PFT Live with Mike Florio Does the NFL have a tanking problem? + Time for Raiders to trade Maxx Crosby (2/13 Hour 1)
Feb 13, 2026
Michael Hawley, frequent PFT Live contributor and NFL analyst, joins to tackle tanking and team strategy. They debate whether the NFL faces tanking and how draft incentives fuel losing. The conversation shifts to Maxx Crosby’s shutdown, trade rumors, timing to trade him for max return, and how the Raiders should run a trade sweepstakes.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Tanking Threatens League Integrity
- The NBA fined teams for resting healthy players to protect integrity and betting markets.
- Mike Florio argues the NFL faces similar tanking incentives tied to draft positioning and season length.
Draft Incentives Drive Tanking
- Longer seasons create excuses like load management that enable tanking.
- Florio says removing draft benefits tied to poor records is the only durable fix.
Buccaneers' Purposeful Loss Example
- Florio recounts the Buccaneers needing to lose their final game to draft Jameis Winston.
- He describes coaches making wholesale personnel changes to ensure the loss.