Hour 1: NFL Insider Tom Pelissero’s Free Agency Preview, plus Raiders to Release Geno

0:00Rich Eisen:We're leaving today and entering a world of Mickey Mouse waving, princess meeting and greeting, lightsaber clashing, the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror dropping, Banshee flying, Space Mountain launching, galaxy rewinding, what's the whole deck with galaxy rewinding, fireworks igniting, World of Other Worlds. For whatever you love, infinite worlds await at the most magical place on Earth. Walt Disney World Resort. So good, so good, so good. New markdowns up to 70 % off are at Nordstrom Rack stores now. And that means so many new reasons to rack. Because I always find something amazing. There's so many good brands.

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1:26Rich Eisen:Now, on with the show. Check this out. DJ Moore's been acquired by the Buffalo Bills. This is the Rich Eisen Show. He is going to be Buffalo's number one wide receiver. The Rich Eisen Show. Today's guests. NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero. NFL draft prospect Jennings Dunker. California Redwoods midfielder Ramar Dennis. Dallas Renegades head coach Rick Neuheisel. And now it's Rich Eisen. Welcome to this edition of the Rich Eisen Show here live on a Friday in our neighborhood here in Los Angeles, California, wherever you are watching us on Disney Plus or the ESPN app or listening to us on ESPN Radio or Sirius XM Channel 80.

2:14Rich Eisen:Give us a call. We've got time for you. 844-204-RICH is the number to dial, even though we're four wide today. Tom Pelissero, my buddy, is going to be working nonstop between now and essentially this point next Friday, because over the weekend rumors are going to fly, and then Monday the rumors become fact and then reports, and then Wednesday the rumors that become facts, that are reports, become official when the new league year of the NFL free agency period begins on Wednesday of next week, and it's just going to be nonstop. And so Tom's going to be good enough to give us a whole chunk of his time here in hour number one.

2:49Rich Eisen:And then somebody that I just saw at the Combine, and I remarked at his mad flow, The man with the ginger mullet from Iowa, Jennings Dunker, tackle, maybe guard in the NFL, is going to join us in hour number two of the program. And then we're going to be talking some lacrosse. Romar Dennis, who's going to be out there on ESPN Plus over the weekend, battling for the right to play for the championship in PLL action. He's going to be joining us in hour number two. And then an old friend, Rick Neuheisel of UFL action, which you're going to be able to see on ESPN as well, will be here in hour number three.

3:26Rich Eisen:I haven't spoken to Rick in forever, and the UFL has banned the tush push. And that, as you know, is always sort of a laboratory ground for the NFL. We'll talk about all that in hour number three. And as I mentioned, it's a what's more likely Friday. Chris Brockman not here. Susie is, although she's not here yet. She's taking a meeting that is very important right now to the business of our production company together. So she'll be coming out here right in the middle of hour number one, right in the middle of Pelissero's hit, if you will. So I say hello to you first, Jason. Hello. How are you, Jay Feller?

3:57Rich Eisen:I am here. And good to see you, T.J. Jefferson. Candle appears to be lit over there. It's lit, man. How are you guys doing? We are doing great in this neighborhood. And so, as I mentioned, to start the program, it is free agency period pretty much now, to be honest with you. Nothing could truly be done yet even, I mean, things can be done. Chats can be made underneath the table. On Monday, it's all out potentially legally in the open, and then Wednesday becomes official. and one thing after another is going to be happening, even though it's not official yet that Kyler Murray is going to be released by the Arizona Cardinals.

4:26Rich Eisen:Report comes out. He essentially confirms it in an apology note to the fans that he said he let down trying to end a 77-year drought for Cardinals fans. He confirms that he's going to be free next week to sign with any other team for just the league minimum. We're wondering when the shoe is going to be dropping for Tua Tungo-Vailoa. Not yet. And then this news hits on Friday just before we go on the air. So this is kind of fresh that the Las Vegas Raiders are going to release Geno Smith unless they can somehow trade him beforehand. Adam Schefter was the one that popped this out there. This would be an$8 million salary cap space saving despite$18.5 million of dead money.

5:15Rich Eisen:and it's kind of tough to trade somebody that everybody thinks you're going to be releasing. So one would be thinking that this is going to be a release of Geno Smith. And who wants Geno Smith? And would you believe the reporting out of New York City is the Jets would like Geno Smith? Oh, really? Yeah. The Jets would like a reunion of a guy that was so upset he wasn't drafted in the first round. He supposedly wasn't going to come back to be in the green room for the second night at Radio City Music Hall, but did anyway. And the Jets drafted him. And then we all know it didn't work out for the Jets.

5:52Rich Eisen:And then he went to the Giants. And then after all that, he started going around the league being written off. But as he said, when he showed up in Seattle and succeeded there, he never wrote back. And then Seattle attempted to re-sign him just around this point last year. and whatever dollars was being put in front of Gino wasn't enough for Gino. So they sent him to his old coach in Las Vegas and Pete Carroll. And it was a disastrous year, just an absolutely disastrous year. And his inability to be protected by the Raiders and then his frequent penchant for those muddy pockets leading to some bad throws by him in a flurry of turnover marred games led to eventually him being sat and replaced or whatever you want to put it.

6:46Rich Eisen:But it was a one and done. It's going to be a one and done year for the Raiders who aren't going to keep him around for that freight to be the guy, the veteran in the locker room for. clearly this move means Fernando Mendoza is the first overall pick in this year's draft. And don't even twitch in the direction of the Raiders, unless you're bringing the noise and the funk and every single draft choice under the sun. And maybe, maybe your first born son or something because the Raiders aren't trading that first overall draft choice for anybody because they're choosing Fernando Mendoza. Otherwise they might be sticking with Gino Smith, who is, as I mentioned, somebody, according to Connor Hughes, who covers the Jets for Sportsnet New York, is a choice for the new offensive coordinator to put his Frank Reich thumb on any scale the Jets are going to make when it comes to their decision-making at quarterback.

7:45Rich Eisen:As you know, I've been mentioning Kyler Murray would be a great choice, but according to Connor, that Kyler Murray has been discussed, but he's being expected to sign with the Vikings. Cousins isn't on their table, but Geno Smith and Carson Wentz is. Jacoby Brissett as well, if the Cardinals don't keep him there, which might be their move, unless Jimmy Garoppolo is the apple of their eye. He's currently been backing up for the Rams, where their new head coach, Mike LaFleur, has been the offensive coordinator. Conor Hughes points out that the Wentz years in Philadelphia essentially came to an end because Frank Reich and Wentz fell out.

8:30Rich Eisen:But according to Conor Hughes, that isn't the case in that no one loves Wentz more than Frank. I will just say this. Carson Wentz is penchant as well for turning the ball over and taking sacks and whatever we saw. He did perform well at times for the Vikings, but then again wasn't available with his best availability. I don't see that being a fit for the Jets unless you just want to muddle your way through 2026 and get those high draft choices as possible. Geno Smith does appear to be a better choice unless he doesn't want a 2.0 revisit to a Jets organization that has churned out the coaches and the general manager since his departure, but the guy at the top is still the same.

9:27Rich Eisen:You mean the very top? The very, very, very top with the white lid, the Jet cap. Spends a lot of time over in Ireland? No, the United Kingdom is where he did. Yes, sir. At any rate, long story short, Carson Wentz and none other than Geno Smith are the Jets' options right now at veteran quarterback. I don't know. They still have Justin Fields on their roster at the moment. But just one last time here. as for the report that the Jets would be interested in Kyler Murray because the money is right, the situation for them is right, the ability to have somebody who can get fannies in the seats and the fan base excited is right.

10:15Rich Eisen:That Kyler Murray would choose the Vikings over the Jets means a handful of things. One, he feels the roster is better in Minnesota, and I'd have to agree with him on that. Two, the head coach there is in better standing in Minnesota than he is in New York, and obviously you have to agree with that. But there is a kid quarterback that's there in J.J. McCarthy that at some point you would have to think the Vikings would be interested in starting because they let Sam Darnold essentially walk by not giving him a godfather offer or whatever assurances they might be offering Kyler Murray to Sam. Now, again, I'm speaking out of school here because I wasn't privy, nor has anybody in the news and information community really said anything other than the fact that Sam Donald was given an offer by the Vikings.

11:14Rich Eisen:But it wasn't enough for him to say, I'm done here because I'm not looking over my shoulder for the kid. They're definitely going to have to start because they drafted him and they have to see what they have in him. At my expense, after I just won 14 games, I'm off to Seattle. I'm out of here. So this means if Kyler Murray winds up in Minnesota, and we'll talk about it should it come to pass, that they are done handing the football to J.J. McCarthy unless he shows up and beats out a former number one overall pick in this league who has way more experience under his belt than he does. And that they are done with the ups and the downs that you have to basically buy into with a young quarterback because I guess, you know, they don't all come out of the box like, say, Jaden Daniels did in year one or Drake May did in year two or Caleb did in year two, even though this would be year two for JJ.

12:23Rich Eisen:I'm biased. I root for the kid. I cape for him. I believe in him. I saw it at the college level. As we know, this is the professional level. As we all know, it's different. But if indeed Kyler Murray's going there, you have to think he's the week one starter. I mean, how does this guy get beaten out apples to apples by a guy who has only one year and even at that incomplete starting in the NFL. I mean, unless the Vikings give him the leg up that they clearly, that Sam Darnold thought they were giving him in any head-to-head because he is the 10th overall pick of a recent draft that needs to be given the time to marinate and to be groomed.

13:11Rich Eisen:And maybe that's why Kyler Murray would choose the Vikings over any other spot because if he goes to the Jets, he's definitely the starter there. He's definitely the starter there. And I guess he doesn't think that he could use that as his Sam Darnold launching off point as he could the spot where Sam Darnold actually pointedly launched off.

13:34Rich Eisen:So that's my two cents on the quarterback front. We're waiting for the Kirk Cousins shoe to drop and the Tua shoe to drop. And then there's Malik Willis, who is going to, one would think, have his choice of where to go to be a starter in this league right from jump with a nice eight-figure annual value price tag that starts with a two, if not a three. So it's time to start taking a look at this kid and taking a look at any other team that is quarterback needy, and that includes the Pittsburgh Steelers. All of that. Aaron Rodgers showing up on Pat's show and saying there's no contract to even talk about.

14:14Rich Eisen:He would like to see one. He'd be interested in seeing one, is his general gist. All of that with Tom Pelissero. We take a break, we come back, and Tommy P has all the answers, or at least we're going to ask him to have all the answers, right here on this Friday edition of The Rich Eisen Show.

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17:19Rich Eisen:The Rich Eisen Show Podcast. Tom Pelissero here on The Rich Eisen Show. And just to bring everything up to speed, our radio audience just rejoined us, asking Tom how he keeps everything all charged up so he doesn't miss any stories, telling a story about how the master power switch in his hotel room, all that business, switched everything off. You said that's power. That's power, right? And clearly it was not power. Right. It was power. Thirst, good point. Different mentions of power. Tom, let's jump into it right here. um kyler murray confirming that he's gonna be cut and everybody's putting him in minnesota right now why and uh then also potentially why not tom here's what i would say rich there's certainly

18:05Tom Pelissero:going to be i anticipate mutual interest between kyler murray and the vikings if i had to say who is the favorite right now to land kyler murray i would say for a lot of different reasons it is Minnesota I also would tell you two things number one technically there cannot even be contact Kyler Murray has not formally been released if you have guaranteed money left on your contract you can't be released until the start of the new league year which is 4 p.m eastern time next Wednesday if a team makes an announcement if they tweet and do the farewell thank you for your service at that point based on the rules the NFL adjusted a few years ago you can call the player you can't finalize a deal but you can have conversations and all that the Cardinals have not done that with Kyler Murray.

18:49Tom Pelissero:And so at this point, there is nothing in place. There is nothing final. Money will not be an object because he has that roughly$36 million guarantee. But there is no deal in place. The second thing I would tell you is Kyler Murray has never been a free agent in his career. The last impression that a lot of people around the league have of Kyler from an interpersonal perspective is 2019 when he was going through the pre-draft process you may have had a formal or informal interview with him he was a 22 year old guy coming out in the draft coming off of a Heisman Trophy year everyone in Arizona would tell you that Kyler Murray who walked in the door is the number one pick and a lot of the you know bumps in the road that he had are well documented It's not the same guy that exists in 2026.

19:39Tom Pelissero:He's grown up in a lot of different ways. The coaching staff that just was there, including Jonathan Gannon, if you talk to those guys, they really like Kyler Murray. And so it's an opportunity, you know, if I were in the shoes of Kyler's agent, we'll see how this plays out. I probably would take this rare opportunity to say, you know what? Let's have Kyler speak with more than one team. Let's not just he gets released at 4.01 p.m. and he signs with the Vikings at 405. Let's go and, you know, whether it's other teams that might need a starting quarterback, whether it's teams that need a backup, whether potentially it's teams that are going to need potentially a starting quarterback in 2027, it's almost like a preview.

20:18Tom Pelissero:It's a chance to reset whatever the opinions may have been about Kyler Murray back in 2019 to leave an impression in people's minds of who he is right now, knowing full well that, again, because of that guarantee, He's going to do a one-year minimum contract wherever he signs. Based upon the precedent of guys like Russell Wilson, it would make sense if he gets essentially a no-tag clause as part of that. In other words, he will hit free agency again in 2027. You almost get a one-year jumpstart on what Kyler would certainly hope is a very lucrative venture into free agency in 2027. I don't think it's going to take a long time.

20:55Tom Pelissero:I don't think it's going to be sooner than later, and probably by the end of next week, by next weekend, Kyler Murray will have a new home. It well may be Minnesota, but it makes sense for him to hear out other teams to get that face time and for other teams to hear out Kyler Murray, even if all it ends up being is sort of advanced work for 2027. I think that it would make smart business sense, if nothing else, for Kyler Murray to take a breath, evaluate what the options are before making a final decision where he goes at a time, Rich, that at age 28, he's still got a lot of

21:26Rich Eisen:football ahead of him so you know also there's a lot of football ahead of him a 23 year old that they drafted two years ago you know in minnesota so what what what does this mean you know a competition i understand is everything um in the nfl but bringing in kyler murray um or being the favorite to bring in kyler murray and this is i'm front-loading a conversation because usually this sort of stuff does lead to uh happenings that what does it mean for jj mccarthy if kyler murray shows up or they're going to just let him cool his heels and see what they still have in jj mccarthy for a month for or oh you know like what clearly there would be if you will a leash on the kid uh and that's that's the way to groom him like that's the way to groom a quarterback is okay you now have a leash on you i mean that doesn't make sense none of it makes sense unless they feel he's done and it's connor murray's gig tom no it would not be that no matter who the

22:23Tom Pelissero:Vikings bring in, barring some type of a long shot scenario that they signed Daniel Jones to a massive offer sheet that the Colts don't match, which I'm not expecting, anybody else who's coming in is going to have to beat out J.J. McCarthy. And so what they're hoping and what they're optimistic about is a competitive environment is going to bring out the best in J.J. If you're walking in there, whether it ends up being Kyler, whether it ends up being Geno Smith, if it's joe flacco whatever it might be none of those are going to be financial investments that are going to preclude you if jj mccarthy is the better quarterback in the office and i get that

22:58Rich Eisen:tom just to jump in here to have a chat with you about it yeah i get that i totally get that but kyler's different than two guys in their 30s or in the case flacco 100 i mean it's totally different

23:10Tom Pelissero:kyler could end up being the law he could end up being the long-term guy and if he's if he beats out J.J. McCarthy. Kyler will be the starter. We'll see how J.J. handles that. I wouldn't think that the trade market we'd see, but I don't think the trade market would be significant enough for the Vikings to want to move on from J.J. And given the fact that he's never even had a healthy season as a backup, it may not be the worst thing in terms of his development if he's not ready to start. Again, what I would go back to is this, and you're absolutely right. Ageno Smith is a placeholder type of a situation.

23:42Tom Pelissero:Joe Flacco would be a placeholder situation. Kyler, may well play his way into being, you know, giving himself the opportunity to be the Vikings franchise quarterback moving forward. But for the same reasons that we keep talking about what happened with Sam Darnold and Daniel Jones last year, the Vikings know they need to have options in that quarterback room because Kevin O 'Connell and his staff are so good at grooming quarterbacks that they tend to end up having a lot more value after a year in Minnesota. Even if J.J. McCarthy were to be beat out, I don't know that that is the end of J.J. McCarthy in Minnesota.

24:13Tom Pelissero:It would be a disappointment. It would be a setback in the young career of a player that everybody in the building really likes, but just hasn't had the time on task to get better at the things he needs to get better at. On the flip side of it, we don't know what type of fit Kyler Murray in particular would be in this Vikings offense. It might work out great. He's obviously a dynamic athlete. He's got a big arm, especially for a guy his size. we haven't seen him play in like the precision timing type of an offense that O 'Connell wants to run if JJ beats him out then with Kyler it's okay you know we trade you we release you maybe you are the backup and you wait um that wouldn't take that off the table either because you're just not paying him very much money I mean the whole the entire situation in Minnesota Rich I would say is a little bit unusual here um but Kevin O 'Connell is still seeking that franchise quarterback it could be JJ it could be Kyler it could be somebody they're acquiring in 2027 But what they want to make sure they have this year is options, which is something that based upon how things played out last year, they didn't end up having.

25:15Tom Pelissero:They had to sign Carson Wentz off the street. They go to the playoffs if Carson doesn't get hurt. They want to make sure that they've got other options in the building and somebody through the offseason to truly push J.J. McCarthy and they hope bring out the best of everybody involved.

25:29Rich Eisen:Tom Pellissero here on the Rich Eisen Show. So there's the update on Kyler. and now Gino Smith is going to be released unless he's traded, right? And so clearly just another box check that the Raiders are going to choose Fernando Mendoza first overall. What's Gino Smith's – I guess Gino would be a spot for Minnesota. Where else? Are the Jets a possibility as a reunion, Tom?

25:57Tom Pelissero:I mean, the Jets are sort of a mystery team in the entire quarterback market right now. We know that they've got a high draft pick potentially, could you say we're going to draft Ty Simpson and that's going to be our guy going forward? I think that's a scenario. I know that's a scenario within the league that people are taking into account. Beyond that, the Jets have the benefit of sort of watching how some of these other things fall and making their decisions from there. I don't get the sense that it's a singular plan. I know they've explored a lot of different possibilities there. Would Gino going back to the Jets makes sense.

26:33Tom Pelissero:We'll see. There's a lot that is involved in that. Beyond that, for Gino, he, kind of like Kirk Cousins, may have to be a little bit patient here. Because if you think about how this market's going to move, Rich, the things that are going to go quickly are Malik Willis, I would anticipate, has a deal in place somewhere Monday or Tuesday. People within the league think Miami and Arizona are the two most likely teams. I tend to believe that. Could somebody be laying in the weeds to go after Malik Willis, where that's the Jets, where that's the Steelers? Those are certainly possibilities. But Malik Willis is going to have a home during the negotiating window.