Rex Grossman didn’t care about Vegas odds as a quarterback, but the former Florida Gators star and Chicago Bears starter has become a fan of sports betting in retirement.
“I’ve got my sheets out on Saturday morning, watching College Gameday with my coffee and a donut, getting ready to go,” Grossman said with a smile. “I never bet against Florida – but that’s only one game on a Saturday.”
Grossman, who helped lead the Bears to the Super Bowl in 2006, recently sat down for an exclusive interview with Card Player to discuss the evolution of sports betting, Caleb Williams, D.J. Lagway, Jayden Daniels, Kirk Cousins and more.
Q: What do you think it’s like for current athletes following the explosion of sports betting? They have all these people watching with a rooting interest.
Rex Grossman: “Well I’m one of them. I think it’s great. It allows you to be more excited about every game, rather than just being a football fan. I would watch the games anyway, but now I can actually pick a team and care. I think it’s great, although it would be weird from a player’s perspective, knowing there are other implications beyond winning or losing. But I’m sure they don’t really care too much.”
Q: It’s such a different atmosphere now in the NFL. For a long time the league didn’t want to be associated with sports betting.
Rex Grossman: “I’m sure the players hear about it from extended family or friends. It’s probably some added motivation for the players. Like, ‘OK, you think they’re going to beat us by 10? Alright.’ There are all these different aspects of it. Obviously people abuse it, but if you do it responsibly, I think it’s super fun. It’s always been legal in Vegas, but I never thought about it or cared. So I don’t think it’s that much different for the players now.”
Q: I wanted to ask you about some different quarterbacks, and let’s start with the Bears. What did you think of Caleb Williams’ rookie campaign?
Rex Grossman: “I think he was pretty athletic, had a great arm, accurate. I think he’s trying to figure out being on time. That’s the only issue. Obviously he was hurried quite a bit but I think he’s pretty damn good. If he can go and play on schedule within the offense and then when things break down, he’s going to be a superstar because he’s so athletic and shifty. It seems like he loves to throw on the run and make big plays that way, so if he can get a little more of Jared Goff in him and then also do what he does best, he’s going to be phenomenal.”
Q: Caleb made some waves when those book excerpts came out and he mentioned being interested in going to the Vikings, which probably doesn’t sit well with Chicago fans. Could that be a recipe for disaster if he does struggle early on? Would you worry about the fanbase turning on him?
Rex Grossman: “I’m not worried about the fans. They’re going to react to what they see on the field. Anything can happen before the draft. You’re going to be the first pick in the draft, you’re seeing what you can dictate, and you’re trying to put yourself in the best position with as much control as you possibly can.
“I remember when I was drafted by the Bears. I felt like they were my family, my team, and I was loyal and bought into the whole thing. You start to develop a bond with all the people behind-the-scenes and the fanbase. You get a house. Anything that happened before the draft should be ignored. I’m sure he’s all-in now. I think that’s something he tried to do with his team before the draft but now, it’s a non-story.
“It’s different from free agency too because when you get drafted, you feel like they selected you and they’re fulfilling a life-long dream. They look to you to be the quarterback and run this franchise. I know everybody behind the scenes in Chicago is amazing, from the owner, to the equipment managers, to the training staff. It’s a beautiful facility so I’m sure he’s all bought in and that’s just an offseason story.”
Q: There’s all the talk that they’ve never had a 4,000 yard passer. Do you think going to the Bears as a quarterback could be a negative?
Rex Grossman: “Some organizations (moreso than others) have an identity. For a long time, Chicago, because of the wind, the cold and the style of passing success, had kind of been built around the defense. Very much, ‘We’re going to build our team off January playoff football, not in a dome with the Greatest Show on Turf and throwing the ball all over the place.’
“It’s a little bit of bad quarterback play, a little bit of organizational identity. In 2025, they’re going to start throwing the ball. It’s just the way the game’s developed. I know during our Super Bowl run, we were ahead in a lot of games and didn’t throw the ball a lot. That really wasn’t our identity. We were more play-action pass, run the ball and quick passes. I did have some big games but the priority of that season wasn’t to put up stats. Stats are great if you have the personnel and the play package to throw the ball a lot. I think they will have a balanced offense and he’ll be around 4,200 or 4,300 yards this year.”
Q: Are you excited to see what Ben Johnson has in store for him?
Rex Grossman: “Yeah. I think that the job that the coach has is to make it easier for him on the easy things – the first-down-play-action passes, get him in a rhythm. The three-step drops, get the ball out of his hands and then shoot it down the field when it’s necessary. I’m sure they’re going to do a lot of unique things with him. I’m really excited to watch how they utilize his athletic ability and keep everything on-time in a traditional style offense as well.”
Q: Do you have concerns that he likes being out of structure? Do you need to see success in the pocket to say this guy’s definitely going to be that star?
Rex Grossman: “Well, a lot of people can’t (succeed out of structure), so he’s got something a lot of people can’t do. I sure as hell couldn’t do it. I was pretty much stuck in the pocket and I had to. He’s kind of got to force himself to resist the urge of rolling out when he doesn’t need to, or taking unnecessary sacks. If you keep to schedule, meaning you keep your third downs manageable, it makes it a lot easier. It opens up the playbook, it allows you to go for it on fourth-and-three maybe. Being third-and-long is pretty tough in the NFL.
“Like most quarterbacks, he’s going to make a huge jump in the second year. With a whole new offense, basically I’m guessing it’ll be built around what he does and what he likes to do, as well as what they did well with in Detroit. Man, it’s going to be exciting to watch because it just seems like on paper that they’re pretty damn good.”
Q: Are there any guys in the skill position group that you’re excited about either seeing or watching develop?
Rex Grossman: “The tight end that they picked up in the first round (Colston Loveland) kind of caught me off guard. I really wasn’t noticing him but a tall, athletic tight end makes it really tough for defenses because you can run the ball with two tight ends and a fullback, and just shift into a spread situation and create easy match-ups where you can run a slant or a fade route down on the goal-line. I’m excited to see how those guys develop.
“D.J. Moore needs the ball more. He’s a top ten receiver in this league so they definitely need to establish a little bit of a section on the playbook that’s dedicated to him. It’ll be easier for the young guys to make plays and establish themselves if they make sure D.J. Moore gets the ball and there’s a package for him. I just think they’re going to be fun to watch. They should be good. They could be great. It’s going to be must-see TV for me.”
Q: You helped lead the Bears to the Super Bowl, which I’m sure was an awesome time to be in Chicago. Would it be cool to see the Bears ascend to that level again?
Rex Grossman: “Absolutely. During the season, everyone knew we had a good team, and that was a special momentum in itself. And what a great city to have that type of run in. The locker room, the organization, the fanbase, it just felt like everyone was all-in. There was a special momentum to it.
“I’d play great, and then threw some wrinkles in there that weren’t so good. Give ‘em something to talk about, be a bit of a lightning rod. Then I’d play great again, then not so good. So I was a little bit the center of attention, but we had a great defense, special teams, we ran the ball pretty well and put up a lot of points.
“To win an NFC Championship game as the snow starts, waving to my family from the podium, going to the Super Bowl – that feeling is unreal.”
Q: You played four years in Washington so I wanted to ask about Jayden Daniels. Did you watch him a decent amount as a rookie?
Rex Grossman: “I did, actually. For whatever reason, those were the games I was watching, and then he just kept getting better and better. The way he throws the deep ball, it comes down accurately. It’s a catchable ball that is just on point. I was really surprised with his intermediate routes. I mean, the ball is on a line. He’s accurate. His size was my only concern because he was kind of skinny. But man, if you can’t catch him, you can’t hit him. He’s the most exciting quarterback I’ve seen in a while that can run and throw at an extremely high level.”
Q: You were with Washington for RGIII’s rookie year. Are there comparisons between what you saw then and what you saw from Jayden as a rookie?
Rex Grossman: “Not really. That’s not taking away anything from RGIII, because he came in with so much hype, so much attention, being the second pick in the draft, Heisman Trophy winner. He just had a big personality and I thought he would struggle, actually, going through training camp practices. I knew he would be able to run and he could do some really good things throwing the ball, but man, he was not consistent.
“And then that first game, he had a bad week of practice, but that first game of the year, he just tore it up and that momentum just never really stopped all season. You obviously saw his legs and running around and making plays, throwing the ball on a dime on third-and-10, right on the money. He was special and he really showed all of his best attributes that first year. I was a little shocked to tell you the truth. Not that he wasn’t going to have a great year, I just thought he would have a little more of a learning curve. It was one of the best rookie years I’ve ever seen.”
Q: People say the injury was the main reason things went downhill for RGIII. But do you think he might have regressed anyway, since his rookie year seemed like a perfect storm, and his practice results hinted at some inconsistency?
Rex Grossman: “You know, (Year 2 for Griffin) was a really weird year. Vibes were off, everything was off. He didn’t have any practice time in the offseason and not much in training camp at all. I think he kind of lost his mojo and was maybe thinking a little too much. I don’t know, I’m just kind of guessing. But I was right there for it, and things just weren’t as easy.
“Everything was hard after his rookie year worked and everything went well. It was kind of the opposite. And sometimes some years are like that. You just can’t make things work for whatever reason. He just got stuck. It just wasn’t the same. He was also trying to live up to one of the greatest rookie years of all time and trying to back it up, trying to prove certain critics in the building that he can and can’t do things. It wasn’t a great second year, but still one of the best rookie years of all time.”
Q: So when you look at Jayden going into this season, obviously you’re not there at practice every day like you were back then, but does it look like it’s repeatable? Do you think he’s going to become a superstar, or do we have to worry about him coming a little bit back to earth?
Rex Grossman: “I don’t see (regression). The best thing that he’s got going for him is his throwing ability. He’s got a strong arm, he’s accurate and he’s got touch. He’s got the full package in throwing the ball. And it seems like he understands the game pretty well. He doesn’t need to rely on running, but man, if, if you don’t contain him, he’s gone. I expect him to have a great year and, if he just repeats what he did last year, it’ll be a great year.
“So I feel like there won’t be that regression. He’s not coming off an ACL injury where he is not practicing at all in the offseason. He should have more talent around him. A better team. And man, they asked him to do a lot last year. So, with the upgrades they made on offense, seems like it should be easier for him. If he doesn’t try to do too much and doesn’t try to live up to anything, he’s going to be a tough beat, for sure.”
Q: You played with Kirk Cousins on that Washington team. What do you think of his career, being a top-end starter for a long time and now hitting a crossroads?
Rex Grossman: “I’d like to see him not be a backup next year. I don’t know how things will shake out, but if someone gets hurt, someone gets traded, I want to see him on the field. Man, he’s a great professional in every sense of the word, because he bet on himself when he was in Washington when they franchised him, and then franchised him again. So he had the leverage on all 32 teams without being able to be franchised again, and all of his contracts were great. I think he lived up to every single of them except for winning the Super Bowl.
“If you’re a team in need of a quarterback, there is nobody left that’s better that you can go get.”
Q: Do you think that’s the most likely scenario, that Atlanta holds him, waits, and then if an injury happens, he’s a ready-made starter for a team that needs to plug one in?
Rex Grossman: “Michael Penix, Jr. is a really talented young quarterback, but that’s not exactly a guarantee either. He could get hurt. He’s gotten hurt quite a bit. I grew up in Bloomington and follow IU football. He got hurt two or three times. It’s an expensive backup, but you’ve got a quarterback on a rookie deal. I would stick with it unless there was a player or pick you couldn’t turn down. We’ll see how it turns out, but as a fan and a friend, I’d like to see (Cousins) play.”
Q: Did you watch him a decent amount last year? Obviously he was coming off the torn Achilles. Did it look like Kirk was still making his way back?
Rex Grossman: “I didn’t even know anything about his injury. I was just like, ‘Man, he’s in a slump.’ He looked good and he was clutch in the first half of the season, and then watching (as the season went along), there were uncharacteristic lob balls over the middle that were picked. Crucial plays early that got him in a hole. It just didn’t seem like he was playing like himself.
“Sometimes that happens, and if you’ve built up enough clout in the organization and in your career, people can be like, ‘Alright, (he will be fine.)’ But they pulled the plug pretty quick on him. I don’t know if Michael Penix was playing great in practice; I don’t know the full story. But I would have let him get over those issues. If they wanted to go the Michael Penix route, I would have done it starting this year. That’s just me.
“But I am excited to see Michael Penix play, too. He seemed to not shy away from the spotlight and had a pretty good time when he was in there.”
Q: Penix seems like a guy with some really natural arm talent, huh?
Rex Grossman: “Absolutely. His intermediate passes – the deep crossers, over the middle and floating the ball over the second level and in front of the safeties – he’s accurate, and he’s on time. He spins it. Much of what I watched was from Washington Huskies tape, but man, he’s got a lot of potential.”
Q: A guy who followed you at Florida, quite a bit later, was Anthony Richardson. He’s already in a tough spot. He’s got the shoulder injury that’s going to keep out until some point in camp. Does it feel like it’s change-of-scenery time for a guy like him? From the outside, it seems like the organization is souring on him a bit and is going to go with Daniel Jones.
Rex Grossman: “That’s a tough situation. As a young quarterback – and especially as young as he is, that didn’t have a ton of reps of Florida – he needs game experience. He’s got all the talent in the world. He’s big, strong, fast, and when he sees it right, he puts it on the money. You have to go through all these reps to where you don’t think about anything, and you can just kind of be out there feeling zone or man or pressure, and subtly reacting without thinking about it. That only comes with reps. If he’s not on the field, he’s not going to get better. I don’t care how much talent you have. You have to go through some struggles and success to build that muscle memory, that subconscious play that really helps.
“He’s got all the tools. If I were the Colts, I’d figure out a way to keep him and let him, at some point, get those reps. If they move on, someone’s going to find a gem. Maybe an unpolished gem that could turn out to be a great player. I’m rooting for him, but you got to get reps out there to get better.”
Q: So you’ve seen enough from him where you’re not closing the book on him being an impact starter.
Rex Grossman: “I’ve been a fan of his since he first started playing at Florida, throwing bombs on the money, doing flip celebrations, running for 70-yard touchdowns. He has literally the best physical skill-set in the NFL. When he gets a little older, he’s going to be great. Hopefully his shoulder’s fine, and he can start right away, and prove to everybody that he’s getting better. Then he can get those reps, and he can build the trust from the organization.
“Because that’s key. You need to be able to, obviously, succeed, but you’ve got to feel like you have the support to make a mistake. So that’s kind of where he’s at right now. I’m sure he knows the spotlight’s on him. He’s got to get that badge of, like, ‘OK, we got your back, go out there and make a play. If you make a mistake, so what? We know we’ve got the guy.’ That’s always the goal of a young quarterback, is to get the trust from the organization.”
Q: The current Florida quarterback, D.J. Lagway, was pretty good last year, especially as a young kid. What’s the next step?
Rex Grossman: “I just want to see him get even better with all this confidence, knowing that he can play in this league. He knows he can play in the SEC at a high level, and there’s nobody they can’t beat. Use that all offseason to shoot for the stars. All the potential is right there for him. It’s such an amazing fanbase, university. Obviously we’re going to have a tough schedule every year, but it starts with the quarterback, and we’ve got one.”
Q: When you came back after finishing second in the Heisman, what kind of pressure did you feel? D.J. didn’t have those types of accolades last year, but I’m wondering about the mental burden. Did you feel super confident, or feel the weight of expectations?
Rex Grossman: “It was a little bit of both. I definitely was probably overconfident, but felt some pressure to perform my best season in Florida. We still led the SEC in offense and we were right there. But I didn’t play as well, and we weren’t as good of a team either. We had a pretty good season, not great. But we weren’t as good. There’s a lot of games we should have won that we didn’t. We should have been better. I should have been better. But when Coach Spurrier left, a lot of players left. Brand-new coaching staff. Everything was different.
“Going into that year, I definitely felt a little more pressure, felt like I maybe put too much pressure on myself to do things, rather than just being more of a facilitator. Things didn’t work out great, but they worked out all right.”
Q: Billy Napier is a guy who was on the hot seat last year, and they had that nice finish and brought him back. Is this a pivotal year for him to build on that?
Rex Grossman: “It’s pivotal. I don’t think he’s on the hot seat, but I definitely think it’s pivotal for his career at Florida to have one of those seasons you can bank on. Yes, I’ve got a great team, we’ve recruited well, and now we’ve performed well from the start to the finish. We want the fanbase excited, boosters excited, AD excited. Everyone continues this momentum that we’ve had.
“Until you have one of those great seasons, you’re always gonna be on the hot seat in a major football organization. He’s had some good seasons, and it’s time to have a great one. I don’t think it’s do-or-die, but he wants it, the team wants it. We’ve got all the facilities and everything. It’s the last year before they redo the Swamp, so I’d love to see a special year.”
Q: You were in a quarterback competition with Jesse Palmer at Florida. What was he like then, and what’s it been like watching him go on to entertainment fame, going on The Bachelor and now hosting it?
Rex Grossman: “Great guy. Everybody loved him. I loved him. Jesse always kind of walked around like he was the main character of the movie. Always had gel in his hair. I never thought I was competing with him. He was a senior, I was a freshman. I didn’t really know what to do.
“I was more competing with the other backup, who was as five star as five star gets, Brock Berlin. The competition with Brock Berlin allowed me to compete and get better, just trying to be the backup.
“Maybe four or five games into the season, Jesse tweaked his ankle, and that was it. I got in there and played well. I probably played the best football of my life for those three weeks I was replacing him. I think five touchdowns in the first half against Auburn in my second start. Three against LSU in my first start. Those three weeks changed my life.”
Q: I read that Brett Favre is a guy who you looked up to when you were younger.
Rex Grossman: “Yeah, absolutely. When you’re in high school playing whatever sport you’re playing and someone has three straight MVPs, it’s hard not to. I just loved the passion with which he played, the gutsy, sling-it-in-there mentality. He would create so many highlights and fun plays to watch.
“So not only was he great, he was fun to watch and an extremely talented gunslinger. I’m sure that influenced me a lot. I was playing in high school when he was winning MVP, so when I got a chance to play against him, it was kind of a trip. So that was cool. And. I had a winning record against him.
“The whole thing was awesome. I mean, coming up to him after the games, shaking hands, I was more nervous than playing in the game. He’s definitely an influence on me, an idol figure, because mid-90s Favre was awesome.”
Q: Have you seen the Netflix special highlighting his issues off the field? What’s it like seeing someone you idolized have these things come up later in their life?
Rex Grossman: “I’ve followed the headlines but not really ever read an article or gotten too deep into it. It’s kind of like, ‘Ugh, that doesn’t seem good.’ Not really an expert on that, but it doesn’t really take anything away from mid-90s Favre and what I think of him as a football player. That’s as far as I take it, you know what I mean?”
Q: I live out in Arizona and used to cover the Cardinals, so I was wondering how much you’ve seen of Kyler Murray, and what you think of him.
Rex Grossman: “I’m not the tallest at 6-1, and being that short (5-10), it is hard. There were a lot of times when I didn’t see the receivers. I could see the coverage and a lot of times I’m throwing on rhythm, timing and faith. He will probably say that he doesn’t, but there’s got to be times when he’s throwing off practice reps and muscle memory.
“But the way he can move is unlike any player I’ve ever seen. He’s like a Madden create-a-player when you only have so many attributes. You give away the height for the quickness and speed. I love watching him play. I think he would be awesome on a great team. I’d like to see him have an unbelievable defense, to not have to put it all on his shoulders.”
Q: It sounds like you really believe in him if Arizona can find a way to stack the roster.
Rex Grossman: “I do. Consistency may be the only issue he’s got, but it’s the ultimate team sport. You can say that about any quarterback. There is not one quarterback in the history of the NFL that can say, ‘Hey, just throw any team out there and I will be great.’ It’s not the way it works. It starts with the great personnel, great coaching and locker room atmosphere. When you’re on a great team, everyone can sense it, and that has momentum in itself.
“He improves the Cardinals. The Cardinals have a great quarterback; it’s not like they should be looking for someone else. In his prime, they need to do everything they can to have one of those special years. Draft well, go all-in with free agency. Pick a year and go for it. Barely making the playoffs is better than not, but I’d like to see him on one of these monster, San Francisco-type teams. Or the Eagles. He’s must-see TV, and I never bet against Kyler Murray. Ever. I’ve been burnt too many times. You’re never out of games with him.”
Q: Wanted to ask you one more open-ended question. Is there any quarterback you have a strong opinion about? Maybe a young guy who has really impressed you?
Rex Grossman: “I think Bo Nix is awesome. He’s not going to make mistakes. He can run better than people think. He’s pretty accurate. If you put him on the trajectory that everyone gets better their second, third, fourth year, by the time he’s in his fifth year, he’s going to be a monster. Picking apart his game, I don’t really see a weakness. He’s tough, fast, smart. Seems like he’d be a pretty good leader. Got a good coach and good organization. I think they did well with that one.”
Q: What does having Sean Payton do for him?
Rex Grossman: “It really helps make the job easier. Sometimes playing quarterback can be the easiest thing in the world, and it can also feel impossible. Obviously you have a lot to do with that yourself as the quarterback, but coaches can help you get into that rhythm, make things easier on you. Sometimes the more responsibility they put on you, the easier it is.
“You’re pointing out the Mike (linebacker), you’re changing the play based on this and that. You start to get good at that and understand what you like, and what plays work. It gives you a little more control, and that’s what Drew Brees did so well with Sean Payton. They came up with a game-plan together and relied on (Brees) to get out of bad plays and into good plays. For a lot of my career, it was, ‘This is the play. Go run it.’ It’s not always advantageous. And I feel like, from the outside looking in, that’s exactly what Sean Payton asks of his quarterbacks, and I think Bo Nix is up to the challenge.”
Kyle Odegard has been a professional journalist for two decades, with four years of experience in the sports betting industry. He was a beat writer for the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals from 2013-2021 and previously covered MLB, NFL, NBA, college football and more for the East Valley Tribune newspaper in Tempe, Arizona. Kyle has broken multiple national stories about the Arizona Cardinals and his work has been referenced by numerous publications, including Sports Illustrated, the Daily Mail, the New York Post, Yahoo!, FOX News, MSN, the Arizona Republic and Pro Football Talk.