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00:00Listen it's the NFL offseason now for a very long time. It is the second official
00:06full day of the National Football League offseason for all 32 NFL clubs but there
00:12is still so much to break down always around the National Football League. We
00:17look back at Super Bowl 59 in terms of the record viewership that Fox is now
00:23projecting a hundred and twenty six million viewers on Sunday night for
00:29Super Bowl 59 in New Orleans. That would set a new viewership record moving past
00:35last year's biggest game of the season in Super Bowl 58 between the Chiefs and
00:41the 49ers that featured an audience of 123.4 million. 126 million DRS to watch
00:51your birds absolutely blow out the Kansas City Chiefs hold KC back from a
00:56three-beat and win Philadelphia's second Lombardi Trophy in franchise history.
01:01What that tells you too for next year is the NFL always takes notes on the teams
01:05that are getting ratings which is usually the Dallas Cowboys but they're
01:08not a great football team side the Eagles will appear probably in every
01:10single primetime slot along with the Kansas City Chiefs next year and that's
01:13okay because game number one will be at Lincoln Financial Field on a primetime
01:17but I'm actually surprised by that it's easy for me to say the can't Eagles
01:21everybody wants to watch them but you heard like where the public can be wrong
01:24we talk about like fading the public who did you want to see in the championship
01:28game people like I just don't want to see the Chiefs or all the Eagles are
01:31there I hate them you know cheer for them would have loved to see in the
01:33Buffalo Bills in the Washington Commanders that's not what the rating
01:36suggests you're getting numbers like this this is exactly what the NFL wanted
01:40they want to see record ratings every year to push that number higher whether
01:44it's game price tickets here whether it's selling packages to Netflix or you
01:47know Amazon Prime at this point whether or not the bidding war for the next
01:51Super Bowl gets higher and higher you do numbers like this it takes the attention
01:55away and I thought everybody wanted to see the Bills and the Commanders
01:58apparently everybody wanted to see the Chiefs and the Eagles they just didn't
02:02know it yet is part of the strength of the National Football League in the
02:06biggest sporting event of each and every year that being a Super Bowl I think we
02:11are going to see a new record viewership audience next year and
02:15probably the year after that and so on and so forth last year set the record
02:20123.4 mil now a new record just a season following despite as Donnie said the
02:27narrative that everybody was tired of Kansas City and we didn't want to see
02:30the rematch of a Super Bowl that we had just seen two years prior the National
02:36Football League remains king it's why we're talking about them at 830 a.m.
02:40Eastern Time on the second full day of the NFL offseason an uneasy offseason
02:47ahead for the San Francisco 49ers who entered this past season as the
02:52favorites to win Super Bowl 59 who played in two years ago now Super Bowl
02:59and Super Bowl 58 Donnie one of the reasons it's uneasy a lot of moving
03:04parts perhaps within this organization we already got the news over the weekend
03:08that Debo Samuel has been given permission by the 49ers brass to seek a
03:13trade and part of that is looking at their books and be like okay okay oh
03:17what is that number we gotta pay Brock Purdy now we don't get the salary
03:23discount of being mr. irrelevant in the draft and a seventh round pick Brock
03:28Purdy's extension up on the tab this offseason and Niners owner and CEO Jed
03:35York saying this week that San Francisco will do quote everything to
03:40keep Brock Purdy in house yeah I know it's smokescreen season but if you are
03:45an owner and you're trying to negotiate with your quarterback and you're telling
03:48the press you're gonna do everything it takes to keep him here does that mean
03:52blank check Brock Purdy make me general manager of the 49ers I will play this
03:56Ben right down the line perfectly here because I can look at what the Giants
04:00did with Daniel Jones it's okay Ben to say Brock we love you we're gonna pay
04:05you a lot of money you know you're going to get it here we just want to see
04:07if that market actually deserves the type of payment that we're going to give
04:12you go out and shop around we'll match anything that you come up with here
04:15whether it's 25 million dollars or 65 million dollars because if the markets
04:19there we want you back but we want it to be right I can't see this being like
04:23you're not going to get the free agency we're going to break the bank because so
04:26many times that we look over it whether it's on pro football today Ben or right
04:29here on the early line who is actually paying Brock Purdy 60 million dollars on
04:35the open market or is the market just with you because he's your starting
04:39quarterback like we saw with Daniel Jones that's what I'm most interested in
04:42here Ben I think it's a great point Donnie I don't think it's a matter of if
04:46the San Francisco 49ers sign and extend Brock Purdy or if Purdy is San Fran's
04:52starting quarterback beginning in 2025 I think that will happen it's a matter of
04:58how much what is that new deal that Brock Purdy signs is it just the NFL
05:04inflation at the quarterback spot that saw Dak Prescott sign the richest deal
05:09in history of the National Football League at the end of last offseason 60
05:14mil per year does it look like the Joe Burrow and Trevor Lawrence and Jordan
05:18Love deal of 55 million dollars could it be more like a Baker Mayfield extension
05:23last offseason around 33 35 million dollars that I think is the conversation
05:29which is a great great deal for the Buccaneers not a matter of if but how
05:35much in San Francisco for Brock Purdy 17 to 1 price on the Niners to win next
05:42year's Super Bowl third best number out of the NFC sixth best number over all
05:48Donnie this drew a little bit of social media conversation yes it did the New
05:53York Giants hiring longtime NFL assistant Chad Hall who had previously
05:59been Buffalo and in Jacksonville Chad Hall is the brother of Kelly Stafford
06:07who is the wife of Matthew Stafford meaning that Chad Hall is Stafford's
06:12brother-in-law he reunites with guys he worked with in Buffalo that being Joe
06:17Shane and head coach Brian Dayball but because of this hire in New York DRS
06:24there was some conversation that perhaps Matthew Stafford might try to
06:29join forces with Chad Hall with this Giants organization let me understand
06:35this Matthew Stafford is in the twilight of his career still on the back end of
06:39his prime his goal is to win a Super Bowl before he's done again which is why
06:43he's playing he's got plenty of money already has one so we're saying that he
06:47lives in Los Angeles has one of the best play callers you could possibly have as
06:51your head coach a team that looks like it's on the rise with maybe one of the
06:54best young talented wide receiver in football Puka Nakua and he wants to go
06:59to the trash fire on the New Jersey turnpike known as the New York Giants
07:04because his brother-in-law or brother is playing you know is coaching yeah that's
07:09not even the I like I didn't even know where like Adam Schefter I saw the tweet
07:13come out and everybody picked up on it and I was like this doesn't make any
07:16sense whatsoever theoretically hey now he's gonna play for the Giants in what
07:20world Ben in what world Chad Hall has coached in the NFL for a long time he
07:26used to play in the National Football League he has never once worked on the
07:30same organ is yeah yeah he did yeah and you know what he did he looks like 33
07:37and Kelly Green if you ask me by the way DRS they have never once linked up
07:43throughout the entirety of their tenures yeah in the National Football League now
07:47there was some conversation by Chad's sister Matthew's wife Kelly about maybe
07:54the Stafford family as a whole although I'm not sure Matthew would agree that
07:59they were not too pleased with the Rams looking to trade Cooper Cup this off
08:04season let me tell you this Matthew Stafford's not leaving LA Matthew
08:10Stafford will be back for the Rams this offseason if for some reason the Rams
08:15did not want to commit to Stafford which I find hard to believe then he could
08:19look for something but Matthew Stafford in my estimation is not forcing his way
08:24away from Sean McVay to go to the Giants to play or work with his brother-in-law
08:30the assistant quarterbacks coach now in Chad Hall to only be done in New York
08:35after a year because they ball Shane and Hall are all fired at the end of 2025 oh
08:42by the way the Dallas Cowboys they hired Ken Dorsey as their past game
08:46specialist of course the Bills offensive coordinator the Browns offensive
08:50coordinator this past season yeah by the way forget about Ken Dorsey let's go
08:54Kelly Stafford right now she seems like a type of wife or a girlfriend that you
08:57would have that runs into a place like my boyfriend's gonna come in here and
09:00beat everybody up and then you walk in unbeknownst to the entire bar that you
09:04have to fight the entire bar now because of what your girlfriend and or wife said
09:08turn her mic off Matthew only getting you in trouble man my goodness my
09:12fiancee Chloe huge fan of Kelly Stafford's podcast sometimes I will
09:16listen as well no live right here on this Tuesday morning on the early line
09:25on sports grid all around the National Football League on the second full day
09:30of this National Football League offseason all 32 organizations now
09:35focused on the future but perhaps Philadelphia in joining the glow of
09:39winning the second Lombardi trophy in franchise history
09:43Jalen Hurts yesterday DRS at Disney World enjoying it as anybody should
09:48riding roller coasters having a blast but what really cracked me up is he had
09:53to do like the media interviews with everybody and you would think maybe just
09:58maybe after winning a Lombardi trophy in being crowned Super Bowl 59 MVP being
10:03asked some fun questions by the media he would maybe let the guard down and have
10:08some fun my man is business as usual asked about his phone background he goes
10:14yeah I didn't really think about it that's still gonna be the same thing
10:17exactly okay you're gonna change it to a big smile and a picture of the Lombardi
10:21and I might get around to at this point which I love this from my quarterback
10:25because it means it's no nonsense and you can tell he was locked in so when
10:28big games come up and you have to rattle him that's a great personality trait to
10:32have but if you're his business manager like he's doing pretty well with you
10:36know the Jordan brand and all that I get it in a 250 million dollar contract but
10:39if you just got this you're like hey man if you smiled and joked around more we
10:43could take you worldwide right now and it's like you know what I get paid
10:47enough like just leave me alone I want to go home with my fiance and enjoy the
10:50offseason listen to jazz music and reappear at the OTA it's like that's the
10:54feel you get from Jalen for sure and we appreciate that it is one of the great
10:59football stories that we have seen in the last decade or so Jalen Hurts it's
11:04long been publicized of course benched in the national championship game while
11:08at Alabama for to a tongue-of-my-loa who comes in and leads the Crimson Tide to a
11:13victory following year to a gets hurt in the SEC championship game Jalen Hurts
11:18comes in now as the reserve performs so well in the final two quarters to lead
11:23the Crimson Tide to a conference championship transfers to Oklahoma has
11:28a Heisman runner-up season under Lincoln Riley a second round pick in the NFL who
11:33fought his way to be the starter for Philly and now of course a Super Bowl
11:38champion and Super Bowl MVP winner and still he's like yep yes ma'am yep
11:43business great smile kind of maybe a little bit let me just go hang out ride
11:49a couple roller coasters and hang out with my friends and family it is
11:52refreshing right he wants to win football games he is focused solely on
11:56that never too high never too low one of the reasons Philadelphia a Super Bowl
12:01champion do you think we see Jalen Hurts shotgunning a beer in the streets of
12:06Philadelphia on Friday afternoon as a part of the Super Bowl 59 parade maybe
12:12not but you know what I do like the fact that my man gets down with cigars now
12:15after big victory so we have a kinship right there might have to reach out to
12:19Jan like hey man maybe a little La Roma to Cuba what do you like a little
12:22Ashton action here we can meet up and you know puffer and by the way he is a
12:26professional cigar lighter have you seen the cigar ladies that he does because I
12:30don't like to breathe in the smoke when I do that so I actually like to do the
12:33two hands like smoking and light it appropriately and rotate it around get
12:37it nice to cherry red he actually does a really good job of having the one hand
12:42smoke which is impressive you know who did that very well as well Tony Soprano
12:46did it so he is a world-class cigar guy I appreciate I mean when you think about
12:51the top cigar guys in the world Donnie right side Tony Soprano and how do you
12:57what's the professional way to light a cigar just so we get this you know what
13:04if I could get up and get you a cigar and light one right now my house yell
13:07that I would do that but it's just the cigar in the mouth with the one hand on
13:11the on the lighter that's professional yeah yeah what's the two-hand display no
13:18the two-hand display is one hand on the cigar one on the light you know you're
13:23not getting into a Charles Barkley eating churros right now on the air so
13:27come on now we're not going down that path we're just not doing that do it
13:30again Chuck do it again Chuck and he would do it again we're not doing that
13:34it's not the way we're getting down so it's a family show surprised I'm
13:38surprised you didn't yeah office a car yesterday is that because we would get
13:45or like you would get in trouble in in your house I I would get in trouble in
13:51my house but I used to have the electronic ones where like you would
13:54puff on it and the smoke would come out just because in the middle of the winter
13:57the one thing where the people don't understand this well why don't you just
14:00go outside it's cold cigars take 25 to 30 minutes typically to smoke and when
14:04it's 20 degrees outside that's not enjoyable people go and take a puff of a
14:08cigarette and launch it like into the back mulch and go back in the house like
14:12you can't do that with a cigar so that's more enjoyable when you're in a cigar
14:16lounge or warmer weather as opposed to where we are here in New Jersey right
14:20now maybe at some point this summer we can have the Jalen Hurts and Donnie
14:24Wright side link up to smoke a stogue on the back porch now that would do numbers
14:30they are as early on Sunday morning we got a ton of reports around the NFL
14:35Aaron Rodgers future in New York Debo Samuel seeking permission to have a
14:39trade this offseason one that maybe flew a little bit under the radar this
14:44report from NFL Network's Ian Rappaport about the team that holds the number one
14:48overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft the Tennessee Titans new GM you see there in
14:54Mike Borgonzi that they would be open to listening to offers for that first
15:00overall pick it is smokescreen season of course for the Titans they are trying to
15:05generate some interest they know they're in a full rebuild and need as much
15:09draft capital and assets as possible but something to pay attention to now that
15:15the next big event in the NFL is the combine in the NFL Draft in late April
15:20it's officially smokescreen season it is and by the way for a first-time general
15:25manager hey he's opening up the playbook here exactly correct you're not gonna
15:29say we have our guy locked in don't call here we're gonna make a pick you're open
15:33for business as a bad football team heck you might love Cam Warden this draft you
15:37might love Shadoura Sanders and think that's the quarterback that's gonna take
15:41you into the future with your franchise and win you a championship we don't have
15:44to let anybody know you're the number one pick here you might love Cam Warden
15:47somebody goes I'll give you three first rounders to trade back two spots here
15:51and then we're gonna take Shadoura Sanders like great I love Cam Warden I'll
15:54get him in the three spot the two spot the four spot whoever I trade back to I
15:57love to see that smokescreen season is here and he's playing it exactly the way
16:02you're supposed to play down there for the first time in a couple of years
16:05there is really not a clear-cut number one or a consensus of what even the
16:11position going number one will be the last two years it has been a quarterback
16:15for sure we still see Cam Ward as the odds-on favorite ever so slightly at
16:21minus 110 to be the first overall pick it also should be noted Donnie that
16:26doesn't have to be Cam Ward drafted by Tennessee to cash that wager it's just
16:32Cam Ward off the board in the 2025 NFL draft before anybody else let's talk
16:38more around the National Football League next there is no doubt you see the laughs
16:42that we have that we missed Donnie right side last week while he was on radio row
16:47in New Orleans we also missed him because Donnie's got takes like nobody
16:52else does in some reactions of course for some big news that happened in the
16:57lead-up to Super Bowl Sunday in Super Bowl 59 including the class of 2025
17:04making their way to Kenton Ohio and the Pro Football Hall of Fame Donnie
17:09smallest class we have seen get introduced to the Hall of Fame inducted
17:13into the Hall of Fame in 20 years only four guys you see them on your screen
17:20but the take is not Donnie so much on who made it to Canton and we'll wear
17:25that gold jacket later this summer but who was left off the ballot for 2025
17:31that would be Eli Manning first ballot Hall of Famer the eligibility for the
17:36first time this year and he did not get in to the Hall of Fame by reports
17:43although we haven't seen the total votage yet he wasn't all that close
17:47Donnie what did you make of Eli Manning still be on the outside looking in to
17:53that Hall of Fame in Kenton Ohio yeah I've come around a long time to what the
17:58Hall of Fame actually is I think what it was founded under was the greats and the
18:02Titans of the game would be placed into this hall for enshrinement so you can
18:06enjoy them for years to come right and over the years I realized that it
18:10operates outside of the NFL as a separate entity so the NFL is just not
18:14gonna fund it repeatedly regardless if they put anybody in there and hey
18:17there's only been seven Hall of Famers in a hundred years once I understood the
18:20business model is we have to keep putting new people in here so people
18:24will continue to come and see and the bigger names that we put in they have
18:28the bigger fan bases and they'll come through there so I've gotten okay with
18:31that because to me a Hall of Famer should be a Hall of Famer in
18:35everybody's playbook when you say the words Tom Brady Hall of Fame nobody's
18:39arguing against you Peyton Manning Hall of Fame nobody argues against you Dan
18:43Marino Emmett Smith you see the path I'm going down absolute no-brainers where
18:47you don't have to think about it and then we get to Eli Manning who was a
18:51good quarterback in his time with Hall of Fame moments that doesn't mean you
18:57get in the Hall of Fame we've seen guys intercept passes for a hundred and nine
19:00yards wow that's record-breaking what a moment there it doesn't mean they're a
19:04Hall of Famer great punt returns here doesn't mean you're a Hall of Famer so
19:08when I look at Eli Manning in his career yes he had a very good career he has two
19:12Lombardis and beat the New England Patriots but that whole concept of I can
19:16write the book of the NFL without including Eli Manning because understand
19:20this you play as long as he did you know what a Hall of Famer would have 13 Pro
19:24Bulls four-time first-team All-Pros multiple Super Bowls which he does have
19:29but also unbelievable winning records which he doesn't have and I'm sorry to
19:35be a Hall of Famer and never once be the best quarterback in your own division
19:41over the length of your stay in the NFL that's not a Hall of Famer that's the
19:45Hall of Good is where he should be 16 years in the National Football League
19:50for Eli Manning the only category that he led the National Football League in a
19:56single season during his time in terms of the ones we generally look at passing
20:01yards passing touchdowns all of that stuff completion percentage was an
20:05interceptions he did that three times in his career 07 2010 in 2013 the longest
20:14passes completed in a National Football League season and in 2011 one of his
20:22four Pro Bowl seasons led the league in fourth quarter comebacks in game-winning
20:26drives but never led the NFL in passing yards passing touchdowns completion
20:30percentage throughout any of his 16 years in the National Football League
20:36but Donnie it is rare to see a guy have half as many Super Bowls in Super Bowl
20:41MVP awards as Pro Bowl appearances only four in the Pro Bowl of course is kind
20:47of being diminished in today's day and age still kind of held some luster in
20:52the NFL during a good majority of Eli Manning's career ultimately Donnie this
20:57has always been my takeaway when it came to the great debate of Eli Manning Hall
21:01of Famer or not I do believe Eli Manning is going to get to Canton Ohio I did not
21:07believe he was a first ballot Hall of Famer so I think he's going to be there
21:11at a certain point it does not shock me to see that he not did not get in in his
21:15first year of eligibility and again the business of the Hall of Fame it's good
21:19business to put Eli Manning in there they will show up he's a great person
21:23now he's a great guys and Giants legend does great things off the field does
21:27funny things with his brother like we like Eli Manning as a person and it's a
21:30football player he was really good and he should be retired maybe as a Giants
21:33quarterback I don't know if they retired his number already but that would be a
21:36possibility but being in the Hall of Fame understanding that Eric Allen got
21:40in I love Eric Allen he's one of my favorite quarterbacks in the history
21:43that I watched on the Eagles it took him a long time to get in the Hall of Fame
21:45which means is he really a Hall of Famer when you ask the name and the question
21:49of the person getting in and it's not an immediate response you're not a Hall of
21:53Famer I'm sorry Eric Allen got in in his 19th year Eli
21:58come on our number two up next we welcome you to our number two live right
22:03here on this Tuesday on the early line on sports grid he is Donnie I am Ben it
22:08is one of our favorite NFL games that we play each and every week three long
22:13football season buy or sell we will do that here as we have done throughout
22:18each and every round of the postseason now following Super Bowl 59 those big
22:24picture questions and the major takeaways from every game we saw
22:28throughout this playoff run in the 2024 NFL campaign now in to the offseason in
22:36some of those questions that do lie ahead BRS for those franchises around
22:41the NFL in the coming months because there are many to dissect and debate
22:47that will be our main priority here in our number two we'll talk some NBA
22:52action later on in this second hour and we'll get you set through the rest of
22:57the show for a monumental Tuesday night in college basketball just over a month
23:03away from selection Sunday I'll tell you what's great about that too is
23:07because you do sort of mourn and for me being an Eagles fan there's no mourning
23:11of the season it was fantastic parades Friday but outside of that like we are
23:14football men right you take a look at the college football season how much fun
23:18that was in the excitement there that we had in the college football playoff
23:21right through the NFL playoffs like oh no like what do we have to wait for like
23:25there is a term that we use Ben March madness it is the 11th of February
23:30February is the shortest month of the year we are almost in March which people
23:35always look towards like I can't wait for selection Sunday I love the two
23:38weeks previous there because it's conference championship weeks for two
23:41weeks then you get March Madness it is absolutely a sensational time where we
23:46don't have to wait long to get to the really good stuff here which includes
23:50nicer weather NBA playoffs NHL playoffs baseball season started and the
23:55culmination of a great college basketball campaign which is March
23:59Madness it's a great time it is well said Donnie right side very well said
24:05all right now time to look back on Super Bowl 59 and half those great debates
24:10for the most significant stage in the biggest football game of each and every
24:14season because when you play in a Super Bowl let alone win a Lombardi trophy it
24:20becomes a defining moment in your career in a part of your NFL legacy so we
24:25focus now on Jalen Hurts so the victor goes the spoils in what he did for
24:31Philadelphia in Super Bowl 59 maybe the greatest game of his career where he is
24:38performed at the highest level in the most important games of his tenure in
24:43Philly Donnie here were his stats throughout the postseason first two
24:48weeks kind of shaking off the rust from being in concussion protocol in missing
24:53in large part the final three weeks of the regular season wasn't tasked with
24:57doing much because of a dominant ground game and a dominant defense but then
25:02when Jalen Hurts was needed in the NFC championship game was incredible against
25:07Washington and when he was especially needed on the most significant stage in
25:11Super Bowl 59 he was sensational as well two hundred and twenty-one yards two
25:19passing scores 72 yards on the ground the game's leading rusher and scored a
25:25touchdown on the tush push as well nearly 300 combined yards in three total
25:31touchdowns in Super Bowl 59 so by herself Donnie right side Jalen Hurts
25:37with a Lombardi trophy and a Super Bowl MVP award is now a top five quarterback
25:42in the NFL you got to buy that now and you have to because why Ben results
25:47matter he's five years into his career as we've said he's been to the Super
25:51Bowl twice he has one Super Bowl trophy it's against the Kansas City Chiefs the
25:55team he lost to it was still the Kansas City Chiefs with Andy Reid and Patrick
25:59Mahomes he runs the offense Ben they scored 40 points in this past Super Bowl
26:03you know when they lost their Super Bowl they didn't score seven points 14 but
26:07they scored 35 points and they lost that game wasn't his fault so when you look
26:12at the upper echelon of quarterbacks you do have to look at on the field play
26:16because there's some quarterbacks that put up spectacular numbers but when it
26:19comes down to it you want a quarterback with ice in his veins that can go toe-to-toe
26:23split in nine career playoff games winning six of those which again
26:27includes two NFC championships and also a Super Bowl champion now you might say
26:32okay top five if you're just looking toe-to-toe with the most talented
26:35quarterbacks in the passing game probably not but intangibles have to
26:39start flowing into it because my top five the top four I think you can agree
26:43they're immovable but after that you can fit him in the top five Joe Barrow
26:47Lamar Jackson Patrick Mahomes Josh Allen I think everybody would agree that's
26:52probably in some form or another the top four quarterbacks you can't now argue
26:57like oh I would take like a CJ Stroud or I love Matthew Stafford but at this
27:01point right now that we're asking is a top five I would take general hurts over
27:05Matthew Stafford because he's all Stafford's got a super I get it
27:07Jalen Hurts is still in his prime in his 20s here and ascending as a better
27:12quarterback than maybe he was even a year two or three ago and also playing
27:16within the team concept it's an interesting number because most people
27:19might right off the bat then just say no but put a list of names right now who is
27:24playing better than Jalen Hurts at his time of what he's done in the NFL and
27:28what you plan on him to do he's now officially a top five guy I buy it as
27:33well Donnie you talk about those career moments in the times in the games in the
27:38performances that define your legacy you can be great in the regular season
27:42you can throw for 4,000 yards and 40 touchdowns but how do we judge greatness
27:47in sport let alone in the National Football League championships rings
27:52titles and at the National Football League level and in football in general
27:57we ascertain team success and we put it with one position above all else that is
28:03the quarterback in Jalen Hurts is now a Super Bowl champion in Jalen Hurts is
28:10now a Super Bowl MVP Donnie in 2024 NFL season there were six active
28:16quarterbacks who started at least five games for their teams that have won a
28:21Super Bowl you now include Jalen Hurts in that fold Patrick Mahomes Aaron
28:28Rodgers Russell Wilson Matthew Stafford and somehow someway still Joe Flacco if
28:35being judged in this sport is the pinnacle in a pantheon of success a
28:40Lombardi trophy and a Super Bowl MVP award Jalen Hurts is a top five
28:45quarterback we had the debate about Jaden Daniels is he the best quarterback
28:49in the NFC entering 2025 you and I both sold it for a second got to back it up
28:55for more than one year if he continues to do so in year number two and year
28:59number three maybe a different story but Jalen Hurts in my estimation right now
29:03is the best quarterback in the NFC and there are plenty in the AFC as we just
29:09highlighted but through the NFC team and quarterback wise still to me it runs
29:15through Jalen Hurts and Philadelphia and Donnie I think it would have been hard
29:19to have this argument to have the buy that we both bought into if in Super
29:25Bowl 57 or in this playoff run and certainly in Super Bowl 59 against KC it
29:31was that dominant defense that we saw and then Saquon Barkley 22 carries a
29:36hundred and fifty four yards and three scores to say Jalen Hurts is top five
29:41but because of his individual performances in the most important games
29:47of his NFL career capped off as a Super Bowl champ in Super Bowl 59 that's why I
29:54think you can give that distinction and the accolade to Jalen Hurts and we're at
29:59the height of the wave right now it's interesting when we ask this question we
30:02didn't ask this before the Super Bowl because maybe you still needed to see a
30:05little bit more said okay so I'm in the Super Bowl lost one before let's see him
30:08get over the hump we're asking post Super Bowl and again he wasn't Superman
30:13he didn't throw for 450 yards and six touchdowns in this game he didn't have
30:16the performance like Nick Foles let's just say had in 2017 against the New
30:20England Patriots all he did is go out there and tell you we're the better
30:23football team watch me perform watch me use my legs watch me use the tush push
30:27here I'll throw multiple touchdown passes we'll win this game going away
30:30and I'll be the catalyst for that so yes it matters when this question is asked
30:35and I don't think you can argue at this point as I laid out already there's four
30:37really good quarterbacks in the AFC that you probably would take ahead of Jalen
30:41Hurts on a day-to-day basis but top five absolutely is now squared right in there
30:46with the greats here and who knows where his career will end up but five
30:49years in the NFL two Super Bowl appearances one win and an MVP against
30:53a team that was going up against a 3p you didn't get to eat all they lucked
30:56out by going against this team or Patrick Mahomes got injured in the first
31:00quarter no toe-to-toe with a dynasty and came up with the aces and he was
31:05sensational right maybe not 450 and five but was the offensive best player in
31:10Super Bowl 59 nearly 300 total yards in three total touchdowns talk about my
31:17home and there is the joy of victory in the agony of defeat we just talked about
31:22Jalen Hurts winning a Super Bowl championship and Super Bowl MVP award
31:27elevates his status as one of the five best quarterbacks currently in the
31:31National Football League I still think we would say number one right now is
31:36Patrick Mahomes it is very hard to argue but it's not number one right now Donnie
31:41it's number one all-time the greatest to ever do it the goat because we were
31:46getting ready to have that conversation even further if Mahomes led Kansas City
31:52to a third consecutive Lombardi trophy becoming the first team in NFL history
31:56to do just that as the current goat Tom Brady looked down from the broadcast
32:02booth here is Patrick Mahomes and what he has done throughout his playoff in
32:07namely Super Bowl career the fact he even has a three and two record that's a
32:12distinction in itself playing in five Super Bowls in his seven years as a
32:17starter in Kansas City you see the eleven total touchdowns to eight total
32:22turnovers ten touchdown passes to seven interceptions not exactly the cleanest
32:28ratio like we have put on display for Patrick Mahomes throughout his AFC
32:33championships of which he has a larger sample size of seven but Donnie now that
32:38Mahomes and the Chiefs have come up short as we shared yesterday this is not
32:43the end to their dynasty run in KC but this era of the dynasty and the hope for
32:50three consecutive Lombardis it has come to a close so where does that leave the
32:55Chiefs where does that leave Andy Reid where does that define Patrick Mahomes
33:00legacy at this moment buy or sell Patrick Mahomes now has no chance to
33:07pass Tom Brady as the greatest of all time I'm gonna sell that right now just
33:12the way that's worded where it has no chance right he's 29 years old he's got
33:15three Super Bowls here let's just say he does plan on playing till he's 40 and
33:19he's healthy that's what a lab 10 11 more seasons that you can lump in there
33:23now understand what we're asking him to do because LeBron James gets lined up
33:26with this as well what's the grading point is it just getting the number of
33:30championships is it winning percentage once you get to the Super Bowl is it
33:34playing great at the biggest biggest moments here but also we're not
33:37comparing him like is he top 5 top 10 top 15 you are comparing him to the
33:42single greatest football player that we've ever seen throughout professional
33:45football's history by a wide margin that is to try to track down the stuff that
33:49Tom Brady did throughout his career in New England and with Tampa Bay you're
33:52not supposed to surpass that he set numbers you're not even supposed to get
33:56to so just being in the conversation of can I track down Tom Brady now
34:00understand this when it's all said and done you're still gonna have those I
34:04watched Jordan that was my favorite player I watched LeBron James that was
34:07my favorite player because even though they did cross sect each other and play
34:11each other you remember Tom Brady from the early 2000s all the way through
34:14homes recently as we like to say has been a dominant force and recently being
34:19like the past five to six years where you can't knock him out of the Super
34:22Bowl but it's a tough standard to hold up to I'll sell it because there is a
34:25chance that he can track him down but what are we grading this on at this point
34:29also understanding how hard it actually is just to get the Super Bowls and then
34:34once you get there just to win them we don't look down to Patrick Mahomes as a
34:37three and two record of five Super Bowls but then if you want to be the Jordan of
34:41football I never lost in a championship game or Tom Brady's got seven is it
34:45seven that Brady has is he seven and three and ten Super Bowls is that what
34:48it is correct that's unbelievable yeah it's unbelievable so I'll sell it
34:53because of how good he is but honestly that's a soft sell right now because Tom
34:58Brady set stats you were never supposed to get to I'm going to sell it as well
35:03Donnie because you just talked about the unbelievable mark for Tom Brady in
35:07Super Bowls ten appearances seven victories only three losses and we heard
35:13from Brady on Sunday night in the booth he remembers the three losses perhaps
35:17even more vividly than he does the seven Lombardi trophies that he put up
35:21in to the air in the two losses right now for Mahomes sting because he in the
35:28Chiefs as a whole looked atrocious in both of those losses one directly at the
35:34hand of Tom Brady Patrick Mahomes has a 17 and 4 playoff record in his career
35:40with two of those losses coming against Brady in 2018's AFC Championship game
35:46and Super Bowl 55 against the Buccaneers and another loss in front of
35:51the eyes and the announcing of Brady as well you don't often get to compare
35:57Michael Jordan and LeBron James any head-to-head numbers because of where
36:01they played in their careers now Tom Brady at a much deeper stage of his
36:06career than Patrick Mahomes who was his first full season as a starter when he
36:10first met Brady in that AFC Championship game so it's slightly skewed as well but
36:15I'm going to sell this notion because much like Tom Brady I think Patrick
36:20Mahomes is in it for the long haul is he gonna play to 45 is he gonna play 23 NFL
36:24seasons I'm not so sure is he going to play for at least the next decade I
36:29would assume the answer is yes and I think he is going to have three four
36:33five more opportunities at bare minimum to win a Super Bowl championship and I
36:40think Mahomes is going to capitalize on those opportunities now does he need to
36:46equal exactly seven Super Bowl rings so we can have this conversation perhaps if
36:51he gets to five or six but puts up better numbers throughout the entirety
36:55of his career then Tom Brady does that give him a leg up or an advantage
36:59perhaps but Donnie I'm not going to diminish any success or stats or
37:05historical numbers or Super Bowl championships that Tom Brady has seen in
37:10his NFL career but part of the reason Brady is the goat is because of the
37:15longevity 23 NFL seasons 22 as a full-time starter 20 of those 22 years
37:23he played the entirety of the season that allows you to culminate all of those
37:29record-setting numbers it also allows you to guide your team to a Super Bowl
37:33of which Brady took advantage of but if Patrick Mahomes doesn't play 23 years
37:40it might be hard to quantify in the direct head-to-head as well he's only 29
37:46and I do believe there will be plenty of more chances for Mahomes and the Chiefs
37:50so I sell this notion that Mahomes has no chance of catching Brady in the goat
37:55debate I think he will yeah exactly and there's no real clear winner at the end
38:00of it because you're gonna have two factions on both sides I think but
38:03watching Mahomes was the best some people tell you Aaron Rodgers was more
38:07talented than both of them here but you just don't stack up the Super Bowls and
38:10even the old heads like myself there's a lot of people out there that would tell
38:13you and I saw with the Super Bowl that nobody's ever gonna touch Joe Montana
38:16regardless of what the final stats are big game Joe was unbelievable at his
38:21best moments there whether or not playing at Notre Dame or heading to the
38:23NFL so this debate is always gonna rage on it's a really good one it is a really
38:28really good one and I think there are accolades for both in terms of talent
38:34production and the highest levels of success more on the early lineup next
38:39live right here on the early line on sports grid we continue to play by or
38:43sell in some of those big-picture questions at the end of a football
38:47season specifically the close of Super Bowl 59 we've talked Jalen Hurts we've
38:54talked Patrick Mahomes their legacies where they stand entering 2025 we do the
39:01same right now DRS for one Travis Kelsey at the age of 35 years old Travis
39:08Kelsey still one of the most productive and prolific postseason performers the
39:13sport of football has ever seen as we saw on display in the divisional round
39:19seven grabs a hundred and seventeen yards and a touchdown against the Texans
39:24but in the final two games of the season for Casey not nearly those numbers and
39:29under 59 and a half which was his receiving yards prop for Super Bowl
39:34Sunday against Philadelphia it's hard to really judge some of the stats and the
39:39prop performances for anybody on Kansas City based on how the game played out
39:44Sunday night but still Travis Kelsey maybe a lackluster performance throughout
39:49Super Bowl week DRS and you were there inside the Superdome on Monday night on
39:53media opening night for Super Bowl 59 Travis Kelsey was asked I'm sure a ton
39:59about his future in the NFL his future in Kansas City and Kelsey still said
40:05listen I still got a lot of great games ahead a lot of great years to play I
40:10don't feel like it's quitting time anytime soon but I ask you Donnie by
40:15herself Sunday was Travis Kelsey's final game in the National Football League I'm
40:21gonna fade the public I'm gonna buy this year now understand my thought process
40:25which hasn't changed and it is a big underdog I would say right now if he
40:29does hang them up the reason I say that is when you're chasing history sometimes
40:34you hang on a little bit longer than you want to now you look at Travis Kelsey
40:37and it's amazing to think that next year in October Ben he's gonna be 36 years
40:42old like that's not a 36 year old baseball player that's a 36 year old NFL
40:46player at a skilled position that takes an absolute beating whether he's blocking
40:50or catching the football over the middle it's hard to get up each and every day
40:54and get ready for the next practice let alone the next game but also understand
40:58this we always look at like boxers back in the day if you will yeah it's like
41:01they just can't stay out of the limelight because it's fun to be the champ it's
41:04fun to perform in front of all of those people and the same thing with football
41:08players as well but also understand this to the camaraderie of the locker room I
41:12don't care if you played peewee football middle school high school college or
41:16professional ranks one of your most fondest memories are just being with the
41:19fellas in the locker room kicking it not even out on the field that's something
41:23that's hard to step away from but also you used to say well I gotta play
41:26another year because I need the money because you know I'm 35 years old and I
41:30hope to live to 85 and that money has to last me he's made so much money and
41:34will probably make more money off the field than he has on the field here and
41:38also yeah he is probably going to get engaged and we're married to Taylor
41:42Swift in the upcoming future I'm not saying it's the right move but also you
41:47just lost the Super Bowl you were going for the three-peat that was big and I
41:51thought before the game if he wanted Ben he would continue to play because that's
41:55immortality at this point I won three can I go for four nobody's ever done
41:59that nobody's ever done three and we already cleared that now for me would be
42:03the perfect time to retire to say man I gave it my all we try for the three-peat
42:07didn't get it I don't have anything left to prove I am the single best player in
42:10the history of this sport at my position and it's okay to go out at 35 years old
42:16and respect that great career he is 35 years old he has spent 12 seasons in the
42:22National Football League all in Kansas City he has been a Pro Bowl selection
42:27each of the last 10 years including this year and there is an idea Donnie and it
42:32is true the production has slid for Kelsey in the last couple of seasons
42:37there's no doubt he had seven consecutive years of at least a thousand
42:40receiving yards from 2016 through 2022 he has been under those numbers each of
42:46the past two years but still incredibly productive at his position a hundred and
42:51thirty three targets in the regular season the only chief with more than a
42:56hundred targets he is still Mahomes his top option when it comes to how the
43:00offense is orchestrated in Kansas City I'm going to sell I do think Travis
43:06Kelsey comes back for at least another year but I think it's a part of the
43:10conversation Donnie and I think you beautifully said it when the hunt for
43:14history comes up short I think it allows you even more perhaps than if it was
43:19successful to sit back and reflect and put all of your ducks in a row and
43:24figure out your future because that's what happens when you lose you sit back
43:31and figure out what can I do differently what do I want to invest to try to turn
43:35all of this around I still think Travis Kelsey plays in 2025 but a part of the
43:41conversation is coming up short on the football field and all that Kelsey has
43:46off of the football field that would still be enticing to fill up the docket
43:51in the schedule for one of the best to ever do it we'll see the rest of the
43:57offseason NBA conversation next