The George Pickens trade and the pass-catcher landscape
The George Pickens trade (mostly) brought to an end a busy offseason movement period for wide receivers. Davante Adams, D.K. Metcalf, Cooper Kupp, Stefon Diggs, Deebo Samuel, and Christian Kirk all find themselves on new teams. Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, Chris Godwin and Metcalf all signed big extensions. Ten receivers, including Travis Hunter, were selected in the first 70 picks of the NFL Draft, and reliable veterans like DeAndre Hopkins, Tyler Lockett and Josh Palmer also found new homes. What's the state of the wide receiver landscape after all that movement? Which groups improved the most? Which ones have us a bit concerned? And which ones are we sneaky excited to watch this season? Robert Mays and Derrik Klassen run that full route tree on this episode of The Athletic Football Show.Host: Robert MaysCo-Host: Derrik KlassenExecutive Producer: Michael BellerProducer: Michael BellerSubscribe to The Athletic Football Show...AppleSpotifyYouTubeFollow Robert on Bluesky: @robertmays.bsky.socialFollow Derrik on Bluesky: @qbklass.bsky.socialFollow Robert on X: @robertmaysFollow Derrik on X: @QBKlassTheme song: HauntedWritten by Dylan Slocum, Trevor Dietrich, Ruben Duarte, Kyle McAulay, and Meredith VanWoert / Performed by Spanish Love SongsCourtesy of Pure Noise / By arrangement with Bank Robber Music, LLC Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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52:53
Cold Takes Revisited
Almost every take comes scorching hot, right out of the oven. Some of them get cold awfully fast. But the good news about those cold takes is that we can learn a thing or two from them! So, what did our cold takes from 2024 teach us about the NFL and the way we think about it? Robert Mays and Derrik Klassen dig back in the shadowy past and bring it to light on this episode of The Athletic Football Show.Rundown The Jaguars are a playoff-quality team The Texans offense is elite Giants over Broncos and Commanders in the Wins Pool Everything about the Commanders Missing on the Eagles and Vikings defense Buying Jerod Mayo and the Patriots defense More pass-catchers is always good! (Stefon Diggs and Keenan Allen additions) Where was our 49ers doubt?Host: Robert MaysCo-Host: Derrik KlassenExecutive Producer: Michael BellerProducer: Michael BellerSubscribe to The Athletic Football Show...AppleSpotifyYouTubeFollow Robert on Bluesky: @robertmays.bsky.socialFollow Derrik on Bluesky: @qbklass.bsky.socialFollow Robert on X: @robertmaysFollow Derrik on X: @QBKlassTheme song: HauntedWritten by Dylan Slocum, Trevor Dietrich, Ruben Duarte, Kyle McAulay, and Meredith VanWoert / Performed by Spanish Love SongsCourtesy of Pure Noise / By arrangement with Bank Robber Music, LLC Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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1:06:39
Offseason Buy or Sell: Teams in Transition
With the 2025 NFL Draft firmly in the rear-view mirror, we are now in full-on offseason mode on The Athletic Football Show. With that comes one of our favorite offseason staples...are we buying or selling what each of the 32 teams did to improve their teams for the 2025 season? We start the series with what we're calling the Teams in Transition, which includes the Titans, Browns, Giants, Patriots, Jets, Raiders, Saints and Panthers. Do we buy or sell what those teams have done since the Super Bowl? Robert Mays and Derrik Klassen make their calls on those eight teams on this episode of The Athletic Football Show.Rundown Titans Browns Giants Patriots Jets Raiders Saints PanthersHost: Robert MaysCo-Host: Derrik KlassenExecutive Producer: Michael BellerProducer: Michael BellerSubscribe to The Athletic Football Show...AppleSpotifyYouTubeFollow Robert on Bluesky: @robertmays.bsky.socialFollow Derrik on Bluesky: @qbklass.bsky.socialFollow Robert on X: @robertmaysFollow Derrik on X: @QBKlassTheme song: HauntedWritten by Dylan Slocum, Trevor Dietrich, Ruben Duarte, Kyle McAulay, and Meredith VanWoert / Performed by Spanish Love SongsCourtesy of Pure Noise / By arrangement with Bank Robber Music, LLC Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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1:25:18
Draft fallout and James Cook's future lead the return of the TAFS mailbag
The draft is over, which means Mailbag Mondays are back! Robert Mays and Derrik Klassen tackle questions about quarterbacks improving their accuracy, the most electric recent draft moments, James Cook's future in Buffalo and more on this episode of The Athletic Football Show.Rundown Which teams bet in the draft on their ability to develop players? Are the Steelers the most unlikely team to win a SB in the next five years How easy is it for a QB to improve accuracy? Which past draft moments would you have wanted to cover live? What will Titans do with Will Levis? Is pass rush success with smaller pass rushers sustainable? Was the Falcons draft really that bad? Is Cam Ward the most valuable pick of the draft? Are we seeing new positions being prioritized in the draft? Making sense of late-round trades What to make of Washington pivoting to win-now Should the Bills work to retain James Cook right now? How many quarterabcks would be elite with the Eagles? How many teams can Patrick Mahomes make elite?Host: Robert MaysCo-Host: Derrik KlassenExecutive Producer: Michael BellerProducer: Michael BellerSubscribe to The Athletic Football Show...AppleSpotifyYouTubeFollow Robert on Bluesky: @robertmays.bsky.socialFollow Derrik on Bluesky: @qbklass.bsky.socialFollow Robert on X: @robertmaysFollow Derrik on X: @QBKlassTheme song: HauntedWritten by Dylan Slocum, Trevor Dietrich, Ruben Duarte, Kyle McAulay, and Meredith VanWoert / Performed by Spanish Love SongsCourtesy of Pure Noise / By arrangement with Bank Robber Music, LLC Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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1:26:43
Biggest questions remaining after the draft
The coaching carousel has stopped spinning. The free agency frenzy is in the rear-view mirror. The 2025 NFL Draft is done. All 32 teams as currently constructed are essentially what they are going to be when they take the field in Week 1. So what are the weightiest questions we still have? Robert Mays and Derrik Klassen ask, and try to answer, those questions on this episode of The Athletic Football Show.Rundown Who's going to catch passes for the Cowboys? Is the Bills pass-catcher anxiety warranted? Is the Cardinals OL good enough to get them where they want to go? Did Houston do enough on defense to stay the course? Who plays QB for the Steelers in 2025 The Panthers didn't draft a corner, and didn't take a safety until the fourth round....ummmm, what? How soon do we see Tyler Shough starting for the Saints? Sneaky teams we're excited to watch in 2025 Do any of the veteran trade candidates get moved? What happens with the veteran free agents and contract extension candidates? What are the Vikings going to do in the secondary? Lingering team-specific needsHost: Robert MaysCo-Host: Derrik KlassenExecutive Producer: Michael BellerProducer: Michael BellerSubscribe to The Athletic Football Show...AppleSpotifyYouTubeFollow Robert on Bluesky: @robertmays.bsky.socialFollow Derrik on Bluesky: @qbklass.bsky.socialFollow Robert on X: @robertmaysFollow Derrik on X: @QBKlassTheme song: HauntedWritten by Dylan Slocum, Trevor Dietrich, Ruben Duarte, Kyle McAulay, and Meredith VanWoert / Performed by Spanish Love SongsCourtesy of Pure Noise / By arrangement with Bank Robber Music, LLC Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Acerca de The Athletic Football Show: A show about the NFL
The Athletic’s flagship NFL podcast covers the league like only The Athletic can. Host Robert Mays and co-host Derrik Klassen dive into the biggest stories, break down the Xs and Os, tackle the ins and outs of roster building, follow the details of why we all love this sport, and have plenty of fun along the way, bringing the expertise necessary to cover the NFL at the highest level. Whether it’s happening on the field or behind the scenes, you’ll get an in-depth look at all things NFL on The Athletic Football Show, available wherever you get your podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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