I'm not sure if everyone heard, but Aaron Rodgers saw his shadow over the weekend, which means we're going to have six more weeks of talking about Aaron Rodgers.
Some people are probably tired of hearing and/or talking about Rodgers, but not me. I write a daily newsletter, so Rodgers has been the gift that keeps on giving this offseason, but I'm also not tired of his feud with the Packers because I think it's a fascinating dynamic. Rodgers clearly loathes the Packers' front office, but he's close with his teammates, so it's hard to say how this will play out.
Will Rodgers show up for the start of training camp? The Packers quarterback was asked that exact question over the weekend and we'll be covering his answer and a few other things today, so let's get to the rundown.
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1. Today's show: Monday mailbag!
During the NFL offseason, we like to spice things up each week on the Pick Six Podcast by adding a listener mailbag every Monday.
Our mailbag episodes are pretty simple: We read listener questions during the show and then answer as many of those questions as possible. Questions can be about literally anything. I mean, I'm pretty sure there was one time where we spent 10 minutes debating who has the best fast food breakfast sandwich (The answer is Burger King and you will not convince me otherwise). Anyway, if you want to submit a question, all you have to do is go to Apple Podcasts (click here) and leave a five-star review.
Here's one question that we answered in today's mailbag:
Q: If you were in charge of starting a new NFL team, where would you base it and why? Also, what's your team name? One caveat: you can't pick a city that already has an NFL team. Being a Brit, I'll go for the obvious: the London Beefeaters.
A: I loved this question so much that I actually came up with four team ideas. My first option for my new team would be to put them in San Diego and name them the "Super Chargers." The NFL would never allow it to happen, but I have to think that everyone would jump on the Super Chargers bandwagon just to spite the Chargers ownership group. My other vindictive idea would be to put a team in Oakland and name them the Oakland Armada and then I would request to the NFL that my new team gets to play the Raiders eight times per season.
In the nonvindictive department, I would put a team in Portland and call them the "Prospectors." If the NFL vetoes my name idea because it's too similar to 49ers, then I'd go with "Parrots" and there would be talking parrots at every game. Finally, I would also put a team in Honolulu because if I'm in charge, I'm definitely putting a team in Hawaii so I have an excuse to live there nine months per year. I'm thinking we would be called the Honolulu Heatwave, but I'm not sold on that.
To listen to the rest of the mailbag -- and to follow the podcast -- be sure to click here.
2. Aaron Rodgers gives timeline for decision
With just over two weeks to go until the Green Bay Packers kick off training camp this year, Aaron Rodgers has finally given a timeline for when he plans to make a decision.
The reigning NFL MVP was in Lake Tahoe over the weekend, where he was playing in the American Century Celebrity Golf Championship, and during his round, Rodgers was asked what his football plans are for 2021.
"Well, I'm going to enjoy the hell out of this week," Rodgers said. "And then I'm gonna get back to working out and figure things out in a couple weeks."
There you have it, Rodgers is going to figure things out in a "couple of weeks," which is actually a very interesting answer, because he only has a couple of weeks to figure things out if he doesn't want to get fined. The Packers report for training camp on July 27 and if Rodgers isn't there, the team can fine him a boatload of money ($50,000 per day).
Basically, the drama here is either going to end on July 27 (if Rodgers shows up) or this game of chicken is going to continue and I have to say, Rodgers doesn't seem like a guy who likes to lose at chicken.
As for the golf event, Rodgers finished 24th overall, but the more important part is that he found some time to throw the football during one of his rounds. If you want to see him show off his ridiculous arm strength by launching a pass to a boat in the middle of Lake Tahoe, then be sure click here.
3. Two NFL players charged with felonies
Frank Clark and Barkevious Mingo both might have to put their football careers on hold so they can deal with some legal hot water that they're currently in. Both players were charged with a felony over the weekend.
Details on the Clark case
- The Chiefs defensive end was charged with one felony count of possession of an assault weapon on Friday stemming from an incident that took place in March, when Clark got pulled over while riding in the car with a friend. During the traffic stop, police found two loaded weapons in his vehicle. Clark could face up to three years in prison if convicted.
- This could be just the beginning of Clark's legal woes. The 28-year-old was also arrested in June after police found a sub-machine gun in his car (Uzi), but that incident is still being investigated so no charges have been filed. After being arrested two times since March, there's a chance that Clark could face a suspension under the NFL's personal conduct policy.
Details of the Mingo case
- The former Falcons linebacker is facing a second-degree felony Texas after being hit with one charge of indecency with a child -- sexual contact. According to the New York Times, Mingo is accused of making sexual advances at a teenage boy in July 2019. If convicted, Mingo could face up to 20 years in prison.
- Mingo's lawyer, Chris Lewis, has vehemently denied the charges on behalf of his client, "The accusation against Mr. Mingo is a lie," Lewis said. "Barkevious knows it -- so does his accuser."
- Just hours after the charges were announced on Saturday, the Falcons decided to cut ties with Mingo, who they signed to a one-year deal in March. The Falcons would have been the seventh team that Mingo played for since being selected by the Browns with the sixth overall pick in the 2013 NFL Draft.
Both situations will definitely be worth monitoring going forward.
4. Washington will announce new team name in early 2022
If you're a fan of Washington, I hope you're not getting too attached to the "Football Team" name, because it might not be sticking around much longer. During an interview with the Washington Post over the weekend, team president Jason Wright announced that the new name will be unveiled in early 2022.
Although the team has been coy about information regarding the new name, Wright did reveal two small nuggets:
- The team will keep its burgundy and gold colors.
- The new name will NOT be the Warriors. Although that option was popular with fans, Wright said that the team wants to make sure it's "moving forward with no ties" to Native American imagery.
As for what name might be picked, the team sent out a survey with more than 30 options in April and you can check out those options by clicking here. If you don't feel like clicking over, here are some of the names being considered in the survey: Aviators, Commanders, Presidents, Brigade and Wild Hogs.
5. Predicting the MVP for each NFC team
The NFL only hands out one MVP award every year, but that doesn't mean we can't hand out a few more awards, so that's exactly what we're going to do right now. Our Bryan DeArdo decided to run through every team in the NFC and predict who is going to be the MVP for each team.
The fun part here is that DeArdo didn't go through and pick the obvious choice for each team. For instance, the Seahawks MVP isn't Russell Wilson.
So who is Seattle's MVP? Who made the cut for the other 15 teams in the NFC?
Let's find out.
Cardinals: QB Kyler Murray
Falcons: TE Kyle Pitts
Panthers: EDGE Brian Burns
Bears: LB Roquan Smith
Cowboys: QB Dak Prescott
Lions: OT Penei Sewell
Packers: QB Aaron Rodgers
Rams: WR Van Jefferson
Vikings: RB Dalvin Cook
Saints: RB Alvin Kamara
Giants: OT Andrew Thomas
Eagles: WR DeVonta Smith
49ers: DE Nick Bosa
Seahawks: RB Chris Carson
Buccaneers: Antoine Winfield Jr.
Washington: QB Ryan Fitzpatrick
If you want a detailed explanation for why each of the players made the cut, then you're going to want to click here so you can read DeArdo's entire story.
6. Rapid-fire roundup
It was a busy weekend in the NFL and since it's nearly impossible to keep track of everything that happened, I went ahead and put together a roundup for you.
- Ex-49ers tight Greg Clark dies at age 49. Clark unexpectedly passed away on Friday. Clark's family believes that he might have been suffering from head trauma after playing in the NFL for four years, "His recent suffering from CTE symptoms cannot extinguish the breadth and depth of his impact on us and others, and we are forever grateful for the time we have had with him," the family said in a statement.
- Ex-Steelers linebacker surprisingly announces retirement. After spending six years in the NFL, Anthony Chickillo has decided to hang up his cleats for good. Chickillo spent five seasons in Pittsburgh after the Steelers made him a sixth-round pick in 2015. After leaving the Steelers, he signed on with the Broncos last season. Chickillo was a free agent when he made his retirement announcement over the weekend.
- Larry Fitzgerald still not sure if he's going to play this year. Fitzgerald has been in the NFL since 2004, but he isn't quite sure yet if he wants to return for an 18th season. "I haven't decided anything," Fitzgerald told ESPN over the weekend. "Training camp starts in a few weeks. I'm excited, it's going to be another great year for the NFL." The free agent receiver is turning 38 in August, so if he does play, it won't be surprising if he doesn't sign until early next month so he doesn't have to put his body through a full training camp.
- Apple looking at Sunday Ticket. For the next two seasons (2021-22), if you want to watch NFL Sunday Ticket, you have to have DirecTV, but after that, things could be changing. With DirecTV's contract set to expire after the 2022 season, Apple has had preliminary talks about bidding on Sunday Ticket, according to the Information. Apple is expected to see competition from Amazon and ESPN+ when it comes to bidding and because of that, it's very likely Sunday Ticket will be headed to a stream service.
