning ticket expiring May 23rd
People
George Pickens
Dallas Cowboys wide receiver facing franchise tag instead of long-term deal; central figure in contract negotiation d...
Jackson Smith-Njigba (JSN)
Seattle Seahawks receiver seeking to become highest-paid at position, competing with Ja'Marr Chase's $40.25M record
Ja'Marr Chase
Cincinnati Bengals receiver holding current highest-paid receiver record at $40.25M annually
Puka Nakua
Los Angeles Rams receiver expected to reset wide receiver salary market before JSN
Stephen Jones
Dallas Cowboys Executive VP who announced franchise tag decision for George Pickens
Dak Prescott
Dallas Cowboys QB who previously played under franchise tag; referenced in contract negotiation context
CeeDee Lamb
Dallas Cowboys receiver; discussed as third-highest paid receiver needing contract restructuring
Javonte Williams
Dallas Cowboys running back whose contract was resolved, freeing cap space for receiver negotiations
Joe Burrow
Cincinnati Bengals QB ranked as toughest by Fred Warner; discussed in quarterback rankings and contract negotiation c...
Fred Warner
San Francisco 49ers linebacker who praised Joe Burrow as toughest QB he's faced in NFL
Tom Brady
Ranked #1 greatest QB in NFL history; discussed for 10 Super Bowl appearances and 600+ touchdowns
Patrick Mahomes
Kansas City Chiefs QB ranked #4 all-time despite only 10 years in league; discussed as generational talent
Peyton Manning
Ranked #3 all-time with 5 MVP awards; held multiple passing records before being surpassed
Aaron Rodgers
Ranked #5 with 4 MVP awards; discussed for high ranking despite single Super Bowl win
Joe Montana
Ranked #2 all-time greatest QB in NFL history
Drew Brees
Ranked #8 all-time; only top-10 QB without regular season MVP award
Troy Aikman
Dallas Cowboys legend ranked #19 all-time; discussed for era-dependent statistics and running-focused offense
Matthew Stafford
Los Angeles Rams QB ranked #20 all-time; discussed as having 2-3 more great years ahead
Jerry Rice
Discussed as potentially greatest NFL player ever; two-time offensive player of the year at age 40
Quotes
"I don't even have no conversation until we get to 35. That's when my antenna perk up."
Ocho (discussing contract negotiation minimums)
"You only get that big boy deal one time. It ain't come around again. One time pay him now."
Ocho (on first contract negotiations)
"Not only do they have a fifth-year option, the team has two franchise tags. So, theoretically, they got you for seven years."
Joe (explaining team leverage)
"I think I deserve to be the highest paid in my position. And it's just that I give the game into the community. I give it my all."
JSN (Jackson Smith-Njigba)
"Brady was going damn near every other year. That's crazy. He went 10 times."
Ocho (on Tom Brady's Super Bowl appearances)
Full Transcript
This is the biggest night in podcasting. The countdown is on to our 2026 iHeart Podcast Awards. Live from South by Southwest, March 16th, we'll honor the very best in podcasting from the past year and celebrate the most innovative, talented creators in the industry. It's truly a who's who of the podcasting world. Creativity, knowledge, and passion will all be on full display. And the winner of the iHeart Podcast Award is... See all the nominees now at iHeart.com slash podcast awards. Audible is a proud sponsor of the Audible Audio Pioneer Award. Explore the best selection of audiobooks, podcasts, and originals all in one easy app. Audible. There's more to imagine when you listen. Sign up for a free trial at audible.com. Hello, it's your favorite sports thunk here. Don't forget to hit that subscribe button to join the fastest growing community on YouTube. Remember, Nightcap doesn't happen without you. So please subscribe or you're going to make Ocho cry. Ocho about to be mad. What happened? Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones admitted the Cowboys are leaning towards using the franchise tag on George Pickens. Joe, Ocho, let's take a listen to what the executive VP had to say today. It crosses your mind. I mean, a lot of guys who we've tagged, you know, participated in everything. Dak leading the way. He played under two of them, so he never missed anything. Hopefully that'll be the case here. It would be advantageous to get it done before July. I'm talking about pickings. I wouldn't put any time. Once you have a tag, you have a tag, and we know Georgia's going to be here. That's where we are. Is there a downside to the tag, whether it's $28 million or whatever the number is? Nope. We know what it is. And you can still shop and do everything? We can do everything we need to do. Yeah. Mmm. I know Ocho don't want to hear that I mean Joe I knew this is what they were going to do Joe I knew this is what they were going to do Ocho Ocho Ocho he had a hell of a year but then can we see can I see you do it again let me see you do it again man they'll they'll back up to bring stroke for Ocho I know you want to go out there hey hey hey Joe don't Don't try me and George Pickens like that. Talk about you want to see it again. Don't do us like that, Joe. Don't do us like that, Joe. If you don't, Joe, if you don't see the value in me and George Pickens after what I did this year, just let me go. Keep your tag to yourself. Use your tag with somebody else. I want you. I want nobody else to have you. Huh? Nah, y'all know they want him. Y'all know they want him. Of course they do. Yeah, they want him for the low. Yeah, they do. They want him for the low. They do. Yeah. I bet it's all good. It's all good. You know? I know because I know Ocho been hollering about him going to the Raiders and all that. Ocho, we like the little two-head monster we got out here, man. I like it too. Yeah. I like it too, Joe. Why don't we break that up and then put all that pressure on CeeDee Lamb, see what's going to happen there. What pressure? You messing around. CeeDee Lamb would get it done before George got there. CeeDee Lamb been that boy. Yeah, but I'm- CeeDee Lamb been that guy. I'm saying, but to have that. He went 88. He went 88, Joe. CeeDee Land with an 88 for a reason. I understand that. Heavy is the crown. I understand that. I understand that. But to have that other guy with him, Ocho, it's been dynamic. You send pick out there to the Raiders, he going to be pissed off. Oh, yeah? They going to be doubling him, having somebody over time. He ain't going to be balling like he is in Dallas. Yeah, he is. Nah. He going to have a new quarterback. He got a new system. He got a new coach. Man, he going to have a rookie quarterback who going to be out there waffling that ball. Come on now. Ooh. Oh, that's how you feel about the number one pick? I'm just saying, bro. You know, they got to go. I'm just saying. Look, look, look. I just seen that same quarterback winning the national championship. How many quarterbacks come into the league right away and they just putting up these crazy numbers? Man, they got to go through their growing pains. No, Joe Burrow. Joe Burrow. Come on, man. It's an exception, but come on now, Ocho. Hey. Hey, it's cool. It's cool. See how y'all vouching for the owners, you know, trying to get them. Oh, man. I almost said, all right. Hey, see how the owners fool the fans? Chill, chill, chill, chill. Hey, people so selfish. Long as they team, long as it's their team, they don't care nothing about the player and him getting what he deserved. But okay. I ain't say that, Ocho. It's all good. Hey, listen. Listen, if you love it, if you like it, I love it. Okay? Cowboys fans, if y'all want, you know, Pickens the beat out You know On the franchise tag Because It's cool Don't worry about it I'm frustrated Now I'm mad Man you know They're going to put that tag On the joint Oh yeah I know I knew they were going to do that Because I understand How valuable he is They understand How valuable he is They know what he brings To the table When he's on that field I get that I understand that I know what he can do In this offense You know I get it. I understand. But I also know we can get elsewhere. Huh? You hear me? Stay with me. Everybody that came out in his draft, everybody got their money already. He done had to wait extra. He done had to wait longer. Some of it is his fault, you know, as well. But hey, it is what it is. Hey, these are cars you dealt, man. You got to play them, homie. Hey, you got to play them. Hold on. And this is his best hand, too. Yeah. This is his best hand. His next move has to be his best move, huh? Yeah. It got to be. Bro, you preaching to the choir. You know. Okay. Okay. I mean, I just want somebody to scream at. My bad. I know. My bad. But I prepared you for this. I've been trying to prepare you for this. I knew it was coming. I knew it was coming. The fans understood that it was coming, you know? And, you know, in a sense, some of them are selfish and they're blinded because they like the team up of two number one wide receivers. Yes, I understand that part. But I'm just wanting my brother to get as much as he can. And I understand that he's not going to be able to do that there. And a lot of people won't understand why I've been arguing and fussing about it until this plays out. And then you'll understand. You call me all kind of names. I'm telling you what your team and owner are going to do. They finna play games. And that's what it's going to be. I guarantee you that. I don't even have no conversation until we get to 35. That's when my antenna perk up. Now you got my attention. You don't have my undivided attention, but you got my attention. I'm interested. Franchise tag 28. Who finna take that? No, hell no. Man, you better... Man, please. I represent George Pixis myself. If David Moologetta even think about having a conversation, Hey, what's C.D. making? 34. He the third highest paid. Okay. Jetta at 35 and Chase at 40.25. But that's about to get past Puka. Puka definitely finna go past that. JSN might have to wait a year. But Puka and Nakua definitely going past that. Why JSN gotta wait, huh? Because he's only in his third year. They don't normally do that fourth year. they normally do quarterbacks in the third year if you're a first round pick you're a first round pick because and the thing is where you have incentive Joe is that they have a fifth year option that they can pick up and they get two franchise tags so theoretically they got you for seven years Yeah. Yeah. Damn. That football cut, though, boy. It is. But, hey, this the cards that we dealt. We shuffle the cards. These are the cards we dealt. There you go. There you go. Fred Warner says Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow is the toughest quarterback he's faced in the NFL. 1,000% Joe Burrow. He's just a dog. Like, he's just, for whatever reason, his makeup different than a lot of these guys in the league. You talk about competitive spirit, he got it through and through. Bocho, you like that? Absolutely. Absolutely. A lot of people probably wouldn't agree with him because Joe's been hurt, but I'm saying for it to come from the best defensive player, maybe the best linebacker, one of the best to ever play this goddamn game, come from him, it means a lot. And it always means a lot when you hear from, not from an analyst, not from a pundit, not from an offensive player, but someone that has to stop and defend you. So coming from Fred Warner, it means a lot. Obviously, we all know Joe Burrow is one of the best in the game. Many will chastise him because of his injuries, because of his inability to stay healthy. But when he is, he is one of the best in the game. And he's been a franchise-altering, changing quarterback for the Cincinnati Bengals. And he's helped change the culture. Obviously, we haven't won a Super Bowl. We went to one, but we've kind of declined a little bit in our winning ways, but we'll be back. As long as we have him at the helm, we will always have a chance and always be in contention as long as he's healthy. I agree. I agree. Got to keep him on the field, Ocho. Yeah. Got to keep him on the field. That's been the hard part, Joe. God, you'll love this story. What's that? An Arizona Circle K manager allegedly purchased a $12.8 million lottery ticket that was left on the counter overnight. Knowing its value and the company claim it should be received the prize money. Now, this is what happened, Ocho. Yeah. I guess somebody wanted the tickets, but they didn't want it. So he's like, oh, they didn't know that was the winning ticket. Ooh. Oh, take a listen. He's going to tell us how it happened. A store manager at this Circle K in North Scottsdale found a $12.8 million winning lotto ticket the day after the drawing and bought it for himself. Now, a customer walked into this Scottsdale Circle K the night before Thanksgiving, played their numbers, and left behind $25 in tickets they didn't want, but the store had already printed. That night one of those tickets hit the fourth largest jackpot in Arizona lottery history The next morning the store manager found out a winning ticket was still sitting in his store So he clocked out took off his uniform, walked back in as a customer and bought it for 10 bucks, according to court documents. Now corporate found out they took back the ticket. Now Circle K is suing the manager and Arizona state lottery. And the clock is ticking because that $12.8 million ticket expires May 23rd. Damn. Now this is confusing. It's not confusing. What happened was a guy came in to play tickets. They printed tickets. He's like, no, I don't want those. Give me these. The ticket that went unused, it was the winning ticket. The guy realized, damn, this ticket hit. Yeah, I get that. He clocks out, comes back in, buys the ticket, he says it's mine. I bought it as a customer. Right. But I don't think they allow you to play. He's saying, I ain't a manager. I quit. I'm a customer. I was the manager. This is the thing. What they can do, Joe, is remember how technology is, Chad. Y'all stay with me now real quick. So if technology can go back and say and tell who bought that ticket at said time based on the cameras that they do have. He didn't want the ticket, Ocho. It doesn't matter. I say, I want $50 worth of tickets. They print $70 worth of tickets. I say, nah, I just want this $50. The $20 is there. It's just there. So you don't think the person who knows they left them tickets there is not going to come try to claim it? He didn't leave them. Ocho, he didn't want it. He didn't want them. He bought a new set of tickets. Ocho, you know, I'll tell you what. You know how you go to the store and you buy some stuff and you're like, you know what? I don't even want this soda. Right, right. I don't want these chips and I don't want this candy. And so you leave it there. Somebody's like, man, there's a $10 million baseball card in this candy. You don't get the claim, but you said you didn't want it. Yeah, that's funny. I'm curious to see how the courts rule this one. It is. I'm curious to see how the courts rule this one. A lot of times, you know, they try to do that. They will steal the tickets, you know, and just like, but you know he gotta go through that system this is a quagmire he'd have came out better because a lot of times what they do Ocho is that they get family members to come in and purchase oh no he don't want he don't want the family to know he probably wasn't going to see none of that yeah you don't want your family to know hey hold on so just cause he worked there you can't purchase you can't buy a large ticket okay so another question is so he knew that was the winning ticket when he bought it yes because the thing was, Ocho, the drawing was that night, Joe. And so he like, get back in. We sold a winning ticket here. It's it. Get the ticket, Ocho. Yeah. Hey, we going to court for this here, boy. We finna find out. They are in court right now. The court's about to decide. But they've got to come to a decision. May 22nd, May 27th, it expires. Hey, they probably going to let it carry out all the way to May. On purpose. That's crazy, bro. Can you imagine? That's why if they ever overprint tickets, I said, no, go on and give it to me. I do. Yeah. Yeah. Hey, listen. Can you imagine how mad dude is, though, who originally was going to buy the ticket, but he wanted his own numbers, probably? He pissed. Of course. but if I'm not mistaken an employee of an establishment can't buy lottery tickets at that now I'm not saying that he can't go somewhere else but he can't buy them there but he's saying I was an employee I was off the clock I checked out and came back in and bought the ticket I don't know how the course it's going to be very interesting to see it's going to be very interesting to see because the store said Circle K said no we got ownership of that and the manager said nah as a I'm not an employee I quit I had checked that I was off the clock right right boy hey I'm taking that I'm riding that to the wheel for a long that's a good one too boy but you know hey that lottery man 12.8 million you only got 2% I think it's Arizona 2% state tax so you know you'll probably walk away Ocho you'll probably go walk away by 6 million 6-7, something like that That's nice Nice little chunk of change Yeah, yeah Damn Hey Damn This is the biggest night in podcasting The countdown is on to our 2026 iHeart Podcast Awards Live from South by Southwest March 16th, we'll honor the very best In podcasting from the past year and celebrate the most innovative, talented creators in the industry. It's truly a who's who of the podcasting world. Creativity, knowledge, and passion will all be on full display. And the winner of the iHeart Podcast Award is... See all the nominees now at iHeart.com slash podcast awards. Audible is a proud sponsor of the Audible Audio Pioneer Award. Explore the best selection of audiobooks, podcasts, and originals all in one easy app. Audible. There's more to imagine when you listen. Sign up for a free trial at audible.com. Seattle's wide receiver Jackson Smith and Jigba spoke about his desires to be the highest paid player in the highest paid receiver in the NFL. He said, I think I deserve to be the highest paid in my position. And it's just that I give the game into the community. I give it my all. I think that's worth a lot more. But I will play this game for free. I love this game. No, I know you won't, JSN. I won't let you play it for free because ain't nobody else playing it for free. I love this game so much, but you don't have to be learning to be a good businessman, and we need that check at the end of the day. This would mean 40.25. He would have to top that because that's what Chase get, the current record held by Chase. JSN has two years remaining on his rookie deal, assuming the Seahawks elect to pick up that fifth year option. Ocho, JSC, does he reset the market? Of course he resets the market. Can it be this year? Two years? How many times do owners likely rip a contract up two years before, two years ahead of time? Not likely. Maybe it might be next year. It's either going to be him or Puka. Somebody going to reset the market. It's going to be one of the other. Yo, yo, yo, yo, yo. Well, Puka up. Oh, Puka's up. Yes, Puka was a later round draft. That's right. So Puka's probably going to reset the market. And if Jason doesn't get his this year, he'll get it next year and then reset it again. Now, I mean, once Puka resets it, I'm not sure who's next in line. That is that good. That can reset it one more time. George Pickens. So here's a question that I have. Oh, Choke, listen to this. Now, we're talking about JSN and Puka resetting the market. Yes. The market is right now 40.25. Right. And they said, hey, George Pickens, you be okay with 28 to 30. That's a $10 million, $10 to $12 million difference. I don't think Pitt going to be happy with that. That's just me personally. Now, he could. I don't think he will be. That's just me. hey pick no what's out there man i didn't i'm i ain't trying to i ain't gonna say nothing else you know about no no cowboy players but hey you got one opportunity you got one chance to make as much as you can and that big boy you only get that big boy deal one time yep it ain't it ain't come around again one time pay him now and save you see Cincinnati made that mistake Cincinnati had an opportunity they could have got him around what what they paid Jetta early yeah no they didn't want to do that they made him baby they made him bet on himself okay now yeah and that's what happened to the Cowboys the Cowboys always wait to the last minute you could have got Dak for pennies on the dollar but first of all he was I think he was a fourth round pick so you let the two guys that went first in this draft first and second in this draft get a new deal when they got two years because here's the thing here's the thing what people need to understand, Ocho. Not only do they have a fifth-year option, the team has two franchise tags. So, theoretically, they got you for seven years. They hit you twice. Yes. The dirty game, huh? Dagler, hold on, wait a minute. Y'all see what they got there? They gave them $32 million, $33 million. But, they got two years left on their deal. Yeah. I ain't got but a year left on my deal. And they got $20, $30 million up front, which I didn't get. Nah, unfortunately, I ain't going to be able to give y'all a team-friendly deal. I would love to. But it ain't my team, and I ain't friendly right now. So break bread. And guess what? Excuse me. They're going to have to break bread again. Yeah. They're going to have to break bread again. Dak about to get another five year $275 million $300 million deal gonna get another $125 to sign they gonna redo CD but pay him now you can pay him $41 right now or you can pay him $45, $46 next year the choice is yours but the price ain't coming down Never. Not for those type that are that good. That price ain't coming down. But that where we headed though Joe He and Puka they finna reset the market and George Pickett said right back here, y'all gonna get that. Y'all gonna get that now. I ain't gonna hold you, Jerry, but you see what they got. Man, you know how he finna play. Well, they got Javante Williams out of the way, the running back. So they're good there. But they're going to have some cap space, Ocho. If you redo Dak, you redo CD, you're going to have probably, I don't know, $45 to $60 million? Tyler Smith, hey, restructure his deal. Just kick the can down the road. Who cares? It ain't my road, it ain't my can, so just kick it. Now y'all know we good at spending other people's money. Yeah, we'll spend the hell out of the owner's money. Hey, I... It's gonna be an interesting off season. I've said my piece over and over about the Cowboys and over and over about George Pickens and getting what he deserves and getting it there or what he can get elsewhere. You know, nobody listen to me, but you'll see when it come to a head. Oh, it's gonna take some money. Yep. Cause I think the thing is Ocho is that look, your first deal, I don't give you a discount. Hell no. Not the first one. it's when you build up that relationship that you're able to get a discount from a LV or the dealership. That's after you done bought a car or two. Right. So, hey, let me get this first one. I'll help y'all restructure. You know, I'll restructure, you know, take the signing bonus and all that. But no, this first one, I got a hair cracking. I do. Ain't no sense of that. And Jay is saying that, look, he had 100 catches two years ago. He led the league. He's offensive player of the year. Offensive player of the year. Led the league in receivers. Second time, he's over 100 yards. And he got a Super Bowl ring. Mm-hmm. So you think they do it this year? I would, yes. And get it out the way, huh? Yep. Because guess what? I got the fourth year. I got the fifth year plus I got four years so I get to spray that over six years. Right. I ain't got to see him for another three years and by the time I have to see him again if he's still playing at this level the cap going to be $450 million. What's the cap now? $400 million? $390? 370 something, 380? Yeah. In three to four years, the cap's going up 20 million. Let's say it's going up somewhere between 15 and 20 million a year. Right. Oh, it's going to be astronomical because here's the thing, in 2030, the CBA is up. Uh-oh. It's 305. So yeah, oh yeah, in another four years, it'll be 350, 375. Yeah. And, oh, y'all don't want that 18th game. Y'all don't have to start. Y'all don't have to sweeten this pot. We got to get something. Yeah. Two things, Ocho. You get two of the three. You want guaranteed money. You want lifetime health benefits. Do away with the franchise tag. Please. So 2030 is going to be here before you know it, guys. This is the biggest night in podcasting. The countdown is on to our 2026 iHeart Podcast Awards. Live from South by Southwest, March 16th, we'll honor the very best in podcasting from the past year and celebrate the most innovative, talented creators in the industry. It's truly a who's who of the podcasting world. Creativity, knowledge, and passion will all be on full display. And the winner of the iHeart Podcast Award is... See all the nominees now at iHeart.com slash podcast awards. Audible is a proud sponsor of the Audible Audio Pioneer Award. Explore the best selection of audiobooks, podcasts, and originals all in one easy app, Audible. There's more to imagine when you listen. Sign up for a free trial at Audible.com. Oh, Joe. Yeah. The Bleacher Report ranked the top 99 quarterbacks in NFL history. No surprise. Number one was Tom Brady. Okay. Number two was Joe Montana. Okay. Number three was Peyton Manning. Number four, Patrick Mahomes. Number five, Aaron Rodgers. Number six, John Elway. Number seven, Brett Favre. Number eight, Drew Brees. Number nine, Steve Young. And number 10, Dan Marino. What you thinking? What? I mean, I mean, you like the rankings? Is anybody too high? Anybody too low? I mean, I like the rankings. Obviously, Aaron Rodgers only winning one Super Bowl. I mean, he's up there kind of high. There are other quarterbacks. Oh, so they, you see, matter of fact, when it comes to this situation right now, when you talk about some of the greatest quarterbacks that have ever played this game, I think people can be very meticulous when it comes to who they want at what position and where they actually belong. Because there's so many things you can fight for depending on who you like and where you want them positioned when it comes to a list of this magnitude. Listen, everybody on that list is worthy. Obviously, Tom Brady has to be number one. The fact that Patrick Mahomes is still playing, and he's already number four or number three on this list, I'm not sure. Peyton was a spot in front of him at three. Yeah, that's unbelievable. He's the only five-time MVP in league history. He had all the records when he retired. Obviously, they've since been broken. Still has the most passing yards in a season, the most passing touchdowns in a season. He once held a record for the most passing touchdowns. He broke Dan Marino's record of 48 with 49. Tom breaks his record with 50, and then he says, I'm going to do 10% better than what you did, Tom. I'm going to break it by five. So he has 55 over 5,400 passing yards. I think he has 5,477. And since then, nobody's really come close. Now, I think somebody, when they get to this 18-game schedule, Ocho, I think it's just a matter of time. Oh, yeah, absolutely. And also on that list, I mean, top 10, I mean, it depends. Chad, y'all let me know what you think. You think about Drew Brees. You think about someone like Troy Aikman, who's won three Super Bowls as well. Drew Brees, statistically, his numbers are up there and almost comparable with everyone else, if I'm not mistaken. I don't have the numbers right in front of me. Yeah, he had the record before Brady broke him. Yeah, so I know he's not that damn far off. So why is he not on the list? He is. He's number eight. Oh, he was? Oh, you did say Drew. He's number eight. What about Troy? He has what? Four or five, 5,000 yards passing seasons. Okay, what happened to Troy Aikman? Yeah, huh? Troy is 19. Oh, God damn. He all the way down. But you got to realize, he just handed the ball off to the all-time leading rusher in NFL history. Okay. You ain't throwing a whole lot of passes. Okay. They ran the ball early to throw the ball late. So when you're going to try to stop him in on 31 and 32, that's when he's going to hit Playmaker. That's when he's going to hit Alvin Harper over the top. Don't get it confused. They were a running team, as were most teams in the 90s. Back then, yeah, absolutely. Yes. It wasn't no pass first lead. I mean, that's why you see the guys. And see, I think the thing is, Ocho, what has happened is that you look at a guy's stats, you look at a guy like Troy Aikman's stats, and here is Patrick Mahomes already 100-plus touchdowns in front of him. And so you look at like, but no, they didn't throw the ball like these guys do now. That's the thing. It's a different era. Hell, look at Terry Bradshaw. Terry Bradshaw, he got four Super Bowl wins. He's a two-time Super Bowl MVP. Yeah, two. Franco won one and Lance Swan won one, and they won four. So you look at that, and he's a league MVP. He ain't in the top ten. Yeah. Johnny Unitas is not in the top 10. Otto Graham, Bart Starr. Right. You know what people have to do is they have to remember. One thing we always do is when we compare players, we can't compare errors. Because the errors most players played in are completely different. They are. They're completely different. So, I mean, listen, everyone on their list, rightfully so, has a right to be there. And depending on who you ask, I don't think the first four or five, you don't change. Now, after five, everyone can make their argument for who belongs in after that. But if you think about it, in the top ten, only Drew Brees is the only one that didn't win a regular season MVP. Every other quarterback in the top ten has won at least one regular season MVP. Obviously, Tom has three. Joe has two. Peyton has five. Huh? Damn. You said Peyton was five? Peyton has five. Peyton has five. Mahomes has two. Rodgers has four. Elway has one. Favre has three I think Steve Young has two I think I think maybe Dan Marino has one see how many MVPs Steve has I think Steve won the MVP in like 92 in 94 that's crazy I should have won MVP man so you man look here Yeah. I guess the charge, he threw six touchdowns in that game. I don't know, Ocho. It's just hard. It's going to just be hard unless a running back have a historically great season. Oh, yeah. Like Saquon, if he'd have broke Barry's record. Oh Eric Dickinson That right Yeah With the season that he was having Right I think now they just conditioned like okay a running back has a great season they going to give him offensive player of the year I think that's what we're resigned to. Because if a wide receiver, how do you give it to a wide receiver? Let's just say for the sake of argument. If a wide receiver has 2,000 yards receiving, how many yards do you think his quarterback going to pass for? How many touchdowns does his quarterback going to have? Yeah. You know what's funny? I hate that it's like that, obviously, when players, especially a running back or a receiver, if they happen to have an outer body experience. Yes, an outlier season. Yeah, and create history. I think the rules at some point should, because they play a dependent position, it should go to that said player. Whether it be the running back, especially breaking Edie's record, or a receiver doing something that's never been done before, they should win MVP. And it's going to be a while before that. I believe the offensive player of the year should automatically go to a wide receiver or a running back. Right. Because you're not going to give them the MVP. Because if you think about it, Ocho, think about it. Chase was the triple crown. He didn't win offensive player of the year. JSN come behind him, lead the league in receiver yards, and he get it. Chase is like, what the hell? Yeah, it's crazy. Smitty didn't win offensive rookie of the year. I mean, offensive player of the year. My brother, when he run the triple crown, didn't. I think Jerry did, though. I think Jerry's a two-time offensive player of the year. That's why, you know, I can make a case that Jerry is the greatest. I mean, you're probably going to say, but I can make a case that Jerry is the greatest NFL player ever. Because what he did and when he did it and for how long he did it, it is crazy. Consistency, yeah. A 40-year-old receiver should not have 1,200 receiving yards. As a matter of fact, Brady got like the third most receiving yard. The third most receiving yard by a 40-year-old old Joe. That's crazy. But look, I mean, when it's all said and done, there are probably some guys today that's, I mean, they're on this list that's going to be able to move up. Yeah, absolutely. Could Peyton, could Patrick Mahomes move up a couple of spots? I don't think there's anybody that's going to overtake Brady. Nah. I don't. You would have to play a very long time. Even if you didn't play a long time, but Ocho, just you know how hard. Think about Ocho. You played 10 years, 11 years, and never went to the Super Bowl. Well. You did go, my bad, in Cincinnati, but you know how hard it is to get there. Yeah. Think about it. Brady was going damn near every other year. That's crazy. He went 10 times. Yeah, I think a lot of people are spoiled, too. I think a lot of people are spoiled with the success that the Patriots had in that 20-year span with Belichick and Tom Brady and thinking that it's very easy to go. Yes. I don't think they understand that relationship, that maturation, and the geniusness of Bill Belichick and Robert Kraft, allowing Bill to construct that team and pick and choose what players to have. And once you have someone like Tom as your foundation, as your centerpiece, it's so easy to build around someone like that. That's as great as he is. it is the Ocho but the thing is Ocho but I be wanting to get some credit and y'all don't be really giving me no credit and I'm the one that's cutting the checks all y'all talk about is Tom and Bill what about me yeah and Mr. Krabs said I'm gonna keep this thing going I ain't saying nothing I'm gonna keep my yeah y'all figure it out he understood he understood the assignment but like I said I mean you look at this I mean it's a and the thing I look and I played in the era with all these guys with the exception of Aaron Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes I played against Brady, Montana, Manning I played with them obviously, Favre got drafted in the year after I did Breeze was the quarterback at the Chargers he got benched for he got benched for Doug Flutie. Doug Flutie, I remember that. Hey, what year was Dan Fouts and the Dan Coriel, how you say it? Eric Coriel. Yeah, what year was that? That was 83. Right. When they went to Cincinnati and they ended up losing? That might have been 80, Ocho. Okay, but I'm just saying those were one of the few teams back then during the running era that actually threw the ball all the time. Yes, yes, yes. And then And then you had – he was the coordinator. He was the head coach of the Rams and Seattle. I forget his name. Chuck, what's his name? See, in the early 80s, the Seahawks in the 80s. but yeah I feel very I feel very fortunate I played the greatest I played with the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history man Danny Steve Brett John Manning Montana and Brady Chuck Knox because they called him ground Chuck because all he did was run the air out the ball. So, yeah, but that was oh, when Eric Correale, when they had Big Kellen, Kellen Winslow, they had John Jefferson, they had Charlie Joyner, they had Wes Chandler. They had Lionel Lutrain James. They had another dude that ended up Matthews from Arkansas. I forget his first name. But they had some teams. But the thing is, Ocho, you know the one weather team, you send their ass up to the cold and it'll come playoff time. Different ball game. It becomes a completely different ball game. But like I said, obviously you got guys, I'm sure Joe Burrow and Lamar and all these quarterbacks that are low. When it's all said and done, they take this thing in another 10 years, they're going to be up a little higher. It's going to be different, yeah. Matthew Stafford, definitely. At the rate he's going, it seems like he got two, three more great years. Mm-hmm. And him, let alone, oh, Chuck Muncy. Chuck Muncy had the goggles on. You remember Chuck Muncy? No. Number 40. He ended up getting traded. I think he ended up getting traded to New Orleans. But they had a squad, Ocho. They had a squad. Troy Eggman's number 19. Matthew Stafford is already number 20, Ocho. Yeah. Carson Palmer 56 Joe Burrow 66 that's a nice little listener oh yeah but it was look I think the thing is it's always somebody like somebody should be up here higher and somebody should be up here lower but it's clear there have been guys like I said I mean most of these guys are with the exception of Breeze has won. I think Brees has been offensive player of the year a couple of times. What you call him? Where's Kurt Warner? Kurt, the two-time league MVP, a Super Bowl MVP. Okay. An undrafted free agent, too. Yep. I can see why Big Ben went to three Super Bowls won two was never a Super Bowl MVP never was a league MVP I don't know if he's ever been a first or second team all pro damn But sometimes when you play in an era, guess what? He's smack dab in the middle of Brady and Manning and Breeze. I mean, where you going? If you're a first-team all-pro with those guys, you've done something. Yeah. You've done something, Ocho, because, I mean, think about it. You talk about, I mean, how many touchdowns? I mean, all those guys. Hell, Brady probably got 600 touchdowns. Manning's over 500 touchdowns. Breeze is over 500 touchdowns. Now think about it. That's crazy. Yeah, you got damn near 1,700 passing touchdowns. Damn near Brady got to have damn near 80,000 passing yards or more. So you're talking about over 200K passing yards. So if you're in that era, well. It's going to be hard. It would have been hard. And it was difficult. I mean, listen, Ben had some success, obviously, going to three Super Bowls and winning two. Had some great teams around him. Had some hell of a defenses. Yes. Hell to deal with, boy. All the day, them defenses back then was hell to deal with. So, like I said, you can see Rodgers. Rodgers has four regular season MVPs, a Super Bowl MVP, over 60,000 passing yards. One of the best touchdown to interception ratios. ratios in NFL history. Got no problem with that. You can see why he's a, I don't know, he might could he have been four if he went to and got more Super Bowl? Yeah, probably. But for Mahomes to be inside of 10 years and already in the top five quarterback on show, that just goes to show you just how great he actually is. Not was, is. Yeah, amazing. This is the biggest night in podcasting. The countdown is on to our 2026 iHeart Podcast Awards. Live from South by Southwest, March 16th, we'll honor the very best in podcasting from the past year and celebrate the most innovative, talented creators in the industry. It's truly a who's who of the podcasting world. Creativity, knowledge, and passion will all be on full display. And the winner of the iHeart Podcast Award is... See all the nominees now at iHeart.com slash podcast awards. Audible is a proud sponsor of the Audible Audio Pioneer Award. Explore the best selection of audiobooks, podcasts, and originals all in one easy app, Audible. There's more to imagine when you listen. 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