The Athletic NFL insider Dianna Russini joined Thursday’s edition of GoJo and Golic to break down the latest on NFL holdouts and what Russell Wilson needs to do in Pittsburgh to be successful.
Before the crew could get into the brass tax, Mike Golic Jr. had to have her weigh in on who has the better 1990s boy band — Backstreet Boys or *NSYNC. Russini responded by giving her best “I Want It That Way” impression.
Dianna highlights the shift over time and the rise of TikTok before asking Senior if he keeps up with current trends. Senior responds candidly, expressing his disdain by calling today’s trends “stupid” and “garbage” as they reminisce on the golden era of MTV’s TRL.
Eventually they got to football and Dianna discussed the NFL holdouts of 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk and Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase. Senior wonders if they might follow Chiefs defensive star Chris Jones’ lead and sit out Week 1 to exert their leverage in contract negotiations. Russini points out that all signs point to Aiyuk wanting to remain in San Francisco and if forced to choose one of the two to sit, she thinks Aiyuk would be more likely to do so because the situation has gotten out of control. The crazy thing, she says, is that the sides were so close to an extension. In fact, Dianna reveals she has a draft tweet ready to go announcing Aiyuk’s new contract extension. However, it has yet to materialize.
As far as Chase goes, she expresses that the situation is different given that he has two years left on his deal. Chase was sure that the Bengals would get the deal done before the start of the season. Bengals head coach Zac Taylor spoke with the media early this week and expressed his hopes that Chase would practice with the team, given that he appeared in street clothes. However, Chase responded by not show up the following day in a bid to reaffirm his leverage in this situation.
Russini also shared insights on what Russell Wilson needs to do this upcoming season now that he’s been named the Steelers’ starter. Justin Fields’ impressive play during training camp further shortened Wilson’s margin for error and Dianna stressed that the Steelers‘ coaching staff wants Wilson to protect the ball and not revert to the player he was with the Denver Broncos. If he can play mistake-free football consistently, he could be the starter for the duration of the season.
Watch or listen to the full show below and tune into GoJo and Golic weekday mornings from 8-10 a.m. ET on DraftKings Network! See more about how to watch DraftKings Network here.
SHOW BREAKDOWN
Hour 1: Colt McCoy on Texas Football, Shedeur Sanders & NFL Rookie QBs + Ja’Marr Chase & Brandon Aiyuk Holdouts
Hour 2: Dianna Russini has the Scoop on Russell Wilson, Receiver Holdouts and The Backstreet Boys + Overrated QBs & NIL Nike Deals
VIDEO
Watch GoJo and Golic every weekday on Samsung TV Plus, Roku, Xumo Play, Google TV and DraftKingsNetwork.com from 8 to 10 a.m. ET. The show is also available via audio on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also follow Mike Golic Sr. on X at @golic and Mike Golic Jr. on X at @mikegolicjr.
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