PFT’S Mike Florio Talks Bears, Rams, Cowboys, Raiders, 49ers & More w/ Rich

The voice behind Pro Football Talk joined Rich working from the only spot that doesn't hurt right now. Mike Florio admitted he is fighting through what he thought was sacroiliac joint dysfunction and may be a herniated disc, which has him pinned to his desk and, by his own account, "extremely productive this week because I don't have anywhere else I can go." That confinement produced a stack of articles, and the one Rich wanted first was Florio's read on the Bears and their flirtation with Indiana.

Florio's take cuts through the noise: this is leverage, not a real move. "The Bears don't have the leverage to say we'll move to San Antonio. They're not leaving Chicago," he said. So after stalling in Chicago and then Arlington Heights, the team looked across the border, possibly inspired by the Chiefs eyeing a jump from Missouri to Kansas. The fact that the Bears keep talking to Illinois after getting what they wanted from Indiana tells Florio the Indiana conversation exists to squeeze a better Illinois deal. The audience, he said, is Governor Pritzker and the legislature, with Pritzker willing to call a special session only if both the House and Senate get behind a bill. Florio's caution: Illinois has to take the threat seriously first, "and I don't think they're taking it seriously."

Rich made the case for keeping the Bears in the city itself, noting how few NFL teams actually play inside the city for which they are named. Florio agreed but pointed to the bigger driver: a dome. Teams want year-round venues for concerts, Final Fours and Super Bowls, the way Cleveland is moving to a domed suburban stadium. Even if the Bears stay in Chicago, Florio expects a dome, with a nod to the beauty of football in the elements anyway.

On the Rams, Florio pumped the brakes on the coronation. The Myles Garrett addition has people ready to cancel the season, and now there is chatter about Aaron Donald returning, with Donald posting his own highlights again. Florio sees real smoke. Donald is 35 but has two fewer years of wear after sitting out, and the burnout he described could fade if he is finally drawing one blocker instead of three. The risk is Matthew Stafford's back; if Stafford goes down, the fallback is Ty Simpson or Stetson Bennett. Donald or not, Florio said anything short of a Super Bowl appearance will be a disappointment for a Rams team already favored and hosting the game.

The Cowboys question is George Pickens, and Florio thinks Dallas keeps him. Any trade realistically has to happen before July 15, after which a new team can't sign him long-term. Florio floated that the tender signing was "one last shaking of the tree," and warned that skipping mandatory minicamp only sows confusion and costs Pickens roughly $100,000 in fines he could have avoided by simply doing nothing.

On the Raiders, Florio said Max Crosby is the more likely of him and Pickens to be dealt. Crosby says he doesn't want out, but if Las Vegas struggles into the Tuesday after Week 9, a contender one pass rusher short could come calling.

Then his favorite conspiracy theory of the week, one he proudly claims he invented: the 49ers canceled mandatory minicamp to keep Brandon Aiyuk from showing up. Florio's argument is that Aiyuk's leverage is to report and force San Francisco to assume the injury risk on a $26 million number. The team's leverage is to do nothing and hope he stays away. Aiyuk, Florio said, should already be there.