The Athletic Football Show: A show about the NFL

They say if you give an NFL team an inch (drafting Ty Simpson), they'll take a mile (trading the farm for Myles Garrett)...isn't that what they say? Robert Mays and Derrik Klassen get to the bottom of just how aggressive is TOO aggressive in today's NFL on this mailbag episode of The Athletic Football Show. They also discuss the most toxic potential pairings for this upcoming season, how to build an ideal edge room, and much more.

Rundown:
0:00 Welcome to the show
0:47 Going “all in”
11:47 Trading stars for premium picks
19:01 Switch order of NFL Draft and free agency?
28:15 Toxic NFL pairings (via Malort infusions)
37:03 Best talent-per-dollar positions
49:44 Building an edge room
55:49 Tone around Declan Doyle vs Mike LaFleur

Host: Robert Mays
Co-Host: Derrik Klassen
Executive Producer: Michael Beller
Senior Producer: Katy Duffy
Social Producer: Scott Krinch

Follow Robert on Bluesky: @robertmays.bsky.social
Follow Derrik on Bluesky: @qbklass.bsky.social
Follow Robert on X: @RobertMays

Theme song: Haunted
Written by Dylan Slocum, Trevor Dietrich, Ruben Duarte, Kyle McAulay, and Meredith VanWoert / Performed by Spanish Love Songs
Courtesy of Pure Noise / By arrangement with Bank Robber Music, LLC
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tight end Charlie Kolar caught 10 passes for 142 yards and two touchdowns last season. In the offseason, he signed a three-year deal with the Chargers that guaranteed him $17 million and put him inside the top-20 earners at the position based on annual average value. How does a guy who puts up in a season what Brock Bowers does in a good week end up as one of the most important players at the position? Allow him to bring you inside the tight end revolution on this episode of The Athletic Football Show.

Rundown
0:00 Welcome to the show
4:55 Why are TEs booming?
14:40 Rams impact
16:39 Seahawks impact
17:28 Bears next evolution?
23:03 Value of early downs
31:44 Importance of unpredictability
39:51 Charlie Kolar interview

Host: Robert Mays
Co-Host: Derrik Klassen
Executive Producer: Michael Beller
Senior Producer: Katy Duffy
Social Producer: Scott Krinch

Follow Robert on Bluesky: @robertmays.bsky.social
Follow Derrik on Bluesky: @qbklass.bsky.social
Follow Robert on X: @RobertMays

Theme song: Haunted
Written by Dylan Slocum, Trevor Dietrich, Ruben Duarte, Kyle McAulay, and Meredith VanWoert / Performed by Spanish Love Songs
Courtesy of Pure Noise / By arrangement with Bank Robber Music, LLC
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our Lingering Questions series is back, and we kick it off this year with a doozy. Four rookie quarterbacks had at least 250 dropbacks last season, and at least three of them will start in 2026. So, what really were the rookie seasons for Cam Ward, Jaxson Dart, Tyler Shough and Shedeur Sanders? Robert Mays and Derrik Klassen dig into all four on this episode of The Athletic Football Show.

Rundown (timestamps are approximate)
0:00 Welcome to the show
2:42 Cam Ward
21:19 Jaxson Dart
37:18 Tyler Shough
52:50 Shedeur Sanders

Host: Robert Mays
Co-Hosts: Derrik Klassen
Executive Producer: Michael Beller
Senior Producer: Katy Duffy
Social Producer: Scott Krinch

Follow Robert on Bluesky: @robertmays.bsky.social
Follow Derrik on Bluesky: @qbklass.bsky.social
Follow Robert on X: @RobertMays

Theme song: Haunted
Written by Dylan Slocum, Trevor Dietrich, Ruben Duarte, Kyle McAulay, and Meredith VanWoert / Performed by Spanish Love Songs
Courtesy of Pure Noise / By arrangement with Bank Robber Music, LLC
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Last season's Seahawks became the latest team to prove that you don't need an elite quarterback to win the Super Bowl. An elite supporting cast can do just as much heavy lifting as a quarterback who appears headed for a gold jacket. So, which teams have the best supporting casts in the league? Which teams have the worst? We'll explore those questions over two episodes, divided between AFC and NFC. On this episode of The Athletic Football Show, Robert Mays and Derrik Klassen rank the AFC supporting casts from worst to first.

Timestamps are approximate
0:00 Welcome to the show
0:29 Ranking the AFC supporting casts
3:16 Miami Dolphins
5:48 Optimism around Bobby Slowik?
8:25 Tennessee Titans
10:22 Brian Daboll's offense
13:02 Las Vegas Raiders
14:18 Raiders wide receiver group
19:16 New York Jets
24:00 Cleveland Browns
29:04 Harold Fannin Jr. and rookie tight ends
34:50 Kansas City Chiefs
35:22 Andy Reid no longer elite?
41:05 Houston Texans
45:54 Baltimore Ravens
47:55 Derrick Henry
50:26 Pittsburgh Steelers
52:55 Steelers pass catchers
54:41 New England Patriots
58:50 What version of AJ Brown will Patriots get?
1:00:56 Cincinnati Bengals
1:02:11 Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins
1:06:10 Robert wants to change his rankings
1:06:45 Jacksonville Jaguars
1:08:22 Confidence in Liam Coen
1:11:19 Los Angeles Chargers
1:12:10 Mike McDaniel changes Chargers
1:13:23 Monstrous season for Ladd McConkey?
1:15:59 Indianapolis Colts
1:20:58 Buffalo Bills
1:23:19 Robert and Derrik both have Denver Broncos at No. 1
1:26:44 Recapping AFC supporting cast rankings

Host: Robert Mays
Co-Host: Derrik Klassen
Executive Producer: Michael Beller
Senior Producer: Katy Duffy
Social Producer: Scott Krinch

Follow Robert on Bluesky: @robertmays.bsky.social
Follow Derrik on Bluesky: @qbklass.bsky.social
Follow Dave on Bluesky: @davehelman.bsky.social
Follow Robert on X: @RobertMays
Follow Dave on X: @DaveHelman_

Theme song: Haunted
Written by Dylan Slocum, Trevor Dietrich, Ruben Duarte, Kyle McAulay, and Meredith VanWoert / Performed by Spanish Love Songs
Courtesy of Pure Noise / By arrangement with Bank Robber Music, LLC
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The NFL certainly has a way of grabbing the spotlight, doesn't it? Robert Mays and Derrik Klassen break down the stunning trade of Myles Garrett to the Rams on this special live edition of The Athletic Football Show.

Host: Robert Mays
Co-Hosts: Derrik Klassen
Executive Producer: Michael Beller
Senior Producer: Katy Duffy
Social Producer: Scott Krinch

Follow Robert on Bluesky: @robertmays.bsky.social
Follow Derrik on Bluesky: @qbklass.bsky.social
Follow Robert on X: @RobertMays

Theme song: Haunted
Written by Dylan Slocum, Trevor Dietrich, Ruben Duarte, Kyle McAulay, and Meredith VanWoert / Performed by Spanish Love Songs
Courtesy of Pure Noise / By arrangement with Bank Robber Music, LLC
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.