Matt Verderame#83 of 87 NFL pundits · Jul 20, 2026
Matt gave his own ranking of all 32 projected starting quarterbacks entering camp, from Shedeur Sanders at 32 up to Patrick Mahomes at No. 1, with Sam Darnold and Brock Purdy straddling his middle-of-the-league 'Cousins-Darnold line.' He also suggested Mahomes would win Comeback Player of the Year if healthy and good.
Said on air, transcribed by us · KC Sports Network (podcast)Hear the original
What Matt Verderame said
our reading, beside the words we read it from32 is just whoever the fuck starts for Cleveland, but I I put Shador Sanders.
- Where it was said
- KC Sports Network (podcast)
- The episode
- That Football Show 7/20: Ranking Every Starting Quarterback in the NFL Heading into 2026
- The original
- Hear the original
- Read it wrong?
- Tell us and we will look
- 1Top Player Lists“Again, Sanders at 32, Brissett, 31, Bryce Young, 30, Gino at 29, Willis at 28, Penech at 27, Fernando Mendoza at 26, Ken Ward at twenty five... I have Shuck twenty fourth... I have Jackson Dart '23... I had Daniel Jones 22... I have Kyler Murray twenty first... So I've got Rodgers 20, Strav 19, Knicks 18, Darleson [17]... Is it Brock Bertie? Yep [16]... 15. I would've had this guy a little higher last year, Baker Mayfield... Jalen Hurts, 14... 13, Jaden Daniels... Golf. I've got 12... And then number 11, I have just missing out on the top 10, Caleb Williams... my number 10, Straffel Lawrence... So I love a nine [Jordan Love]... I have Dak at eight... I have Herbert at seven... I got Drake May 6... with Burrow, I also have him five... I have Lamar mid four... I've Stafford three... he is two [Josh Allen]... I'm taking Mahomes”
- 2Patrick Mahomes to win Comeback Player of the Year“And he's like, hey. Come back. Player of the Year and stuff. I mean, now Mahomes is gonna win that if he's good.”
Box score
HitCloseMissWaiting| Verdict | Call | Kind | What happened | Score | Naive | Skill |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| “Again, Sanders at 32, Brissett, 31, Bryce Young, 30, Gino at…”1 | Top Player Lists | — | — | — | — | |
| Patrick Mahomes to win Comeback Player of the Year2 | Award Picks | — | — | — | — | |
| 2 calls · 2 waiting | — | — | ||||
How each call scored
2 checkable claims — 1 award pick and 1 top player list — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing call.
It names 2 players and teams, each linked to their own record.
None of them have settled yet — they grade once their results are in.
Each call is scored 0 to 100 against what happened, on its own, by the published methodology. The naive guess is what knowing nothing would have scored on the same calls; the gap, weighted by how hard the call was, is the skill.
“Again, Sanders at 32, Brissett, 31, Bryce Young, 30, Gino at 29, Willis at 28, Penech at 27, Fernando Mendoza at 26, Ken Ward at twenty five... I have Shuck twenty fourth... I have Jackson Dart '23... I had Daniel Jones 22... I have Kyler Murray twenty first... So I've got Rodgers 20, Strav 19, Knicks 18, Darleson [17]... Is it Brock Bertie? Yep [16]... 15. I would've had this guy a little higher last year, Baker Mayfield... Jalen Hurts, 14... 13, Jaden Daniels... Golf. I've got 12... And then number 11, I have just missing out on the top 10, Caleb Williams... my number 10, Straffel Lawrence... So I love a nine [Jordan Love]... I have Dak at eight... I have Herbert at seven... I got Drake May 6... with Burrow, I also have him five... I have Lamar mid four... I've Stafford three... he is two [Josh Allen]... I'm taking Mahomes”
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
2Award PicksPatrick MahomesKansas City Chiefs
Patrick Mahomes to win Comeback Player of the Year
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Who this take is about
Others on the same people
Chris Clark · Trade and Signing Calls · Nikko Remigio · Miss 0
Clark expects the Chiefs to bring back exclusive-rights receiver Nico (Remigio) and long snapper James Winchester, to re-sign JuJu Smith-Schuster as a cheap veteran fifth receiver, and not to bring back Hollywood Brown, Josh Dobbs-type depth, Gardner Minshew, Janarius Robinson or Mike Caliendo; they also say the Chiefs will not use a franchise tag and believes Bryan Cook won't return.Gilberto Manzano · Trade and Signing Calls · Josh Downs · Hit 100
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Poniatowski names several trade targets, predicting Malik Willis underperforms this week against New England, that Omarion Hampton could become a viable RB2 if Adam Gase takes over play-calling, that Josh Downs gets traded (ideally to Kansas City, where they'd be a top-24 WR), that Brian Thomas Jr. could be dealt to the Rams or 49ers, and that Travis Kelce remains a consistent weekly TE.Jordan Dajani · Trade and Signing Calls · Josh Downs · Hit 100
After reporting that Colts receiver Josh Downs requested a trade, they identify five clubs as plausible landing spots for them: the Rams, Patriots, Falcons, Chiefs and Raiders, and suggests Las Vegas could also give them a long-term extension.Mike Kadlick · Trade and Signing Calls · Josh Downs · Hit 100
Kadlick names the Chiefs, Patriots and 49ers as the three best trade landing spots for Colts wide receiver Josh Downs ahead of the Nov. 10 deadline.
More award picks
The same kind of call, about other players and teams.
Willie Colon · Award Picks · Sam Darnold · Miss 0
Colon picked the Seahawks to win 24-14 with Sam Darnold as Super Bowl MVP.Danny Parkins · Award Picks · Jaxon Smith-Njigba · Miss 0
Parkins picked Seattle to win 27-16 with Jaxon Smith-Njigba as Super Bowl MVP.