Pittsburgh Steelers should’ve traded T.J. Watt BEFORE the 2025 NFL Draft | 3 & Out Mailbag

Pittsburgh Steelers should’ve traded T.J. Watt BEFORE the 2025 NFL Draft | 3 & Out Mailbag

What’s up everybody? I’m John Middlec. You know what I need you to do? Subscribe to our YouTube channel. We got content for days reacting to every NFL game all the time, every single day. Subscribe, like the videos. Let’s go. [Music] What is going on everybody? How are we doing? I just slammed a turkey sandwich and I said, “You know what? Do a weekend mailbag.” We uh obviously haven’t done as many podcasts over the last couple weeks. I’m feeling antsy. My DMs, John Middle, that is how you get in on the mailbag. You just DM my Instagram, just my name, two Fs. Fire in those DMs, get your questions answered here on the show. And that’s what we’re going to do. We’re not going to not going to go too crazy long, but I’ll just bang out maybe 10ish questions here. And u like I said, you guys know the drill. Fire in those DMs. Questions answered here on the show. Middle of summer. Hopefully you guys are enjoying it, staying semi cool. It’s extremely hot where I’m at, but u hopefully you’re in a pool or a lake somewhere and enjoying life. Start with TJ. Big Steeler fan. I go to at least three Steeler games a year. I like that dedication. It was time for Mik to go and I didn’t think they’d actually do it. There was a lot of times big plays were given up and everyone is just standing looking at him or a missed tackle from him and he’s leading the pack chasing Derrick Henry down the sideline. I trust Tomlin. If he’s selling, he knows more than we do. I would tend to agree. Uh they they’ve done a pretty good job selling on players. I I would say that the Steelers don’t typically sell on a guy and have that guy at the highest level come back and bite them in the ass. They they have a pretty good track record, especially recently. Antonio Brown, again, I’m not comparing Minka to Antonio Brown, you know, personalitywise. Antonio Brown was a better player. Uh weird situation, but even recently, again, these guys weren’t as good as Minka, but Chase Clayool, George Pickkins, they got they got a pretty good idea. Uh, and listen, you if you watch every single snap of the Steelers, you know him better than me. A lot of you guys push back when I reacted to the trade, you know, I don’t break down safety film. So, in a in a especially with a player like that, I immediately just text a couple buddies who are dialed in in the league and I say, “What do you think?” He said, “Listen, Mick is still a really really good player, but the safety position is complicated. It’s kind of like the new running back. He’s going to need a new contract. Uh, are you going to pay him again? He’s not that old, so he’s going to want a lot of money. It’s clearly a pos I would call safety the new running back. You could argue it’s been a lot like the running back over the last 10ish years. It’s a uh it’s not valued like it will. I mean, when I was a kid, star safeties were everywhere. Hell, I mean, honestly, up until the 2000s, the games changed a little bit. Um, obviously corner, which has always been valued, but is in like a different stratosphere than safety. Here’s TJ’s question. With that being said, question. What do you think the actual trade value for TJ Watis? I’m thinking a late first round pick and a player. I know the Eagles are interested. What do you think we could get? It’s a great question. Well, if you were to trade him, which I I think at this point would be shocking giving given that they’re all in with the Rogers situation trading for DK. Uh but you could never say never. It’s the NFL. I don’t know what the Eagles would have to give you back like a you said a player like who’s the player, right? Because if you’re going to trade a your best pass rusher, you’re going to want one of their defensive linemen. They’re not giving you Jaylen Carter. They give you Jordan Davis. I mean, that’s that’s not a apple forapple trade. So, if they gave you a first rounder and Jordan Davis who needs to get paid here in a year, and again, paid is all relative. I think sometimes we throw that out. This guy needs to get paid. Well, yeah. You know, there’s a big difference between just because his contract’s ending, he needs a new contract. Like, what is the number? And again, I’m just using this as an example. You know, I I think if you were going to trade TJ, we talked about this with Miles Garrett and Max Crosby. When you do it before the draft, there’s a lot of value there, right? And for a team, even if you’re, you know, if you were to trade Miles Garrett or Max Crosby, both those teams would big time be waving. We’re waving the white flag this upcoming year. I I remember when Khalil Mack was traded, it was after the draft, right before the season, and they got a couple first round picks. To me, the Steelers one, I I don’t think his value is two first round picks given that he’s 30 years old, but like I I the Steelers would want a player back. So, I I’m with you. Would they get, you know, if the Eagles were willing a first round pick and a player? Again, I think if you’re the Steelers, you would you would want it to be a defensive lineman. Now, I’m not comparing Brandon Iayuk to TJ Watt, but the 49ers chose not to trade Brandon Iayuk last year before the draft when they had good offers on the table. And then they waited and then the contract negotiation got weird and they’re like, okay, we’ll trade you. But there, the big thing with them to trade him was like, we need a wide receiver back because like the Steelers, we’re trying to win. This is not like when the Jags traded Jaylen Ramsay and some of these teams that trade quote unquote star bigname guys like they’re punting on the season. Steelers would not be. So you would have to get like the Amari Cooper thing made a lot of sense. The problem was Brandon’s like I’m not going to sign there. And that’s where these situations kind of become like an NBA trade because if I’m trading you a first round pick and a player or let’s even say a first round pick and a third round pick or something, I’m going to want TJ Watt to sign when I trade him. Part of the Khalil Mack again who was way younger at the time when they traded him. It was it was his first contract, you know, first contract extension post his rookie deal. This would be TJ’s whatever third contract, which again, they just gave DK Mechaf his third contract, right? Seattle drafted him, then they extended him, and then they’re like, “Yeah, we’re not into giving you the third contract.” And in fairness, John Schneider’s done that with a lot of guys, Earl Thomas, Richard Sherman. Like, you just get to that third contract. It’s why I do understand it’s kind of a weird spot for the Steelers, but I if I was a betting man right now, I would say it’d be about 90 plus% that TJ Watt is not traded. Now, you get to a point where if you’re just not willing to give him money, he’s like, I’m not showing up cuz would someone blow you away? Uh would that team be comfortable giving him a ton of money? Because if you’re him, is this is this like a What are we looking for? Are we looking for like Miles Garrett, Max Crosby, I need $100 million? Would he take like a two-year extension at like $60 million if you guaranteed every penny? The these situations get complicated with older players in the NFL because of the injury concerns. Uh, but as another guy told me in the league, like a huge part of what TJ brings to the table is the intangible leadership value. And that’s that’s something obviously the Steelers really value. God, I’m fired up. The British Open is here. 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Download the DraftKings Sportsbook app now and use the code John. That’s code jn for new customers to get 150 in bonus bets instantly when you bet just five bucks only on DraftKings. The crown is yours. Not a Charger or Raider fan, but have a ton of respect for Khalil Mack. He has been one of the most dominant guys in this position since day one and is still going strong. If he retired tomorrow, do you think he would be a first you think he would be a Hall of Famer? If so, what about a first ballot Hall of Famer? I actually had to look this up. just because you gain like the Pro Bowls, you know, certain guys drop out. So if you have nine Pro Bowls, which Khalil does, maybe seven of those were, no doubt about it, some of those are guys drop out. To me, all pros tell a pretty good story. And he was he’s a five-time allp pro. I think four times first team, one time second team. Like that’s pretty good. I think Patrick Willis, who had a shorter career, is like five or six time allpro. So when Cleo Mack was on in his prime, still really good. Two years ago, he had 17 sacks. though I think in one game he had six. Uh was I think Denver Broncos. I first ballot again I I think we have to like to me when you say first ballot hall of famer I think like Aaron Donald Pton Manning you know Cleo Mack to me Hall of Famer I have no problem putting him in the Hall of Fame but you got to work a little bit for it. So to me he would his career is still going. I mean he could easily have a double digit sack year. the Chargers could be in the playoffs and keep adding to that resume. But I would say as I’m recording this right now, he’s not a first ballot hall of famer. Dylan Gabriel, this is from Chris. Although I agree with your take, is it really hard to believe that the Browns wanted him in the third round? Second all time in passing yards, second all time in passing TDs, 73% completion percentage, quick release, accurate. He played a bet in a better conference and was sacked half as much and objectively had a better season than Shadore. If you don’t believe me, he finished third in the Heisman while Shadore finished eighth. He’s going to be an asset in the film room and whatever the starter throws a pick. Nobody is going to call his name. He knows where to put the ball. He’s just not 6’5, 230 lbs. The more I think about it, Gabriel is a perfect backup and could very well have a 10ear career. I I just have a hard time seeing many teams if any teams would have drafted him like part listen he played college football for a long long time. So you giving me those stats. Two things can be true. Dylan Gabriel is a good player. No one’s ever been like this guy can’t play. He can play. Played at Oklahoma, played at Oregon. Like this guy’s not some slouch. But there is a big difference between like are you a good college prospect? He’s really small. I mean really small. 5’11, 205. I I think he plays more like 190 pounds. He’s not a big-time athlete, right? So, he’s not really running around, you know, unless your offensive lineman is the Eagles, you’re going to be under siege in the NFL. And when you’re small, you get crushed. And he does not have a great arm. So, I’m not anti the player, but I think as a third round pick, I I just I just have a hard time envisioning that they were competing. I I stick by my theory. They really like the guy and probably in a normal draft they would have taken him in the fourth or the fifth round, but Jimmy Hasslam is hanging over their shoulders. Shador Sanders is falling. You know, this guy’s kind of a star and and want Shador on the on the team because it would make no sense to draft him in the third round and draft the other guy in the fifth round. So, I I I think if Shador Sanders did not exist in this draft or had been drafted, let’s say in the second round, I think the Browns would have just taken him in the fourth or fifth round. I I know a lot of people that thought like there was a chance he was going to go undrafted. Uh haven’t wrote you in a while, but had a thought. I’m wondering if there are any regulations on NFL owners having investment relationships with their players. I’ve heard a lot about Curry and KD accuring great uh acrewing great investments while playing for a team in the Bay Area. Whether that’s facilitated by the owner or just from the being in the proximity to awesome startup opportunities, I’m wondering how much of this occurs in the NFL. Example that come to mind would be if Brady and Tampa with the Glazers and Stafford in LA with the Crony. Thanks for the uh show. It definitely happens. You would be naive to think that these guys don’t take care of their people. I’ll give you some examples. I remember early on in like KD’s career, he was on this company in the Bay Area called Zeni Eyewear. They’re the official eyewear of the 49ers. And by like his second year, he was becoming a star. And he was on billboards all over the place. Brock Pury has a massive Toyota dealership. Google the 49ers in Toyota. I I’m just you could probably use these any different team in the NFL. So, how do you regulate against that? Uh it’s definitely illegal to pay players through different avenues beside the salary cap. I can’t go, hey, I can give you $20 million per year, but I can give you another $20 million off the field like that. We will facilitate. You would get in trouble for that. That that is against the rules, but it definitely happens. in indirect ways that you use your relationships, your partnerships to facilitate deals. And maybe they take it, maybe you it’s almost like a connection, you know, like a group text. Hey, John, I want to introduce you to this guy. He’s in the podcast business. He’s in ad sales, right? I’m sure many people listening do this stuff all the time. So, I I I think it is very illegal, but it happens all the time. Just like a lot of things in a lot of our industries. Yeah. That that is not okay. Yet it happens. Like welcome to business. It’s why we love capitalism. Uh I I think what did Peter Goober’s line? There are no rules. Just break them at your own peril. I got a couple questions for the pod. Can you go through the process of scouting? Like how do you know like how do you know how to scout or what to look for? Do scouts specialize in different areas? completely unrelated question. What is the difference between a normal running back, a halfback, and a fullback? Well, you learn. I mean, I I learned when I went to Fresno State, I I learned what to look for, what position specific stuff to look for. It’s a it’s a learned skill. Obviously, if you’re a former player, um if you I I guess that would be the only way that you know from game planning to strengths and weaknesses, you’d have a pretty good idea. But even if you were a former player who transitions into scouting, that organization, teaches you, onboards you, helps you understand exactly what they look for in their scheme because it it varies team to team. Some teams obviously have a more I I guess liberal idea of what they’re looking for in terms of like we’ll do anything and some teams are very very specific. But you’re taught and the best teams teach their young scouts what to look for. But to get that job if you’re not a former player, you definitely would. When I got when I interviewed for the Eagles, they gave me like three or four players to evaluate and I I wrote up. I would not known how to do that if I just came from college and just did that. I I wouldn’t have got the job. But I had a good ex good base understanding even though I’d never really evaluate I’d never evaluated NFL players from working in college, college recruiting, watching the our my own players at Fresno State like guys that were going to play in the NFL, undrafted free agents, and then the guys we were playing. we played a lot of NFL guys, so you kind of have a base knowledge and then you learn from there. Um, I think I would say a running back and a half back and again Bellich might call me an idiot. I they’re the same thing. A fullback is just the clo the upback behind the quarterback. He doesn’t really exist anymore. I mean, most teams have just a one running back set now. Fullback’s basically dead. like Kyle used. How how many fullbacks are there in the NFL? So, it used to just be like there were two running backs. One guy was called a fullback who was typically your lead blocker. So, uh running back and a halfback. I mean, this is football 101. I mean, carry the football. Fullbacks typically do not. They just they just block. It’s why they don’t really exist anymore because a lot of these modern day offensive coordinators view it like we’re playing nine on 111, right? because the quarterback’s not a threat to run and the fullback is basically just a blocker. So, you have the five offensive linemen and a fullback, you’re at a pretty big disadvantage. Quick question for the bag. Do you think there should be a limit on how far back someone can brag about their Super Bowl wins? I’ve got a buddy who’s a diehard Dolphins fan. Since I’m a Charger fan, he’s always bringing up their Super Bowl win from the 1970s. But when I ask what have they done in this era, he just goes right back to talking about the same championship. To me, it just doesn’t make sense to keep bragging about something you never saw. Like the Raiders Dolphins haven’t been in a wildcard playoff haven’t had a wild card playoff win since the early 2000s. That’s almost 25 years. What’s the point of bringing up your grandpa’s championship? It means something like it means something today when you haven’t seen them do anything in decades. You are not able to brag about championships if you were not alive. So to me, if again, let’s just I’m going to assume you’re 35 years old. To brag about something that happened in 1972 is an embarrassment. Honestly, I get kind of tired of Mercury Morris and kind of that crew every time the last team that’s undefeated in the NFL loses a game. But they were on the team. They went undefeated. Different world. I listen, I’m not one to I’m not trying to go JJ Reic plumbers and firemen because to play in the NFL in the 70s, I’d argue, was harder than it is today terms of the training, the the facilities, the the how terrible most of the turf was, the travel. Like, I can’t even imagine. But like, you do not get to brag if you’re 20 years old. You don’t get to brag about stuff that happened in the ’90s. that that is not okay. It actually crossed my mind today because I was in the gym and I was struggling. I’m like I I I don’t have much in me. So sometimes I listen to podcasts if I’m lifting. I’m like this is not working. So I just click on I just go to Pandora. I’m like I need something like Aussie Osborne something and I I 50 Cent come. So I click it and the first song is is California Love with Dr. Dre and Tupac and Dr. Dre is a line like uh he says in 1995 or 95 and I was like this song’s 30 years old. I’m listening to the song that I remember watching that video on my couch growing up when they’re in like the desert I think down by like Palm Springs or in Vegas. I guess they I I don’t know if they shot it in Vegas, but the video is kind of sick. And I’m thinking this song’s 30 years old. And then I remember being in like my dad’s truck in the mid 90s and he’d be listening to stuff from like the late 60s. I’d be like, “This music is so old.” Just kind of made me feel old. As a lifelong Bears fan, I I’m tired of overhyping the off season. I have a huge concern with the Bears lack of talent at running back, mainly DeAndre Swift. In a Ben Johnson style offense, like many other offenses in the NFL, the success of the passing game works in tandem with the run game. My question is this. How much of a team’s rushing offense is designed based off the talent and skill set of the O line versus the talent and skill set of their running backs? Can a team with a lack of talent at running back make up for it if they have the talent at O line style, their rushing attack to cater to the O line strengths? I think this is very overlooked when talking about the Bears offensive success this year when we have arguably the worst running back room in the league. To me, you can circumvent average running backs to have a successful running game if you have a do dominant offensive line. You can have a great running back. If your line sucks, Saquon Barkley, the Giants, it doesn’t matter. You match them together, you get Saquon Barkley, you get I was going to say Christian McCaffrey, but the 49ers offensive line not great. But you you you’ve seen it over the, you know, Terrell Davis. You’ve seen it over the years. I I would rather, if you told me I had to choose one, would I rather take an average to below average running back room and a great offensive line or vice versa? I’ll take the old lineman every year. every time. So, I would say in your predicament, I’d feel pretty good about like my upgrades with my guards, my centers. I guess my center and my two guards. There’s there’s only one center on the field. Tackle’s a little bit of a question mark, but if those guys improve, I have people in the NFL that like DeAndre Swift. I I know the Eagles were very very high on him. Now, he he kind of is what he is now. I also think you guys will be in the business. Could you trade for a running back during training camp? Could you claim a guy off waivers? I mean, what’ you guys draft this year? Relatively high, right? So, you guys drafted 10th. You actually have a pretty good waiver claim. Would not shock me at all if you claimed a running back. But I I would feel better that my offensive line is good than my running back situation. But I but I’m with you. I mean, a huge part the last couple years, the Lions have had both, right? They had awesome offensive line, but they also had Gibbs and Montgomery. Do you think Julian Edelman is a Hall of Famer? If you would have asked me a couple years ago, I would have said no. But now, my mind has changed. If you don’t think he is, do you think he eventually gets in years down the road? You know, I looked the other day because I was I I’d been thinking about this after I met him. He never made a Pro Bowl. Uh, I I I think what makes football pretty special, like in the NBA, you know, basketball hall of fame’s different because it factors in college, but like you’re never making the Hall of Fame if you’re not going to a lot of all-star games, right? In football, you cannot be a quote unquote pro bowler and still be one of the most important guys on a dynasty in the NFL. So, Julian Edelman, is he going to make the Hall of Fame? Probably not. But would you rather be a Hall of Fame guy with no championships and some Pro Bowls? I’m not trying to talk about OO. Oo was a stud, but like would he change or trade his career? All those Pro Bowls being viewed as one of the best players at his position in the league for a long period of time in the 2000s playing for the Bengals. or being on a team, no Pro Bowls, bunch of Super Bowls, a Super Bowl MVP, and just an absolute living legend, especially in that town. I I I would take if the money discrepancy was gigantic, I think you would take the guy with the way more money, but Julian made a lot of money in his career. I also think when you win championships, your earning potential. When I was at Collins doing the FS1 thing a couple weeks ago, I was bullshitting with Alexi Lawless and I told him that I was on Stanford’s campus in 1994 when they played Brazil in the World Cup and they and he started describing that game, that atmosphere. here. He’s like, “We lost one nothing.” And he’s like, “You know why I’m sitting here right now?” He’s like, “Do you know why I’ve had this career in soccer? Because of the 1994 World Cup?” And I think some of these guys that go on, you know, unless you play for the Cowboys, but when you’re this legendary champion, Julian Edelman’s value, he came into Fox. He’s a huge part of their pregame show because he’s extremely famous, because he’s a big-time winner, and I I think that he wouldn’t trade his career for for many, you know, I mean, there’s there’s not that many guys over the last 30 years besid like Jerry Rice who won a bunch of championships and also was a great wide receiver who’s a Hall of Famer. Like think about a lot of the Hall of Fame wide receivers, Calvin Johnson, um Marvin Harrison won a Super Bowl, but a lot of guys that did not win championships. Obviously, the best case, you do both. That’s what made Shannon Sharp, I mean, he’s the best of both worlds, right? Championship player, Hall of Famer, like you get it both. There’s usually a fine line. A lot think about a lot of the Patriots minus Tom Brady that second run. None of those guys are making the Hall of Fame. I guess I have to look at Devin McCordi how many Pro Bowls he made. He maybe he’s closer than I’m giving him credit for. I just don’t want to feel like he’s definitely made some Pro Bowls. Maybe he’s a bad example. Only a he made two Pro Bowls and three second team AllPros. So he he’d probably be on the I bet he doesn’t make it. But like McCordi, Edelman, David Andrews, um Dante High Totower, they have a lot of guys that I don’t think will trade their careers for many people. Has Shawn McDermott learned how to become a head coach in Josh Allen’s prime? Where do you rank McDermott as a head coach? And do you feel he can learn to scheme and use the clock effectively as and coach the Bills to a Super Bowl? He’s done a pretty freaking good job. I mean, you guys have been in multiple AFC Championships over the last five years. You have gone toe-to-toe with the Chiefs. That playoff win last year against the Ravens was extremely impressive. U Shawn McDerman is really good. And I think when you’re a defensive coach and you have a great quarterback, if he was an offensive guy and their offense was crushing it, he would get a lot more credit. I I just think you don’t get the same amount of credit when you’re a defensive guy. And you if we our quarterbacks carried when he got to the Bills that organization sucked. It was a joke. The Miami Dolphins, they were just they weren’t winning. They hadn’t won in a long long time. And I think he’s done a really really good job. Now he’s had some clock snafoos. Andy Reid used to have some. Now the push back is you got Josh Allen in your prime. It’ll go to our next question. There there’s a lot of pressure these next couple years. If not now, then when? Imagine you could bet whether a player would ever win a Super Bowl as a starting quarterback. Here are some rough odds I came up with. Who would you bet on? And who is priced too low or too high? Allen is minus 150 and Lamar Jackson is plus 125. I personally would have them the same. I would probably have them both at like minus 110 cuz there is a chance neither one wins the Super Bowl. I would bet one of them does win a Super Bowl, but like there is no guarantee. And while Josh has been a a better quarterback in the playoffs, the Ravens do have the better team. And if Lamar could ever put together against the Chiefs or the Bills, like the second half that he played against the Bills last year, they would beat both those two teams the last two years. His problem was he played the first half shitty and against the Chiefs, he just didn’t play well. But if he had played well in either one of those games, they win that game because their team is so good. Like their roster is better than the Bills roster, at least the last couple years. We’ll see as we transition. Maybe some guys take steps, but I would have their odds as the same. Uh Burrow plus 250. I I’d have that higher. Uh I guess when I say higher, like yeah, like plus 400. Like do I envision the Bengals winning a Super Bowl? I I do not. Jaden Daniels plus 250. Herbert plus 300. Like I would have Herbert, bro. I I might have Herbert ahead of him. He’s got Jim Harbaugh. Look at what Jim Harbaugh did with the 49ers. Like I think the Chargers are going to be pretty freaking good this year. Now people are like, “Middle Cuff, have you seen this guy play in the play?” You’re right. Got to play better in the playoffs. Got to play better in the playoffs. But his coach, his infrastructure, their O line, they’re they’re going to be good. Uh Jordan Love, CJ Jared Goff, Brock Party. I’d probably have Brock Party a little lower, I guess, if you just factor in the next several years. I’d have him and Goff about the same. Four, five to one. Pretty good. I I I do think that Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen, I would if I was handicapping it, I would give those two guys the same odds. Hey, John, love the show. Like any market boom, there is typically a leveling off or a recession a little after a little while. Right now, we seem to be in a bit of a salary cap boom. New international markets, bigger television, streaming deals, and the NFL simply being a year round discussion and not a seasonal thing like a few decades ago. But it seems like NFL GMs are assuming the salary cap is only going to increase, leading to these constant record-breaking deals. Should other GMs be thinking about a salary cap leveling off period? Or should they continue to ride the wave and hope there is more money in the future? I say other because I’m an Eagles fan and Howie is definitely thinking about this because he’s the goat. Here’s the difference for most of us, right? If a huge recession hit, for example, I’m heavily involved in the advertising business. it would directly impact my operation, right? And people in the podcasting space depending on how big you were, what your infrastructure was, what your established history was, some would be better than others, just like in any different industry or any walk of life. If you have a set contract that is unbreakable, the NFL knows they’re getting money, right? They they sign a 10-year deal at billions upon billions of dollars. So for something to dramatically change, the companies they are in business with, CBS, Fox, would basically have to go under because they would pay the NFL that that’d be the last thing they would ever cut. They would cut every single thing CBS, they would get rid of everything in front of their eyes before they stop paying the NFL because of the importance of the NFL product on their network. And I think the the NFL would say, well, if if the worst case scenario happened, because I was taught a long time ago, nothing is for certain, no matter what world, no matter what industry you’re in, pick up a history book. But I think the NFL feels pretty confident about at least the foreseeable future, this next five years, and then that second that contract after, let’s say, 2029 for the next decade. But if something were to happen, then yeah, it’d be a problem. But if you told me that a catastrophic event that forced the NFL salary cap to come down in the near future, I would say we got big problems in society. I would say make sure your your piggy bank is full because that would be a reflection. We would be Fella Mustang here just graduated a sophomore engineering a software engineering degree. You are a tad smarter than me, my friend. So, congratulations. Found you in Collins feed. Huge fan. I went to high school with a guy whose dad played in the NFL for many years. Mark Bruner. Remember the name? Remember the player? Well, and he now works as a scout for the team. His son went to Udub as a linebacker. Mark also played there and just got drafted the Steelers in the seventh round and signed his rookie deal. All props to him. He is an insanely hardworking guy. But my question is this. How much could his dad have helped getting him into college and eventually getting him drafted given that he played for both teams and is now a scout? In other words, how much loyalty would the Steelers organization owe Mark or would they have drafted him anyways? I would say I think sometimes in college like if you’re a former alumni and you’re a famous NFL guy, you played in the league, if your guy’s on the fringe, it doesn’t kill these programs to take them, right? Unlike the pros, you have a 100man roster. If a guy’s a third stringer, who cares? You have 85 scholarships now with NIL. That happens, right? Now, I I’d have to look at how good his son was. you you don’t if the Steelers are going to draft you, you’re a good player in college. So, typically, like I think you’re seeing it all around in the NBA, in the NFL, right? I don’t think it’s random that like Ron Harper’s kid went number two. Even Cooper Flag, his parents were college basketball players. Look at some of these NFL guys to get drafted, all their dads. So, genetics matter. if you’re going to play in the NBA, if you’re gonna play in the NFL, typically uh you’re not using John Middle’s ferm, right? So, Bruner like has big-time um I would say like NFL pedigree. So, when you have NFL pedigree and you’re a starter in college and a draftable player, that is a big bonus in the draft room. So, even if I’m not on the Steelers, if I had scouted University of Washington, I’d be like, “Hey, hardworking guy, staff loves him, been a productive player, he’s going to play in the NFL. I’ll I feel confident that taking this guy in the sixth, seventh round or an undrafted free agent, like he he will be a contributing member and have a good chance as any because a huge part of guys in the sixth, seventh round that make it, it’s about mentality. It’s about like to me it’s a lot of the intangible stuff. It’s not as much you’re not getting guys in the sixth, seventh round with like typically elite traits. So most of those guys make it on work ethic, on smarts, on toughness, on the intangible So the Steelers would know him better than probably everyone else because he’s the son, but they would not draft him just because their dad works there. Just like a couple years ago when the Cowboys took the running back from K State and his dad was a scout. That kid could play, you know, now do they there is an element. We’re human beings. It’s a cool moment in the room, but they like the player. The GM liked the player. Maybe the assistant coach liked the player. It’s not they’re not just doing it out of the goodness of their heart. Okay, we’ll end on this. I said the other day I had downloaded it was one of those situations where I didn’t check my iPad downloads a couple weeks ago and I was on a plane and things I tried to download like hadn’t finished so I didn’t have access to them. The only thing I had on my iPad wasn’t I had a couple books with me but I was like I kind of want to watch something was like this yacht show I think on Amazon Prime about these guys. They’re like billionaires that own these like 50und million dollar yachts. I’m like, listen, I’m not disputing that these yachts look cool. Like, I’m just not a big sit on the ocean guy. I I like even like a boat on the lake. Like going on the boat for saw Joe Burrow say this. Like, I like going for an hour or two. I’m not I’m not a huge wakeboarder. Have a few beers, then come back to the beach, you know? I like being on hard land. I I’ve never disputed like having a cool ski boat or having a yacht. It’s cool. I’m not against anyone that aspires to do either, but I I like being on the land and looking at the water. Some people like be or swimming, but I I don’t like actually being out there. I like Below Deck. Good show. I I wouldn’t pay for that if I had the money. Would I go if invited? Probably, but that’s not really not really into that. So, here’s the question. You talked about the uh the intake of private equity and your lack of desire to be on a $50 million yacht. If you had crazy money, like multiple double-digit billions, what would be the crazy splurge you would want to buy rather than a $50 million yacht? I guess I’m not a splurge guy. I I’m really not. I I I’d probably buy like more assets now. Like you said, if you’re worth billions of dollars, you can kind of buy whatever you want. I I think I read one time that how they described like the richest human that they knew and the best way to describe him or that guy described himself to them is like essentially everything in my life is free. Uh, one thing for sure I would get would be a plane. So, wherever I wanted to go, my dog could come with me. I mean, the advantage that the ultra rich have when they travel to be able to take you name it, not have to wait and fight the masses at the airport. Listen, I I have a lot of respect. People get so angry at airports and delays. It’s got to be difficult. I It really does. I mean, there’s a lot going on in those things. I hate airports. For those of you guys that travel a lot for work, more power to you. It it is just it puts me in such a bad mood being in an airport. Delays, everyone’s angry, smelly, the food options suck. They’re charging you $20 for a water and you know peanuts are $18. You’re like, “Oh my get me out of this thing.” You’re stuffed into a Southwest like a sardine to me a plane. I I I would buy if the the most expensive private jet imagine like I would have no hesitation doing that. But ultimately like quote unquote splurging like I’m not I guess houses. Uh I I’m into like I I would try to buy like buildings and invest in companies and do stuff like that. Uh but a yacht I I I’ll be completely honest. I if you haven’t seen it, I at first when I saw the uh thing come across, it’s like the the the yacht show about like uh the poop cruise on Netflix, I was like, I’m not going to watch this. Then I watched a trailer like doesn’t look terrible. Then I we watched it when we were in Tahoe one night. It’s a good watch. I I I recommend it. I a cruise and my my parents used to go on them. I’ve never been on a cruise. I’m sure some of you listening have been on cruises. That is not appealing to me at all. It’s and not because I’m scared like it’s going to go down like the Titanic, but just being stuck on that vessel with thousands of people. It’s just I don’t know. I love to swim. I love being in the water. I love Lake Tahoe. It’s like one of my favorite places I’ve ever been in my entire life. I go every year. I’ve gone my entire life. Very lucky just to be born hour and a half away from it. Or else, you know, I I’ve said this forever about the ACC, the golf tournament going into Tahoe. If you notice the Kelsey’s, Mahomes, these guys that are from other areas of the country, then that play football in other areas of the country that come out here for the first time to Lake Tahoe, they come back every year cuz they’re like, “This place is like heaven on earth.” It’s like, “Wait, we’re in Nevada, meaning there are casinos and we can gamble and we can play golf and there’s this enormous lake.” Like, yeah, it’s a pretty special place, but I I’m just not I’m not a big ocean guy. My good buddy of mine growing up, his grandpa when I was, you know, 12 to through high school, uh, liked to like deep sea fish. Successful guy, had a construction company. I remember going out with them for the first time. You get up at like, you know, 4 in the morning, it’s like you’re going on a hunt or something. And you get out there, it’s freezing cold. You’re in the Pacific Ocean. I got so sick. And they’re like, “Oh, take this drama me.” Which is like, “Oh, it makes you feel better.” Well, yeah, kind of. But you also just go to sleep. like yeah I’m just not not a huge ocean guy in terms of being on it on a boat. So that’d be a long way to describe of props to anyone that enjoys yachts or even boats even in Tahoe. I was talking to my brother. I’m like how much cuz I remember being like 20 years ago like if you were really cool you had a sweet ass like wakeboard boat like a ski like a Malibu. I remember they were a lot of money 20 plus years ago like 50 grand. It’s like their cost of a cart. I was talking to Jeff. We’re having some cocktails, swimming around the lake, which actually was kind of cold but swimmable. He’s like, “Do you know how much these things cost now?” I’m like, “No.” He’s like, “1 150 grand?” Like, that’s how much a ski boat a nice ski boat costs. They are not cheap. Jesus. Not a boat guy. So, um, God speed to all you that are

John opens up the weekend Middlekauff Mailbag to answer your questions. Should the Pittsburgh Steelers trade star edge rusher T.J. Watt? Is LA Chargers star Khalil Mack a first ballot Hall of Famer? Is there pressure on Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott to win a Super Bowl in Josh Allen’s prime? How will Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson shape his running back room?

00:00 // Start
01:14 // Minkah Fitzpatrick & T.J. Watt trade value
08:33 // Is Khalil Mack a first ballot of Hall of Famer?
09:52 // Dillion Gabriel
12:07 // Do NFL owners and star players engage in non- NFL business together?
14:27 // Scouting & Difference in RB positions
17:34 // Should there be a limit on how long you can brag about a Super Bowl win?
20:15 // Chicago Bears RB room
22:48 // Is Julian Edelman a Hall of Famer?
26:56 // Buffalo Bills HC Sean McDermott
28:08 // Odds for star QBs to ever win a Super Bowl?
30:23 // NFL salary cap
33:04 // NFL Nepotism
36:27 // What John would buy instead of a yacht

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