• A 2018 Redraft: Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson at the top, and lessons we can learn from this loaded class
    Jul 3 2025

    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 first round. How would that draft go with the benefit of hindsight? And what can we take away from what happened then and what we now know?


    Hosts: Robert Mays and Derrik Klassen

    With: Dane Brugler

    Executive Producer: Michael Beller

    Producer: Michael Beller

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    Follow Dane on X: @dpbrugler

    Theme song: Haunted

    Written by Dylan Slocum, Trevor Dietrich, Ruben Duarte, Kyle McAulay, and Meredith VanWoert / Performed by Spanish Love Songs

    Courtesy of Pure Noise / By arrangement with Bank Robber Music, LLC

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    1 hr and 19 mins
  • Mailbag Monday: Contract-year players, best QB + coach upgrades ever, the importance of aging on rosters, and more
    Jun 30 2025

    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: Robert Mays and Derrik Klassen

    With: Michael Beller

    Executive Producer: Michael Beller

    Producer: Michael Beller

    Subscribe to The Athletic Football Show...

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    Follow Robert on Bluesky: @robertmays.bsky.social

    Follow Derrik on Bluesky: @qbklass.bsky.social

    Follow Beller on Bluesky: @mbeller.bsky.social

    Follow Robert on X: @robertmays

    Follow Derrik on X: @QBKlass

    Theme song: Haunted

    Written by Dylan Slocum, Trevor Dietrich, Ruben Duarte, Kyle McAulay, and Meredith VanWoert / Performed by Spanish Love Songs

    Courtesy of Pure Noise / By arrangement with Bank Robber Music, LLC

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    1 hr and 1 min
  • Looking backward and forward for this season's second-year quarterbacks
    Jun 27 2025

    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 give their diagnosis on the former, and prognosis on the latter, on this episode of The Athletic Football Show.


    Hosts: Robert Mays and Derrik Klassen

    Executive Producer: Michael Beller

    Producer: Michael Beller

    Subscribe to The Athletic Football Show...

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    Follow Robert on Bluesky: @robertmays.bsky.social

    Follow Derrik on Bluesky: @qbklass.bsky.social

    Follow Robert on X: @robertmays

    Follow Derrik on X: @QBKlass

    Theme song: Haunted

    Written by Dylan Slocum, Trevor Dietrich, Ruben Duarte, Kyle McAulay, and Meredith VanWoert / Performed by Spanish Love Songs

    Courtesy of Pure Noise / By arrangement with Bank Robber Music, LLC

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    1 hr and 18 mins
  • The duality of NFL expectations
    Jun 25 2025

    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 Football Show.


    Hosts: Robert Mays and Derrik Klassen

    Executive Producer: Michael Beller

    Producer: Michael Beller

    Subscribe to The Athletic Football Show...

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    Follow Robert on Bluesky: @robertmays.bsky.social

    Follow Derrik on Bluesky: @qbklass.bsky.social

    Follow Robert on X: @robertmays

    Follow Derrik on X: @QBKlass

    Theme song: Haunted

    Written by Dylan Slocum, Trevor Dietrich, Ruben Duarte, Kyle McAulay, and Meredith VanWoert / Performed by Spanish Love Songs

    Courtesy of Pure Noise / By arrangement with Bank Robber Music, LLC

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    52 mins
  • Our guilty pleasure storylines
    Jun 24 2025

    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 Klassen

    Executive Producer: Michael Beller

    Producer: Michael Beller

    Subscribe to The Athletic Football Show...

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    ⁠YouTube⁠

    Follow Robert on Bluesky: @robertmays.bsky.social

    Follow Derrik on Bluesky: @qbklass.bsky.social

    Follow Robert on X: @robertmays

    Follow Derrik on X: @QBKlass

    Theme song: Haunted

    Written by Dylan Slocum, Trevor Dietrich, Ruben Duarte, Kyle McAulay, and Meredith VanWoert / Performed by Spanish Love Songs

    Courtesy of Pure Noise / By arrangement with Bank Robber Music, LLC

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    1 hr and 5 mins
  • Mailbag Monday: Worst QB rooms of the past decade, Protector of the Year Award, which low-expectations teams can make the playoffs, and more
    Jun 23 2025

    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 Klassen

    With: Michael Beller

    Executive Producer: Michael Beller

    Producer: Michael Beller

    Subscribe to The Athletic Football Show...

    ⁠Apple⁠

    ⁠Spotify⁠

    ⁠YouTube⁠

    Follow Robert on Bluesky: @robertmays.bsky.social

    Follow Derrik on Bluesky: @qbklass.bsky.social

    Follow Beller on Bluesky: @mbeller.bsky.social

    Follow Robert on X: @robertmays

    Follow Derrik on X: @QBKlass

    Theme song: Haunted

    Written by Dylan Slocum, Trevor Dietrich, Ruben Duarte, Kyle McAulay, and Meredith VanWoert / Performed by Spanish Love Songs

    Courtesy of Pure Noise / By arrangement with Bank Robber Music, LLC

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Show more Show less
    52 mins