Hour 2: ‘What’s More Likely,’ NFL Insider Tom Pelissero, plus Jets’ NFL Draft Options

13:50Rich Eisen:You know? Really. So, I would say that. Again, this is a construct you're putting me in this box. that he's a terrific player and a terrific kid, and I'm sure they're very happy to have him in the cornerback spot being a shutdown corner, and the Jets used a top-five pick on Sauce Gardner. But to trade up and give up a first-rounder to go get somebody who's now just going to be a straight-up corner rather than a potential unicorn on both sides of the ball, Heisman Trophy type guy like that. I think Micah, that one is just, they're not looking for a receipt on that one in Wisconsin. That makes me think, too, that Brian Thomas Jr.

14:37Rich Eisen:not getting traded at all. You know, always got rumors surrounding him. Why would you trade him? By the way, we just kept telling you this. To be full-time on both sides of the ball, it's just, I don't want to say it's impossible, but it's kind of impossible. It truly is. I hear you. Yeah. And now he's got a chance to become the best cornerback in the league. It's a bit of a bummer just because of all the hopes and thoughts we had. But yeah, he can still packages. He can do all of that. But this guy could be the best cornerback in the NFL in a few years. Or even this year if he's healthy. He's still special.

15:14Rich Eisen:What else you got, Chris? All right, last week of the NBA season coming up over the weekend. More likely to be the more dangerous play-in team. Hornets or Warriors? with Steph Curry back. I see what the Warriors have been like, and it just seems like there's a... There's a... There's something off. I'll go Hornets. I know I just went higher register. You did. Con Canipple might be Rookie of the Year. I hear you. Well, Melo's been nice. Okay, Con Canipple is not going to be Rookie of the Year. You don't think so? It's Cooper Flag. Yeah, come on, bro. You know that. He'll be all rookie team, first team.

15:50Rich Eisen:Whoa. This is going to be Cooper Flag. I don't know that. Are you looking up odds now? Is that what you're doing? Yeah, I am. I just don't always tell the story. Con Canipple is the favorite for Rookie of the Year. What? Yeah, minus 140. Cooper Flag plus 110. So they're even, but it's close, but Canipple's kind of been the favorite for over a month now. All right. Grant Cooper Flag from Paul in Lately. Second best main player ever. I will go Hornets. I'll go Hornets, even though the Warriors have some all-time greats. So what else, Chris? A little Masters action here. more likely to win the Masters, Rich, Rory, or Scotty Scheffler, or the field?

16:32Rich Eisen:Can I get springtime love or romance, please? Springtime love. I like springtime. Springtime for Augusta. I'm going to go Rory. I'm doing it. I'm going Rory. Back to back. I'm going Rory. I mean, that's GOAT status right there, man. Going back to back? Only four players. Did Fred Koppel say he may never lose again here? He said Rory was kind of walking around with an air about him. Like he may never lose here. Yeah, he's just so free. Five under looks pretty damn free. Scotty Shuffler now back to even par on the day, two under on the tournament. Rory teeing off in 28 minutes. Okay, what else? You have one more?

17:13Rich Eisen:Last one. Rich, tomorrow, a film you were a part of had its premiere 12 years ago. draft day hit theaters on this day tomorrow. More likely draft day player who'd go number one in this year's draft. Vontae Mack or Bo Callahan. Wow. What is happening? Can I tell you why this is funny? Okay. I've got this little post-it note thing by my desk here. I didn't know you were doing this, Brockman, but literally I have... Again, we did not set this up. I have on here Vontae Mack no matter what. I mean, that's what I'm saying. every draft season how can you go against that raiders need a quarterback you can't go against it fonte mack no matter what quarterbacks going number one in this draft i know that oh callahan had one bad game against ohio state i know but we all we all know that in real life that if anybody took a a linebacker first overall it'd be a massive problem certainly when they're Linebacker's going second.

18:15Rich Eisen:Certainly. I guess. I guess. From maybe that college. I don't even want to talk about it. I just want to know, though, when we talk to Fernando. Nobody wanted to go to Bo Callahan's birthday party. How many people went to Fernandos? I'm sure everybody did. You know? I'll never forget that. Shooting those scenes in Radio City Music Hall with Frank Langella.

18:41Tom Pelissero:one of the greatest

18:43Rich Eisen:actors ever and you know they gave me the script and the script I knew would just be in front of me you know I just knew it would be in front of me so I didn't learn my lines I would just look down and I'd learn my lines like you know I know Ivan Reitman was going to direct me and I know it was going to be in a scene with Frank Langella but for some reason I just thought I'd wing it and when he shows up do you want to run lines I'm like holy what What? Frank Langello just asked me if I want to run lines. I just wanted to run away at that point. Great stuff, Chris. That's What's More Likely, everybody.

19:21Rich Eisen:Brought to you by Pella Windows and Doors. When it comes to your home, Pella Windows and Doors always have the winning game plan. That's why your neighbors trust them. Visit Pella.com slash Eisen. Tommy P., when we come back, Tom Pellicero, lots going on as we're getting ready for the draft. Rumors and conjecture. and information next. The Rich Eisen Show Podcast.

19:49Tom Pelissero:Oh, oh, oh, O 'Reilly.

19:52Rich Eisen:Check engine, ABS, or maintenance light on. Take the guesswork out of your warning lights with O 'Reilly Veriscan. The service is free and provides a report with solutions verified by ASE certified master technicians. And if you need help, we could recommend a shop for you. Ask for O 'Reilly Veriscan today.

20:12Tom Pelissero:Oh, oh, oh, O 'Reilly.

20:16Rich Eisen:Auto Parts.

20:22Rich Eisen:Rich Eisen here. Every time I travel for a major sports moment, whether it's a playoff run or a huge primetime matchup, I see firsthand what happens to a city. Hotels fill up fast. Energy builds. Everyone wants to be part of it. Now imagine that on a global scale. The FIFA World Cup is coming this summer, people, and with it, thousands of fans traveling to host cities across the country. If you happen to live in one of those cities and you're planning to be away, maybe you've got your own summer trip lined up, this could be a practical opportunity. While you're gone, you could list your space on Airbnb and welcome traveling fans who want to experience the FIFA World Cup in person.

21:01Rich Eisen:You're not changing your routine. You're not committing to anything year-round. You're simply making the most of a moment when your city is in the global spotlight. I know when I'm on the road for a huge event, having a comfortable home base makes all the difference. And that's what fans will be searching for. If you've ever thought about listing your space, this summer is a great time as we welcome FIFA World Cup fans. Your home might be worth more than you think. Find out how much at airbnb.com slash host. Rich Eisen here. The April 15th tax deadline is coming fast, but don't worry. Hand off your taxes to a TurboTax expert today.

21:38Rich Eisen:You know how April feels. Everything speeds up. Games matter more. Hoops and hockey schedules tighten. Your phone won't stop buzzing. And somewhere in the middle of it all, there's that quiet little reminder. Taxes. You'll get to it tonight or tomorrow or after the weekend. And if you handle it the old way, you're refreshing your inbox like it's Breaking news, waiting, wondering, hoping everything's squared away. That's a lot of mental bandwidth. With Intuit TurboTax Expert full service, you can match with a dedicated expert who understands your specific tax situation and handles your taxes for you, start to finish.

22:12Rich Eisen:You can do it all online or meet in person at one of their new tech-enabled store locations. Have your tax forms imported directly into the app and hand everything off to your TurboTax expert While they work to get you every dollar you deserve, you can go about your normal routine, giving you time back to focus on what actually deserves your attention, like rooting for your team to make the playoffs. April 15th is not waiting, people. Visit TurboTax.com and hand off your taxes to a TurboTax expert today.

22:45Rich Eisen:Back on the Rich Eisen Show on ESPN Radio, ladies and gentlemen, Tom Pelissero is back on the program. What's up, Tommy P? How are you? Tommy P. How we doing, Rich? What's up to the boys in the studio? Tommy P. What up, baby? Talk to me nice, Tom, because I'm real popular these days. You know what I'm saying? Talk to me nice.

23:01Tom Pelissero:I was just watching ESPN News, and I had to click away. I think I'm TiVo-ing it. Okay, good. TiVo. We'll get into a contest wrestling later.

23:09Rich Eisen:TiVo. Good use of TiVo. Nice old school Met reference. What's top of your list, Tom? I'm just going to give you. How about that? I'm not going to ask you a question. What's on top of my mind? What's on top of your list?

23:22Tom Pelissero:It's been interesting, Rich, this week because once you get past the pro days, right, the scouts are off the road. The coaches are diving into the tape more. People are getting closer to having their final evaluations. A lot of teams haven't had their medical meetings yet. They haven't done those final things, set the board with character in that. But you've got a pretty thorough evaluation of the players. And so talking to a broad swath of coaches and scouts and executives throughout the course of this week, A few things jump out, big picture, 13 days out from the NFL draft. Number one, there are fewer blue chip players in this draft than I can remember.

24:02Tom Pelissero:Just again, you're never going to have all 32 boards looking exactly the same. But if we're talking about the legit first rounders, the no doubt first round grades for the league, there are drafts where you might have 20 to 22 of those guys, maybe 24. It's never 32 with first round grades, even though there's 32 first round picks. Last year, it was a little bit less than that. This year, we're talking about somewhere between 13 and 15 players, which means if you're a team that's holding a pick, let's say just outside the top 10, you may be in a bind because there's not, if you've got specific positions that you could really use a huge upgrade at, those guys might be gone by the time it gets to you.

24:42Tom Pelissero:And if you go any further back, you really might be outside of that zone. And so I think that right around on either side of the 10th pick, you could see a lot of potential movement and a lot of calls because teams are either going to want to get aggressive and go get one of those blue chip guys on their board or they're going to be trying trying to trade back because then after you get outside of that 13 to 15 guys the sweet spot of this draft may be into rounds two and three in other words there's a bunch of guys who are going to have second round grades who are going to go in the first there are also guys who maybe have second round grades that are going to go in the third so your real value is going to be found on day two of the draft and it's going to create a lot of variance there are not a lot of quarterbacks that somebody's going to trade up for even into the bottom around one we'll see how things transpire with ty simpson but that's one of the big picture things to me is there are so few of those true blue chip players that it's going to change i think the mechanics of how some of that movement may take place uh in the draft uh certainly if we're talking about how things fall in the top 10.

25:44Tom Pelissero:Everybody's watching the Jets. I think that if you took a straw poll, and I kind of have around people in the league, they think David Bailey from Texas Tech would be the pick, but nobody knows for sure. There's half the Ohio State defense from last year that's going to be in the green room for the draft, so you could certainly make a case for an Arvel Reese. You could talk yourself into Sonny Stiles, even though it's really rich for a true linebacker. Caleb Downs is one of the top players in the draft. He's a surefire safety that's going to go high in the strap but you take one at two there's there's a lot of different questions when it comes to that and then that in turn impacts Arizona and Tennessee on down the list in terms of what their options are going to be which is going to make it fun Rich when you're sitting there in Pittsburgh and calling this strap we've been saying for three months okay Fernando Mendoza it's going to be the number one pick that's what everybody presumes but at two you still have real questions and then that creates questions for the teams directly behind them and And then the third big picture item here is this quarterback class has been in many ways kicked around for a long time.

26:45Tom Pelissero:I have found nothing to dissuade that in talking to teams. This is not a deep quarterback class. This is not a quarterback class that necessarily has a ton of real starters up at the top. Fernando Mendoza, there's no doubt that he's a starter. How good is he relative to quarterbacks in prior drafts? that depends who you talk to. I haven't found anybody who would put him up there above, you know, Caleb Williams or Jaden Daniels, Drake May, but certainly there's people who are going to make arguments in terms of how good he is. He's a legit starting quarterback prospect. Ty Simpson, you know, the real question is, where is the value for Ty Simpson?

27:23Tom Pelissero:There's a lot to like. Everybody's intrigued by the tape, especially from the first half last year and the way that he processes and runs offensive concepts that are very familiar. He's got some really good tape, But, you know, the size, the way that things went the second half of last season, it just creates some questions. He's going to go, but is he a legit, no doubt, walk-in-the-door QB1? That is going to vary between teams. And then, you know, the real interesting part in terms of the quarterbacks, Rich, to me, is that next group of three guys who are in different orders on everybody's board, but they all played big-time college football, had really good moments, at various points were all regarded as first-round picks between Carson Beck and Garrett Nussmeyer and Drew Aller.

28:05Tom Pelissero:Those guys could go in the second. Those guys could go in the fourth. And I'll have my quarterback story coming out in the relatively near future here. But there's real questions. They've all got developmental upside. They all had their struggles, especially this past season. Where exactly? Not so much Beck, but the other two. Where do those guys go is going to be a big storyline because these are huge names in college football. And right now, there's not people in the league going okay that guy's gonna walk in and he may be my starter in year one tom pelissero here

28:33Rich Eisen:on the the rich eisen show i know asking somebody uh with your bona fides tom of a lead pipe wielding news and information man for me to go down the road of conjecture and asking you to take a guess it's out of your lane a little bit so pardon me for asking doesn't matter if it's If you're wrong, doesn't matter. But two weeks away, all right, who do you look at to say, keep an eye on this team packaging something together to move up and make the biggest splash of night one at the draft? Tom, I can peg it myself. I can kind of try and guess it. But you're the one who's got the sources in the nonstop buzzing phone.

29:21Rich Eisen:So what do you think? Which team would be the one, Tom?

29:24Tom Pelissero:Well, start with the teams that have two first round picks because the 2027 draft is regarded so highly for both quarterbacks and players in general. I could be. Listen, things can happen. OK, we can be surprised, but it would surprise me if somebody is going to give up a 2027 first round pick. So the teams with the most ammo to move up right now are going to be the ones that have two first round picks in this year's draft. Kansas City has it by virtue of the Trent McDuffie trade. If they are going to try to target one of the pass rushers, again, like I was just saying, in terms of the draft class as a whole, there's a bunch of pass rushers we'll see go on day two.

30:04Tom Pelissero:But there's really, depending on how you look at Arvel Reese, only two or three edge players that are going to go high. So if you want to go get David Bailey, Reuben Bain's going to go at some point, or Arvel Reese, you might have to go up. Kansas City certainly has a need at that position. I can see them becoming aggressive. What does Cleveland do? How aggressive do they get? They need a lot of different things. They've got a bunch of needs on their roster. They potentially could be drafted a quarterback in 2027, depending what they see in the great Deshaun Watson, Shadour Sanders competition of 2026.

30:38Tom Pelissero:But last year they were the team that traded back because they could get the value that they thought was there from Jacksonville, which was going up to get Travis Hunter. Could they flip the script? and Cleveland could be the team making the big, bold move up. I would not put anything past them, just depending on where they see the breaks in the board, where they should be more aggressive. You know, the Jets, their top of their first-round picks is at number two, so there's really nowhere for them to go. Certainly, they could try to go up and get Fernando Mendoza, but I think that you'd have to strap several members of the Raiders organization to the wall to make that happen.

31:14Tom Pelissero:You know, but could the Jets, remember, they got three first-round picks in 2027. Again, it would surprise me if they were going to dip into that, just knowing their potential quarterback need next year and just the strength of that draft.

31:25Rich Eisen:Now get to the team TJ wants to hear. Get to that team, Tom. That's the one that I'm thinking about. That's the one we have. 12 and 20. 12 and 20.

31:34Tom Pelissero:Go move up. What do we got? Certainly the Cowboys. Remember, when they were in on the Max Crosby trade conversations, they were not willing, there you go, TJ, to give up. Don't distract him. He's dispensing information. they were not willing to give up both of their first round picks at that point but that doesn't mean that they're not willing to go and do it for potentially a pass rusher would make sense um you know if you're willing to give up both of those uh first round picks you know they've still got they've got a lot of options i would say that dallas even you know would keep the light on for potentially making a move for a veteran we've seen that from jerry we've seen them be aggressive in a bunch of these different talks.

32:13Tom Pelissero:I would focus on those teams because, again, last year, part of the reason that we had the movement we did last year was multiple teams gave up the following year's first-round pick. It was not just the Jaguars giving up the one this year and going and getting Travis Hunter, and we'll see how that works out in year two. We also had Atlanta giving up their first-round pick in this year's draft to go get a guy who's currently facing three felony charges, and we don't know if we'll ever see James Pierce Jr. play again. That remains an open question at this point. Those are the types of variances that make teams reluctant sometimes to go and do it.

32:45Tom Pelissero:The fact that we've got a bunch of teams with multiple first-round picks in this year's draft and a shorter group of blue-chip players, I believe, does raise the specter, Rich, of teams being bold and moving up. I would certainly tell you those teams and others are going to be poking around on the possibilities, but based on the uncertainties, even about what's going to happen at two, it's hard to make a trade now not knowing who's going to be on the board at the spot that you're ultimately trading into.

33:09Rich Eisen:Okay. Who would they, who would they, the Cowboys, I'm hearing Sonny Stiles, Tom, that they love him so much that 12 and 20, I don't know how 12 and 20 would, how far would 12 and 20 get them up? What do you think? Not all the way to two.

33:25Tom Pelissero:I mean, if you, depending which draft, depending which chart you're going off of here, 20 has, it's a lot of points, but it's not enough to get you to two or three in my mind, especially in a draft like this. Right. So you're talking about, you know, seeing if the player is still there again, Again, drafting a pure linebacker is not something we see happen very often at the very top of the draft, but you also don't see many guys test the way Sonny Stiles is and be as big of a freak show athletically.

33:51Rich Eisen:If you're going to make a case for somebody, it's that guy right there. All right. The report that the Jaguars are tapping out on the two-way experiment with Travis Hunter, what can you tell me about this, Tom?

34:05Tom Pelissero:Well, listen, it's going to be part of the reason that they traded up with what they did to go and get Travis Hunter was to have that ability. It felt like you were drafting both a top corner and a top wide receiver. Therefore, you could justify giving up two first-round picks. I don't believe it's so much abandoning an experiment as much as the reality that this guy suffered an injury last year in practice that you have to wonder was part of it just the load of reps and the unique way that he was practicing. There was no blueprint for giving him those reps on both sides of the football. That's not to cast any blame on the Jaguars.

34:39Tom Pelissero:It's just you're in totally uncharted territory here. So it makes sense as he's making way back from the injury to not say, hey, you're going to go full time on both sides of the ball. Realistically, nobody's done what he's trying to do. The closest was Deion in 95, I believe it was, when he had a whole bunch of catches as the third wide receiver and was still an all-pro cornerback. That is the exception to the rule because Deion's one of the greatest athletes we've ever seen in any sport and, in fact, multiple sports. Travis Hunter is a really good athlete. We know that, but it was never realistic that he was going to go out and play 140 NFL snaps per game.

35:12Tom Pelissero:And so let's see how it evolves. Train him on one side of the ball predominantly. He's still going to see action on both sides of the football, but trying to ramp him up into a phase where he's playing almost full time on both sides of the ball, it never made sense to do that initially. And now with a guy coming back from an injury, I would imagine this is a baby steps, ramp him up gradually, be careful, because the last thing you want is a guy to get hurt two years in a row.

35:35Rich Eisen:What is the Texans plan on extending the guys that they gave fifth-year options to, Will Anderson and C.J. Stroud?

35:43Tom Pelissero:I would anticipate Will Anderson Jr. is going to be at the forefront of those conversations. The price for elite pass rushers is only going up. Will Anderson Jr., in addition to being a top young pass rusher in the league, he's also one of their locker room guys. If you've ever talked to him, I'm sure you have, Rich. One of just like the great, grounded, humble young men. That's the guy he is in the locker room. He's very involved in the community. He's everything you want a Texan to be. There's a price on that, and it starts with a four at least for Will Anderson Jr. The sooner you do that, the more you can get ahead of the marketplace for some of the other guys that are going to be coming up.

36:18Tom Pelissero:He's not going to take a deal like Trayvon Walker just took, I'll tell you that, $27.5 million a year,$28, whatever it was. There's no chance he's taken that. This is going to be a big-time deal in line with the Micah Parsons of the world, and we'll see exactly what that number ends up coming in at. As for C.J. Stroud, the back half of last year did not go well for Stroud. We all saw the issues just even taking a snap, but you've also been to the playoffs with him three times. You've won a playoff game three times. It would not surprise me at all, and I don't think that this would be something that C.J.

36:52Tom Pelissero:Stroud would necessarily be upset with. If they play this thing out through his fourth season, we've seen teams extend quarterbacks early before and end up regretting it. There's a reason that the Dolphins are paying Tua Tungvaluwa$53 million to not play football for them in 2026. Stroud has already accomplished more than Tua did in his time in Miami. But there is a danger as much as you're trying to get ahead of those markets. And right now it's$60 million a year for Dak. If Lamar does an extension next year, that could be$70 million a year. I get that part of it. But it would be hard, and I understand it, for the team right now to say based on how last season ended, we're going to go all in and pay this guy up at the type of level to get the contract that C.J.

37:33Tom Pelissero:Stroud surely feels that he deserves. So you never say never. There's a team-friendly version of this, like there aren't a lot of young players, where, yeah, if he's willing to do a deal at that number, you know, let's go ahead and do it. But C.J.'s got a very experienced agent in David Mooligeta, who's not going to take a cut-rate deal just to get a guy paid. It's ultimately up to C.J. Stroud. But it would not surprise me at all if Stroud plays this thing out. The Texans continue to evaluate the overall program before they make the type of top shelf commitment that, you know, based upon the numbers and the productivity, if you just isolate that alone, Rich, it certainly seems like CJ Stroud would be in line for him.

38:07Rich Eisen:You want to take a swing at Ty Simpson's stuff right now before I let you go, Tom?

38:12Tom Pelissero:Listen, I've consistently said, I believe at the end of the day, Ty Simpson is going to be a first round pick. Having said that, I don't currently, as I'm talking to teams and looking at it, have a no doubt spot. This is where the guy is going to go. I do believe still that the Jets, you have to think long and hard about it. You know, with one of your first round picks, if you think this guy can be the dude, you draft him and you don't look back. Now, is he the best fit for Frank Reich's system versus some other systems that he could be running? We certainly can debate that, but you know, it has to be a consideration there.

38:47Tom Pelissero:I know the Rams have done a ton of homework on Ty Simpson, but they already traded one of their first round picks to go get Trent McDuffie. Are they now going to use the other one on a quarterback who, unless something happens to Matthew Stafford, is not playing for a year or two, that may be, you know, take some convincing. But again, I would not rule out the Rams. I wouldn't rule out the Cardinals who have a high second round pick. And if they feel like Ty Simpson could be the guy for years to come, go up and get them at the bottom of the first. You know, the real question here, Rich, is what is the value of the quarterback in 2026 that fits that system.

39:21Tom Pelissero:And by that system, I mean the quote-unquote Shanahan-McVay, the outside zone system, play action heavy, turning your back to the line of scrimmage, all those hallmarks that we see. Because the comp, honestly, that I have heard the most in talking to coaches and scouts this week for Ty Simpson is Brock Purdy, who statistically Brock Purdy has developed into one of the most efficient quarterbacks in NFL history. And no, that is not hyperbole. Look at the numbers. Look at the pass rating. He is unbelievably good when he has been healthy. He was also the last pick in the draft. Kirk Cousins has succeeded for a long, long time in that system.

39:58Tom Pelissero:He was a fourth-round pick. Jimmy Garoppolo had a lot of success playing for Kyle Shanahan. He was not a first-round pick. So have we evolved enough as a league and schematically, has that offense spread to enough of the league that you would look at a quarterback who, based on the physical traits, you're going, where we can get him down the line and just go, no, if we get Brock Purdy out of this, if you redrafted several years ago, you'd take Brock Purdy at the bottom of the first round knowing that he's going to be that quarterback. That's an open question. And I've had this debate, Rich, this discussion with many people in the league.

40:32Tom Pelissero:It is going to say a lot about the NFL as a whole and where the idea of quarterback play is going if we see Ty Simpson going sometime in the first round versus sliding down a little bit just because, yes, physical trait-wise, he may not be on par with some other guys within the league, even though the likes of Purdy and cousins of Garoppolo have shown you don't need to have A-plus physical traits to be able to have a lot of success in the NFL.

41:01Rich Eisen:Tommy P., thanks for the time. We'll chat next week. Have a great weekend. Tom Pellicero, everybody. There he goes. See you, buddy. As TJ sends him the video of him appearing on this program. He'll be on Tom's Instagram in like two minutes. This is great. So I'll put you on this too, Rich. T-minus 17 minutes until TJ Jefferson is on two ESPN channels. Hey, you guys got to keep me humble, all right? One minute until Rory, T's off. Ah. At Augusta. See, you undercut me with Rory. We'll get an update on what is happening at Augusta and also your phone calls. 844-204-RICH. Number to down. Mike Mayock, top of hour number three on his draft board.

41:38Rich Eisen:Talk to me nice. The Rich Eisen Show. The podcast.

41:47Rich Eisen:In a world in need of a hero, one man rises to the challenge in style. He is just driving the kids to soccer practice. Make every day feel epic in an all-new Hyundai Palisade Hybrid with up to an EPA-estimated 619 miles of range on select trims, advanced tech, and class-leading interior space. Because when you're hauling kids' gear, snacks, and backpacks, space matters. And so does comfort. Just make sure they keep their cleats off the seats. Visit HyundaiUSA.com or call 562-314-4603 for details. Quick time out. Some breakfast intel you want to know about. Kodiak Frozen Power Waffles and Flapjacks are built for busy mornings.

42:25Rich Eisen:Heat it, eat it, and you're out the door. No long prep, no complicated game plan. They're packed with 12 to 14 grams of protein per serving, a good source of fiber, and crafted with 100 % whole grains, not refined white flour. So you're getting something that actually fuels you. And there's depth on the roster. Buttermilk and vanilla, blueberry, chocolate chip, even gluten-free options. Breakfast that delivers. Snack that delivers. Find Kodiak frozen waffles and flapjacks in the frozen aisle at your local grocery store. They're the ones with the bear on the box.

43:03Rich Eisen:Back here on the Rich Eisen Show is a simulcast in a world in need of a hero, One man rises to the challenge in style. He's just driving the kids to soccer practice. That's all he's doing. Make every day feel epic in the all-new Hyundai Palisade Hybrid with up to an EPA-estimated 619 miles of range on select trims, advanced tech, and class-leading interior space because when you're hauling kids' gear, snacks, and backpacks, space matters, and so does comfort. Just make sure they keep their cleats off the seats, okay? The all-new Hyundai Palisade Hybrid. Visit HyundaiUSA.com or call 562-314-4603 for more details.

43:44Rich Eisen:John in San Diego has been holding on for the longest. What's up, John?

43:50Tom Pelissero:Good morning, guys.

43:51Rich Eisen:What's up? I just want to say a quick thank you, or as quick as I can. If anyone asked me what my favorite football team was before, I would have said the 1982 San Diego Charters.

44:02Tom Pelissero:And this past season, watching you guys and coming in, seeing clips of celebrity true or false and wrestling. And that brought me into overreaction. And now I'm a daily listener and watcher. And so I loved this past football season. I'm into football now, thanks to you guys. So I just want to say thank you. Stick with us for this year, too, brother.

44:24Rich Eisen:We'll be here.

44:25Tom Pelissero:so um my question is it seems to be having pairs of of quarterbacks now there you've got Tua with Penix and you've got um yeah the the reader situation and so is there someone out there for um for Geno Smith is there someone in the carousel is there someone on the draft board that Geno can be that person that, you know, that Tua and Penix will be together and that Cousins will be for Fernando.

45:02Rich Eisen:I really feel, John, if you're asking me a Jets question here, the 2026 season is how can the Jets find the pieces for the future quarterback that's currently not on the roster? I really feel that way. I don't know who the backup to Geno would be because you'd like it to be a young kid that they can take a flyer on. I'm like even sitting here, who is the backup right now on the Jets' depth chart? I'm looking at it right now, the Jets' depth chart. Brady Cook, Bailey Zappi, Geno Smith. So I don't know. You want to keep developing Brady Cook who got cups of coffee last year just to see what you got?

45:44Rich Eisen:Makes sense. but the Jets again I know we just had and thanks for the call John I know what you know Tom Pellicero just said about how you know the Jets have a draft choice right in the middle of the first round I don't know if that would be the spot for Ty Simpson I know sure Ty wants to be a first rounder I'm sure he can't wait to get to the NFL I get it you know for if he's right for Frank Reich's offense I mean you got to choose somebody that's going to be right for anybody's offense for the next 15 years. That's what you need. That's what the Jets are trying to find. You know what I mean?

46:20Rich Eisen:Like when they drafted Drake May, we're like, he's got to be right for the Alex Van Pelt offense. No. It's got to be for anybody's offense. And then they got so fortunate to have, you know, Josh McDaniels be available for them to hook up with him. So you got to, you got to, Frank could be the guy that the Jets have for 10 years, and Frank finishes his career as the offensive coordinator of the Jets, and he's like the Josh McDaniels of this equation, and Ty Simpson could be that guy. It's a what's more likely Friday. What's more likely? That's the case? Or the Jets' future quarterback is not on the roster right now?

47:02Rich Eisen:Option B. That's right. Yeah. So you've got to win enough games that if you're Aaron Glenn where you don't get fired, or if you're a Jet fan who believes in Aaron Glenn, got to win enough games where you hope he doesn't get fired and does put his system in, in the same way Dan Campbell had the grace period to do so in Detroit. And from whose system, obviously, Aaron Glenn most recently professionally came. There's Sean Payton in him too, in terms of his history. Parcells. So it was a guy who drafted him as a player. that's what you got to do. And you got to hope that those three draft choices, a quarterback of the future falls to him.

47:45Rich Eisen:And it's not such a disaster where you're top five, although that would be the best way to go get your quarterback of the future. So I just don't see there any pairing with Gino. Like there's no young guy out there unless you want to go trade for one, which makes no sense. If you're going to draft one next year, the rich eyes and show podcast from 30 for 30 podcasts.

48:15Tom Pelissero:Brian Pata, senior defensive lineman from Miami, gunned down.

48:20Rich Eisen:The key to this case, it's Brian. Boy, he's ripped him. An hour before he died, he was on the phone arguing with somebody.

48:27Tom Pelissero:This might be a hit. You want the truth. They just want a conviction. They're placed under arrest. We had a killer amongst us.

48:34Rich Eisen:Murder at the U. Listen now.