- 2 days ago
Todd Archer joined Shan, RJ, and Bobby to recap a wild Cowboys press conference and to preview the NFL Draft. Archer discussed the team's decision to not pursue contract talks with George Pickens and instead have him play on the franchise tag this season. He broke down their strategy for round 1, shared his thoughts on defensive prospects, and more.
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00:00But I was watching that, and I was like, oh, my goodness.
00:03Former President Bill Clinton just walked in.
00:06Todd Archer, number one most random moment for you?
00:10I don't know what else there could be.
00:13I mean, Roger Salva came into a Schottenheimer press conference last season,
00:18but that makes sense, right?
00:20I mean, he's a former Cowboy quarterback.
00:22Like, a president showing up just to say hey to an Arkansas buddy.
00:27Yeah, I did not have that on the bingo card yesterday.
00:31Was there any added security?
00:34Like, did you get, like, when you went in there, was anybody, like, patting down?
00:37Was there metal detectives?
00:38Nothing, nothing.
00:40Yeah.
00:41No, there was – I mean, later – I got there a little bit earlier,
00:44but I guess later on, you know, the SUVs were all parked outside.
00:47But, no, there was nothing.
00:50Like, it was – and then when he showed up, I was like, are we supposed to stand up?
00:55Like, I had no idea what we were supposed to do, like, when a president walked into a room.
01:02Could you feel the political divide in the room?
01:09That's a politics joke, Todd.
01:13I'm trying to – well, I was trying to come up with something good.
01:17Clarence was happy.
01:18I'm wondering how many calls that went to the Cowboys' office yesterday for those wondering why Jerry would even talk
01:26to a Democratic.
01:30Who'd you say was happy, Chop?
01:32Clarence.
01:35Todd Archer, ESPN, joining us here on Draft Day 105.3 The Fan.
01:40And, of course, the George Pickens news takes over everything, Todd, by saying we are not going to be having
01:47any negotiations with GP throughout the remainder of this offseason.
01:51How surprised are you, number one, that that's their – that's the way that they're going to approach it?
01:58And, two, that Stephen said it.
02:02I'm not surprised that that's the way they're going to approach it because when we talked to them at the
02:06owners' meetings, it was starting to become clear that that was going to be their plan.
02:13Especially how Jerry talked about the tag and it's part of the strategy and it's in the CBA and it's
02:20really, you know, a tool that all the teams can use and we've used it in the past.
02:23So, like, I left the owners' meeting thinking they're just going to not try and do a deal and they're
02:30going to avoid all this July 15th talk altogether.
02:34So, that wasn't surprising.
02:37It was – you could tell Stephen had the answer ready to go.
02:42He was waiting for the Pickens question and had that answer ready.
02:46So, but still a little surprised.
02:49And, you know, like, obviously that became the story of the day, nothing about Ethan topping the president showing up,
02:56which is kind of nuts.
02:59But that became the story of the day and then it turned into, well, what's Pickens' response to this?
03:05Like, I can see the Cowboys, like, it does make sense, right?
03:08Like, you've got a $34 million receiver right now.
03:12You've not had George for a full calendar year yet.
03:15We know as great as he was on the field, there was still some off-field stuff.
03:19You want to see some more.
03:21I get wanting to have some more cost sureness in a deal going forward.
03:27Now, if he has another great season, whatever that deal could have been this year goes up in price.
03:33So, you have a $34 million receiver plus a higher paid receiver in 2027.
03:392027, I don't know what Pickens' response is to this, or I say Pickens, what his agent's response to this
03:49would be, right?
03:50Because what do you do now?
03:52Well, we know what the usual response is.
03:54We know what the Micah response was, right?
03:57But Micah was on the contract.
03:59Yeah.
03:59So, ultimately, Micah was going to have to.
04:00So, this is different.
04:01But how is not playing or benefit George Pickens?
04:07How does, right?
04:08Because there's a reason why the Cowboys got him for a third-round pick last May.
04:14Yeah.
04:16There's reason why there's no other teams.
04:18If they didn't put the exclusive tag on him, everybody could have talked to him,
04:22and everybody could have worked out a separate deal and still can work out a separate deal
04:26beyond the two number ones that the CBA said.
04:30Todd, do you think?
04:31Do you think it's the same sort of setup to where, you know, when he was traded here last year,
04:37a lot of people wondered, is he going to be willing to play on a final year of his deal?
04:39And he did.
04:40And it kind of surprised people that he was willing to show up and just be on it.
04:43Are the Cowboys making a similar sort of assessment here of, like,
04:48given what his reputation was around the league,
04:50there's no chance that he's going to look difficult in this negotiation.
04:54He's going to play.
04:56Again, I would say, how can he not play?
04:59If he shows up week 10 and he's bypassed, you know, the first eight weeks of paychecks that way,
05:08well, that's money he's never going to get back.
05:10Ask Le'Veon Bell how it worked out for him, right?
05:15So, I believe the Cowboys are like, we don't want the headaches.
05:20We don't want to have all the – every time that we're in front of everybody,
05:23what's the latest with George?
05:25What's the latest with George?
05:26Is there going to be a contract?
05:27How come you're not talking?
05:29Are you willing to talk to the agent?
05:31Have you pulled George into your office, Jerry?
05:32Ha, ha, ha.
05:33All that kind of stuff.
05:37So, I think the Cowboys, going this route, it makes, like I said,
05:42it makes sense for them in everything that they want to do financially.
05:47And I think it puts it back on the other side and say, what do you do here?
05:52Like, I don't even know why.
05:53Like, come in and sign the tender today.
05:56Like, at least you've guaranteed yourself $27 million.
06:01Let's say he's out running routes with Dak at Salina High School,
06:06and he gets hurt up there.
06:10Theoretically, the Cowboys – now you can sign the tag,
06:12and theoretically the Cowboys could say, well, that's a non-football injury
06:15because you weren't with us.
06:17Yeah.
06:18So, we don't have to pay you.
06:19I don't think they would do that.
06:20But starting Monday, he can be at the store all he wants,
06:25and him and Dak can throw and catch every day if they wanted to,
06:30and they have at least the assurance that he's going to make $27.3 million this year.
06:37I don't know.
06:38There's nowhere else where he's going to make that unless they trade him.
06:42So, you want to go down that one?
06:43I don't think that will happen, but here we go.
06:46Max Crosby for George Pickens.
06:48Oh, Todd Archer, ESPN here on Sean and RJ 105.3 The Fan.
06:53And so, Todd, I would guess Mulegeta's at least threat would be, okay, we're not showing up.
07:00And, yeah, no one offered up two first-round picks when you tagged him,
07:05but you're going to trade him, and you can accept a one.
07:09You can maybe even accept a two.
07:12Why would that not be Mulegeta's approach?
07:14Teams didn't call to offer two ones, but we're still not showing up,
07:18and we're going to make your life miserable and mess up one of the DAC years
07:22unless you accept a little bit less and go ahead and trade him somewhere else.
07:27Do you think that other teams are also hesitant to give him the money, the two firsts?
07:32Yes.
07:32The two firsts and the money.
07:33It's not the two firsts.
07:35They could have negotiated a deal from the beginning of free agency for not the two firsts.
07:42That's not a holdup.
07:44There's not anybody that's called the Cowboys on a possible trade.
07:49As far as we know, there's been no teams that have been investigated the possibility
07:53of doing a long-term deal with them.
07:55Again, a year ago, the Cowboys got him for a third-round pick.
08:00And we know, we've all written it, that there are still issues.
08:04It wasn't like huge stuff, but when the head coach is up there, he's like,
08:09yeah, he gets to the meetings, he's just late all the time.
08:13Other teams know and see that.
08:16Are they going to want to commit 36, 37, 38?
08:20I don't even want to say 42 because that's one guy's market.
08:25Are they going to want to commit to that when they don't know the guy?
08:27So they don't even have a season's worth of experience with them.
08:32So that's why I just – sure, you can mess it up for Dak and the Cowboys,
08:37but how is that serving George when he already has all this stuff behind him,
08:44whether it's not as bad as everybody thinks or worse than people think?
08:51How do people – how would that serve him by, well, I'm not going to show up
08:55because he's just playing into the narrative that's out there?
08:59Todd, do you think this is truly just about like, let's get a bigger picture,
09:04a bigger sample size, or are they simply delaying what will be an inevitable divorce?
09:10Yeah, I think there'll be a compensatory pick in 2028 from the Cowboys for George Pickens.
09:17Yeah, I mean, you know, Jerry said there's a long-term plan that they have
09:20when he said that at the owner's meeting.
09:23He didn't say the long-term plan is signing him to a long-term contract.
09:27He said it's a long-term plan.
09:29The long-term plan is he played 17 games last year,
09:32hope to play 17 games this year, and maybe more if they make the playoffs.
09:37And then if he balls out and has a great year,
09:40then somebody else comes and tries to sign him,
09:43and the Cowboys find his replacement.
09:47I don't see a long-term deal happening here.
09:50And I just gave you guys the clip version of on your Twitter.
09:57But Todd, the George Pickens fan club, Choppy included,
10:02are screaming right now, okay, so freaking what?
10:07He's late to a couple meetings.
10:08Dak Prescott is publicly in love with him.
10:10CeeDee Lamb is publicly in love with him.
10:12Brian Schottenheimer, all he does is talk about how much he loves football.
10:15What do you say to the Cowboy fan who's saying you are over-punishing him
10:19for what many a great player have done?
10:22How bad is it really behind the scenes to have them maybe inevitably divorce
10:27after one more season?
10:30Well, I don't think that's – I truly don't.
10:33I think the Cowboys look at it and say, are we going to give this guy –
10:39what do you guys think the average per year should be?
10:41And please don't say –
10:4340 million.
10:43Jackson Smith and Jigwood just got 42 million.
10:4634.
10:4633 or 34, right next to Lamb.
10:49Okay.
10:50They're saying we want to see more.
10:52I don't know what's wrong with that.
10:54Right?
10:55He's had one great season.
10:58But it's his only year with a really good quarterback.
11:01Okay.
11:02Good.
11:02Congratulations.
11:03He should have got – he shouldn't have had issues coming out of Georgia.
11:06He would have got drafted higher and maybe with a team with a better quarterback.
11:09Like, this isn't something that happened in the NFL.
11:11There were majority questions about him.
11:14So, to me, I want to see it again.
11:18And that's apparently what the Cowboys are saying.
11:21I don't think there's anything wrong with that.
11:23And if everybody wants to bitch and complain about it, well, complain to the NFLPA who's not taking the franchise
11:29tags out of the collective bargain agreements.
11:32Do you think that this jives and is consistent with their window then?
11:38Their whole thing about a three-, two-, three-year window, you know, wouldn't keeping George Pickens go along with that?
11:45This is inconsistent with the window.
11:47Well, they can tag him again next year and it'll be $33 million.
11:51So, he'll make $60 million over the next two seasons.
11:55And you think he plays a regular – both regular seasons under those circumstances?
12:00Do you think he plays –
12:01What else is he going to do?
12:03Is he not going to play?
12:05Is he not going to want to earn this money?
12:08How does sitting out – seriously, I'm asking the question.
12:11Yeah.
12:11How does sitting out benefit him?
12:12Well, can he sit out till week 10 and get his full salary?
12:17He misses all those game checks.
12:19He misses those.
12:20He doesn't get 27.
12:21Shoot, I wish we could all – wouldn't everybody do that?
12:24Yeah.
12:24If you could miss the first eight weeks of a season and still get paid, man, I would take that
12:30job.
12:30So, he just gets the accredited year.
12:33Correct.
12:33Okay.
12:34Todd, you know, we've heard a lot of buzz relating to the NFL draft, relating to what the Cowboys are
12:39doing and how they have an outlook on things.
12:41Is this wrap this tonight?
12:43It's tonight.
12:44It's tonight.
12:44It's the next three days.
12:45You can find coverage right here on 105.3 The Fan, and I'm sure on ESPN as well, Todd.
12:50So, when we look at the talk of them not wanting to trade up, which has become a common thought,
12:55that they would rather not trade up.
12:57I think there's a question from some fans of, is that a confidence of knowing what will be available to
13:03them,
13:04or is that potentially they might be asleep at the switch here and not understanding what's going to happen ahead
13:09of them?
13:10No, I think they have a confidence that someone that they really like is going to be there at 12.
13:16Whether that's misplaced or not, we'll find out.
13:20But I wouldn't, Stephen said after, when he was asked, you know, basically said, we're not trading into the top
13:27five.
13:28So, all that Arizona talking go away in my mind.
13:31Now, maybe he said top five because Cleveland's an option at six and KC's an option at nine.
13:39I think they would be willing to move up to those spots, maybe not six, but certainly nine,
13:47and how you can work a deal with the Chiefs that can make everybody happy and still get a defensive
13:52guy that they need.
13:55But I think in their mind, they're going to see some more offensive players go than maybe a week and
14:02a half ago,
14:03many people thought, and that'll push down a defensive guy to them, a Downs, a Delane, a Stiles.
14:11You know, that's why I think Stephen was saying what he was saying yesterday.
14:16They have a confidence in there, but I think they'll be prepared and be nimble to make a small move
14:22up
14:23if things change pretty quickly right before they're on the clock.
14:29Todd, take Reese and Bailey out of it.
14:32Who do you think they would love to see the most at 12, you know, in terms of one, two,
14:38three options
14:39that they would absolutely love to see fall to them?
14:43I would put Downs first.
14:47Then Stiles and then Delane.
14:51And I think it could be the first two guys don't get there and Delane would be the guy
14:56they would end up with, and you end up with the best corner in the draft of 12.
15:00I think that would be fine.
15:05But, hey, that's the reason why I picked Jordan Tyson in our mock draft.
15:08I'm glad you brought, I'm glad you bring that up, because that was going to be the next question.
15:12If, for some reason, one of those defenders doesn't get to them and Tyson's sitting there,
15:17I know you mocked Tyson, but is that an instance where they go, all right, we're just going to take
15:20Tyson then,
15:21or do you think they go, let's try to bail out of here?
15:24I think they try and bail out of there, to be honest with you.
15:26Now, what have we all said about this draft?
15:29It's not very strong.
15:30It's not, you know, you have positional values that aren't the best.
15:35So, why would someone else be shot in the arm over a guy to want to move up to give
15:40you something to move down?
15:43So, if they move down at 12, I would bet they would not win the chart battle on that one,
15:50just the way it goes.
15:51Now, 20, they might be in a situation where that one falls to them better if they want to move
15:59down when it comes to the chart,
16:00because maybe Ty Simpson, is that too early for someone at the top of the second to want to move
16:06back up and get him and get that 50-year option?
16:08Maybe that's a possibility.
16:11But, what was the question again?
16:14If they would trade out or if they would take Tyson.
16:16Did you watch the Stars last night?
16:20Well, I fell asleep.
16:21I apologize for that.
16:24But, here's the question.
16:26If they're staring at Reuben Bain and Jordan Tyson, what do they do?
16:32And if they were to, like to me, it's like, how do you not take Reuben Bain?
16:36Your defense needs addressing.
16:39I realize there are questions about the guy, but, man,
16:43if you were to take a receiver over the third best pass rusher, theoretically, man, that would be a gutsy
16:50move.
16:51And gutsy is probably a polite way of saying it.
16:53Where would they have to be in the draft, do you think?
16:56Like, roughly what position to take Bain and to take McCoy?
17:00Jermott McCoy, the corner from Tennessee.
17:03I think with McCoy, they'd have to have a second-round pick,
17:06and they don't have one of those right now.
17:08So, I think with Bain, they're at 12 now, 18, maybe 20.
17:1520 could be the responsibility for him.
17:18So, again, we're going on what we think we know and heard and talked to,
17:23and who knows which paths we're being led down.
17:28So, but, yeah, I would take Bain at 12 if them knowing their needs and what they have to have.
17:37But I think it would be a hell of a conversation that they're having inside the draft room tonight
17:42if that were to be the case.
17:44Todd Archer, ESPN, here on Sean and RJ.
17:46What did your phone and mentions look like after you mocked Jordan Tyson to them at 12?
17:54I am an idiot.
17:57That's our clip.
17:59Yeah, yeah.
18:00Well, I can say that every time I'm on with y'all.
18:05But what I kept coming back to is like, well, who was I supposed to take?
18:09Did they not, like, we couldn't trade up, we couldn't trade down.
18:12You had to make a pick.
18:15So, who was I supposed to take that would have had a higher grade than Jordan Tyson?
18:20And I don't know if you guys know this, but in 2020, the Cowboys weren't looking for a receiver in
18:26the draft.
18:27But, boy, they're at 17 and the six-rated player.
18:31So, like, they've done this before.
18:33I don't know if the blinking light would be like CeeDee Lamb in that scenario because of, you know,
18:39how a little further up in the draft they are.
18:43But I'll be honest with you.
18:46There's another reason on these mock drafts.
18:47You sometimes pick players in spots where you know they won't be there when your team picks.
18:54And you won't be wrong.
18:58Right.
18:59I took Ted Aroa McMillan last year.
19:01He was gone by the Cowboys pick.
19:03I wasn't wrong.
19:05That's right.
19:05Are you keeping a mock draft scoreboard of your record, Todd?
19:08Sounds it.
19:09I try to, yes.
19:11I had Dan Dresch.
19:12I had Zach Martin.
19:13Look at the competition.
19:14I would have had Byron Jones.
19:16I got hosed on that one years ago in 2015.
19:19So, yeah, look, this is, you want to at least feel like you have some degree of knowledge of the
19:26team you're covering.
19:28But if you, if you, if you're in a situation, now I did get Zeke wrong.
19:32I got, they had the fourth pick in the draft and I had Jalen Ramsey being the guy.
19:35Which is smart.
19:41I didn't quite grasp Jason Garrett's control in the room at that point.
19:47So, yeah, if you're not wrong, that's, that's better than, what am I trying to say?
19:55Being wrong.
19:55If you're not wrong, it's better than being wrong.
19:58Now, Todd, you, you mentioning Tyson though, and just like, okay, there's the question about pickings and maybe you're just
20:03trying to, to go need versus play or whatever else.
20:06But you would, you would say with certainty though, like the Cowboys do like him.
20:10Like he would be somebody, even if it's not a big light, they, they do like him as a player.
20:14For sure.
20:14Absolutely.
20:15And what's funny is I don't think he was able to get in the building for a, for even a
20:20Dallas day quote visit, even though it wouldn't have been a workout for him.
20:23It would have been a more top 30 version of a Dallas day.
20:26I think his schedule was so full.
20:28I don't think the Cowboys ever got him in there.
20:30I, I wasn't able to completely track that down, but I believe that's the case.
20:34But yeah, they, they, they like them.
20:37They were at his workout.
20:38They there's, they have, he has a lot of fans in the, in that building.
20:42So who do you think they like at 20 between some of these edges that have not inspired the fan
20:48base, a lot of Colton hood talk as well.
20:51Or do you think their first preference is to, is to trade out of that?
20:56Um, I don't know if it's to trade out necessarily.
21:00Um, I, but the, the, the first part of that is I don't think Mesidor would be their guy at
21:0820, um, either.
21:10Um, it's funny how you can get, you know, more of who they wouldn't take than who they would take
21:16is how it kind of works.
21:17Um, but excuse me, but Malachi Lawrence would be maybe a little rich for him there.
21:23TJ Parker, maybe a little rich for him there.
21:25Um, that, you know, depending on what they do at 12, I, I don't see them taking two defensive backs,
21:34obviously in the first round, but if they don't, if they were to get styles or they surprise us and
21:40do, do, uh, take Bain, then I could see it being a Chris Johnson or a Dylan Thienemann, uh, being
21:48their, their pick at, uh, at 20.
21:50Uh, from a defensive back standpoint, um, there is no linebacker to take at 20.
21:57So I wouldn't count for the, for the Texas tech fans.
22:01I would not think the Cowboys would take Jacob Rodriguez.
22:04Take that one.
22:05First round.
22:07Sorry to disappoint.
22:09Todd, Todd.
22:10Is there, that's why they needed second or third round pick to, well, a second round pick to get, get
22:15a rookie linebacker.
22:16And that brings us to, they have, you think, I would think they have some,
22:20somebody lined up in a George Pickens, like trade that they did a year ago and they didn't get a
22:25receiver at linebacker.
22:27Todd, is there anything that you really believe or know that is going to happen above them at 12, but,
22:36but before 12?
22:38Oh yeah, sure.
22:40Mendoza is going to go number one.
22:42Sorry.
22:42Gosh, the mighty.
22:43He left in the opening.
22:45Besides Fernando.
22:47Sources on that one, by the way.
22:48Uh, no, I'm just, you know, I talked to Fernando yesterday and he thinks he's got a good chance of
22:54going there.
22:58I, I, I, you know, love, Reese Bailey and love will all be gone by 12.
23:06I'm breaking news there too, aren't I?
23:08Okay.
23:08Um, but what, give me a more specific one.
23:13Who's the guy that could fall to them?
23:14Like, do you, do you really think that like, are the Titans more in on styles or love?
23:19What Washington may be doing?
23:22Kansas City's preference.
23:23Are the Giants married to Downs?
23:25Are they married to Downs at five?
23:26Is there anything that you think you know?
23:30No.
23:32Okay.
23:33I'll stress the think I know.
23:35Not that I actually know that I know.
23:36Okay.
23:37I, I, I don't know if the Giants are as married on Downs as people think.
23:43Yes.
23:44And that's why I think he could be there at 12 for, for, for the Cowboys.
23:49Um, it, all of it is kind of dependent on what they do at five, obviously, but like,
23:56I think an offensive lineman for the Giants kind of makes sense, uh, as well.
24:02So I know we all want to say, well, this would give Harbaugh this type of safety had in Baltimore
24:10all those years with Hamilton and, and things like that.
24:13So, um, I don't know if that's as in ink as a lot of people that, that would be the
24:20one
24:20that I would say that that's a reason for Cowboys to hope that Caleb Downs can be there
24:25at, at 12.
24:26Once again, he sets a YouTube record for the week.
24:30We are not compensating you for it.
24:32Almost a thousand from Todd Archer ESPN waking up with us early for the long draft weekend.
24:38You're a beast.
24:39Thank you so much.
24:41Sounds great.
24:42Thanks fellas.
24:43We'll see you.
24:43Bobby, you're going to be out there.
24:44I'm going to be out there.
24:45I'm going to be, uh, working hard to, to steal your scoops in a tie and a button and a,
24:50I'm not wearing a tie.
24:51I told them that, uh, the other day and they're like, you're kidding, right?
24:53It's like, no, I'm not wearing a tie.
24:54Brian wasn't around for the draft show the whole year.
24:56He can't tell me what to do tonight.
24:57Oh, well, why?
24:59Wow.
25:00How's that going to go right there?
25:01Yeah.
25:01I'm just, I'm, I'm laying it down, Todd.
25:03Thank you, Todd.
25:04See you guys.
25:05Okay.
25:05See you guys.
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