The Inner Circle

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Coming to you from Indianapolis at the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine, the crew brings you for a real behind-the-scenes look at the biggest “job interview” in football.
Aaron takes you back to his own Combine experience, the months of prep, the nerves on the start line, and the moment he lost focus for a split second when a familiar coach talked trash right before his 40. AD shares what he trained for, what teams actually cared about, how the process felt inside an empty stadium, and why the Combine is about far more than one headline time.
Todd breaks down what most fans never see: the tens of thousands of dollars that go into preparing a top prospect, the specialized team behind each player (speed, strength, nutrition, interview prep, position work), and why teams are obsessed with details like the 10-yard split. They also dig into the grueling reality of Combine week — early-morning testing, medical exams, MRIs, late-night work sessions, and how one medical grade can reshape a player’s draft weekend.
Plus, Todd opens the curtain on the business side of Indy: the nonstop meetings with teams, gathering intel on roster plans, extensions, and how clubs are viewing positional value heading into the offseason.
If you’ve ever wondered what the Combine is really like and what teams are actually trying to learn... this episode is for you.
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This week on the Inner Circle Podcast, Aaron Donald, Zach Klein and Todd France  sit down with Baltimore Ravens General Manager Eric DeCosta, one of the longest tenured executives in the NFL and a two time Super Bowl champion who has helped shape a modern powerhouse through the draft, development, and relentless standards.
Eric opens with a story that perfectly sums up how long he and Todd have been in the grind together, dating back to the Blue Gray game days when a young Todd was roaming the sidelines trying to get someone to listen. From there, DeCosta takes us inside his rise in Baltimore, from being the third choice for a scouting job in 1996 to earning Ozzie Newsome’s trust, stacking responsibilities, and eventually becoming the GM. Along the way, he shares what it was like learning in a building that included future football leaders like Marvin Lewis, Kirk Ferentz, Jim Schwartz, and Eric Mangini.
DeCosta also walks through a head coach search that felt like a “speed draft” for the most important hire in the organization, including marathon Zoom interviews, the pressure of juggling draft prep at the same time, and what he prioritized most when evaluating coaching candidates. He explains why leadership, teaching, and player development still separate the best from the rest, even in an era where every assistant coach seems to have an agent and a negotiation.
Then the conversation shifts to DeCosta’s specialty: the draft and the hardest position to get right, quarterback. He breaks down what he looks for when projecting NFL passers, why “planet players” matter, and how unique traits show up across positions, including the “computer breakers” who transcend measurements. He also shares what the combine actually does for his process, why workouts can fool you, and how the interview rooms help reveal who can really learn football under pressure.
Aaron brings it home with a masterclass on self scouting, film study, and leadership, including how he watched games immediately, what angles mattered most for his preparation, and why the standard only holds if the best players live it every day. Plus, you will hear plenty of laughs, a few classic Inner Circle jabs, and even a wild idea about Aaron Donald taking Team USA bobsled into the next decade.
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Brian Burns is built to hunt quarterbacks  and this season he proved it on the biggest stage. On this episode of The Inner Circle Podcast, AD, Z and T-France sit down with the New York Giants’ “sack man” after a monster year that saw Burns finish second in the NFL in sacks (16.5), earn All-Pro recognition, and become one of the most talked-about edge rushers in football.
But this isn’t just a “tell us about your stats” conversation.
Burns opens with a behind-the-scenes look at the Pro Bowl week in San Francisco, including a hilariously surreal trip to Alcatraz, made even better by the fact that Burns knows the island like the back of his hand… because it’s literally a map in Call of Duty.  From there, the conversation turns real: what it’s like adjusting from Carolina’s small-market “family vibe” to the spotlight and pressure of New York, where every moment gets magnified, clipped, and spun into a narrative. Burns talks about learning to control your own message, giving advice to younger teammates, and why professionalism matters when the cameras never stop.
AD also dives into the craft, getting Burns to break down his favorite pass-rush weapons, including the spin move and the ghost  and then both guys explain the chess match casual fans don’t see: slides, chips, doubles, and why “getting locked up” is often just protection doing its job.
You’ll also hear the origin of Burns’ Spider-Man celebration (yes, it started with a Vine), plus a softer side: his lifelong love for dogs — including the chaos of once having seven dogs and later having to play “mama” to a litter of puppies.
Funny, detailed, and honest — Brian Burns shows exactly why New York media honored him with the 2025 PFWA Giants Good Guy Award.
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This week we begin with Aaron taking us inside the NFC Championship game and the experience from a retired player’s perspective. Standing for the anthem, feeling the jitters return, and describing that split-second “I could still do this” rush that never really leaves. He reacts to the Rams coming up just short, what it feels like to be that close to the Super Bowl, and why those final red-zone moments decide everything in January. AD also gives Seattle credit for what they did well, from matchup creation to poise under pressure, and he explains what he saw in quarterback Sam Darnold that earned his respect.
From there, the conversation turns to the biggest question in Los Angeles: what’s next for Matthew Stafford? After an MVP-caliber season and a heartbreaking playoff loss, is Stafford coming back for one more run? AD shares the real factors that go into retirement. Todd adds the front-office reality: there’s no dramatic “paperwork deadline” with the league, but teams need honest communication so they can plan for every scenario. Zach presses on timelines, roster-building, and how a franchise prepares for the future at the most important position in sports.
Then the episode pivots into a fascinating breakdown of NFL contract incentives, sparked by the bonus structure in Sam Darnold’s deal. Should incentives become more common moving forward—and should they extend beyond quarterbacks? Zach raises the idea of position-specific triggers (even for kickers), while Todd explains how incentives really function in negotiations. His bottom line: the priority is always “real money” and guarantees first, with incentives as the extra layer—not the foundation. Plus: a candid look at Senior Bowl week, the nonstop NFL calendar, pre-Super Bowl week chaos, and a quick debate on Pro Bowl vs. All-Pro that reveals how reputation, voting, and legacy actually get shaped.
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Matt Ryan is officially off the Inner Circle Podcast roster and on the clock full-time as the Falcons’ president of football, so Zach Klein, Aaron Donald and Todd France keep the show moving the only way you can when a heavyweight exits: bring in another one.
This week’s guest is Jim Nagy, the former NFL scout and longtime personnel voice who ran the Senior Bowl and is now coming up on a year as the general manager at Oklahoma. And if you think the NFL front office life is intense, Nagy makes it clear college football is a different animal right now. His first transfer portal run at OU? Successful, chaotic, but successful. He explains how they went in with an actual plan, hosted 11 guys that first weekend, landed 10, then used the rest of the portal to build depth and chase developmental upside.
The eye-opener is the workload and the money side. Nagy walks through renegotiating roughly 80 contracts (and well over 100 if you count freshmen), which is a volume most NFL teams don’t sniff in a year. He explains why the college GM job never really shuts off, how roster retention starts before the season even ends, and why the portal creates pressure because there’s no draft safety net if you miss on a need.
Then it gets into the real headache: setting a price when there’s no scoreboard. In the NFL, you know the ranges. In college, Nagy says you’re basically throwing a dart because there’s no transparency in what players are getting paid. He talks about calling other GMs just to find a starting point, why that’s an imperfect system, and how a rookie wage scale and more salary visibility could clean up some of the chaos and prevent an upside-down roster where freshmen are making more than the guys actually winning games.
You’ll also hear how Oklahoma is trying to run a true NFL model, not just hand out a GM title. Nagy details the 10-person scouting staff, the grading system, and the weekly discrepancy meetings where scouts and coaches hash out disagreements instead of forcing a fit. The goal is simple: cut the clutter, get coaches more time with their players, and build a roster that can actually survive the SEC grind.
And because it’s Jim Nagy, the Senior Bowl stories hit too. Aaron Donald revisits Mobile as the proving ground that helped launch his NFL arc, and Nagy explains why teams value the interview process and the competitiveness lens more than ever. You’ll get the behind-the-scenes reality of agents pulling players late, the Braden Fiske story that sounds made up until you realize it’s not, and the ultimate example of what that week can do for a player: Quinn Meinerz going from Division III unknown to one of the league’s top-paid guards.
It’s smart football talk with just enough edge to match the moment: college football is pro football now… it’s just missing the rules.
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https://open.spotify.com/show/2HYa5USGooRmeXxKKGyT0l?si=4a20e67b0b864b8b
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-inner-circle/id1837695806