Every year the NFL offseason rolls around and someone says “this one feels different.” Well, this time it actually is. Trades that seemed impossible, signings that made jaws drop, and a Max Crosby saga that had both hosts questioning everything they thought they knew about how NFL business gets done. In their latest episode about Free Agency, Wade and Ryan went team by team across the entire AFC — and the verdict? Chaos has never been more entertaining.
If you haven’t listened yet, here’s your primer. And trust us — you’ll want to go back and hear them react to all of this in real time.
Max Crosby and the Trade That Wasn’t
Let’s start with the story that had Ryan reaching for British property metaphors. The Las Vegas Raiders came within a hair of trading Max Crosby — a guy who looks, in Ryan’s words, “like he could murder you” — only to pull the plug at the last second. Paperwork done, deal agreed, and then nothing. Gone. Tent chosen over house.
“It’s like buying a house in Britain. It’s not a sale until the keys are physically in your hand. They did all the work, paid the lawyers, and then — nah, I’m going to live in a tent.”
— Ryan
Wade picked up the thread perfectly, framing it as the NFL’s version of a broken family — the Uncle Phil dynamic of a player being told he’s not wanted. And beyond the drama, there’s a practical problem: the whole episode has clouded Crosby’s trade value, with whispers about his knee now giving potential suitors pause. The Raiders may have kept him for now, but they’ve arguably made a motivated, elite pass rusher even angrier. Ryan was already checking the schedule for a revenge game.
Kyler Murray’s Chance to Say ‘I Told You So’
One of Ryan’s favourite moves of the entire offseason was Kyler Murray heading to Minnesota, and Wade summed up exactly why it’s such a compelling storyline: this is vindication time. Murray arrives in a situation tailor-made for a bounce-back — Justin Jefferson on the outside, Kevin O’Connell’s creative offence, and a defence that actually turns up. Meanwhile JJ McCarthy is working his way back from injury, which keeps the competition angle alive and interesting.
Both hosts made the same point: if Murray can’t thrive with those tools around him, then the Arizona chapter really did expose something. But if he clicks? The NFC North is going to be a lot of fun to watch.
Buffalo Bills: Finally Building the Right Way
The Bills grabbed DJ Moore and suddenly Josh Allen’s supporting cast looks a lot more respectable. But the move that genuinely excited Ryan was the arrival of new defensive coordinator Jim Leonard, who is expected to bring a far more aggressive, blitz-heavy system than the one opposing offences have been comfortably solving for years.
“Jim Leonard is going to bring a lot more heat. Everyone’s figured out the old defence. Now nobody knows what’s coming.”
— Ryan
Buffalo feel like a team quietly assembling something serious. Not flashy, but purposeful. And with Josh Allen at the wheel, purposeful tends to be enough.
Miami Dolphins: White Flag, No Apologies
The Dolphins cleared house. Jalen Waddle gone. Bradley Chubb gone. Over $100 million in dead cap still on the books. It’s a brutal situation, and both hosts were honest about it — Miami are almost certainly tanking their way toward a better quarterback draft class next year. Poor Malik Willis gets a paycheque and immediately loses every weapon around him.
The silver lining? At least they seem to have a plan. Suffer now, rebuild properly, come back stronger. It’s not pretty, but it’s honest.
AFC North: The Most Competitive Division in Football
Baltimore keep piling resources into defence while Ryan grows increasingly frustrated that Lamar Jackson still doesn’t have a genuinely dominant receiver. The Trey Hendrickson signing is strong, but the hosts’ message to the Ravens front office was simple: go get AJ Brown. Cincinnati are betting everything on Joe Burrow staying healthy and outscoring everyone — Ryan even floated an early MVP shout if things click. Pittsburgh intrigue with the Rogers-McCarthy combination (Ryan called it a nostalgia bowl with a smile), while Cleveland remain very much a project.
Denver Broncos: The AFC West Team to Beat
Sean Payton. A top-seeded defence. And now Jalen Waddle joining Courtland Sutton and Marvin Mims in what suddenly looks like a genuine receiving trio. Ryan is firmly in the Denver camp, and it’s hard to argue with the logic — Payton wins you games almost regardless of circumstances, and Bo Nix now has the weapons to take a real step forward.
“They were the one seed. And now they’ve got Waddle. It’s going to open things up massively for Bo Nix.”
— Ryan
Kansas City Chiefs: Is the Dynasty Running Out of Road?
This was the debate of the episode. Mahomes is recovering from surgery. Trent McDuffie is gone. The secondary looks thin. Kelce is ageing. And Ryan — not a man who dismisses the Chiefs lightly — came out and said it plainly: he thinks they’ll be fighting for a wildcard spot, not a Super Bowl.
“I don’t think people are going to be afraid of them anymore. This feels like a fight every single week.”
— Ryan
The Tyreek Hill reunion rumour got an airing too, with both hosts warming to the idea of getting the band back together for one final run. Kenneth Walker adds a ground game that protects a post-surgery Mahomes. Justin Fields is the backup plan. But the margin for error is thinner than it’s been in years, and everyone around the league knows it.
The Bottom Line
This is the most wide-open AFC in recent memory, and that makes it the most fun. Wade and Ryan covered all of it — the Jets (Gino Smith back with no weapons, again), the Steelers nostalgia act, the Chargers leaning on Herbert to carry everything, the Bengals’ high-wire act — and the NFC episode is already on the way.
The guys will be back next week, with more thoughts on Free Agency moves, and a more in-depth look at the moves in the NFC.
Make sure that you listen to the full podcast, and share it with your friends!
