Welcome to your Morning Cup of Joe, an eye-opener to help Joe’s readers ease into their busy workday with a few football links, wacky news and a pleasant distraction.

Distraction of the Day

Is Sean Payton quietly trying to lure Aaron Rodgers to Denver? [PFT]

NFL must have lifted its ban on good teams appearing on “Hard Knocks.” [CBS]

Since the move to Las Vegas, the Raiders are now worth over $10 billion. [Yahoo!]

How well does Fernando Mendoza fit in Klint Kubiak’s offense? [NFL]

What’s it like being on a commercial jet when an engine ignites in fire upon takeoff? [TikTok]

Puka checks into rehab. [California Post]

Is Jalen Hurts a cancer? [BSPN]

Kirk Cousins is an ideal Raiders bridge quarterback from Geno Smith to Fernando Mendoza. [SI]

NFL owners approve scab refs. Oughtta be fun! [Front Office Sports]

It appears Justin Herbert really did upgrade from Taylor Bisciotti, as steep a curve as that may be to master. Well done. [California Post]

The secondary market for Final Four tickets is out of hand. Why? Geography. [Outkick]

A quick tour of Gerald McCoy’s house. [X]

“This Joe” gave up on statgeek ball about five years ago (Joe loves baseball, but not statgeek ball — Joe didn’t give up on MLB; MLB gave up on him). But apparently being an MLB fan is a pain in the arse nowadays. (Joe has tons of college football and NFL games saved from last year to watch to guide him from the sports desert that reaches from the Final Four to football season. There will be a couple of NASCAR races in between to get Joe to the finish line of Labor Day weekend.) [Awful Announcing]

The Peters twins are… [Instagram]

Crane vs. gator. [TikTok]

.@stoolpresidente asks @CoachMickCronin if something has shifted to bring back the old school coaches

"Little Johnny needs to learn how to pay attention and follow orders, and if I tell him 50 straight times the same thing, I'm gonna lose my mind if he keeps doing it wrong…" https://t.co/djvFtFVGwr pic.twitter.com/TsKalAjwtd

— Wake Up Barstool (@wakeupbarstool) March 30, 2026

"I owe the Michigan Wolverines an apology. … I did not give them the respect that they deserved coming into this tournament. … They can win it all."

—@stephenasmith on Michigan in the men's NCAA tournament 👀 pic.twitter.com/0nSKCTv2Ug

— First Take (@FirstTake) March 30, 2026