Episode 2: Spit, Fines & Real Talk with Aaron Donald and Matt Ryan

Week 1 delivered chaos—Dak Prescott vs. Jalen Carter, New York Giants Head Coach Brian Daboll hedging on QB1, Titans running back Derrick Henry flattening defenders, and Aaron Rodgers gets revenge. But the biggest headline in this episode is the debut of our new segment: Real Talk.

This is where Aaron Donald and Matt Ryan stop translating for the cameras and say what players actually mean. When Falcons QB Michael Penix Jr. gave his measured postgame support for kicker Younghoe Koo after missing at the buzzer to force overtime, AD cut through the noise: “Shit, you got one job to do, man. Kick the damn ball and make the field goal. If you can’t do it, they gotta find somebody else.” Matt backed him up, adding, “I like Younghoe… but when I drive it down there, you’ve got to knock it through.” The honesty doesn’t stop there:

• Jalen Carter Spitting on Dak Prescott: Aaron Donald calls spitting the “ultimate disrespect” and admits, “I’d have lost my damn cool.”
• Dak vs. the critics: Matt Ryan says, “The Cowboys might have 99 problems—but Dak ain’t one.”
• Fines exposed: Super-agent Todd France takes listeners inside the NFL fine and appeal process—letters, emails, hearings, and why “no flag doesn’t mean no fine.”
• QB1 questions: What does it really mean when a coach won’t commit after Week 1? Matt and AD explain what players already know in the locker room.
• Finishing games: AD on the Ravens’ collapse, “Pick this shit up and finish. You controlled the game the whole damn time.”
• New segments with teeth: 99 Problems, Two-Minute Drill, Hot Mic, and the headline-making Real Talk.

In our very first episode, The Inner Circle Podcast goes behind the curtain of the NFL with voices you won’t hear anywhere else: Aaron Donald (3-time Defensive Player of the Year and 10-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle), Matt Ryan (NFL MVP and 4-time Pro Bowl quarterback), Todd France (NFL super agent with more than 25 years of experience and nearly $7 billion in negotiated contracts), and Zach Klein (Murrow Award and 5-time Emmy Award-winning sportscaster) come together to cover every corner of the game.

From training camp stories and game-day rituals to balancing family life and navigating the business side of the NFL, this debut episode has it all. Matt opens up about transitioning from quarterback to media, Aaron talks about his relentless film study and life after football, Todd reveals what it’s really like to be an agent on call 24/7, and Zach shares how credibility and accountability shape the media’s role.

The conversation is funny, honest, and unfiltered, from Aaron sneaking out of team hotels as a rookie, to Matt’s very first pass going for a touchdown, to the pressures of postgame interviews and sudden roster moves.

Whether you’re a player, a fan, or just curious about what life inside the NFL is really like, this episode sets the tone for a podcast that delivers perspectives from every corner of the game.

Thanks for joining us from the start, and please follow, rate, and share The Inner Circle Podcast for more inside access to the stories that shape the NFL.