Welcome to the Friday edition of the Pick Six newsletter.
The only thing better than a normal Friday is a Friday before a holiday weekend, and that’s what we have today! Since we have a three-day weekend ahead of us, I’m assuming no one wants to sit here and read a long introduction, so I’m just going to stop babbling and get straight to the rundown.
1. Ranking the top five NFL teams of all time
We weren’t planning to rank the top five NFL teams of all time today, but we decided to do it after Saquon Barkley made a bold claim this week. The Super Bowl-winning running back said he believes the 2024 Eagles are one of the five best teams in NFL history.
“I firmly believe when you look at our team that we had last year, I think we’re a top-five team of all time,” Barkley said on the Exciting Mics podcast this week.
So are they top five? Cody Benjamin decided to answer that question by ranking the top five teams of all time. Here’s what he came up with:
- 1. 1972 Dolphins. “How can you argue against perfection? The 2007 Patriots may have gone unbeaten in the regular season, but the Dolphins went the distance in their spotless stretch, finishing 17-0, including playoffs, under Don Shula.”
- 2. 1985 Bears. “Anytime anyone lauds an NFL team’s defense, the ’85 Bears inevitably resurface as a reference point. They finished ranked No. 1 in virtually every defensive category.”
- 3. 1978 Steelers. “A who’s who of all-timers, the ‘78 Steelers featured a whopping 10 future Hall of Famers, including Terry Bradshaw and Franco Harris.”
- 4. 1984 49ers. “This group went 15-1 under coach Bill Walsh, with Joe Montana establishing himself as one of the game’s most clutch quarterbacks.”
- 5. 1992 Cowboys. “The youngest team in the NFL at the time, these Cowboys boasted Hall of Fame ‘Triplets’ in Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, and Michael Irvin.”
Sorry, Saquon, the Eagles didn’t make the cut. If you want to know where the Eagles ranked, you can check out Cody’s story here.
2. Projecting the Steelers’ 2025 record with and without Aaron Rodgers
It’s been two months since Aaron Rodgers made a free-agent visit to Pittsburgh and he still hasn’t made a decision about whether he’s going to sign with the Steelers. At the NFL spring league meeting, Steelers owner Art Rooney II said his team would be willing to wait “a little while longer” for Rodgers to make a decision.
Since no one seems to have any idea what Rodgers is going to do, we predicted how the Steelers would do WITH and WITHOUT him. Ben Roethlisberger conducted this same exercise on his podcast and forecasted:
- Steelers record with Rodgers: 11-6
- Steelers record without Rodgers: 7-10
Cody Benjamin echoed similar predictions, concluding:
- Steelers record with Rodgers: 10-7
- Steelers record without Rodgers: 7-10
3. Players who have spent a small fortune to get a number:
Ashton Jeanty, after being drafted by the Raiders, delightedly paid a hefty amount to secure the No. 2 jersey, which was previously held by Daniel Carlson. He compared the cost to a fancy car, stating, “You could buy a nice Mercedes GLE.”
4. Contract year breakout players:
Several players heading into a contract year are expected to shine, like Rams WR Tutu Atwell, Eagles LB Josh Uche, and Raiders OL Dylan Parham.
5. AFC South win totals predictions:
The article also covers over/under predictions for each team in the AFC South, highlighting the Houston Texans and Tennessee Titans.
6. Extra points: A roundup of ongoing NFL matters, including Brock Purdy’s contract negotiation details and other notable player updates.
