In short
Hour 3 of The Rich Eisen Show covers NFL offseason news (Brendan Sorsby settlement; Brandon Aiyuk holdout/agent issues; Aaron Donald and other contract storylines), plus World Cup knockout matchups and Rich’s “sports tournaments” power rankings.
Guests
Tom Pelissero (NFL Network insider; reporting from the Canadian Rockies).
Guest backgrounds
Pelissero is an NFL Network insider who reports on league operations, player discipline, and transactions.
Key claims
- Brendan Sorsby reached an NFL/NFLPA settlement: no further legal wrangling; eligible for the 2027 NFL draft; no further punishment for known prior incidents; effectively a de facto one-year suspension.
- Brandon Aiyuk is not getting meaningful guidance; his listed NFLPA agent is still Ryan Williams, and Aiyuk’s Instagram-driven negotiations conflict with union/roster mechanics.
- If Aiyuk is cut, the market is limited; Pelissero expects Washington as the likeliest landing spot.
Notable examples
- England vs Congo (Kane header; 2-1) and Mexico’s knockout win after 40 years.
- Rich’s tournament rankings: World Cup #1, Masters #2, NFL playoffs #3, March Madness #4, MLB playoffs #5, NBA playoffs #6, Wimbledon #7, Olympics hockey #8, Tour de France #9, Westminster Dog Show #10.
Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.
Chapters
Tap a time to open that second in VOLeBron James News
0:31 to 0:54
Discussion on the implications of LeBron James possibly leaving.
“Catch your favorite teams and players, plus MLB Network and ESPN app features like Multiview, syncing your stats, key plays, bets, and fantasy, all in one place.”
LeBron James News
1:30 to 2:10
Discussion on the implications of LeBron James possibly leaving.
“Live from the Rich Eisen Show studio in Los Angeles.”
Upcoming Guests and Show Recap
2:10 to 2:49
Recap of previous guests and introduction of NFL insider Tom Pelissero.
“If you missed any of it, just check out our Disney Plus page whenever you want, and you can watch back any show you want of ours, including today's.”
Rich Eisen's New Series Announcement
2:49 to 3:20
Announcement of Rich Eisen's series on Disney Plus featuring sports figures.
Power Rankings of Sports Tournaments
3:20 to 3:53
Rich Eisen introduces his power rankings of the best sports tournaments.
“He braced as the English for bracing for impact.”
Interview with Tom Pelissero
3:53 to 4:36
Tom Pelissero discusses his location in the Canadian Rockies and experiences.
“I'm now seeing where our buddy Tom Pellicero is zooming in from and that's the first question I have is where in the world is Tom Pellicero?”
Bear Encounter Advice
4:36 to 6:00
Discussion on what to do if encountering a bear while hiking.
“We've never conducted an interview with somebody who could get mauled by a grizzly in the middle.”
Brendan Sorsby Legal Situation
6:00 to 10:49
Detailed discussion on the legal situation of Brendan Sorsby and its implications.
“Again, if this happens, Tom, you stare, okay?”
Future of NCAA Gambling Issues
10:49 to 12:39
Exploration of potential future gambling-related issues in NCAA football.
“He would have been willing to sit out more games, but the NCAA, as they're trying to claw for whatever power they have left, has basically dared people to go to the courts.”
Tom Pelissero's Insights on NFL
12:39 to 13:35
Tom Pelissero gives insights on the NFL's decision-making process.
“You look at the billions and billions of dollars that are are wagered.”
Show all 20 chapters
Brandon Ayuk's Contract Advice
13:35 to 14:00
Discussion on Brandon Ayuk's contract situation and advice he has received.
“Speaking of that, who is advising Brandon Ayuk these days, Tom?”
Brandon Ayuk's Contract Situation
14:00 to 24:04
Learn about the complexities surrounding Brandon Ayuk's contract and future with the 49ers.
“As of last check, his listed agent by the NFL Players Association was still Ryan Williams, who has been his agent and negotiated the massive contract that he got in San Francisco.”
World Cup Highlights and Analysis
25:31 to 28:01
Explore the latest developments and thrilling moments from the World Cup matches.
“Save$2 when you buy two cans of Superior Products Coverall Tire Dressing.”
England's Journey in the Tournament
28:01 to 33:00
Discussion about England's recent matches and their prospects in the tournament.
“So it felt like probably their entire lives.”
Power Ranking Sports Tournaments
33:01 to 40:01
Rich shares his top ten sports tournaments, discussing their significance and appeal.
“There are many like it, but this one is mine.”
O'Shea Jackson Jr. Joins the Show
41:00 to 42:00
O'Shea Jackson Jr. discusses his cartoon series and Lakers commentary.
“We finish up this show with O'Shea Jackson Jr.”
NBA Draft and Player Moves Discussion
42:00 to 43:00
The hosts discuss the recent NBA draft picks and player commitments, focusing on team strategies.
“Apparently, the Lakers no longer have control of a first-round draft choice between now and seven years from now.”
Fan Call-In: LeBron's Future with the Lakers
43:00 to 43:30
A caller expresses surprise at LeBron's comments about not returning to the Lakers and discusses potential future scenarios.
“Hey, yo, so I was a little taken back by LeBron saying that he wasn't going back to the Lakers.”
Analyzing NBA Team Dynamics
43:30 to 44:30
Discussion about the potential dynamics between LeBron, the Warriors, and other NBA players as teams reshape.
“That Curry, Draymond, LeBron, Porzingis, and Horford, right?”
LeBron's Next Move Speculation
44:30 to 45:25
Hosts speculate on where LeBron might go next and the implications for the Eastern and Western Conferences.
“Certainly if you've already got these pieces together.”
Transcript
Automatic transcript. May contain errors.0:00Tom Pelissero:You want to get your backyard summer ready, but you don't want to break the bank? Wayfair gets it. Planning on dining alfresco or relaxing poolside? Wayfair has everything you need to prep your space. Shop now and save up to 70 % off during Wayfair's 4th of July clearance. Score huge deals on outdoor furniture, area rugs, and more. We're talking thousands of products for every style and budget. Plus, surprise flash deals July 6th. Don't wait. Shop Wayfair's 4th of July clearance now through July 6th at Wayfair.com.
0:28Rich Eisen:Wayfair, every style, every home.
0:30Tom Pelissero:MLB.tv on ESPN is your home for every out-of-market game, live or on demand. Catch your favorite teams and players, plus MLB Network and ESPN app features like Multiview, syncing your stats, key plays, bets, and fantasy, all in one place. Sign up now for MLB.tv in the ESPN app. Separate subscriptions require blackouts and other terms apply. Visit stream.espn.com slash MLB TV for more information.
1:00Rich Eisen:This is the Rich Eisen Show. Hey, everybody. Can't get enough of the Rich Eisen Show? You're in luck. You can find us everywhere. Watch us weekdays on Disney Plus from noon to 3 Eastern. Miss the show? We've got a podcast so you can listen anytime. But here's the best part. Our YouTube channel. Subscribe at youtube.com slash Rich Eisen Show and you'll never miss a moment. Now, on with the show.
1:30Tom Pelissero:There is LeBron James news.
1:32Rich Eisen:He will play elsewhere. This is the Rich Eisen Show. What if LeBron goes to Golden State? Live from the Rich Eisen Show studio in Los Angeles. What a weird ending to your movie, dude. Don't do that. Earlier on the show, Prime Video TNF analyst Ryan Fitzpatrick. The Ringer NFL draft analyst Todd McShay. Coming up, NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero. And now, it's Rich Eisen. Well, hey, everybody. Hour number three of The Rich Eisen Show is on the air. Already great chat with Ryan Fitzpatrick in hour number one. Great chat with Todd McShay in hour number two. If you missed any of it, just check out our Disney Plus page whenever you want, and you can watch back any show you want of ours, including today's.
2:21Rich Eisen:While you're there, check out This Was Sports Center, the series that I've been putting together with our coordinating producer, Mike Hoskins labor of love me interviewing some of my old friends from back in the day back in your sports center viewing days in the 90s um our uh series concludes season one of it because I do intend to do more of it um as long as Mike Hoskins will have me um that um it concludes Friday with Craig Kilbourne started with season one started with Dan Patrick about a month ago Chris Berman uh linda cone mike greenberg and uh chris fowler as well it's all on our disney plus page all on the rich eyes and show youtube channel as well um and uh rich have you started to make a list oh yeah for season two yeah i've reached out to some colleagues of mine um and everybody's been saying yes for the most part um for the most part yeah some some are like they're thinking about it oh um 844-204-rich is the number to dial i've got a power rankings of the best tournaments on planet earth best sports tournaments on planet earth and uh the world cup uh the sigh of the big wind you heard uh was the sigh of relief from uh across the pond which you're mandated to say whenever you refer to anything that's going on in the united kingdom or england uh harry kane save the bacon of the three Lions against Congo.
3:46Rich Eisen:He braced as the English for bracing for impact. It's 2-1 final and they move on. We'll talk about that shortly. But let's return to American football. I'm now seeing where our buddy Tom Pellicero is zooming in from and that's the first question I have is where in the world is Tom Pellicero?
4:06Tom Pelissero:We are out here right now in the Canadian Rockies, Ridge, enjoying a part of the world that I I have not experienced before. Probably didn't need to layer. It's deceiving. It says 49 degrees with that sun beating down in my head right now. It feels like 80. So after this, take off the second layer. We should be good to know this.
4:25Rich Eisen:And, again, speaking of experiences that we don't normally have, I'll be honest with you. We've never had in the – if we include everything, Chris, you know, the podcast where we went back. So 15 years doing this. We've never conducted an interview with somebody who could get mauled by a grizzly in the middle. Let me tell you, everyone thinks it's so cute.
4:50Tom Pelissero:Every shop here sells bear shirts and the boss. Every art, all they do is take photos of bears. I don't want to see a bear. I've seen like four goats. That is close enough to nature for me. You might ask, why did I come here? Good question. All I know is if you need a spray to avoid getting mauled by one of the native creatures, this might not be the best place for me. We are safely up and above right now, Rich. So I feel good for the next 15 minutes.
5:19Rich Eisen:So is this where you should start taking your video, TJ, to capture this potential moment? Oh, yeah, just in case, because we can get out real quick. What up, Tom? All right. We've got your back. Tom, you're back. You have to get big and yell at them. You know what I mean? Exactly. That'll definitely work.
5:38Tom Pelissero:My wife told me, like, all right, you know, if a bear comes out, we were on some of the trails yesterday. What do you do? I said, I'm running. She said, no, you're supposed to just stay completely still. I'm like, that sounds like bear propaganda. They want you to think. Just stay still. And then they'll come over and mull you. Do not run.
5:55Rich Eisen:Do not run if you see a bear. Yeah. Basically, do not run.
5:59Tom Pelissero:You ever heard of fight or flight? I'm not fighting the bear. It's going to be all flea. Here's what you should do.
6:05Rich Eisen:Again, if this happens, Tom, you stare, okay? You stare right at the bear in the same way that Ben Johnson, Bear's coach, stared at the reporter who had the temerity to place the phone on his podium without a do not disturb on it. That's what you need to do, Tom.
6:25Tom Pelissero:I don't know if the ringer is going to set off the bear, but maybe a very, very special one.
6:30Rich Eisen:Ladies and gentlemen, Tom Pelissero, hoping the next bear he encounters is actually at a training camp. You're on the Rich Eisen show. Just say, how about Caleb Williams? So, so are, were you breaking that, that Sorsby news from the Canadian Rockies yesterday?
6:45Tom Pelissero:Yeah, I caught a little, caught a little bit of flack for that. So here's the situation. I had the information ready to go. It was, it was, it was a complicated process that went on for a while. It was the NFL and the NFL Players Association and Brennan Sorsby came to a settlement. It was not strictly, all right, you know what, I'm not going to sue. It was more complicated. Yes, the outcome of this is that he's not going to pursue any further legal wrangling. But what his team and the union wanted to make sure, we had J.C. Tretter on last week, Rich, while you were out. We talked through some of this.
7:20Tom Pelissero:They never want to see precedence set. And so what you want to have is everything clearly in writing. Any claims that would have resulted from the NFL's decision to not hold a supplemental draft would be resolved. So as part of that, what the settlement I'm told includes is that Brendan Soresby is eligible for the 2027 NFL draft. There will be no further punishment for any known prior incidents. In other words, if there's something that's not in the NCAA report, if there's something that's not been reported, something that he has not prior acknowledged, or if there's an issue in the future, the NFL reserves the right to use Brendan Soresby's history to influence any potential discipline that might come down.
8:01Tom Pelissero:But essentially, if he is able to stay out of trouble, and from what I'm told, he's going to stay down in Texas and train throughout the year. I know you had the statement from the CFL. Brennan Sorsby was never going to the CFL. That made no sense. The UFL season is over. Once the NCAA door closed, the NFL door closed, this was really the option that he was left with here. And again, barring any types of an issue, he'll start over next year. He will be permitted to attend all non-league functions in terms of he could go to the Senior Bowl. That could be the one game that we see Brennan Soresby play in a one-year span.
8:37Tom Pelissero:And certainly, you know, for that game, they'll have to make their own decisions on that. But you would think that would be a boon to the popularity, you know, in the interest in that game. He'll be able to do a pro day. He'll be able to do team visits. The Combine's a little different category because the NFL runs that and the teams vote. but it sounds like as long as Brendan Soresby, which you would anticipate because the talent is voted in, he will be permitted to attend that as well. Effectively, the NFL did not suspend Brendan Soresby, but this is a de facto one-year suspension, which is in line with Calvin Ridley and other players who have had issues related to specifically gambling on football.
9:14Tom Pelissero:Once he comes back, he'll be treated like everybody else, barring any instance in the future.
9:18Rich Eisen:You know, and we talked about it earlier in the show, Tom, with the statement that Sorsby put out that, you know, accepting responsibility and saying that he's working on himself. And and as you point out, this is a consequence of his actions that the NCAA and those member schools basically said, we're done here. and the NFL said, we're not letting you in with any special dispensation here. And so he has accepted it, and this is a penalty. This is a consequence, which is all everybody was saying. And I guess the one thing that he did allow the NCAA to do, along with member schools, is to seem virtuous, which might be the biggest trick that's ever been played, like Kaiser Soze.
10:14Rich Eisen:You know what I mean? Like they held a line, which is a line that they ordinarily would never hold in a way. So I get this whole circumstance. And plus, nobody wanted to sue each other. Right. Like that's that's another thing.
10:30Tom Pelissero:This is the environment, though, that the NCAA has created. It's basically if you want to play college football, we might have to sue each other. You know, Brendan Zorsby would have been willing to take a longer suspension than the two games that he ultimately agreed to with the federal judge. who gave him the injunction before he withdrew the lawsuit, et cetera. He would have been willing to sit out more games, but the NCAA, as they're trying to claw for whatever power they have left, has basically dared people to go to the courts. And by and large, they've lost. In this case, remember, Rich, at least on a temporary basis, they lost.
11:04Tom Pelissero:And Brendan Soresby could have, barring all the other things that took place, played out the entire season before that thing actually went into court. Yes, they could have tried to overturn the injunction. There was a lot of things that could have taken place, But more than anything, you know, I don't want to call it a miscalculation, but perhaps the part that we all missed. Rich, you remember we talked about this two months ago. I came on your show the week after the draft when the initial things came out involving Brendan Sorsby and gambling. I said at that time, my understanding was it was 50-50 if he was going to be in college football or go to the supplemental draft.
11:33Tom Pelissero:In the end, it was neither. He ends up being out for a year and going into the NFL draft. But he hired a top attorney in Jeffrey Kessler, who was used to suing the NCAA, used to suing the NFL. They won at least an initial injunction on the legal front. What everybody missed was what would happen when all these other stakeholders got involved, the attorney general in Texas, the Big 12, other member schools threatening boycotts, threatening scheduling implications. That was not something that could have been foreseen. And then for the NFL, as much as there are all kinds of different precedents in terms of guys who've been let into the supplemental draft because of losing their eligibility for a variety of different reasons, what the NFL would argue is there was no precedent to are we even going to hold a supplemental draft at all?
12:20Tom Pelissero:They decided to keep this out of the courts. If they had, for instance, allowed Sorsby to go into the supplemental draft and then tried to work out a settlement by which he missed games, that then sends him down a potential legal path. It creates other precedents with the union in the end here, which I don't know that we're going to see a case exactly like this. But if I were I definitely not going to say a betting man, but if I were guessing, I would say there are other gambling related issues that are going to crop up at the NCAA level, because this is a broader social issue that we're all confronting here.
12:54Tom Pelissero:It is something that is pervasive. You look at the billions and billions of dollars that are are wagered. A lot of that comes from 20-something-year-old men or teenagers or people of that age. It's not the last time that something is going to play out like this. And we'll have to see how long that virtue holds, Rich, if this is really about anything related to the idea of placing a bet on a team that you were not on the travel roster for four years ago. Or if this was the NCAA doing the same thing that they did to Trinidad Chambliss, with Diego Pavia, with any of the number of other players that have gone to court over eligibility issues.
13:28Tom Pelissero:It's just part of a broader fight in which no one, it seems, really knows what their ultimate goal is that they're fighting for.
13:34Rich Eisen:Tom Pellicero, my NFL Network colleague, joining us here from the Canadian Rockies, tapping out of his family vacation for a few more moments to counsel us here on the Rich Eisen Show. Speaking of that, who is advising Brandon Ayuk these days, Tom?
13:54Tom Pelissero:No one. I think it's pretty obvious at this point. Brandon Ayuk has not gotten a lot of good advice, at least not any advice that he has taken. As of last check, his listed agent by the NFL Players Association was still Ryan Williams, who has been his agent and negotiated the massive contract that he got in San Francisco. There's a lot of things that have come out in IUK's string of videos that haven't matched up to reality. It's, I fired my agent last fall. Well, not according to the union, which is where you need to terminate that with. Well, I'm not showing up to the facility until they release me.
14:29Tom Pelissero:Well, they're not going to release you until you show up to the facility. There's a lot of different mechanics that go into this. The bottom line is the 49ers don't need to have to do anything. thing i guarantee you know kyle shanahan wherever he is he's in probably cabo or hawaii or somewhere else he's not sitting there looking at the instagram and going boy you know the 17th insult was the one that pushed this over the top we should just give him his way and release him john lynch i know one of iuk's videos said lynch had showed up to his house and he said well why is this man showing up because john lynch is is a former player and he's the general manager he's your boss and he's trying to come talk to you he might be worried about you he might be trying to talk through why they're doing what they're doing here.
15:11Tom Pelissero:Ayuk seems to be living in a world of his own making at this point. It's possible that the 49ers reverse course, but if they haven't done it to this point, they didn't release him at the start of free agency when everyone thought. They didn't release him around the draft. They haven't released him here now on July 1st. What reason, other than avoiding a couple of questions in a press conference, some of these Instagram videos, are they going to have to do anything for Brandon Ayuk? At some point, at minimum, The guy's got to have a conversation with his bosses and try to work this thing out to this point.
15:40Tom Pelissero:That hasn't happened. And we'll see if somebody can get in his ear and give him the correct advice now moving forward. Dude, you've got to just file for reinstatement, show up to the facility. They're either going to reinstate you to their roster, which is highly unlikely, or they're going to cut you loose. If you want to get your way, you've got to play the game a little bit. I know that's hard sometimes for guys who have egos or maybe going through different stuff, as Ayuk has over the past couple of years.
16:04Rich Eisen:but he's got to show up yeah i mean negotiating by instagram doesn't seem to be uh working or advisable for anyone on planet earth but i i mean it does sometimes work uh to apply pressure in in this league and in other sports leagues but uh is there any truth to the rumor that that's out there on all of these sites that the instagramming and posting has caused other teams to not even consider Ayuk if he does get released, that he's played his last down in the NFL, Tom. What do you think?
16:40Tom Pelissero:It's another brick in the wall. And I've said since last season when they had to put him on the list, we don't know if Brian Ayuk is ever going to play football again. We don't know if he's 100 % healthy. He basically tapped out in the late stages of his rehab last year, decided he didn't want to play for the 49ers. He was already mad at the organization for stripping his guarantees over a bunch of other things. All these are part of the broader issue here, which is that this is a guy who, you know, bottom line, whatever he thinks he's worth, that he's laughed at the money and thrown money around his closet.
17:10Tom Pelissero:I've watched all the videos, Rich. He's not going to get any money. Okay, there's not a market for Brandon Ayuk. Yes, there's a flyer. He's been a very talented player, and maybe you bring him in. But we're talking about minimum with maybe some upside in incentives. I believe it's a one-team market for Brandon Ayuk. It's the Washington Commanders. Adam Peters was in San Francisco when they drafted him. Jaden Daniels played with him at Arizona State. Peters is not allowed to talk to him. I really don't know how much Jaden Daniels even has talked to him because from everything I've understood, Brandon Ayuk has been kind of incommunicado with a lot of different people in his life, obviously including his agent as well.
17:47Tom Pelissero:If he does get cut loose, which again is going to require him to take certain steps here, I do anticipate that the commanders would be interested in signing him, but he's going to have to go in and pass a physical. is going to go in and have to meet with the people in the building. They're going to have to decide, you know, are we just going to end up babysitting the guy, and this is more trouble than it's worth, or do we take the flyer? If I'm guessing right now, I'd say they take the flyer and bring him in. But no, I don't really foresee, even though there were a bunch of other teams. You remember a couple of summers ago, it was a trade market for him.
Read the full transcript
18:17Tom Pelissero:It was, you know, was it the Patriots? Was it the Steelers? He ends up going back to San Francisco. I don't think that those teams have any interest, because right now you're looking at somebody who's, you know, In the phase of late stage Antonio Brown, we were just going, there's so much stuff surrounding him, not legally in Ayuk's case, other than the speeding thing. But it's just all the other parts of it. Like, what are we bringing into the building? It leads me to believe it's one team for him.
18:40Rich Eisen:Well, because I didn't have you zooming in from the Canadian Rockies, dropping a Pink Floyd reference in relation to Brandon Ayuk on my bingo card. Tom, I'm going to finish this conversation by throwing it open to you and saying, what are you, what's in your mind? What are you looking forward to seeing when we get on the back end of vacation time, end of this month? Tom, what do you got?
19:00Tom Pelissero:There's still a bunch of bigger storylines. I think that a lot of the trade activity has petered off to a certain degree. We'll probably get a few weeks into camp until any of those things start to pick up. Or when guys start getting hurt, obviously, some of those names that you heard rumored back in March or back before April, those things might get the focus on them again. But if we're talking about the run-up to training camp, storylines that I'll be watching certainly are, what happens with Aaron Donald? Yes, he has not played football in two full seasons. Nobody publicly has shut the door on this.
19:31Tom Pelissero:From everything that I understand, this is not a, the Rams trying to recruit him, they're not calling him, trying to convince him to come back. But if Aaron Donald tests out his body, you know, works out, rests, sees on his body, recovers, trains, not just like a guy who wants to have the biggest biceps anyone's ever seen, but wants to play football, Does he feel like he can do it? If he calls Sean McVay and Les Snead says, hey, I think I want to come back, they're going to work to make that happen. It wouldn't be playing 70 snaps a game. Maybe it's 30 snaps. He plays on pass rush downs, and good luck to the rest of the NFL block, and Aaron Donald, Miles Garrett, Kobe Turner, and Byron Young up front on a team that's going to be scoring 30 points a game.
20:11Tom Pelissero:Even if we still consider that to be a long shot, I think it's instructive that nobody has shut the door on that just yet. You've got quarterback contracts that are going to be interesting to watch. Obviously, the Lamar thing's been going on for quite a while. To me, the most important one is Baker Mayfield because Baker, if you look at the franchise quarterback contracts right now, he's at the bottom of those veteran guys in terms of where they're getting paid. At last check, when I asked around a week or so ago, he didn't sound like there had been any further movement, and he's a guy who's a free agent after this season.
20:41Tom Pelissero:The Bucs may kind of like, hey, it's salty, angry Baker coming in. Let them go kick everybody's butt and then we'll worry about it after the season. They've done that with other veterans in the past, but quarterback position is a little bit different. I expect these guys to get back together right before training camp, see if they can hammer something out. In terms of other contracts, obviously you've got the big running back contracts, Bijan and Jameer Gibbs. Those are going to be a storyline. Do those get done? Both teams, it seems like, are motivated to try to wrap those guys up. And so we'll see if that gets done prior to the start of training camp.
21:12Tom Pelissero:But then once we hit the field, Rich, it's my favorite time of year because all the speculation, all the talk about how draft picks fit in, free agent signings, you actually get to see it a little bit. Quarterback competitions playing out in Cleveland. I know that there have been people trying to stir up the, they're trying to trade Shadur Sanders rumors. I have not heard that at all. I believe this is going to be a real competition with Deshaun and Shadur. If my expectation would be all things equal, both these guys are probably on the team this season. and Shadour really did make leaps. So let's see with him and a guy in Deshaun we've only seen playing 19 games over the past five seasons combined.
21:49Tom Pelissero:What does this quarterback competition look like in Atlanta? We haven't seen Michael Penix Jr. on the field fully healthy going up against Tua. That's going to be interesting. And then over in Minnesota where it seems like even in late June, early July, we can't go a day without getting some type of a headline, sometimes from the weirdest places possible, Rich, about J.J. McCarthy and Kyler Murray here. They are going into this. Still, they've been splitting the reps 50-50 throughout the course of the spring. You would certainly say that the arrows point toward Kyler Murray. If you had to guess right now, who's going to take the job?
22:23Tom Pelissero:But they want to see these guys go out and compete. They maybe even take it into the first preseason game or two, maybe see them in a joint practice before they sort this out. Those are three legit quarterback competitions, the ones I'll be looking forward to seeing how they sort out here in July and August.
22:35Rich Eisen:Tom Pellicero at the top of his game, dropping a reference of body cam traffic stop stuff, man. I heard that. I picked up on that one, Tommy P. Hey, listen, one last thing for you, because you're obviously at the top of your game getting ready for your personal time off. Maybe you mentioned the Aaron Donald stuff and that nobody's mentioned it. I'm taking this shot of Sean McVay showing off his abs. This could be him sending out the bat signal to Aaron Donald. You know what I mean? That could be him saying, hey, Aaron, you know, let's work out. Let's work out.
23:10Tom Pelissero:All I could think when I saw that photo on Instagram was, knock it off, Sean. Like, we got it.
23:15Rich Eisen:Okay, we get it. We seem to do the push-ups. You got Garrett. You got your family life. You got the French Riviera. You're doing just fine, Sean. We got it. Basically, how many yards can you water ski behind? And he's actually doing that. He'd pack.
23:29Tom Pelissero:Yeah. And then I'll buy him a second Hall of Famer to your defensive line in a few weeks.
23:33Rich Eisen:Aaron Dahl did post a new workout video on Instagram yesterday. That's all I'm saying. Okay. It's going to happen. It's going to happen. It feels like it. All right, Tom, the coast is clear behind you. We made it through successfully. The next Bears you see will be.
23:46Tom Pelissero:Most beautiful here. I'll give you one shot to leave you on here. It's just the most beautiful place. I don't know if you can see it through the sun here. No, that's great.
23:53Rich Eisen:Beautiful. Look at that. Wow. Gosh. Oh, wait, look out. Good one. Not a bear in sight just yet. Ladies and gentlemen, from the Canadian Dutton Ranch, there goes Tom Pellestero enjoy his personal time off right here on the Rich Heisman Show see you Tommy good one which one's the real bear okay good stuff while the world watches the stars at the FIFA World Cup this summer Hyundai has its eyes on the next generation of talent the future stars who are already turning heads at age 14 because next doesn't wait for an invitation and neither do we Hyundai has always moved the future within reach. We did it when we made advanced safety standard on every vehicle and engineered EVs with ultra-fast charging capability because the future isn't some far-off concept.
24:40Rich Eisen:It's already here. Next starts now. Hyundai, an official partner of FIFA. All right. We break down what's going on in the World Cup and great power rankings coming up next.
24:55Rich Eisen:The Rich Eisen Show Podcast.
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25:41Rich Eisen:Coverall delivers long-lasting shine. Visit your O 'Reilly Auto Parts store or OReillyAuto.com.
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26:20Rich Eisen:Back on The Rich Eisen Show, 844-204-RICH, number to dial on the program. we talked about it yesterday and it's time to do it again the world cup keeps on delivering the epicness it just is so epic it's it's it's like every game you've ever watched in in putting it in imax it really is it's just it's unlike anything else truly unlike anything else period end of story it's the drama and but also it's what it means to the countries and the fans and the players last night mexico took care of ecuador and they won their first knockout round match in 40 years and it was now in their home country just put the photograph up You see this?
27:20Whoa.
27:20Rich Eisen:This is nuts. The videos that I saw last night, someone had a drone, and they were just kind of flying over the square. This is the scene in Mexico. Yeah. In Mexico City last night, Estadio Azteco is where Mexico took care of Ecuador after a weather delay. And 1986 was the last time they won a knockout round match against Bulgaria. now they move on yeah they move on and they're taking on play england which just had another dramatic heart attack inducing experience for their fans right i mean the late 60s was the last time england won this tournament and they got a great they've got a great team they got a great side they got harry kane one of the best goal scorers in the world and today in atlanta against the democratic republic of congo they conceded a goal first and then an hour of time on the clock, running clock later.
28:41Rich Eisen:So it felt like probably their entire lives. And the number of chances England had and couldn't get it past the Congolese goalie, who was basically Dominic Hoshik times Jim Craig times, again, I'll just keep using hockey references, Patrick Waugh on steroids. just standing on his head and then Kane with a header followed up with a cane with an absolute bullet off his right foot and England advances and if you have the next round you want to pop it up on the screen here I mean it's it's now on like and that's the thing too like the drum beat of one match after another after another this little bracket right here now you've got Brazil after they came back uh against japan yeah taking on norway which hadn't been in the world cup since 1998 and erling holland is just he's unlike anybody like honestly if you're if you wanted to say uh what uh claude make make up a norwegian um right sure he looks like carl from from Die Hard.
30:06Rich Eisen:Yeah.
30:06Tom Pelissero:I said he looks like every 80s movie Eastern European villain ever. Henchman. He's Scandinavian.
30:12Rich Eisen:He's Scandinavian, but I get what you're saying. So Brazil versus Norway. Yeah. That match takes place. Sunday, one o 'clock Pacific. In. Or Eastern. That takes place. Let me get this. At MetLife. At MetLife. Oh, my. Sorry. New York, New Jersey. New York, New Jersey. And then Mexico, England takes place later on that day in Mexico City. Yeah. I can't imagine. I mean, England, you want to talk about an away game. In Mexico City, they have to advance past Mexico, which just won its first knockout round match in 40 years in front of their home folks with that scene playing out in the surrounding areas.
30:57Rich Eisen:Epic, again, might not be the word for it. And should they win, the possibility of facing off against Brazil in Miami. Wow. The other matchups that have already been set for the knockout round stages. What do we got? Canada, Morocco taking place in Houston, Paraguay versus France, which I mean, my God. Mbappe, he looks like he's just toying with people. That's going to be in Philadelphia. Mbappe, you could make the, again, Messi, I know who Messi is and I understand about his advanced age. Mbappe may be the best player on planet Earth right now. Maybe in any sport compared to, what, Otani, where it makes it look easy.
31:42Rich Eisen:You talked about the goal scoring thing. I mean, Mbappe, he's probably got two World Cups minimum. He's 27. Minimum two World Cups? Yeah, possibly three. Correct. So, you know, he's going, yeah, he's made up 30 goals by its all send-in. Paraguay and France taking place in Philadelphia on July 4th. Okay. so you know hey i guess everyone's gonna come dressed as lafayette is that what it is both their five by the way if you've seen hamilton you get the reference both their flags are red white and blue unfortunately most of our audience i'm just saying that's my french you know the french had a very important role in the american revolution on july 4th in philadelphia yeah they're our buddies so i think can't wait man still maybe it's just great it's awesome and then obviously usa today let's go you're talking about the publication or usa oh sorry usa tonight usa later today let's go all right um i've got a power rankings here on this wednesday this is your idea wasn't it well it's just spitballing all of us right there and by the way i'm like okay great sounds good yeah um i'm gonna power rank sports tournaments the best ones Top 10, if you will.
32:56Rich Eisen:Power Rankings. Sports tournaments. Hit it, please. Presented by SoFi. Hit it.
33:04Rich Eisen:This is my... Power Rankings. There are many like it, but this one is mine.
33:09Tom Pelissero:Power Rankings.
33:10Rich Eisen:All right. I'm going to Power Rank Sports Tournaments. Global. It's all in this mix. It's all in this mix. All right? Number 10. And I don't care. I don't care. Great start. I'm just coming out with I don't care. Great start. I'm coming out with I don't care because people will say to me, what do you you seen already? OK, what do you want to do left in your career? I've covered one of these. Have you? I have not. I would absolutely kill figuratively to host one of these on television. Westminster Dog Show. Yeah, buddy. OK, these puppies, man. Let's get them out there. I want to be the guy at the mic for a Westminster dog show.
33:56Rich Eisen:Okay? This is a tournament. For me, this is a top 10 tournament on planet Earth. Right? Best in show, the whole business, everything. Let's go.
34:04Tom Pelissero:I used to hate this, man, because it used to come on the USA Network. And every now and then, I couldn't get Monday Night Raw. Because it was a Westminster dog show. You blame the dogs? I blame the dogs. I was angry with the dogs. And then I saw a few jumps. I was like, okay.
34:17Rich Eisen:This could also be a Mike Brown who let the dogs out influence for me right now. You know, because it's an orange and blue skies for me. Bing bong. All right. Number nine. I know this is bigger for many, but I'm not a cycling guy. But Tour de France, you got to give it up. It's a big deal. It is, you know, endurance. Yeah. And then you get to see the beautiful countryside of France finishing up in Paris. Yellow jerseys, the whole business. It starts on the fourth. Gold jerseys, yellow jerseys, whatever. Green jerseys. Number eight on the list. I had the Olympics men's hockey. Okay. But Mike Hoskins, who is the resident hockey guy, is like, hey, if the United States isn't in it, do you really care?
35:05Rich Eisen:And I'm like, you're right. So I'm putting Stanley Cup playoffs here. Okay, great. Got to put hockey on this list somewhere. Okay. The beards. Eight might be a little low. Well, I got it. But playoff playoff hockey overtimes are exhilarating. Absolutely razor's edge exhilarating. Love it. Number seven. Listen, Wimbledon is classic. Wimbledon is an absolute classic. Wimbledon is where Rory shows up in his green jacket. OK, and Wimbledon, I've been to Wimbledon on the green grass and you go and you dress up and it's a beautiful place and it's epic and it's tennis at its highest form. but I'm a New Yorker.
35:49Rich Eisen:And I will just say this about Wimbledon. Can you do it with people heckling you at 1.30 in the morning? It ain't the U.S. Open. Can you do it? Oh, yeah. Heckling at 1.30 in the morning. The U.S. Open tennis is the one for me. Because, honestly, sometimes it does go to 2 in the morning. And here we go. Night sessions are lit, literally, figuratively. Day sessions. It's New York City. people taking the seven train it's really cool um i i do love it number six i'm putting the nba playoffs here this may be a personal bias because number five is the baseball playoffs i put baseball above the nba because the nba just feels like a total slog to get through six seven weeks sometimes um baseball again it's a different ball of wax here with the world series play every day I understand that.
36:44Rich Eisen:But in a way, I say this all the time. I'll repeat it here. In May, somebody gets on base in the top of the second inning against your team with one out. You're like, okay, we can get out of this inning. That happens in baseball playoffs. Season's over. This guy's scoring. We're not going to score. There's something where every pitch begins to matter. It's scintillating to me. But again, I'm a baseball guy when it comes down to it. Number four on the list is March Madness. men's and women's together. It's just awesome watching the tournaments. And obviously now I'm biased. Did Michigan win? Let me check.
37:20Rich Eisen:Oh, just look at the photo. Oh, there it is. There's Dusty. There's the Mavericks, coach. But it is truly Cinderella stuff. And it's obviously when your team wins, there's nothing like it. Buzzer beaters, everything like that. Everybody fills out their brackets, families, offices. It brings a lot of people together. Number three, I'm putting the NFL playoffs here. Number three. Okay. There's nothing like the NFL playoffs, man. Nowhere to go home. The divisional playoff weekend where it's, you know. Final eight. It's the greatest. Right. It's final eight. And it's the last weekend where there's multiple games on multiple days.
38:02Rich Eisen:And, you know, man, oh, man. Number two on the list. It's a tradition unlike any others. It's the Masters. Number two. Okay. The whole world watches this too. And it is the only golf major played at the same place every year. So Augusta National has its own personality to it. And so you can have memories of past Masters based on just looking at a golf hole. And the way it's set up on the back nine, no lead is safe. And no lead is too much for you to overcome. It really is nothing like it. and on a master Sunday, don't bother me. I mean, it's that simple. Check out. Leave me alone. And then when it's over, you just want to go play.
38:50Rich Eisen:Number one is the World Cup. And I'll be honest with you. I don't know if I would have said that in previous years, but I know this may be recency bias, but this has been nothing short of amazing and epic and can't get enough of it. and you know we're putting up harry kane just is this from today is this the shot from just yeah this is from this is from within the last hour we're giving you the most recent to this utterance of this word into this microphone moment of joy epicness defeat for the other team and uh the drama is just ratcheted up to the ultimate thing i think too is it takes a month and a half in some of the other sports you can have guys who've never heard of, maybe win a golf tournament or have a great moment, a David Tyree or a big home run.
39:42Rich Eisen:In the World Cup, especially this year, it's all the stars. Harry Kane, one of the best players in the world. He scored both goals for England today. We're seeing it with Mbappe and Messi and Holland. It is star-powered and star-driven. And I'm with you until Cape Verde takes the whole thing down. That's my Power Rankings of sports tournaments brought to you by SoFi. Get your money right. All right, we wrap up this show with the newest charter member of the Walker Kessler Fan Club. That's O'Shea Jackson Jr. How about that? Maybe we'll tell him our new nickname for the Lakers when we come back.
40:23Rich Eisen:The Rich Eisen Show, the podcast.
40:33Rich Eisen:A SoFi personal loan is here to help you achieve something once thought impossible, overcoming high interest credit card debt. Walk the tightrope of your finances with one low fixed rate monthly payment. No fees required and as soon as the same day funding. That's right. Pull off your own debt defying stunt with a SoFi personal loan. Visit SoFi.com slash trick to learn more. Loans originated by SoFi Bank N.A. member FDIC. Terms and conditions apply. NMLS 696891. We finish up this show with O'Shea Jackson Jr. back here in the flesh this time. Yes. After Zooming in yesterday with the LeBron news that had just broken.
41:11Rich Eisen:No contest wrestling. You and TJ, who's on it later on today? We're just yapping together. Just yapping together. Very good. You know how we do? And you brought your Patrick Foxy t-shirt. Yes, Patrick Foxy, man. I'm very excited about it. I'm leading a cartoon series. You know, right now we're still trying to get support and people funding. so anything is always greatly appreciated. YouTube, Patrick Foxy and PatrickFoxy.com. Do you know what would be helpful to get the word out is if Patrick Foxy could play power forward for the Los Angeles Lakers. Whoa. That'd be helpful. Whoa. It kind of feels like that might be...
41:49I don't know.
41:50Rich Eisen:I'm excited about our Blizzard offense. Right. Such a swarm team. What do we call it? Snowtime Lakers? Snowtime, baby! Yes, sir. Here it is. Walker Kessler. My God. Yeah. Apparently, the Lakers no longer have control of a first-round draft choice between now and seven years from now. 33, yeah. And have committed$435 million to Luka, AR, and Walker Kessler. This is it. Listen, man, I'm also a Rams fan. You know how I feel about picks. Okay. You know. Okay, whatever. Who cares? Yeah. Gotcha. So you like the moves that have been made? For the situation, yeah. I like that we keep our size. I like the defensive plugs that we have added.
42:41Rich Eisen:And from what I can see, fairly everybody can shoot. And so I'm okay with that. I mean, what else am I going to be? No, I understand what you said. That was yesterday where I'm like, really, you're okay with this. And you're like, no, it just happened. Terzo and I will let's sneak in a call of one of our regulars before we get out the door. Terzo, what's up, bud?
43:03Tom Pelissero:Yo, what's up, Rich? What's up, O'Shea? What's up, guys?
43:07Rich Eisen:What's up, Terzo?
43:09Tom Pelissero:Hey, yo, so I was a little taken back by LeBron saying that he wasn't going back to the Lakers. I know I've been on the show saying that I would have liked him to finish his career there. but it is kind of exciting to think that if the Warriors are able to do what they're saying they're going to do and bring in LeBron bring back Green
43:30Rich Eisen:and then try and get AD into the fold street clothes I don't think that's going to happen that's going to be just
43:38Tom Pelissero:so many fun events
43:40Rich Eisen:I can wish I just don't think Anthony Davis that's not happening if Butler comes back healthy, you know, and thanks for the call, Teresa, as you know, we're out of time, and I just wanted to sneak in because I know you've been on the hold for quite some time. Appreciate you guys. Right back at you. Have a great fourth.
44:01Rich Eisen:That Curry, Draymond, LeBron, Porzingis, and Horford, right? And Butler comes back healthy, right? No? Yes? I understand that, you know, how advanced in years they all are. I was about to say. I got you. Yeah. But sometimes people wise beyond their years, that helps too. And Kerr being the one to figure it all out, you know, that's not a bad run at it. Certainly if you've already got these pieces together. I mean, the craziest thing about that is everybody's going to be looking at LeBron and the Warriors and like, what does that mean? You know, that relationship mean him teaming up with Al Horford is the real story.
44:49Rich Eisen:Because he stopped Al Horford time and time and time and time again from having any success. So they got to be mortal enemies. I just don't see that working. I think he's going to the Eastern Conference. You think he's going to go to the Cavs? Bro, it is hard out here. And if you look like after the trades, every team got two guards that are just going right at you from the jump. And it's a fast-paced Western Conference. Go to the East. Where the Knicks are. Okay. Yeah, where the champs are. Bing-bong. You know, get you a real challenge. No contest wrestling. Everybody check that out later on today.
45:25Rich Eisen:For those listening on the radio, I'll be back in this chair in about a week. You're leaving? Oh, yeah, I'm tapping out. Thanks for listening to the Rich Eisen Show podcast. you can watch and listen to the rich heisen show live weekdays from noon to three eastern on espn radio disney plus and on the espn app the rich heisen show the podcast
From the publisher
NFL Insider Tom Pelissero and Rich break down Brendan Sorsby’s settlement with the NFL that will allow him to enter league via the Draft next year with no penalties for his NCAA gambling scandal, the latest in the San Francisco 49ers/Brandon Aiyuk standoff, the possibility of future Hall of Famer Aaron Donald returning to the Los Angeles Rams, a possible Baker Mayfield extension with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the QB competitions for the Cleveland Browns, Atlanta Falcons and Minnesota Vikings, and more.
Rich reacts to the non-stop thrill provided by this year’s World Cup, and power ranks sports top 10 greatest tournaments including soccer’s biggest event, The Masters, March Madness, the Tour de France, and more.
‘No-Contest Wrestling’ host O’Shea Jackson Jr. drops by the studio where he weighs in on the Lakers’ free agent signings and trade with the Jazz for big man Walker Kessler.
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