Revisiting recent drafts can help inform what we think about the league in the present moment and the ways that teams make decisions. Especially when you've got Dane Brugler at your disposal. Dane joins Robert Mays on this episode of The Athletic Football Show to look back at the 2018 NFL Draft, a class that, in real life, saw Baker Mayfield, Saquon Barkley and Sam Darnold go 1-2-3, Josh Allen land with the Bills at No. 7, and Lamar Jackson taken off the board by the Ravens with the last pick of the

If you listen to a show like this, you already have an idea of how much modern technology is shaping the NFL. There's a decent chance, though, that its reach into what you watch on Sundays...and Mondays...and especially Thursdays is far greater than you suppose. And it's only increasing. Sam Schwartzstein, the analytics expert behind Amazon's Thursday night Prime Vision broadcasts, joins Robert Mays to discuss the future of football and where the marriage between tech and the sport is headed on this

Every now and again in this business, breaking news works in your favor. That was the case for us at The Athletic Football Show on Monday, when news of the Jalen Ramsey Dolphins/Steelers trade broke early in the morning. It became even more the case when the deal got stranger and more interesting, roping in Minkah Fitzpatrick, Jonnu Smith, and a couple of draft picks over the ensuing 90 minutes or so. Robert Mays and old friend Bill Barnwell break down the trade and its implications for both teams

Mailbag Monday rolls on as we get deeper into summer and closer to the start of training camp. Among the questions answered by Robert Mays and Derrik Klassen on this edition...where would Baltimore fall among QB supporting classes in the NFC? Which contract-year players have the widest range of outcomes this season? What are the best single-offseason QB/coach upgrades of all-time? Hear their answers to those questions, and a whole bunch more, on this episode of The Athletic Football Show.Hosts:

The 2024 rookie quarterback class was a big story from the moment that it put six players in the first round of the draft. The group had about as diverse a range of rookie season experiences as possible, from J.J. McCarthy missing the season due to injury, to Jayden Daniels leading the Commanders to the NFC Championship Game. What was 2024 really like for the five guys who played? And what are realistic expectations for all of them (other than McCarthy) going forward. Robert Mays and Derrik Klassen

Every NFL season includes multiple instances of teams surprising us on the positive side of the ledger (hello 2024 Broncos and 2023 Texans) and the negative side (oh, hi 2022 Buccaneers and 2020 Eagles). Are there any threads those teams share? Any traits that repeat themselves year after year that can help inform how we're looking at the 2025 season? Robert Mays and Derrik Klassen dig into the types of teams we consistently overrate, and those we regularly underrate, on this episode of The Athletic

We at The Athletic Football Show like to think that we've established our thoughtful, incisive bona fides. But we aren't above a Taco Bell meal and a slapstick comedy every now and again. We, too, have our guilty pleasures. How does that translate to the football world? Robert Mays and Derrik Klassen let you in and indulge in their guilty pleasure NFL storylines on this episode of The Athletic Football Show.Hosts: Robert Mays and Derrik KlassenExecutive Producer: Michael BellerProducer: Michael

Our fine listeners once again did not disappoint when we opened the mail over the weekend. Robert Mays and Derrik Klassen tackle questions on evaluating play callers based on the talent at their disposal, the worst QB rooms of the past decade, the new Protector of the Year Award, current players becoming coaches, low-expectations teams that can make the playoffs, and a whole lot more on this episode of The Athletic Football Show.Hosts: Robert Mays and Derrik KlassenWith: Michael BellerExecutive

If this is indeed the end of the Lingering Questions line this offseason, then we definitely got to indulge our intellectual curiosities. On this fourth, and potentially final, edition of Lingering Questions, Robert Mays and Derrik Klassen ask, and attempt to answer, the following questions: Have the Steelers been held back in recent seasons by only their quarterback situation? How good are the players on the Bears' defense, actually? Are the Falcons simply a pass rush away from being a competitive

Even the most plugged-in, tunnel-visioned, 99th percentile football fan can turn into an ineffectual puddle of nothingness when trying to explain the salary cap. And yet, we all understand that the cap plays a huge part in how teams are build and championships are won. So how can we untangle the complexities of the cap? Well, we can start by talking to an expert. Former agent and current CBS Sports contributor Joel Corry, who's major negotiations include John Randle's deal in 1998 and Patrick

The spring workouts are done and the Bills are a little over one month away from the beginning of training camp in late July. The Athletic's Joe Buscaglia puts a wrap on the spring practices and brings you a position by position look at his most intriguing players to monitor when camp arrives.Host: Joe BuscagliaProducer: Jeff Domet Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If the AFC is defined by the league's superstar quarterbacks, then the NFC is where the meticulously constructed offenses and elite playcallers can be found. That means the exercise of ranking the supporting casts in the NFC is not for the faint of heart. Luckily, we've got Robert Mays and Derrik Klassen at our disposal. The pair ranks the NFC's supporting casts from worst to first on this episode of The Athletic Football Show.Hosts: Robert Mays and Derrik KlassenExecutive Producer: Michael

Robert Mays, Derrik Klassen and Michael Beller went back out to the TAFS mailbox and found another stack of great letters. On this edition of the Mailbag, Robert and Derrik answer questions on the possibility of the QB age cliff shifting (in the wrong direction), whether GMs should get a longer leash before losing their jobs, their ideal—and financially feasible—offensive lines, the new occupant of the Derek Carr Line, and much more.Hosts: Robert Mays and Derrik KlassenWith: Michael BellerExecutive

The NFL is a quarterback driven league, there's no doubt about it. But do the Eagles win the Super Bowl last year without their offensive line? Do the Chiefs establish a dynasty without Andy Reid? Are the Rams and Bengals playing in Super Bowl LVI without Cooper Kupp, Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins? The supporting casts around quarterbacks matter, too. Robert Mays and Derrik Klassen rank the supporting casts in the AFC on this episode of The Athletic Football Show.Rundown (timestamps are

We're into June, and we've still got Lingering Questions about the 2024 season that will inform how the coming season goes. On this edition, Robert Mays and Derrik Klassen ask, and attempt to answer, the following...Are explosives ever coming back to the Chiefs offense? Is Baker Mayfield's late-20s breakout for real? How much of the Niners' relative slide on offense was about more than injuries?Rundown2:52 Are explosives ever coming back to the Chiefs offense?23:08 Is Baker Mayfield's late-20s

The mailbag shifts to Wednesday this week, but it's still chock full of great questions from all of you out there. Robert Mays and Derrik Klassen consider each of the following: What are the most consequential league-altering moves of the last 10 years? Which failed head coach was hurt most by his quarterback situation? Could we soon be in a world without bad quarterbacks? Find out the guys answers to those questions, and many more, on this episode of The Athletic Football Show.Hosts: Robert Mays

The league's most faux-uncertain quarterback question finally got its long-expected answer last week when Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers officially agreed to terms on a one-year contract. That's where Robert Mays and Derrik Klassen begin their roundup of all the news that dropped during OTAs on this episode of The Athletic Football Show. The guys also discuss Frank Ragnow's retirement, the Packers' release of Jaire Alexander, Anthony Richardson's shoulder injury, Mike Macdonald's incredulity, and a

Whenever a player makes a leap—whether that's bad to average, average to good, good to great, or great to elite—it can change his team. Just think of guys like Zack Baun and Derek Stingley last season. Who might make a leap this year akin to what those two did in 2024? Derrik Klassen and Diante Lee from The Ringer highlight their top defensive breakout players on this episode of The Athletic Football Show.RundownDaiyan HenleyEdgerrin CooperNate WigginsLaiatu LatuKobie TurnerBrian BranchWill

June is here, and with June comes all things summer. Sunshine, trips to the pool, cookouts...and fantasy football. That's right, fantasy football season is upon us, and we're celebrating that on this episode of The Athletic Football Show. Michael Beller sits in once again for the vacationing Robert Mays, and he's joined by Jake Ciely, The Athletic's senior fantasy writer, to dig into the biggest moves of the offseason from a fantasy perspective.Hosts: Robert Mays and Derrik KlassenWith: Michael

How does one determine what is or isn't a successful move in free agency? Which teams could surprise us this year by ending up with top-10 play callers on both sides of the ball? How should we feel about the Jonathan Gannon era in Arizona thus far? Those are just three of the questions Robert Mays and Derrik Klassen get into on this episode of The Athletic Football Show. Plus, the guys answer an email of the year candidate weighing the pros and cons of potential fictitious owners.Hosts: Robert Mays