And just like that, Brandon Beane has locked in his core: Khalil Shakir, Christian Benford, Greg Rousseau, Terrel Bernard and, now, James Cook all inked contract extensions this offseason.

Tip of the hat to Terry Pegula for spending this kind of money.

The Buffalo Bills know the Super Bowl window is open and wanted to secure their own. Cook’s contract stalemate got testy at the end, but it was always smart for these two sides to meet in the middle. It sends a strong message in the locker room, too.

To discuss it all, let’s welcome Jon Scott from WGRZ onto the Go Long Pod.

* We analyze Cook’s deal, Cook’s value and why he’s worth a four-year, $46 million contract even as a two-down player.

* Will Keon Coleman elevate his game in 2025? The Bills are counting on the wide receiver taking a giant step. He’s had an interesting summer.

* Brandon Beane is maximizing Josh Allen’s prime. It just looks different.

* Which player surprised Jon most at St. John Fisher? I didn’t see this player’s name coming.

* Our causes for concern this season. Cole Bishop’s health is near the top of that list. The Bills’ safety play must improve when a January date with Patrick Mahomes is inevitable.

You can watch or listen to our conversation above or anywhere you pod: Apple, Spotify and YouTube.

Also: Here’s our latest round of Mailbag questions for paid subscribers.

Always love talking ball with my former colleague at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinal: longtime beat man, Tom Silverstein.

Nobody covers the team beter than “Spoon,” and you can read all of his work right here.

Here on the Go Long Podcast, we get updates and analysis on everything Packers…

* Jordan Love enters Year 3 as the starter. How is he adjusting his game? The Packers quarterback opened up on how the 2024 injuries affected his running. One year ago, we billed him a future all-time great. It’s a massive season for the $220 million quarterback.

* How will rookie wide receiver Matthew Golden factor into the offense? Silverstein believes Matt LaFleur sees shades of Deebo Samuel in Savion Williams, too.

* Who leads the Packers in receiving this season? Our friend’s answer may surprise you.

* This roster constructed by GM Brian Gutekunst is strong. This is a year-in, year-out playoff team. But who are the A-to-A+ players that get Green Bay to a Super Bowl?

* Matt LaFleur is entering his seventh season. As analyzed in the aftermath of his latest playoff loss, it’s not easy for coaches this deep into a tenure with a win to go all the way. His job’s safe but the pressure’s always high at 1265 Lombardi Ave.

For those asking, YES, the “Ty & Bob Pod” with Bob McGinn will return for another season. Cannot wait.

I’ll share details as we close in on the season.

Enjoy.

ICYMI:

* Drake London blacks out

* Welcome to the Junkyard: 'Dying to win,' Grant Delpit is here to change the Cleveland Browns forever

* The Revenge of Dalton Kincaid

Always a joy to welcome on one of my best friends from the college days at Syracuse: Conor Orr of Sports Illustrated.

Great writer. Better father. Loved our conversation on all the above.

Each NFL season, there’s a team that sneaks up on everyone. Nobody outside of Dan Quinn’s staff expected the Washington Commanders to reach the NFC title game in 2024.

Who goes on an unexpected run in 2025? We discuss. I’m guessing my NFC pick won’t come as a shock. Feel free to offer your surprise teams in the comments, too.

Miss any of our 2025 NFL Season Preview features rollin’ out at Go Long? Links below:

* Drake London blacks out

* Welcome to the Junkyard: 'Dying to win,' Grant Delpit is here to change the Cleveland Browns forever

* The Revenge of Dalton Kincaid

Go Long is fueled 100 percent by you. Thank you for making us your home for longform.

New here? We’d love to welcome you aboard as a paid subscriber this season.

Joe Flacco or Kenny Pickett?

Dillon Gabriel or Shedeur Sanders?

The Cleveland Browns are finally freeing themselves of the Deshaun Watson disaster this 2025 season, and the quarterback room has a chance to be more fun than you think. Our season preview features roll along this week with a close look at Grant Delpit and the Browns’ road map to kick ass.

So here on the Go Long Pod, let’s chat with Browns beat writer Zac Jackson of The Athletic and host of “Zac Jackson and Friends” podcast.

We get a full sense for the state of the Browns in this bareknuckle AFC North.

Cleveland would love to become an ornery, violent operation.

And after getting outscored by 177 points last season, there are many starters playing with one year left on their deals. Motivation should not be a problem.

You can access video and audio of this episode above, as well as Apple, Spotify, YouTube, everywhere you pod.

Be sure to rate, review, comment if you’d like.

Thanks, all.

Go Long is powered completely by our readers. Thank you for joining our community.

Odds are there’s someone in your life who knows next to nothing about the NFL — but they know Ryan Fitzpatrick. Especially in Buffalo.

That’s the power of “Fitzmagic.”

The former seventh-round pick from Harvard played for nine different teams through a wildly entertaining 17-year career. There were highs. There were lows. And there was one very specific turning point when Fitz realized he’s got to have fun playing this sport.

As you can imagine, Fitzpatrick brings the goods whether we’re reliving his pulsating 2011 win over the New England Patriots, Fred Jackson wrestling teammates inside the locker room, raising seven kids as a nomadic quarterback and… chest hair. And back hair. Because, hell, why not?

Fitz sees 2025 as the year for the Bills and offers very rare perspective on what makes Josh Allen different.

Video and audio is available above.

As always, be on the lookout for words. I’ll transcribe our conversation for those who’d prefer to read.

Thanks, everyone.

Our 2025 NFL Season Preview features are rollin’ with a look at Dalton Kincaid.

The Buffalo Bills tight end opens up on the AFC Championship, living at One Bills Drive all offseason and how he psychologically moved on. A few words from Micah Hyde went a long way.

Joe Burrow is 100 percent correct: the Super Bowl window is always open as long as he is the starting quarterback.

Now, Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins are secured long term.

A new defensive coordinator should help young talent grow on that side of the ball.

We’ve explored the team’s brilliant offensive mind on staff, too. Dan Pitcher is a wizard and should be an NFL head coach in 2026.

So, why do things still feel… off? The business has a way of spilling over to the football field in Cincinnati. The organization is butting heads with its top draft pick (Shemar Stewart) and the NFL’s reigning sack king (Trey Hendrickson) still wants a new deal. At 30, he knows the time is now to cash in. To dissect it all, we place a Substack Live call to our friend Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic and The Growler Podcast. He’s the best of the best on this beat. In fact, our chat with Paul back in March was one of our most-watched episodes of the year.

A lot has happened since then.

This team has more issues to sort through, but there’s a path toward success… even on defense.

Video and audio is accessible above. (H/T to Matthew Coller for the new guitar riff in the intro this season!)

Be sure to download the Substack app and flip those notifications ON to join all future live videos. Love fielding any questions you may have.

Miss our first 2025 NFL Season Preview feature? Buffalo Bills tight end Dalton Kincaid opens up on that fourth and 5 at Arrowhead, his two knee injuries, his total transformation and thinking “Super Bowl” this season.

Exclusive to our paid subscribers.

ICYMI:

Here’s my chat with Jay Skurski of The Buffalo News on everything Bills-Chiefs, Brandon Beane, Sean McDermott, Dalton Kincaid, AFC East.

They’re bound to meet again. Bills. Chiefs. Four out of the last five postseasons, they’ve collided. And each winter, of course, Patrick Mahomes has the right stuff.

This offseason — more than any other — GM Brandon Beane overhauled the defense.

As training camps across the NFL close in, let’s welcome back a recurring guest: Jay Skurski of The Buffalo News.

The worst thing anyone can do is doubt The Dad Bod. Mahomes is already an all-timer. But there are signs that maybe… possibly… finally… the Bills are able to take down their tormenter. On paper, this renovated defense should give Sean McDermott options aplenty. We analyze in full.

Also on the GL Pod, we discuss the subject of our most recent feature story: Dalton Kincaid. Do not be surprised if Kincaid is a top 5 tight end in Year 3.

He took his work to a different level right at One Bills Drive.

Either way, Josh Allen needs a go-to guy in the playoffs.

Finally, we wrap up with AFC East talk. Who’s the top challenger — Miami or New England?

Be sure to follow Jay on social and read all of his excellent work at The Buffalo News.

You can access video and audio of this episode above, as well as on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, everywhere you pod. Be sure to rate, review, comment, engage however you’d like. Most of all, I greatly appreciate everyone who has upgraded to a paid subscription to read our story on Kincaid. He was remarkably candid on that fourth and 5 play and everything that came next.

For 30 years, the Dallas Cowboys were a shining city on a hill. Titles galore. Landy to Jimmy.

The next 30 years? Well, there’s technically been shine. This is the richest sports franchise in the world. But this is also the only team in the NFC that hasn’t reached the conference title game. We’ve examined the organizational rot, Jerry’s World and most recently welcomed ex-Cowboys wideout Brice Butler onto the Go Long Pod for his sharp insight (podcast and words).

Now, let’s bring on an expert who’s covered this team through all the turbulence: the excellent Bob Sturm. Be sure to work “The Sturm Stack” into your reading. He’s all over Dallas sports.

Together, we try to make sense of the Cowboys’ way of doing business, examine the Jason Garrett & Mike McCarthy eras and look ahead to 2025. Is anyone catching those Howie Roseman-constructed Philadelphia Eagles?

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