Paying The Sean Payton Piper (Hour 2)

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Get in the game and download the free Odyssey app today. I'm Larry Mullins, host of the podcast Your Weirdest Fears, the show that explores the odd things that make your heart stop. I am so scared of the Grinch. He is bad vibes. We talk to everyone from therapists to exterminators to lizard man. I was 25 when I actually got my tongue split.

I have one tattoo that covers my entire body. Listen and subscribe on the Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts from. It is Zach Yelp's show Coast to Coast on CBS Sports Radio. So a few things about Sean Paden as you continue to look at his chase I guess to become a head coach again in the NFL and if he's actually going to take a job or not this upcoming year. So I look at some of the reporting and Jeff Duncan who's a longtime reporter covering the Saints does a really good job. Let's go through some of these things and then also something that Fox Sports Radio is reporting as well. Sean Paden is believed to be looking for a contract in the $20 million to $25 million a year range over four years.

That is per Jeff Duncan. Now I know what is money to the new Broncos ownership group which is the richest ownership group in the NFL and they should be desperate. They got to bring in a coach that has a big background that has clout in this league because if not you run the risk of Russell Wilson continuing to get his way. Not having a coach that he respects.

No checks and balances. No way to keep Russ in line and you could risk once again with another inexperienced coach or a coach that Russ doesn't respect. There being problems in the locker room and not only in the locker room with poor play on the field from Russell Wilson who like it or not you already gave up the capital to go get Russell Wilson and you also committed a big time contract to Russell Wilson. So at first Hickey I look at these demands he needs $20 to $25 million a year and I go no coach is worth $20 to $25 million a year in the NFL just based off what they've been paid to our knowledge in years past. But even though at first I thought it was ridiculous desperate times it really you know you know desperate moments make organizations do crazy things and I think the Broncos are very desperate and they'll go to a desperate measure of giving a coach. If it means they get Sean Payton $20 million to $25 million a year as crazy as that sounds even though it seems like Sean is asking for the moon he doesn't have to come back this year.

Honestly it would behoove him to wait another year because not that all these jobs are always desirable clearly duh when you're firing someone something went wrong but there's times when you fire someone that has a roster that's ready to win and ready and compete at a high level. I don't think the Broncos are there yet because you have to fix the quarterback. Even though I like Javonte Williams he's coming off an injury wide receivers are solid not great defensively they're ready to win the defensive side of the ball. But when for so many years you have the defense ready to win and you have the offense not ready to win you wonder if they get on the same page at the same time so that $20 to $25 million report I don't know about you at first I was like that's absurd that's not gonna happen but the more and more I think about it. The Broncos aren't desperate enough if that's the difference for Sean I need this amount of money the Broncos would be stupid to say no at this point. From the Broncos if I'm the Panthers that doesn't faze me whatsoever you have the order that could pay it it doesn't affect the salary cap whatsoever I would do it I think it's one of those where it's definitely not a non-negotiable contract for sure.

It's kind of like the Steve Cohen effect I got money F it may as well spend it and then my team will get the benefits of having someone in there like Sean Payton. Now I also saw that Jeff Duncan is reporting that the team that's trading him obviously the Saints Mickey Loomis is looking for something similar to the Raiders package. What the Raiders had to get in order to trade John Gruden to Tampa Bay all those years ago we went back and looked at the details of the of that trade I knew it was a big price tag I didn't realize it was this big. That was two first round picks two second round picks and $8 million now do I think Sean is gonna go for two first round picks and two second round picks and money no I don't think that's going to be the case.

But I do think bare minimum you're going to have to give up a first round pick and then something else I don't know what the something else is. Now I know a lot of people are going to say oh well the Broncos they give up all their picks last year. You got to remember the Broncos got a first round pick back by trading away Bradley Chubb and that pick right now through the Dolphins trade was actually the Niners pick and that's 29th overall.

If that means I get Sean or not just the starting point of giving up the 29th overall pick Ryan I would give up the 29th overall pick for Sean Payton. I almost think the Broncos are at a point where they have no other choice with Harbaugh not wanting to go there or whatever you may believe maybe the Broncos didn't want him but now he's back at Michigan. It feels as if now at this point for the Broncos talk about the money talk about the draft capital any other name at this point other than Sean Payton. If you're a Broncos fan I don't think it gives you much confidence and I do believe that it would be disappointing.

I mean it's a no brainer 20 whatever if the Niners lose this weekend I guess the highest it could get is like 24 25 26 somewhere in that range it's not even a you pull the trigger ASAP on that one without a doubt. If they don't get Sean Denver you would think it's going to be Dan Quinn right? At this point you got to bring in a coach that has experience at this point. I can't run the risk of bringing in someone and I think very highly of D'Amico Ryan's but I can't run the risk of bringing in someone with I don't want to say the franchise is on life support because that's just like too extreme. But you have a team right now that could be screwed for the next several years if you don't fix Russell Wilson because you gave up so much to get him and not only that you paid him.

And if you want to move on that means like let's say in two years from now they say we're done. It's not as if you're going to get some great return back because even though a lot of people think highly of Russell Wilson if the Broncos want to move on from in two years that means this crappy play continues. And also the public perception of Russ has done a 180 where I don't think you would get much back. If two years from now you say I want to say peace out and I want to end this Russell Wilson experiment that means this had to get worse than what it was this year if they still want to move on two years from now. So I can't run the risk of bringing in a young defensive coordinator or a young offensive coordinator, even though they have potential even though there's great things being said potential means you haven't done it yet. I need someone with a track record of being a head coach and having some success. And the guy that checks all the boxes is Sean Payton. Now, in an ideal world that may would have been maybe even better if they got Jim Harbaugh, because you wouldn't have to give up the draft picks it was just contract. That's all you take care of and I know it's been a while but Jim in this league, four years as a head coach, three trips to the NFC title game, a trip to the Super Bowl.

But now since Jim is going back to Michigan. There's no one that even has close to a resume that's realistically available of Sean. So if you're the Broncos I think Sean realized this and I don't even know if Sean necessarily wants the job, he may have to get talked into the job. But just with those slight maybe hesitation by Sean, or not knowing if he actually wants the job, you better get everything you want.

Because if you don't get everything you want, then just sit out of here. But then on the other hand, how serious of a bluff is this by Sean Payton. Now we know the Raiders, the Saints side of it, if the picks are what they want, you may not have a say in this, if you're the Broncos but on the Sean side. Is he just saying all this stuff, the price tag because those are his demands and that's non-negotiable or let's forget the other side of this or let's not forget the other side of this. This is a guy that even though he retired and was out for a year, he may be addicted to coaching and it seems like he's addicted to coaching. So is he willing to go sit out another year?

That's another question. But if they can't get Sean Hickey, like I'm looking at the candidates that are out there, I guess Dan Quinn with proven track record is the best option. But say what you want about Dan Quinn and nothing against Dan Quinn, it's not like that's Lombardi. I did a good job with the Falcons but didn't win at all.

Had a 28-3 lead in a Super Bowl and was a part of one of the greatest collapses you'll ever see by a team. So if you're trying to sell this to a fan base, and I know Dan has a relationship with Russ, you got to get Sean. If you're a Broncos fan, not that it eases the pain of this year, not that it wipes everything away, but you start to, with Sean, think, okay, we're once again bought back in, we're once again thinking we're moving in the right direction. Anything other than Sean at this point, I believe it's severely disappointing with Harbaugh going back to Michigan if I'm a fan of Denver Broncos.

Absolutely. And the tough part about Dan Quinn is, yes, you would kind of now finally get out of the path of hiring first-time head coaches. They've done it three times in a row. It's failed all three times.

So at least you would get someone, you're not doing the definition of insanity and trying something over and over and over again, expecting different results. But the tough part of what Dan Quinn is, defensive-minded guy. So it's not only hiring Dan Quinn as a head coach who has experience, but now it's who you're going to hire as your offensive coordinator.

What is your plan on offense? And if it's, again, Russell Wilson's stock right now is not very high. If there are not many offense coordinators willing to jump with Dan Quinn, not many guys are willing to follow him to Denver, then even for how good of a candidate Dan Quinn is, if you can't get an offense around Russell, what's the point? So that's also a tough part of here too about Dan Quinn's candidacy and why, again, I'm with you if it's Sean Payton or Buss at this point for the Broncos. Draft capital should not be an issue.

Compensation for his salary should not be an issue whatsoever. It has to be Sean Payton or Buss because the prospects outside of Sean right now are very slim and very questionable at best. Now, you could also say, go do what the Eagles did, right?

Like people didn't know what Nick Sirianni was going to be. It wasn't unpopular hire, but the Broncos aren't in a spot where they could run that risk because they just did it right with Nathaniel Hackett and it was a disaster. Like people could say, go find the next Brian Deball, go find the next Kevin O'Connell.

The Broncos, even though the Giants were horrible at hiring for the last few cycles, the Broncos really don't get the benefit of the doubt because you already made such a big move that if Russ does not work and if you can't get Russ back to playing at a good level, it makes your franchise basically like paralyzed for at least half a decade because of all the money that's tied up with Russell Wilson and the draft capital that you were not able to go kind of replenish some of those pieces that need to get filled with the holes that are on this roster. But if I'm Sean, like, let me ask you this. If you're Sean, are you taking this job if you're Sean Payton?

Yes. Okay, explain it to me because I would not take this job if I'm him. I think Russell Wilson can be fixed. So you have a guy who is still a high level quarterback, who is a veteran who's been around. You have a defense that's good.

And you have, while banged up, you still have a good core around you where that's a tee net as a playoff team next year, bare minimum. Yeah, I said this from the start, I thought the Broncos when Russ went there, I did not think he upgraded on the offense side of the ball from what he had in Seattle. I don't think the pieces around Russell Wilson in Denver with an offensive line that's shaky at best. You know, Jerry Judy, I don't think he's a number one wide receiver. Yeah, Courtland Sutton's a solid player in this league.

Javonte Williams, good but hurt. I know this was just his second year in the league, so could you rebound from that? Absolutely. I look at that job if I'm Sean, and I think it's a mess right now, and I would avoid that mess. Is it maybe a little bit easier to clean up the last two, three weeks of the season than what we thought it was for the majority of the year?

Sure, I'll acknowledge that. But I would avoid that job and also, and I know competitors don't think this way, but I look at that, try to get to the top of the mountain in that division, in that conference, it's tough. Like, you got Mahomes there for the next decade in that division. You got Herbert in that division for the next decade.

And if Russ gets fixed, you could say Russ is right up there. But I don't love what they have on the offense side of the ball. And you could fix that if you improve the image of that organization.

Yeah, I get it. 20, 25 million dollars, a lot of money. If you're coveted, that could woo you into taking that job. But I would look around and I would say, let me be happy on Fox.

Let me go have no stress for another year and then reassess the lay of the land next year. Now, the other thing, this was thrown out by Colin Coward. Russell Wilson has contacted Sean Payton legally, by the way, through channels. He wants Sean. He needs fixing. He knows he needs fixing. That is what Colin Coward said.

That's the other part. In a weird way, even though Russ has lost kind of like the benefit of the doubt. And remember, he didn't at the end respect Pete Carroll. You got to bring in a coach that Russell Wilson respects.

Because if not, then all this other nonsense that went on this year would continue to go on. He clearly respects Sean. Dan Quinn, I know they have a good relationship, but just because you have a good relationship with someone does not necessarily mean that you wouldn't walk over that person a little bit.

The more and more you see this play out, there's really only two options. It's either get hard, but you couldn't do that, or you got to get Sean Payton. It would be very Bronco like though if they swing a mess on Sean. And if Sean says thanks, but no thanks, just with the way that organization has been operated for the last five years or so. This is Zach Gelb Show on CBS Sports Radio.

We go from one messy situation to another. Let's tap into the Baltimore sports scene next. Greg Roman out as offensive coordinator.

The Ravens say they want Lamar Jackson back, but do they really? We talk with Morning Drive host Rob Long next. It is the Zach Gelb Show on CBS Sports Radio. The NFL playoffs live on Odyssey. Touchdown as time expires.

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Get in the game and download the free Odyssey app today. You're listening to the Zach Gelb Show. Zach Gelb Show, CBS Sports Radio. Big news today. The Ravens did speak.

They tell you how much they want Lamar Jackson to be their quarterback moving forward, but we'll see if a deal eventually does get done. And as you know, Greg Roman is out as the Ravens offensive coordinator. Let's go check in with the Baltimore sports scene.

A man that's been hosting Morning Drive in Baltimore for the fan for a long time is Rob Long, and he's kind enough to join us right now. Rob, how you been? So well, man, how are you?

Well, I'm doing fantastic. So what was your biggest takeaway from that press conference today with John Harbaugh and Eric DeCosta? Probably going all in publicly on Lamar Jackson. That seems to be the big sense of anxiety here in Baltimore. Is the team going to trade him, you know, sign him to a franchise deal to trade him or going to keep him?

You know, my guess from recently is just maybe a franchise deal just long enough to come to negotiate a deal. But I just can't see Steve Bishotti. You had two people talking today, Eric DeCosta and John Harbaugh, and I'm not taking anything away from their authority because I'm a huge Eric DeCosta fan. But the person we need to be concerned about is Steve Bishotti. And if you know anything about business with Steve Bishotti, he doesn't let good people go. That's why he is who he is right now. He knows Lamar Jackson, the generational talent. I don't see Steve Bishotti let Lamar go.

So here's the thing. They keep on talking about Lamar, obviously, in a positive light. They keep on saying that they want him to be there and they want him to be the guy.

But for me, actions speak louder than words. And so far, they haven't been able to get a deal done. What do you think the biggest difference is or the biggest reason is why a deal hasn't gotten done yet? Lamar, I mean, we keep forgetting. We keep putting this on the Ravens.

Let's go back to August. He said when the season begins, he's not negotiating anymore. So what do you want them to do when the line's been drawn in the sand and the person you have to negotiate with won't negotiate? We keep going Ravens, Ravens. The Ravens tried to do a deal with him.

When he's represented himself and he said he's not talking, you can't make him negotiate. I don't understand why all of this is put on the Ravens. A deal like fully guaranteed with the exception of Deshaun Watson is unprecedented. You just don't do that.

That kind of money. It doesn't happen often. Watson did it to her cousin to a lesser extent. So it's not like it's a normal deal. Something like that needs to be negotiated throughout the season. You can't draw a line in the sand on that, but because he doesn't have representation, he's trying to play quarterback, you understand it from his standpoint. But I think this is more Lamar than it is the Ravens. Do you think down deep Lamar will eventually get a deal done with the Ravens and he wants to stay in Baltimore, Rob Long? I think the first thing was done today is Greg Roman stepping down. That's a problem.

I don't think people understand how much of a problem that is. If you look at some of how animated he has become this year, you know, plays getting in late, routes, the route tree guys running in the same area. Lamar became very animatedly frustrated and I think this is a huge step in the right direction and Greg Roman stepping down. John Harbaugh probably ahead of the class and Greg, we're going to go in a different direction. You're my guy. The better for you to step down is for me to have to fly you.

I can imagine that's how it went. There's no way in the world they would have brought Greg Roman back next year. Do you think this offseason a deal gets done, Rob?

Yes. I think if you ask me to predict that I have no, there's not a lot of media people that's close to Lamar. He's a good guy when you're there, but he doesn't have a media contact guide too much. But if you ask me to look into the Rob Long crystal ball, I say they franchise him and the franchise tag is long enough to hold, to put pause on. And they sign him to a deal during the franchise tag. I don't think they'll have to franchise him twice. It does feel though like, Rob, if they don't get a long-term deal done this offseason, then you're almost running out of time. And I know that a deal could get done a year from now, but they can't run that risk of franchise tagging him two years in a row. And then maybe him just walking and going for a compensatory third pick. It seems like this is the last year for a deal to get done. I agree with you.

That you and I agree on. If they can't do it this year, then Lamar Jackson, I don't think Lamar Jackson ever sees a second franchise tag with the Ravens. Is there any thought, and I know it's pretty new today, on who could be that next offensive coordinator? Is there any name that's being thrown around there in Baltimore? Not a lot of names here in Baltimore.

A lot of wishes, but not a lot of names. I would love someone even suggesting, give Bobby Petrino a call. If you look at Lamar Jackson, how did he get to the NFL? He didn't get to the NFL running that crappy offense of Ray Roman.

I know a lot of people will say, the offense was filed in 2019. That's because no one knew what to do with it. It was brand new. Then when people got film on it, they caught up with it. Lamar Jackson ran a spread offense in college, three and four wide. Name is running back.

He don't know it because he really wasn't that much of a presence. He grew the football. A lot of his runs were designed past plays that turned into runs. I don't know where the Ravens get the narrative of them running the offense for Lamar, Lamar's offense. That's not the offense that got him to the National Football League. That's not the offense that got him to the Heisman Trophy. The Heisman Trophy finalist in back-to-back seasons. They need to bring someone in that really knows Lamar and knows how to use Lamar instead of telling them to run, run. Lamar Jackson is a quarterback. Is he the most efficient quarterback in the National Football League?

No. But if you get receivers out there spreading wide, it's one thing to play ball and man in basketball. That's a small court. When you play ball and man in football, then you're in trouble because you're going to lose sight of those wide receivers. And when you're a DB or a linebacker, you're backing up, you've got to look at a receiver, but you've also got to be mindful of what the quarterback is.

It's hard to keep track of those receivers. So the Ravens today, Rob Long, make it appear that they want Lamar Jackson back. And as we've been discussing, and it's definitely fair to question if Lamar wants to stay there, take the contract out of it. One thing that I still don't get was Lamar's frustration with Marquise Hollywood-Brown getting traded.

From everything that the Ravens have said, they were honest with Lamar. Marquise Hollywood-Brown multiple times requested that trade. I never got that on draft night when Lamar made it seem with the social media post that he was so annoyed and caught off guard with the Marquise Hollywood-Brown trade. Well, I think the annoyed part was why Hollywood-Brown wanted to go. Hollywood-Brown wanted to go because he said it wasn't an offense that was friendly to receivers.

And I think Lamar sensed what I sensed and a lot of other people sensed. If Hollywood-Brown, your first round draft pick is gone and after having a 1,000-yard season, then what are we going to do in the future when we want to sign three agent-wide receivers? Do we have to just draft wide receivers or trade for agent-wide receivers? That was the frustration. I think the frustration was maybe Hollywood-Brown echoed the same sentiments that he had. He's wondering, maybe we should get rid of the offensive coordinator and not the wide receiver.

I think the frustration was well placed and legit. You have a receiver that just had a 1,000-yard receiver walk away in a situation where he may not even be the number one receiver when Dehop came back and things just kind of didn't work his way out in Arizona. He's willing to go there and a past-friendly offense and wide receiver-friendly offense, then stay here.

I think that was the frustration. I know the offensive coordinator, Rob Long, is going to be big in this, but do you think DaCosta will change that approach and will be willing to go get Lamar a bona fide number one wide receiver this offseason? The best offensive coordinator we've had in John Harbaugh's era was Greg Kubiak, and it's known that Harbaugh didn't hire him.

That was a hire above him. They're going to have to do the same thing here. They're going to have to get John Harbaugh, by nature, offensive.

They're conservatives. They've got to get somebody. If you look at Eric DaCosta's draft picks, Hollywood-Brown, he didn't get Mark Andrews, but he got Devin DuVernay. He went out and got Isaiah Likley.

He had J.K. Dobbins. These are all perimeter guys. These are fast guys. Yet, you run a three-yard-in-the-cloud-and-dust offense that's only dynamic because number eight is in it. It's not a design dynamic offense.

Number eight makes it dynamic. You've got to go out and get an offensive coordinator that can utilize the talent that was drafted. I believe a lot of these guys, these still-positioned guys with offense, are out of place. Why is it Isaiah Likley puts a hundred yards receiving night, the rookie tight end, out of coastal Carolina, but then when you bring Mark Andrews back, he disappears? Because your offensive coordinator doesn't know how to use multiple weapons. We talk about how bad the receiving corps is in Baltimore. Are they bad, or are they not able to be utilized to their proper talents? I think they're not being able to be utilized to their proper talents. I think a big thing to smooth this over this offseason would be going out there and getting Dondre Hopkins.

That's not just putting lipstick on the pig. That changes your entire offense. You get the right offensive coordinator. You bring Dehop in here. You bring back the healthy Mark Andrews.

Your only love is Isaiah Likley, kid. Devin DuVernay comes back healthy. J.K. Dobbins, Gus Edwards. That's an offense that can keep the defensive head on the swivel. Now all of a sudden Lamar Jackson approaches 4,000 yards passing. Lamar Jackson needs to approach 4,000 yards passing and only 700 or 800 yards rushing.

You're going to need 1,000 yards rushing. You need to have an offense that, and not only that, I haven't seen the Ravens run a rub route. I haven't seen them run that in years. You know, they just, you watch other offense, other offenses around it as a football league if you're in Baltimore, and it makes you frustrated to see that they've taken offense back 15 years because there's no innovation, no creativity. It's just, you've heard guys like Steve Smith call them out. Kurt Warner. You know, now Steve Young. Guys in the Hall of Famers and guys that are great at what they do, calling them out because it's bad.

Rob Long, I know that the way that we talk about things isn't necessarily the way that players think. Do you think at all in Lamar's mind he would be content getting traded and maybe going to the NFC? Just because you look in the AFC, and I know everyone thinks Lamar is sensational and he's won an MVP unanimously, but you got Burrow there for the foreseeable future. You got Allen there for the foreseeable future. You got Mahomes there for the foreseeable future. Herbert and Lawrence too. Like the NFC, they're looking for a face in that conference, and Lamar could be the best quarterback if he gets traded to the NFC.

Nah, that's you talking. Lamar's not worried about leaving the AFC for those reasons. If Lamar wants to leave the Ravens, it has nothing to do with him wanting to go to the NFC because the AFC is crowded. If anything, Lamar Jackson embraces, he's the type of guy that embraces that kind of challenge because he believes he's in that class. Keep in mind, he won an MVP when those guys were playing quarterback.

He won the MVP when those guys were in the lead. Lamar Jackson is not thinking about getting out of the AFC so he can be the face of the NFC. He wants to be the face of the NFL. Alright, before we let you run, Rob Long, just this weekend around the NFL, let's get some predictions out of you. Who do you like in that Bills-Bangles game? Oh, I love it. I love it.

Give me the games. You set them up and I'm not going to battle. Alright, fine.

Let's start. Bills-Bangles, who do you like in this one? I like the Bills in that one.

Okay. What about on the five- I think Josh Allen is on too much, and he's hot right now. And that spread though.

I was surprised it was at five, five and a half. Yeah. I'm loving that though. I'm loving it. I take that. Okay.

Let's go to, well, Saturday night. You're not picking the Jaguars to upset Kansas City, I'm assuming, right? Oh no. Patrick Mahomes. You know the AFC wildcard is the Patrick Mahomes Invitational. It's like Duke was to the ACC tournament years ago. That's what the AFC playoff picture is.

It's the Pat Mahomes Invitational. And the NFC, we've got two juicy games this weekend. Philadelphia and the Giants, and then the Cowboys and the Niners.

Where are you going? I think Philadelphia's going to get upset in the city of Brotherly Gloves. The Giants are hot, and Danny Dobbs is underrated. I think that Giants defense led by Baltimore's old DC, Whit Martindale, goes to Philadelphia and stages the upset. And I think it's going to be all NFC championship games. I think Dallas defeats the San Francisco Giants.

I just find it a hard time to believe that Mr. Irrelevant is going to play in the NFC championship game. I just, at some point, at some point, reality is going to catch up with him. I think he's going to be a very good quarterback moving forward. But the playoffs are different. And when the Dallas Cowboys come around that edge and come at you, and all of a sudden that clock in your head speeds up.

I see Dallas get the upset in San Fran. Last thing I'll ask you, Rob Long, since you mentioned Wink Martindale, but why don't you think he's a head coach yet in this league or the other part? Why did that relationship end in Baltimore?

The relationship ended in Baltimore because there were guys who were leaving Baltimore as pass rushers that couldn't become pass rushers in Wink Martindale's system. And the Ravens drafted a couple of young pass rushers. They drafted one an old way. They drafted another kid out of Michigan this year. They needed to change that narrative.

So they had to get him out of town. When you see former guys leave you and become big time pass rushers elsewhere, you got to do it. Why is that a head coach? I don't know if Wink Martindale, the biggest thing I question and I don't interview him, can Wink Martindale want a team or can Wink Martindale want a defense? I personally, you know, when he was interviewed a couple of years ago, I think I told all of Baltimore that was listening, I just think he'll be back. And just from the Wink Martindale, I know is great DC, but I just don't know whether he can run. He could be the CEO of an entire team.

I'm not saying he can't, but just, I have the same questions that seem to come up in interviews. Rob Long, we appreciate it. Thanks so much as always.

Anytime. There you go. Rob Long from The Fan in Baltimore. I agree with him on Wink Martindale. I think he's a tremendous defensive coordinator.

Some guys are just better as we've seen throughout the years being coordinators than compared to being a head coach. We'll take a break. When we come on back in five minutes, we'll teach you the biggest stories in the world of sports with some audio.

We call that segment The News Brief. I'm Larry Mullins, host of the podcast, Your Weirdest Fears, the show that explores the odd things that make your heart stop. I am so scared of the Grinch. He is bad vibes. We talk to everyone from therapists to exterminators to lizard man. I was 25 when I actually got my tongue split.

I have one tattoo that covers my entire body. Listen and subscribe on the Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts from. There's a lot to listen to. So get started and download the free Odyssey app today. The NFL playoffs live on Odyssey. Touchdown as time expires.

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Free battery testing, free battery charging, replacement batteries that fit your needs. That is what makes AutoZone America's number one battery destination. Get in the zone, AutoZone. We start off in Baltimore. Eric DaCosta, the general manager of the Baltimore Ravens. And if he thinks the Ravens of Lamar will agree to a contract extension this offseason. Well, it certainly takes two to tango. But I think Lamar and I have a great relationship. I think we communicate quite often.

We spent some time together today, as a matter of fact. We've spoken throughout the season multiple times. You know, these negotiations, Jamison, they all happen differently. You know, Ronnie Stanley's contract took about a year and a half. Mark Andrews' contract took probably three or four days. You know, we did Roquan's contract over the span of six days. Over the course of one month, basically, is what we did.

So, they happen in different ways. I wouldn't characterize the percentages of getting any deal done or how long it's going to take. But we have to say that we'll communicate effectively, we'll be as fair as we can be. And we'll try to hammer out a deal and hopefully we can get to that point.

The more and more this lingers, Hickey, it continues to remind me. Just with, I guess, a little less drama. Which is crazy because there's been a lot of drama with this. Like the Cowboys situation with Dak Prescott. And we know the level that that got.

But always from the start, here was the question that we asked. Are the Cowboys willing to not get a deal done with Dak? And I never thought there was a moment where the Cowboys actually had the leverage with Dak Prescott. When it comes to Lamar, I don't know if Lamar wants to get a deal done with the Ravens. But on the other hand, I don't know if the Ravens necessarily want to get a deal done with Lamar.

Like at least with the Cowboys, we knew that this was Jerry and you knew that they were going to pay him. I don't know with the Ravens, and you knew Dak wanted to be there. I don't know with the Ravens if Lamar wants to be there. And I don't know if they're fine with not paying Lamar.

Like it's still up in the air. And if you're going, and this is what you think about, if you're going to let Lamar eventually walk or you trade Lamar. What are you doing right away to go get someone that is at the same level or better than Lamar? And it's tough to find someone better than Lamar. And that's the biggest problem when you have a quarterback in this league.

And you're facing a situation, are you going to pay the guy the money or not? And this is about talking about someone that has a MVP that we're talking about. If you get rid of him, and you don't find someone that could take the team to a similar level or better, then you may be out of a job. And I know Eric DaCosta highly respected.

I know John Harbaugh highly respected. If they don't get this deal done with Lamar, or you could say maybe Lamar never wanted to get a deal done. But regardless of what the answer is, if they don't get the deal done, good luck trying to find the next answer. Because that takes, as we've seen with a lot of teams, not everyone goes from Favre to Rogers. Not everyone goes from Montana to Young. A lot of people are like the Broncos, where you go from Peyton Manning to crap, crap, crap, crap, crap, crap, crap before getting what you thought was the solution.

Then it blew up in your face with Russell Wilson so far. This is going to sound like a stupid question. If you think about it, I don't think it's that dumb whatsoever. Okay, I like how you prefaced that. This is going to be a stupid question, but it actually isn't.

Go ahead. Do the Ravens care about getting an upgrade over Lamar Jackson? They should!

I don't think they do. This is the same group that won a Super Bowl with Joe Flacco. I think they are still thinking about those days and saying, we won with Joe, Lamar doesn't want to be here, he wants this insane money.

We're not going to pay him, and we're going to do it our way, and we won with Joe, and we'll win with Lamar, we'll win without Lamar. Okay, but Joe Flacco was in some scrub. You know, if they're playing next year... Derek Carr level quarterback, so it's not like, you know... Oh, he's much better than Derek Carr. Joe Flacco. Joe Flacco? When Joe Flacco, for those three or four years, in a big, as a Patriot fan, as crazy as this sounds, whenever Joe Flacco would play the Patriots, I would get nervous at a postseason game. That dude played big in the big moment. I know he's not elite and all that, but this is a guy that...

It's not as if... If, let's just say, you're telling me that the Ravens think, oh, they won with Joe Flacco, stick with anybody. If they think they're going to start Tyler Huntley next year for the entire season, or Anthony Brown and think they're going to be a playoff team, you can forget about it. I mean, they won a Super Bowl with, whatchamacallit? Trent Dilfer?

Trent Dilfer. You had an all-time great defense. I'm just saying, but their identity is defense and running the ball. This defense is good.

It's not the only 2,000 Ravens. They've never been an identity around great quarterback play. I'm just throwing out there, when you talk about, if you are to trade them, I don't think they really care about, oh, we've got to get an equal return, or we've got to get someone better, because I think you're right.

First of all, the guy's not out there. And second of all, I don't think they care. Good luck, because I think if Lamar Jackson leaves that organization, that organization will just take a massive, and I mean a massive, step back.

Eric DaCosta, and if he were to trade Lamar Jackson. You know, that's something that we're not going to talk about at this point. I talked to Lamar today, as I said, and our focus right now is really to get a long-term deal done.

That's our singular focus at this point. It's going to take some time. It's going to take some effort. It's going to take great communication, give and take, but I'm confident that we'll be on the right path to get that done. He seems like a lawyer talking.

He really does. Here's Eric DaCosta saying he believes the deal will get done with Lamar. Our focus right now is really to get a long-term deal done. That's our singular focus at this point. It's going to take some time.

It's going to take some effort. It's going to take great communication, give and take, but I'm confident that we'll be on the right path to get that done. And here's Eric DaCosta saying Lamar wants to be a Raven for the rest of his career. I truly believe Lamar wants to finish his career in Baltimore. I just believe that in my conversations with him and just watching him and talking with him and communicating.

I think John feels that way too. So all of those things kind of work together for me that tell me that we still have a chance and that I should be as optimistic as possible. So you think Lamar wants to get a deal done. You guys want to get a deal done.

I continue to ask, and I don't know who does and who doesn't. Why isn't the deal getting done right now? Eric DaCosta says the Ravens won't ruin their future by chasing a big-time wide receiver. When you have a big-ticket item at quarterback, it makes it more challenging, not impossible. We'll have to get creative, and there's things we can do. There's a lot of different ways to go about constructing the team and finding players and affording players and various things like that. But we've got to be really creative. We'll have to make some tough calls on players that we have on the team, of course. And we'll consider everything.

There's different ways to do it. But what we don't want, I think, is to mortgage two years from now, three years from now, by paying a whole bunch of guys this year. Here's the thing, though. You would think, realistically, DeAndre Hopkins should be in play for the Ravens this offseason.

Hickey, right? Oh, yeah, absolutely. I have zero percent confidence that they will get the deal done for DeAndre Hopkins. You know who the Ravens are the AFC version of?

Go ahead. The Packers. They just said we'll never mortgage our future. We always want to be competitive. And they tried to get it done in the draft, except they haven't drafted a Christian Watson at wide receiver.

Right, and then two needs that each team we've talked about having. It's a good call. They've never gone all in. When you talk about this on your radio show, Friday into Saturday, 2 to 6 a.m. Eastern, make that point. Not that you haven't made a lot of good points throughout the years. You've made some bad ones. You've made some good ones.

I think that actually could be the best comparison you've ever made. It's a good job by you. You know, nice job, Hickey. John Harbaugh says he wants Lamar Jackson in Baltimore. A hundred percent, you know, 200 percent. There's no question about it. Lamar Jackson is our quarterback. He's been our quarterback. Everything we've done in terms of building our offense and building our team, how we think in terms of people and put people around him, is based on this incredible young man and his talent and his ability and his competitiveness. You know, he and I were talking today, too, and the things about Lamar that, to me, stands out, he's an incredible competitor. I mean, Lamar Jackson, all he wants to do is win. So if you keep on saying you want to get him back, then get him back. And then if you don't get him back on a long-term deal, then it's continue to be fair to ask if Lamar wants to get a deal done. Let's go to Questia Dofa-Mensah, the general manager of the Minnesota Vikings, and if they will reach an extension with Justin Jefferson this offseason. You've got a special player, a special person.

Those aren't problems, or at least those are, you know, champagne problems. So we'll start there. Yeah, we've had initial dialogue with him, his agent, all those things. We can factor that into the planning, but again, it really starts from the player to the person, and we'll work out solutions from there on. Hickey, it's funny to me because we talk about the Ravens, and do they want to get a deal done? Does Lamar want to get a deal done with the franchise? There is no doubt about it in my mind that Justin Jefferson's getting a fat, and I mean a fat extension this offseason. The only reason he doesn't get an extension is if he wants to wait, and he wants to say, let the market continue to reset, because he's going to get a blank check from the Minnesota Vikings. He'll be the highest paid wide receiver in the NFL two months from now, five months from now, whether it's like in March, whether it's in July.

No doubt, week one, he'll be the highest paid wide receiver. And real quickly, give me Zach Taylor not being phased by the Bengals being a five-point underdog. We know that we're the defending AFC champions, you know, and so there's an edge to this team. We're not an underdog to anybody, and so I think that's just been the feeling we've had all season.

We don't really care what anybody else says about us. We know we belong in the field with every team in this league. The Bengals better win this weekend. Joe Mixon doing a lot of talking. Zach Taylor doing a lot of talking.

I won't say I don't like it, but they are very confident. And it doesn't make sense to me. This is why I'm taking the Bills minus five, because it makes no sense why the Bengals are a five-point dog in this game.

So when it usually doesn't make sense, I go the other way. The NFL playoffs live on Odyssey. Caught, touchdown as time expires.

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