Would Jared Verse rather win 1 Super Bowl or 4 Defensive Player of the Year awards?
Verse: 'Let the team see this. I'll play it in the team meeting.'
Jared Verse has only been in the NFL for one season but he's already started a trophy collection. He won Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2024, quickly solidifying himself as one of the best overall defenders in the league – regardless of age or experience.
Heading into his second season, Verse is a legitimate Defensive Player of the Year candidate. The Los Angeles Rams are also serious Super Bowl contenders. With his talent and the Rams' status as perennial contenders, Verse seems destined to win at least one Defensive Player of the Year award and potentially one Super Bowl, too.
But what would he rather have? Four Defensive Player of the Year trophies or one Lombardi? He made that decision during an episode of 'Spa Day' from Whistle.
'We don't even got to talk about it. Super Bowl all the way,' he said with conviction.
But then he started to think about it. And his mind changed.
'Hell no, I ain't even going to lie to you. Four? Four?! Get that out of here, I'm going with that,' he said. 'Two or three, I would've been like, 'Oh yeah, championship all day.''
Verse isn't even afraid to let his teammates and coaches know he'd rather have four Defensive Player of the Year awards over one Super Bowl. He'll tell them himself.
'Let the team see this. I'll play it in the team meeting,' he joked.
On first thought, it's easy to pick the Super Bowl like Verse did. That's what every player dreams of winning, from the time they're playing youth football to getting drafted into the NFL.
But when you really think about it, four Defensive Player of the Year awards would all but ensure Hall of Fame status. No player has ever won it more than three times, with Lawrence Taylor and Aaron Donald tied for the all-time record.
If Verse were to win the award four times, he'd be a first-ballot Hall of Famer just like Taylor was and Donald will be. One Super Bowl has never guaranteed a player first-ballot Hall of Fame status.
It might not be the popular pick, but it's hard to blame Verse for taking the personal accolades and an inevitable gold jacket over one ring.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Lynx's Courtney Williams boldly claims Napheesa Collier is ‘a problem' in MVP race
The post Lynx's Courtney Williams boldly claims Napheesa Collier is 'a problem' in MVP race appeared first on ClutchPoints. Minnesota Lynx superstar Napheesa Collier has been dominating the competition in the 2025 WNBA season, including in their 101-78 beatdown of the Los Angeles Sparks on June 14. But fans voting for their favorite All-Stars aren't the only ones who've taken notice. Advertisement The other half of the Lynx's star duo Courtney Williams sang Collier's praises during post-game press conferences, stating her case for why the reigning Defensive Player of the Year deserves the WNBA MVP award next. 'Lord, have mercy, she's a problem,' Williams began with a smile. She then bantered with Collier a bit as she recalled a conversation they had on the bench. 'I said, 'You that one.' She sat down and I said, 'I can't believe you really that one,'' she said and chuckled along with the rest of the room. 'I mean, sometimes, just seeing what she do out there, bruh, it's like damn, I'm a part of this! I'm really seeing this girl go crazy, and I'm a teammate,' Williams continued. 'I'ma keep campaigning for her, man, numbers don't lie. Obviously, our team's not as good … if she don't show up the way she shows up every game, every practice, every day. 'Come on, man, everybody's gotta see it. It ain't rocket science.' Collier definitely has the stats to back up Williams' opinion. The former UConn standout threw down 32 points, eight rebounds, six assists, two steals, and two blocks on the Sparks while going 13-for-16 from the field. Those insane numbers rightfully made her the first player in the W to put up at least a 30/5/5/2/2 game on 80% shooting. Collier's impressive showing also happened to link her with this season's other WNBA MVP favorite, Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark. Both Clark and Collier coincidentally topped the 25-point mark in one half on the same day, 25 and 26 tallies, respectively. Advertisement The two marked their names in the history books as only the second pair to accomplish the feat in league history. The first, the Dallas Wings' Arike Ogunbowale and the then-Seattle Storm's Jewell Loyd, did it two years earlier, almost to the exact day, on June 17, 2023. Related: Lynx celebrate legend Seimone Augustus' dual HOF honors Related: Lynx star Napheesa Collier, icon Seimone Augustus bond over basketball in wholesome reunion
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
NFL LB unit rankings: Where Arizona Cardinals opponents rank
PFF ranked all 32 NFL teams' LB units. See where the Cardinals' 2025 opponents rank. The offseason of lists and rankings continues as we wait for training camps to begin. These rankings are from PFF, lining up the linebacker units for all 32 NFL teams. We know that the Arizona Cardinals' group is not highly rated, but what about their 2025 opponents? Let's have a look at the opposing linebacker units they will face. NFL LB unit rankings: 2025 Arizona Cardinals opponents Analysis The Cardinals' unit is No. 29 overall, but that won't impact their performance against their opponents' linebackers. That's something for the offense to pay attention to. They will face only three top-10 units in four games (49ers, Saints, Jags). They face eight bottom-10 units in 10 games (they have two games each against the Rams and Seahawks). Considering the Cardinals' run game and how good tight end Trey McBride is, they should see a good amount of success against these opponents, should these rankings hold true to form. Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire's Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Dave Parker's teammates, Hall of Famers, current Pirates react to his death: 'One of the greatest to ever do it'
The baseball world mourned the death of Dave Parker, Hall of Famer and former National League MVP, on Saturday. The 19-year major leaguer had battled Parkinson's disease for nearly 15 years. The Pittsburgh Pirates and Cincinnati Reds, the teams with whom Parker played the majority of his MLB career, expressed their condolences. As did the Athletics, Angels, Brewers and Blue Jays, in addition to Major League Baseball. Plenty of Parker's former teammates, fellow Hall of Famers and current Pirates players voiced their sympathies as well. Advertisement Fellow Hall of Famer Bert Blyleven and Parker were teammates on the Pirates from 1977-80, which included winning the World Series in 1979. "What a sad [day] as my former teammate and friend, HOF'er Dave Parker, passed away," Blyleven posted on social media. "He fought Parkinson's for years. Our condolences to his wife Kellye, his family and everyone that had the great opportunity to be with him. RIP Cobra." 'Man, I am crushed," former teammate Dave Stewart told USA Today's Bob Nightengale. 'He's one of the greatest teammates I've ever had. He had such a presence when he walked into the room. Parker and Stewart played together on the Oakland Athletics in 1988 and 1989, getting to the World Series in both seasons and winning a championship on their second try. Keith Hernandez didn't play on any teams with Parker, but was certainly a peer as both were top major leaguers in the late 1970s through the 1980s. "The best player of the late '80s and early '80s," Hernandez told the New York Post's Mike Puma. "Great, boisterous peer." "He used to say, 'When the leaves turn brown, I will be wearing the [batting title] crown,'" he added. "Until I usurped his crown in '79. He was a better player than me. RIP." Hernandez did indeed win the National League batting title in 1979 with a .344 average after Parker won it for the previous two consecutive seasons, batting .338 in 1977 and .334 in 1978. Advertisement Fellow Hall of Famer Frank Thomas remembered fielding a ground ball from Parker at first base early in his major league career. "RIP, Dave Parker, the Cobra!" Thomas posted on social media. "One of the greatest to ever do it. Love watching you as a kid. I will always remember that first line drive ground ball you hit me in the show right off my chest." "You said, welcome to the show, kid," he continued. "That big smile and the finger point trot. #Legendary." Eric Davis, Parker's teammate with the Reds, issued a statement because he was too distraught to talk, according to Nightengale. The thought that Parker wouldn't be alive for his Hall of Fame induction was too upsetting. 'He probably had more impact on young players than any player I've ever been around," Davis said. Current Reds manager Terry Francona played with Parker on the 1987 Reds and 1990 Brewers, remembered getting to play with a star he long admired. "He was a big, lovable... I caught him toward the end of his career," Francona recalled. "He was funny, you could mess with him. "Not too much," he added with a laugh. Pirates veteran Andrew McCutchen shared his thoughts on Parker with Alex Stumpf, acknowledging what he meant to Pittsburgh fans. "It's a tough thing to hear, but he had been battling Parkinson's for quite some time," McCutchen said. "It was rough to see him go through that. I just hope now he's in a a better place and not having to worry about any of that stuff anymore." "Just thinking about his family and the fanbase who may have had any type of interaction with him, childhoods," he added. "He was probably Superman to a lot of people when he played." Advertisement McCutchen's teammate, Nick Gonzales, currently wears the No. 39 jersey that Parker wore during his 11 seasons with the Pirates (and throughout his career) and thinks it should be retired. "It just meant a little bit more today, playing with that number," Gonzales said on Saturday. "I think it should be retired and I should get a new number, honestly." "That might happen at some point," he continued. "For what he did for this community... it's an honor just to wear it on my back." Parker was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in December by the Classic Era Committee, earning votes on 14 of 16 ballots. He will be officially inducted into Cooperstown on July 27.
