The Pat McAfee Show Live | Tuesday June 2nd 2026

The acquisition of Miles Garrett by the Los Angeles Rams creates an 'Avengers-like' defensive line. The hosts speculate on the possibility of Aaron Donald returning from retirement to play alongside Garrett, potentially forming one of the greatest defensive lines in NFL history. Garrett's past performance, achieving a sack record with the third-fewest opponent pass dropbacks, suggests he could break his own record with the Rams' offense likely leading more often, allowing more pass-rushing opportunities.

Tone Diggs describes the Rams' defense as 'literally putting together almost like the Avengers' with Miles Garrett. Dan Orlovsky notes Garrett set a sack record despite opponents dropping back the third-fewest times, implying more opportunities with the Rams could lead to a new record.

AJ Brown's trade to the New England Patriots is highlighted as a game-changer, especially for beating man coverage, which was a significant weakness for the Patriots in previous playoffs. Dan Orlovsky emphasizes Brown's ability to 'kill man coverage' and compares his potential impact to Rob Gronkowski's role in the Patriots' offense, creating mismatches and opening opportunities for other receivers.

Dan Orlovsky states, 'This dude kills man coverage' and notes the Patriots 'could not beat man coverage last year in the playoffs.' He suggests Brown could be the primary read like Gronkowski was for Tom Brady.

Major League Baseball and the MLBPA are at a philosophical deadlock regarding a salary cap. The MLB wants to implement a cap for 'competitive balance,' while players argue that balance already exists and a cap would limit their earning potential, harkening back to the 1994 strike. The hosts express concern over the potential for a work stoppage, emphasizing the detrimental impact it could have on the sport's growing popularity.

Jet Passen explains, 'Major League Baseball wants to completely upend and change the system... and the players want to look at it right now and say, 'Status quo is working for the game.'' He references the 1994 strike when owners last proposed a salary cap.

The Stanley Cup Finals between the Vegas Golden Knights and Carolina Hurricanes is framed as a 'good versus evil' narrative. Jackie Redmond describes Vegas as the 'big bad villains' due to their ruthless, win-at-all-costs approach (e.g., firing coaches, aggressive roster moves), while Carolina, led by coach Rod Brind'Amour, embodies hard work and responsibility, making them the 'good guys.'

Jackie Redmond states, 'This is the ultimate good guy versus bad guy Stanley Cup final because the Vegas Golden Knights have turned themselves into the big bad villains of the NHL.' She contrasts this with Carolina's coach, Rod Brind'Amour, who is 'all hard work and responsibility.'

Shador Sanders earned a record $17.7 million from NFLPA licensing deals, primarily driven by a massive trading card deal. This figure surpasses previous records, including Tom Brady's, and highlights the escalating value of rookie player endorsements and collectibles, especially with the rise of companies like Fanatics in the sports card market.

The hosts report Shador Sanders earned '$17.7 million from the NFLPA, the highest in the history of NFLPA licensing deals,' with 'about 15 millionish came from card deal.'

Jaylen Brunson's effectiveness as an 'undersized guard' is attributed to his ability to control the pace of the game, consistently shifting from fast to slow. Chris Paul explains that Brunson's strength and intelligence allow him to play at his own pace, making him incredibly difficult to guard by setting up shots and exploiting defensive angles.

Chris Paul states, 'He's always playing at his own pace. He's going fast to slow, slow to fast, consistently. He's strong. He can shoot it.' He adds that Brunson 'taking an extra second to see where your feet are and to play different angles' makes him hard to guard.

Chris Paul recounts the infamous 2011 trade that would have sent him to the Los Angeles Lakers, which was ultimately vetoed by the NBA. At the time, the league owned Paul's team (the New Orleans Hornets), and other owners reportedly protested the trade, arguing it would undermine competitive balance, a key goal of the recently concluded CBA negotiations.

Chris Paul confirms, 'Our team at the time was owned by the league... a lot of the owners or whatnot from other teams was like, 'Well, I guess that ain't competitive balance.''