00:00According to SpotTrack, Washington has spent the third most in overall contract value in free agency at $231,260,000
00:11in total contract value.
00:13Third behind Tennessee at one, Vegas at two.
00:17In terms of the new players, overall contract's 15, but the new players, 12, they're number one.
00:24In terms of the number of new players acquired, Washington's acquired 12 new players, that's tops in the league.
00:33The new players are Adafi Owe, Chigakonkwo, Leo Chenal, Tim Settle, Amik Robertson, Nick Cross, Chason, Omenihue, Diami Brown is
00:44new, Van Jefferson, Jerome Ford, Rashad White.
00:48The three players that have been re-signed by the team during the free agency period, you know, once free
00:55agency began, Marcus Mariota, Trent Scott, and now Chris Paul back in the fold.
01:03So of those 15 moves, all right, the three in which they brought back their own players, and the 12
01:13new players signed, what's the move that you feel most confident in?
01:18You're going to be able to say sooner rather than later, man, Adam Peters nailed it on him.
01:27So, for me, like, I'll tell you, I'm not going to, this isn't going to be my answer, but I
01:32considered Marcus Mariota as a potential answer to this.
01:37Because all of this stuff is great, you know, the draft will be fun.
01:42This is fun, you know, this is like, let's see what they get, let's see who's out there, let's debate
01:47whether or not it was the right guy or the right contract.
01:50But the most important thing, and we spent years in the wilderness trying to solve the problem, but the most
01:58important thing they have, they have a starting, high-level, potential elite-level quarterback.
02:07And all of this stuff is great, and it's supportive of that, but without that, you'd be in big trouble,
02:16big trouble.
02:17His health, playing 17 games at the level he played at in 2024, will determine the season they have in
02:252026 more than any of the other stuff that's gone on.
02:29The other stuff's important, I'm not saying it isn't, I'm not saying it's meaningless.
02:34It's, of course, important, and it's important that they get it right, especially on the defensive side of the ball.
02:40Because without significant improvement defensively, there's only so much Jaden can do, because what he did in 2024 is aberration.
02:50That level of Superman performance with the defense they had and the supporting cast he had, you can't count on
02:59that.
02:59You can count on that to make sure that you're a competitive football team, that you win more games than
03:05you lose, but not make it to the NFC Championship game.
03:10With 12 regular season wins.
03:12You can't expect that without improving the roster.
03:16Now, the part of this that we don't know is we don't know if they did improve the roster.
03:20We can debate it right now, but they're always the questions of scheme, fit, desire, what happens when they get
03:27the money, all those different things.
03:29You got to trust that this group, in terms of understanding the psychological profile of these players, they've gotten that
03:39more right than wrong since they started this in 2024.
03:46So, Marcus Mariota is critical, because if you lose Jaden for a couple of games, you've got to have a
03:54competent answer, and we saw that he's competent.
03:56I say that, he was competent in the Kingsbury scheme, Kingsbury offense.
04:01I don't think Marcus Mariota is going to be any less, but it was really as good as he's looked
04:07since some of those early days in Tennessee with Arthur Smith.
04:13So, number one for me is definitely the guy that they signed second on Monday afternoon, and that's Adafi Owe.
04:25I was a fan of the player, the way he played down the stretch for the Chargers, the way he
04:31really impacted the playoff game for the Chargers and Foxborough.
04:36If they had any kind of offense in that game, just like if Houston had had any kind of responsible
04:43offense in the game in Foxborough, I don't think New England ever makes it to the Super Bowl, especially against
04:49the Texans.
04:50But that Charger defense, led by Adafi Owe, kept them in the game.
04:54He had three sacks and two forced fumbles in the game.
04:59I mean, he was arguably one of the top two or three players in the game, and they needed somebody
05:07like him.
05:08And he looks the part, the kind of taller, longer, angular, relentless, high motor.
05:17I know that Vinny Serrato, as a Ravens guy now, doing a Baltimore show, was on with us last week,
05:22said he really likes Owe and likes his motor and likes his athleticism, but he doesn't think he's got enough
05:27bend, need a little bit more bend.
05:30We'll see.
05:31I mean, he is, you know, right now in that mode of entering that 27 to 30-year-old portion
05:39of his career,
05:40where he either develops into a monster and into a really, really good player and starts earning some of those
05:46Pro Bowl votes and all-pro votes.
05:50And I think there's a chance he might.
05:53He's the guy that I think we're going to absolutely feel like, wow, okay, four years, 100 million, 68 guaranteed.
06:04It needs to equal double digits in sacks every single year.
06:09It needs to equal a number of deflections, a number of forced fumbles on strip sacks.
06:15And I think we're going to get that from him.
06:19That's my number one.
06:20The Mariota thing was super important, though.
06:24Super important.
06:25I love Chig.
06:26Loved him before free agency.
06:28Started talking about him right when we first started talking about free agency.
06:32Love Chanel.
06:34I think he's a fit.
06:35I'm actually more excited about Nick Cross than maybe I was before they signed him.
06:41But always the guy that I think has a chance.
06:45And the money would reflect it.
06:47The kind of deal he got would reflect this.
06:49I think he's got a chance to make this defense certainly improved and make Adam Peters and company look good.
06:57Who's the guy that you feel strongest about, Max, in terms of what they've done so far?
07:03So real quick, before I give you my answer, and this is going to be on the defensive side of
07:07the ball,
07:07we have some news on the offensive side of the ball.
07:12Her John Kime, well, crediting Adam Schefter, running back, Jeremy McNichols, is returning to Washington on a one-year deal.
07:18Big fan.
07:19And we were talking about this before the show.
07:20I really kind of expected to see him back in a commander's uniform because I know how much they like
07:24him.
07:25And he just does it all.
07:27So I'm a big fan of him returning.
07:29McNichols has been such...
07:31I mean, to listen to the coaches and to listen to Dan Quinn in particular talk about Jeremy McNichols,
07:37McNichols over these two seasons, they just love him.
07:41They absolutely love him as a person.
07:43They love him in the locker room.
07:45He is a jack of all trades, master of none, sure.
07:48But he's had moments carrying the football.
07:50He's certainly had moments on special teams.
07:52They felt more comfortable with him at times, without question, without Eckler in the lineup.
07:59They felt more comfortable with him than Bill or Rodriguez in pass pro.
08:04By the way, that's something that they're going to be getting, I think, in spades with Rashad White,
08:09a guy who can definitely, you know, high IQ, can definitely help protect the quarterback.
08:14But I expected that to happen.
08:18We talked about that many times.
08:19And I'm just looking at the other, you know, free agents on their list.
08:23So with McNichols back in the fold of the rest of the, yeah, I mean, at this point, Debo, Bobby
08:33Wagner,
08:33Zach Ertz, Eckler, Von Miller, you know, I thought Eddie Goldman was a possibility before they signed settle.
08:42Yeah, that may be it.
08:43That could be it.
08:44That could be the last one from the list of players that played for them last year who are now
08:50unrestricted free agents.
08:52By the way, Debo, Wagner, Ertz, always, you know, there was some of you were like, man, this really is
09:01a tell that none of our own players have been signed.
09:04None of our own players were wave one free agency guys.
09:09You know, there may have been a thought that Chris Paul was.
09:12He obviously tested the market, didn't get what he wanted.
09:15He's coming back.
09:16But Debo, Samuel, Bobby Wagner, Zach Ertz, at their age is Von Miller, you know, Austin Eckler.
09:22These are wave two, wave three.
09:24I mean, we're talking about over the next 30 days, you know, before the draft.
09:30Yes, you could see something happening with them or maybe even after the draft.
09:34They were not going to be first week guys anyway.
09:38Now, that does speak to the level of talent that they did not have on the roster.
09:43That's for sure, too.
09:44All right, everybody on hold, stay there.
09:46Give me the one new guy or returning guy.
09:51We now have 16 total, 12 new, four returning.
09:57Give me the one guy that you think Adam Peters is going to look best for bringing into the fold
10:03for 2026.
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