The Athletic Football Show: A show about the NFL

The Athletic
  • 4.8 (195)
  • Football
  • Updated Daily

The Athletic’s flagship NFL podcast covers the league like only The Athletic can. Host Robert Mays and co-hosts Derrik Klassen and Dave Helman dive into the biggest stories, break down the Xs and Os, and tackle the ins and outs of roster building. They meticulously follow the details of why we all love this sport and have plenty of fun along the way, bringing the expertise necessary to cover the NFL at the highest level. You want year-round draft coverage? You'll get that here, too, with draft expert Dane Brugler. Whether it’s happening on the field or behind the scenes, you’ll get an in-depth look at all things NFL on The Athletic Football Show, available wherever you get your podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. 5 hrs ago ·  Video

    What does an NFL GM actually do?

    In the immortal words of John C. McGinley, “What would you say you do here?” We judge general managers and executives on free agency signings, contract negotiations, and draft classes…but what are they actually doing behind the scenes? Former Philadelphia Eagles executive Jake Rosenberg sits down with Robert Mays to discuss what a GM candidate should look like, the role of analytics in front offices, and what some NFL organizations are doing wrong with their executive structures. 0:00 Welcome to the show 1:46 Jake Rosenberg joins 4:30 What GM candidates should look like 8:48 Role of ownership 13:41 What does a GM do? 18:32 Ideal NFL team structure  24:19 GM/owner involvement in game plans 26:11 Where should you find new GMs/execs? 30:13 How to figure out a candidate’s experience 34:50 What do you ask candidates? 40:50 Most important hires for a GM 46:50 Process of hiring coaches 50:54 Analytics vs scouting background Host: Robert Mays Executive Producer: Michael Beller Senior Producer: Katy Duffy Social Producer: Scott Krinch Follow Robert on Bluesky: @robertmays.bsky.social Follow Robert on X: @RobertMays 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.

    55 min

  2. 1d ago ·  Video

    What happened to C.J. Stroud last season? 2026 Lingering Questions, episode 3

    The Giants have spent a ton of resources along the defensive line in recent years, and made a splash this offseason by bringing in head coach John Harbaugh and defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson. So, what exactly is this defense? The Texans had a Super Bowl caliber defense last season, but were ultimately let down by their previously up-and-coming quarterback. So, what happened to C.J. Stroud in 2025? The Jaguars had one of the best offenses in the NFL in the second half of last season. Was that real? Can they carry that over to 2026? Robert Mays, Derrik Klassen and Dave Helman dive deep on those three questions on this Lingering Questions episode of The Athletic Football Show. 0:00 Welcome to the show 7:09 What is the New York Giants defense? 25:32 Wtf happened to CJ Stroud? 54:19 Was the Jacksonville Jaguars offensive ascension for real? Host: Robert Mays Co-Hosts: Derrik Klassen and Dave Helman Executive Producer: Michael Beller Senior Producer: Katy Duffy Social Producer: Scott Krinch Follow Robert on Bluesky: @robertmays.bsky.social Follow Derrik on Bluesky: @qbklass.bsky.social Follow Dave on Bluesky: @davehelman.bsky.social Follow Robert on X: @RobertMays Follow Dave on X: @DaveHelman_ 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.

    1h 14m

  3. 2d ago ·  Video

    Hall of Very Good, Class of 2026

    We're firmly in the Remember Some Guys period of the NFL calendar, and what better way to do so than with the Hall of Very Good? You kinda-sorta know a Hall of Very Good player when you see one, but we followed two loose rules when putting this episode together. First, if a player ever advanced to the semifinalist stage in Hall of Fame voting, he was too good to be in the Hall of Very Good. Second, he had to immediately conjure memories of legitimate peaks. Check both those boxes, and you're a Hall of Very Good candidate. So who made the 2026 class? Allow Robert Mays, Derrik Klassen and Dave Helman to walk you down memory lane on this episode of The Athletic Football Show. 0:00 Welcome to the show 6:29 Ryan Kerrigan 11:39 Tamba Hali 16:02 Matt Forte 19:19 Warrick Dunn 24:43 Thomas Davis 29:38 Michael Bennett 35:16 Stephen Davis 40:28 Mike Iupati 43:27 Snacks Harrison 48:03 D'Brickashaw Ferguson 51:12 Sean Lee 57:35 Jordy Nelson 1:03:07 Reggie Nelson 1:04:49 Rapid fire additions Host: Robert Mays Co-Hosts: Derrik Klassen and Dave Helman Executive Producer: Michael Beller Senior Producer: Katy Duffy Social Producer: Scott Krinch Follow Robert on Bluesky: @robertmays.bsky.social Follow Derrik on Bluesky: @qbklass.bsky.social Follow Dave on Bluesky: @davehelman.bsky.social Follow Robert on X: @RobertMays Follow Dave on X: @DaveHelman_ 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.

    1h 8m

  4. 3d ago ·  Video

    Which NFL Team Has the Best WEAK LINK?

    Some topics are evergreen in the NFL. And some are so perfect for mid-June that it would be a crime not to discuss them. That’s where this week’s Mailbag Monday episode takes us…what are the best 3-year player peaks you’ve ever seen? What are the best single-season teams to never win a Super Bowl? What aspects of player performance still can’t be measured by stats? Robert Mays and Dave Helman discuss that and much more on this episode of The Athletic Football Show. 0:00 Welcome to the show 2:56 Teams with the best weak link 7:58 Value of mythically elite kicker/punter 13:29 Defensive players that scheme relies on 19:45 Best 3-year player peaks 31:29 Best teams not to win a Super Bowl 36:42 Value of veteran qb vs churn of new ones 44:12 Myles Garrett vs Jared Verse 49:32 Statistics we still need 54:46 Choosing OC over head coach Host: Robert Mays Co-Host: Dave Helman Executive Producer: Michael Beller Senior Producer: Katy Duffy Social Producer: Scott Krinch Follow Robert on Bluesky: @robertmays.bsky.social Follow Dave on Bluesky: @davehelman.bsky.social Follow Robert on X: @RobertMays Follow Dave on X: @DaveHelman_ 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.

    59 min

  5. 6d ago ·  Video

    Everything you need to know about Brendan Sorsby & the NFL Supplemental Draft

    The various sagas roiling college football typically fall outside our purview here on The Athletic Football Show, but nothing about the Brendan Sorsby saga is typical. Sorsby was one of the biggest prizes in the transfer portal this offseason. Instead of potentially leading Texas Tech back to the playoff this year, he'll make the NFL Supplemental Draft an actual event for the first time in seemingly forever. Robert Mays, Dave Helman and Dane Brugler detail what type of prospect Sorsby is, the value he'll have in the supplemental draft, and which teams might be interested in him on this episode of The Athletic Football Show. Host: Robert Mays Co-Hosts: Dave Helman and Dane Brugler Executive Producer: Michael Beller Senior Producer: Katy Duffy Social Producer: Scott Krinch Follow Robert on Bluesky: @robertmays.bsky.social Follow Dave on Bluesky: @davehelman.bsky.social Follow Robert on X: @RobertMays Follow Dave on X: @DaveHelman_ 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.

    46 min

  6. Jun 18 ·  Video

    Walking in the shoes of a non-playcalling offensive coordinator with Bengals OC Dan Pitcher

    The success of coaches like Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay has created a group of coaches that, at one time in the recent past, were quite rare...non-playcalling offensive coordinators. Fully half the league will have offensive coordinators who don't call plays on gameday this season. So, what exactly do they do? Bengals OC Dan Pitcher, who works under head coach and playcaller Zac Taylor, takes us through it all on this episode of The Athletic Football Show. Rundown: 0:00 Welcome to the show 2:10 Background reporting on OCs 29:22 Dan Pitcher joins Host: Robert Mays Co-Host: Derrik Klassen Executive Producer: Michael Beller Senior Producer: Katy Duffy Social Producer: Scott Krinch Follow Robert on Bluesky: @robertmays.bsky.social Follow Derrik on Bluesky: @qbklass.bsky.social Follow Robert on X: @RobertMays 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.

    1h 14m

  7. Jun 17 ·  Video

    The under-26 non-QB player draft

    The NFL, as always, is in good hands going forward with all the young talent across the league. Just how good? Well, Robert Mays, Derrik Klassen and Dave Helman help lay that out by selecting the 24 best players that are 25 years old or younger, not including QBs, on this episode of The Athletic Football Show. Rundown: 0:00 Welcome to the show 1:35 We’re so back 5:50 Stacking the under-25 QBs 6:05 Jayden Daniels vs Caleb Williams 9:03 Will Anderson Jr 10:27 Anderson a top-5 NFL player? 11:13 Puka Nacua 16:00 Byron Murphy II 20:03 Jaxon Smith-Njigba 22:27 Kyle Hamilton 25:26 Jared Verse 29:40 Joe Alt 31:27 Derek Stingley Jr 34:06 Darnell Wright 37:23 Abdul Carter 40:20 Brock Bowers 43:57 Drake London 46:44 Bijan Robinson 48:00 Robert has mind control powers 49:28 Jahmyr Gibbs 52:36 Jalen Carter 56:45 Quinyon Mitchell 58:27 Tyler Smith 1:00:30 Christian Gonzalez 1:00:45 “Why do you hate Christian Gonzalez?” 1:02:07 Malik Nabers 1:04:44 Carson Schwesinger 1:07:25 Devon Witherspoon 1:08:31 Colston Loveland (who is surprised?) 1:10:51 Armand Membou 1:12:55 Jeremiyah Love 1:14:15 George Pickens 1:16:38 Travis Hunter Host: Robert Mays Co-Hosts: Derrik Klassen and Dave Helman Executive Producer: Michael Beller Senior Producer: Katy Duffy Social Producer: Scott Krinch Follow Robert on Bluesky: @robertmays.bsky.social Follow Derrik on Bluesky: @qbklass.bsky.social Follow Dave on Bluesky: @davehelman.bsky.social Follow Robert on X: @RobertMays Follow Dave on X: @DaveHelman_ 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.

    1h 22m

  8. Jun 15 ·  Video

    Can you actually find success chasing a trend in today’s NFL?

    This week’s mailbag yielded one of the best hypotheticals we have ever received…and a bunch of other very good questions too. Who are the NFL’s best pass blocking RBs? What are some current NFL trends that may seem archaic in the near future? And are defense-first Super Bowl champions here to stay? Robert Mays and Derrik Klassen answer that and more. 0:00 Welcome to the show 1:51 Finishing piece to a Super Bowl-losing team 5:19 Best pass blocking RBs 10:57 NFL trends that will seem archaic soon 19:17 Creating vs chasing a trend 27:59 Position groups with most potential lost to injury 30:15 Drafting QBs if all other picks were voided 42:32 Are defenses getting smaller? 45:34 Historical trend of defense-first champions 49:42 Bryce Young’s contract extension Host: Robert Mays Co-Host: Derrik Klassen Executive Producer: Michael Beller Senior Producer: Katy Duffy Social Producer: Scott Krinch Follow Robert on Bluesky: @robertmays.bsky.social Follow Derrik on Bluesky: @qbklass.bsky.social Follow Robert on X: @RobertMays 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.

    57 min
See All (1.4K)

Trailer

Hosts & Guests

4.8
out of 5
195 Ratings

About

The Athletic’s flagship NFL podcast covers the league like only The Athletic can. Host Robert Mays and co-hosts Derrik Klassen and Dave Helman dive into the biggest stories, break down the Xs and Os, and tackle the ins and outs of roster building. They meticulously follow the details of why we all love this sport and have plenty of fun along the way, bringing the expertise necessary to cover the NFL at the highest level. You want year-round draft coverage? You'll get that here, too, with draft expert Dane Brugler. Whether it’s happening on the field or behind the scenes, you’ll get an in-depth look at all things NFL on The Athletic Football Show, available wherever you get your podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Information

More From The Athletic

You Might Also Like