This episode brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Do you ever find yourself playing the budgeting game?
Shifting a little money here, a little there, and hoping it all works out? Well, with the Name Your Price tool from Progressive, you can get a better budgeter and potentially lower your insurance bill too. You tell Progressive what you want to pay for car insurance and they'll help find you options within your budget. Try it today at Progressive.com. Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and Affiliates. Price and coverage match limited by state law.
Not available in all states. Abercrombie's shorts and swim sale is live and they're giving Spotify listeners an extra 15% off with code SWIMAF. Abercrombie's shorts and swim trunks come in so many fits and fabrics it's easy to find your go-to pair.
Prep for summer during Abercrombie's shorts and swim sale. Excludes clearance. Online price reflects discount. Use code SWIMAF to get an additional 15% off almost everything at checkout from May 8th, 2025 through May 12th, 2025. Offer valid in US and Canada. Exclusions apply.
See details online. This is the Rich Eisen Show. Live from the Rich Eisen Show studio in Los Angeles. Hey, speaking of things that people might be sick and tired of talking about, Shadoor Sanders. The Rich Eisen Show.
Mel Kuyper is furious he's not the next pope. Who will be the first member of our media world saying that he doesn't get it because he's wearing his dollar sign here into the facility. Today's guests, NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero, Rams linebacker Jared Verse, comedian David Spade. And now it's Rich Eisen.
All right, everybody. It's a Friday here on the Rich Eisen Show. David Spade is going to be here as soon as he's coming back to help us with our celebrity family feud practice for one week from today when we're in Atlanta shooting this against the Dan Patrick show. Carrying the flag for Roku against Dan Patrick and planting it right in the middle of his field right in the middle of Steve Carvey's studio. That's what we're going to be doing.
844-204 Rich is the number to dial here on the program. Tom Pelissero is joining us. Guess who's coming to the studio? Jared Verse of the Los Angeles Rams, the defending rookie defensive player of the year. And guys, I'm telling you, I met Jared Verse once he was in the pre-broadcast meeting with Kurt Warner at the Rams facility in Woodland Hills the day before they took on the Arizona Cardinals on a Saturday here in Los Angeles late last season. You are going to love him. You are going to love him. And I'll have him retell this story as well. He in training camp last year as a rookie who didn't play a damn snap yet in the NFL was told to chill by the coaching staff because he was talking so much mess to his teammates.
They told him to chill. You're going to love him. And the same thing goes for you at home, whether you're watching us on the Roku Sports Channel, streaming us live there every day, 12 to 3 Eastern, whether you're checking us out on the Infinity Sports Network, Radio Coast to Coast Terrestrial, Sirius XM Channel 375, or you're taking us in on the Odyssey app or later on on our YouTube channel when we cut this stuff up, listening to us on our podcast, the Cumulus Podcast Network.
You're going to love it. Good to see you over there, Chris Brockman. How are you? Rich, what's up, man? Good to see you, Jay Felley. Hey, what's up, Rich? Every body wearing his Raiders lid. Good to see you, TJ Jefferson, Candles Lid over there. What's going on?
I'm happy. Oh, today. Who's on your t-shirt? Oh, this is the great Scott Hall. Hey, yo. Hey, yo. How I start every episode of the No Contest Wrestling Podcast. Yes, sir.
With a toothpick. Oh, like UL Washington. I remember that back in the day. Do you remember him? Yeah. For the Kansas City Royals?
Had one of the great throws of all time. I remember him for his toothpick because I was afraid like if there was a collision at second, like, does he swallow that thing? Did UL just have a couple in his back pocket and then it slid? What happened? You have to go head first. Stomach first. Always. Always. Well, good to see you over there. Always a treat, Rich. So some scintillating action last night on the ice, by the way.
I don't know if there was a good old playoff overtime in Vegas and the Edmonton Oilers are up two games to none there. Connor McDavid. Good Lord. So good. So good. I know. Is he the best athlete at his sport to not have won a championship yet? Well, they kind of look like they're on their way right now.
They do. But, you know, hockey, Stanley Cup, wide open. Of course.
But it was scintillating action. Was watching that mostly during the poker group game last night because they're mostly hockey fans I'm playing with. And I'm like, you know, I'm the one who's like, let's turn to basketball. I swear the NHL would love my game for sure.
They go all in on the remote for hockey. And at that point in time, it was all over between the Warriors and the, and the Timberwolves. Anyway, even with Anthony Edwards going out with that ankle injury, cause, but son of Dale Davis landed right on his ankle. Right.
And that was scary to say the least. And also to scare Warriors fans, if that's the way they're going to look without Steph Diggs, look out below. Steph Curry. Steph Curry, look out below. Also no Steph Diggs.
I know that. If that's what we're going to look out without Steph and Curry, you know, not great. Not great. But what did you expect?
I expected that kind of, I don't know, man. I didn't expect a total wipeout, but he wasn't going to be lights out for the whole series. Somebody's got to step up because this guy's not coming back. He's not walking through that door anytime soon. It doesn't seem like he's limping through the door.
Yeah. And I mean, guy in his mid thirties coming back from a hamstring strain. I would be surprised if he returns in the series, unless he gives it a go.
If there's a game six, game seven and elimination game. And we're showing him with Draymond Green who's front and center today, because once again he picked up a technical because when there's contact and he's trying to draw foul, normally you let the other guy, you know, make contact with you. Instead, he just flails his arms.
He flails his legs. I mean, how many times have we seen this? You know, and how many times have we had these conversations on this show? I've lost track. We've been here for 11 years now.
This is our 11th year. Wow. Did we not go on the air and talk about how he, you know, was sitting there with Marshawn Lynch during an A's game across the street from when they were playing in Oakland, an NBA finals game against the Cavs, who he let back into the series because he hit the crown jewels of King James. You know, like the beam. King's got some extra life because he stepped on Sabonis' stomach. I mean, it goes on and on and on and on. We could run it back. And we do run it back now, again, because he picked up his fifth technical. Apparently, from what I saw on the social media feeds, he's riding an exercise bike in a tunnel. We find a different spot for him to ride an exercise bike. There's no other place to put that.
I don't know, man. It just seems like, you know, he's riding an exercise bike and he's hearing it from the crowd. And apparently, somebody slurred him. And there's no place for that sort of behavior ever, anywhere.
I mean, you may not like the guy and the way that he goes about his business, but the guy's still a human being and clearly with flaws that he can't seem to comport himself in the most important parts of the season in the biggest games. And everybody's talking about what he had to say afterwards, where we don't know the question that was asked, right? This is something that we're going to bring up in a second. Yeah, we don't know where it came from.
It just, you get this soundbite. Kind of setting the stage where it's another situation where he gets teed up and he deserved the tea. I mean- Oh, without question. He just clocked Nas Reed right in the grill. And again, in a manner in which you can't control your arms that way. When you're a Hall of Fame athlete like he is- You're too athletic to be so uncoordinated.
Looks like a marionette, right? Where you can't just- Looks like the media when Jerry Jones is at control. This guy right over there.
Geppetto. At any rate, this is the soundbite that is certainly leading every sports cast today. I'm not an angry black man. I'm a very successful, educated black man with a great family. And I'm great at basketball.
I'm great at what I do. The agenda to try to keep making me look like an angry black man is crazy. I'm sick of it.
It's ridiculous. Well, who is he thinking the agenda is with? Is it the league? Is it the officials? Is it us and the media?
What's the agenda? That's a great question. Again, I didn't even mention clocking Jordan Poole in his own training camp practice, right? I mean, preseason.
I didn't even mention that. While this soundbite was being delivered or prior to it, because I don't think Steve Kerr knew this is what he was saying. Kerr was asked about the technical foul that was picked up by Draymond early in a game with Steph Curry being out. He's going to have to stay composed. Obviously, we need him.
And I'm confident that he will because he knows the circumstances. Were you frustrated or disappointed given how poised he's been the last couple of games? How much he seemed to lose it a little bit tonight? It's part of Draymond. The same thing that makes him such a competitor and a winner puts him over the top sometimes. And we know that. And it's our job to try to help him stay poised, stay composed. But the competition is so meaningful to him that occasionally he goes over the line.
Again, we always try to be as fair as possible here. Apparently Draymond, I was just looking it up over and over again prior to the show and just now during that soundbite, apparently that was his statement. When reporters went to his locker, there was no question. He just said what he said and then walked away. And then on top of it, a fan was ejected from the game, from the arena. Whoever said what he or she said to Draymond while he's riding the exercise bike and ESPN's article on it on ESPN.com is referring to that a fan was ejected for directing a racial slur at green. So got to keep that in your mind's eye as Draymond is speaking.
And what could be clanking around his brain. And again, he could, as he said, a family man, we see it on a commercial him retrieving the basketball against the wolves, interestingly enough. And we also see what he does on the court. Guy's going to the Hall of Fame. Which you say all the time. Guy is going to the Hall of Fame. There will be a day where he is in Springfield, Massachusetts and he's getting his due.
It's going to happen. But he will always be remembered for when he tries to sell a foul call and the contact is made that there is an extra arm that goes, an extra leg that goes that appears to be controllable every time. Almost every time, if you want to give them any benefits of the doubt, it's like 99 out of a hundred times you look at it, go, you couldn't have stopped your leg here. It had to keep going there into that sensitive area of your opponent. You couldn't have let go of Rudy Gobert's neck at this point in time. That was a long choke.
Right? I mean, it's always seems to be a prolonged act that appears to be an act of somebody who cannot control themselves and that there has to be some sort of moment where a Hall of Fame athlete, somebody who is, as he said, well educated at Michigan State, should realize like I am putting the team in jeopardy and I need to do better. But maybe this is what riles him up to the point where he is in fact, a Hall of Fame athlete.
I don't know. This is the conundrum of Draymond that we've been talking about now for a decade. He's two technical fouls away from getting the dreaded one game suspension. He's got, he's got one more, right? He's got one more foul to give, one more technical foul to give. He's going to use it. He's got one more to give. And then the second one he's in the, the non bonus and with Steph Curry out, you know, you got, you got one more in you, get it out of the way. You know, the home fans will probably be there to verbally support him. Certainly won't be ejected for saying what the Timberwolves fans said, but I mean, it's just, you're just changing the proper noun and the technical foul circumstances and the body part of the opponent that he's violating and the opponent's name and the year and the date, it's the same Madlib.
We're just changing the other proper nouns and everything else. And it's just, and, and, and, and this is the other part of his Hall of Fame talent or proof of it. If he didn't have it, you think he'd have been cut? How long, how long ago would they have cut him?
Years ago. How many teams has say just for instance, Dylan Brooks been on? Right. And that's the thing is I'm not the biggest Draymond fan, but I do appreciate the skill that he brings. He's the unbelievable skill passing, rebounding, shooting. And he's one of those guys, if he's your guy, you probably love him. And then the other 29 teams absolutely hate him. I think the biggest thing that I have issue with what he said is agenda. So that makes it seem like there's a collective conspiracy, if you will, to portray him in a certain manner when we're just commenting on what we see on the court.
And then that's you behaving like a madman night in and night out and seemingly costing your team and affecting the outcome of games. And it's just not good. It's not good one way or the other, whether, you know, whatever he thinks it's not good. And again, and again, though, just to say here, which is why, you know, you're a white guy saying it.
And so am I. And so he's bringing in this aspect of the conversation, which we don't have the lifelong depth to comment on. Sure. But there's three African-American men every night on the NBA on Turner set who have been saying the same thing about Draymond for years.
You know, and two of them, he's going to share a whole room with. You want to say you have anything you want to add? Like I said before the show, it was all about context. Like where did this come from?
Was it? And, you know, now you're saying it was just a standalone statement again, not knowing. But there was just a word thrown at him during the game that it caused someone to be ejected that could absolutely put in his mind's eye.
These words come out of his body. Look, I'm no fan of the way Draymond acts on on the court, as we've talked about. I'm in total agreement with you. The constant complaining and yelling and, you know, the extra movements and limbs flailing. You know, I'm not a fan of that. So if someone who doesn't know anything about him will look at him and see him yapping at the officials, yeah, you might think that this guy's angry.
Right. But when you throw in the whole angry black man thing, that's a whole nother thing we're looking at, because now you're going to have other players who are looking at is just simply tough guys are gritty, you know, and then with him, it's he plays angry. So it's a it's kind of a it's it's a steep slope that you're going down. But again, not knowing what was said to him at that moment to make him go off, you know, but the way he plays, the way he acts on the court, it gives something. I don't know what it gives.
Like Chris says, it's something that doesn't help his team in certain situations. But I don't want to like, you know, that phrasing of what he said that can take you down a path where, you know, I'm not Draymond. I don't know Draymond. I don't know what he goes through.
I don't know what is said to him. I just know we know him for 48 minutes, you know, two times a year. Well, I don't know why we also see his podcast. We see all that. So there's a face front that we we always judge in terms of the basketball aspect of it.
He's now. He's got. An incredible ability to facilitate. And we saw that from the beginning of his career, where he's used sometimes as the point forward. Right.
From early on. Right. And certainly he might have he's been forced on occasion to distribute because Steph is running around trying to get open, get open. Right. So the point guard needs to sometimes have some help to get open. And the guy who can facilitate being a man of his size at the position he plays is next level like that's kind of a unicorn also.
Right. The way that he can distribute, the way he can facilitate, the way he can rebound, the way that he can get in somebody else's face and wind up the opponent. The way that sometimes they leave him wide open. He made four threes.
Yeah, he made those in game one. So right. So he's got these Hall of Fame abilities. But he does not bring on it from what appears a Hall of Fame ability to know where the line is.
And a stroll right up to it. And maybe if you do cross it, it's done so subtly, you can't be called on it. Which is like a Rodman thing, right? He was kind of subtle with his shoves. But Draymond is more like, yeah.
It's as if it gives off the impression he does not care to comport himself. And that's got to flip out his coach and his teammates on occasion. But they also know he's the guy that they need on the court.
Certainly with Steph out for the foreseeable future, with the first strained muscle injury of his career. So there's uncharted waters for him. And he's one tech, two technicals and or two flagrant fouls away from a suspension. He's got one to give in each department.
And he's got to bring some Hall of Fame comportment. Is my opinion. And I would say that about anybody who has a history on the court of these flagrant violations.
Anybody. But we can also say, Rick said, if off the court, if he was a bad dude, if there was something. On the court he wasn't as good as I just said.
Yeah. So obviously, like, you know, if he was a bad dude, that team would have moved him. Well, they moved Jordan Poole instead. He's pretty damn talented. I should tell you something, you know.
844204 Rich number to dial. We come back. Tom Pelissaro will join us. Tommy P. Our own Draymond Green. That's right.
Yes. We will have Tom. Tom has much better hair.
Tom will give us all the information, but not until Chris waste the first 15 seconds of the conversation. Let's talk O'Reilly Auto Parts people. They're in the business of keeping your car on the road. Oh, oh, oh, O'Reilly Auto Parts offers friendly, helpful service in the parts knowledge you need for all your maintenance and repairs. They've got thousands of parts and accessories in stock, either in store or online.
So you never have to worry if you're in a jam. The team at O'Reilly Auto Parts can also test your battery for free in or out of your car. If it needs to be replaced, they'll help you find just the right battery for your vehicle. Need your windshield wipers replaced or brake light fixed or a quick service? Well, they'll help you find the right part or point you to the nearest local repair shop for help.
I know because it's happened to me. The professional parts people that O'Reilly Auto Parts are your one stop shop for all things auto. Do it yourself and you can find what you need in store or online. Stop by O'Reilly Auto Parts today or visit us at OReillyAuto.com slash Eisen.
That's OReillyAuto.com slash Eisen. In the NFL, there's zero margin for error. As we all know, one single mistake can change the outcome of a game, a season, livelihoods, my goodness. As the official sleep and wellness partner of the National Football League, Sleep Number knows all of that and makes it their mission to provide players with data and insights to optimize their sleep for the ultimate competitive edge. And thus you get a Sleep Number bed, you get the same exact thing.
I feel it all the time. My sleep number setting is 60. My wife's is 70. It's just 10 numbers apart. But it does make the world of difference because you can adjust your bed's firmness on your side differently than the other.
And after working out for recovery, it's game changing. That's just one of the things that makes a Sleep Number bed so awesome. It's why 95% of Rams players have a Sleep Number smart bed. 80% of Kansas City Chiefs players have a Sleep Number smart bed. 80% of NFL players have a Sleep Number smart bed.
You should too. Why choose a Sleep Number smart bed? So you can use your ideal comfort on either side. And now it's the Sleep Number everything smart bed sale. Every smart bed and base are on sale during our Memorial Day event up to 50% off limited time exclusively at a Sleep Number store near you.
See store or sleepnumber.com for details. Welcome to AutoZone. What are you working on today? Ah, worried about your battery and the heat. We get it. You don't want to get stranded somewhere with a car that feels like an oven. We've got you covered at AutoZone, America's number one battery destination. Our free battery testing and charging service can help. And if you need a battery, we'll help you find a new one.
No problem. Power through with free battery testing and charging at AutoZone. Get in the zone, AutoZone.
Restrictions apply. Back here on the program, Tom Pelletier about to join us. I just spent the commercial break QC-ing our latest reel that we're about to post. Our boy Jake from Be Known. What's up Jake Jay? Um, yeah, he wasn't on the meeting yesterday cause he was going to his girlfriend's graduation. Oh, this is the girlfriend from Canada or does she really exist?
Oh no, Jay Felley's his Canada. Oh, is that right? That's my wife. That's his wife. I'm just kidding. Jake, I love you buddy.
Everyone's got a wife in Canada. I love Jake. I'm just kidding. DJ, you have two right? Jake's a great human. Anyway, he just cut up the latest reel that's about to be popped up there of Joe Mantegna yesterday walking through the Swarovski Brothers sketch. That'll be fun on our Instagram and Facebook and TikTok pages.
Seems like he's always there. For sure. Oh, by the way, the long national nightmare of waiting for Abdul Carter to get a number is over. The Giants have announced it's number 51. But there's an asterisk subject to change. Subject to change.
By the way, cam scattaboo wearing Riggins is 44, right? That is sick. I dig it. That is awesome.
I dig it. Jackson Dart is six. You don't like 51?
Not for Abdul. Who's the best 51 ever? Butkus, right? It was 51.
Was he 51 or 52? Yeah. Hold on a minute.
I should know this because I used to live in a house where we had a frame butkus jersey in it. So is that right? Did you really? Yeah, we had a framed every buckets was 51. Yeah.
Yeah. Well, how about Giants? Let me I'm looking at a famous Giants to wear it. Zach Diasse. Is he going to get Zach Diasse's permission from Zach Diasse?
You'll have to come up off a car to get it from the Aussie. That's about it. 51 looks it looks like it's it's free and clear. Okay. Bobby Abrams were Bobby Abrams former University of Michigan Wolverine called for holding on Bo Schembechler's last Rose Bowl.
That was not holding. Trust me. I will never forget it. We were late coming to this guy. Don't blame me. Blame Draymond Green for picking up another technical foul. Tom Pelosero of NFL Network.
NFL Plus as well. Good to see you, Tom. How are you, sir? Doing great.
Rich was up to my boys in studio. My mom says hi. She loves her on gosh. It's Mother's Day, so I can't I can't complain about you getting Mary Brockman's course salutations out there. Hey, Tom. Tom, what's number one in your in your more reporters notebook here on this Friday before schedule release week, Tom? What's maybe besides besides Draymond Green?
For the record, I am in Minneapolis. I was not one of the people chanting Draymond sucks for the final three quarters. That game got it.
Might have had a couple of choice words sitting on my couch here, but was not actually look at you for the table. But what's in your NFL reporters notebook, Tom? I think that the clearest top story of the week is the George Pickens trade. And I've just I've heard and seen so much confusion over why the Steelers were moving on from there.
There's no doubt the George Pickens is an unbelievably talented player. He was an unbelievably talented player when he was coming out of Georgia several years ago. But the same reason that he went in the second round of the draft rather than being the top 20 pick is the reason that the Steelers are moving on from him at this stage. My understanding is they just got to a point where they knew they were not going to extend him.
And so rather than playing it out this year, seeing how it went with him playing opposite D.K. Metcalf, hoping for a compensatory draft pick if he leaves, which would be out in the twenty twenty seven draft, you take the certainty of the twenty twenty six comp pick, twenty twenty six third round pick, you are insured of getting the pick, which you're not with compensatory picks. It's all about free agent movement for Dallas. It certainly makes a lot of sense in terms of they needed somebody opposite C.D.
Lamb. They needed something to bring another element to their offense. When it comes to why the Steelers moved on from George Pickens, this was not just a snap decision. This was not you know, he overreacted to them paying and trading for D.K. Metcalf. It was everything over the past several years.
Again, unbelievably talented football player. But there were a variety of different issues. There was tardiness to meetings. There was a couple of games where he showed up late to the locker room.
You know, you always want guys there before you turn in your inactive 90 minutes before the game. There were multiple occasions George Pickens wasn't in the locker room yet. Obviously, the personal fouls, that stuff that everybody saw on the field. There were at times missed assignments, which might be related to him being late to meetings. And it just kind of sucks some of the energy out of the locker room when you have somebody who on a weekly basis, you just don't know what type of things they might be involved with beyond making unbelievable catches. And it was the same stuff, like I said, coming out of Georgia, where there was just there was a lot of concern about the level to which you're going to have to hold George Pickens hand, not as a football player.
He's going to go out and make catches. But it was about just doing all those other things right. And you know, there were times that he had clashes with various quarterbacks.
He was certainly somebody who wanted Russell Wilson to be playing, not Justin Fields last year. There's a lot there. And none of that is to say that they're not going to get the most out of him in Dallas. He's got a massive opportunity here, Rich, with one year left on his contract to play his way either in getting franchise tag next year or into becoming an unrestricted free agent and getting massive money on the open market.
It's all out there for George Pickens. There's never been any doubt about his talent. It's putting all these other things together. He talked about that himself yesterday in his conference call with reporters that, you know, there's a maturity aspect that he's working on. And part of that now is him going to Dallas and making the most of this opportunity. As long as Dak Prescott is throwing up some of those 50-50 balls and letting George go make plays, I think they're going to get along just fine. The Steelers bet in all this at a time that they don't know for certain who their quarterback is going to be is that, you know, between some of the other guys that got on the roster, Calvin Austin, Robert Woods, who was a signing, Roman Wilson was a third-round pick last year and really didn't play because of injuries, that that group is going to make up for it in addition to obviously having another really, you know, premier threat on the other side in DK Metcalf.
All right, so lots of things there, Tom. Let's take it kind of one at a time from one team to the other. Steelers, you just described all the things as to why they would trade away George Pickens and his clear talent on the field.
Got it. They are, however, trying to make sure and assure themselves of a certain Southern California resident coming to Western Pennsylvania and saying yes, despite whatever is holding Aaron Rodgers back from delivering that message right now. Any word if the Steelers gave him a heads up? Hey, you know that really talented other receiver we have? He's now a Dallas Cowboy.
And how, or concern that that might not land properly with a guy they're trying to get. Tom? My understanding, Rich, is that there was no heads up given this wasn't them consulting with Aaron Rodgers on the trade. Aaron Rodgers technically is not on the team right now.
Oh, I know. It's this very unusual situation where you think the guy probably is coming, but he's not actually part of the team. No, they did not give him a heads up on it. I think that it's notable that when Aaron Rodgers began seriously considering going to the Steelers, he made a point to go and throw with DK Metcalf and not with George Pickens. I would also say, Rich, when I'm describing George Pickens as a player, and again, unbelievable talent, but not the most detailed guy.
Again, there are issues at times with missed assignments with George Pickens. We know that Aaron Rodgers, whether it's with Mike Williams not running the red line last year with the Jets, whether it's with some of the young receivers he had at the end in Green Bay or going back and forth with Garrod Wilson in training camp last year, if Aaron Rodgers can't count on where you're going to be on the field, he very quickly is not going to have use for you anymore. I'm not saying that's why the Steelers made the trade, but if you're profiling the type of wide receiver that Aaron Rodgers would want, George Pickens, as talented as he is, may not be the best mesh if and when Aaron Rodgers becomes the Steelers quarterback. Okay, now we move to Dallas. You said that there were two options essentially for DK Metcalf, I mean for George Pickens when he goes to Dallas, which is ball out and get franchise tagged or hit free agency with the wind at his back, there's a third option which is clearly the Cowboys needing to re-sign him, but they do it too late until somebody else sets the market for them and they overpay him.
Don't forget that option, Tom. Well, they're paying CB Lamb $34.5 million a year because they waited so long to pay him. The Bengals have shown that... You're picking up what I'm putting down, and that's my way of leading to Micah Parsons. When are they going to sign this man, Tom? There's a message to his madness, Tom. Well, there's also another Pittsburgh connection here because T.J. Watt might sign on the dotted line soon too, and I mean wouldn't that reset a market, right?
I mean what's happening, Tom? Handshake agreements? I don't know that T.J. Watt's going to reset a market that Myles Garrett just set at $40 million a year just based upon age. You know, he's obviously a really, really good player and he's going to get paid and the Steelers are going to pay him, but the idea that he's going to get over $40 million a year, that might be ambitious in part because people still can't believe that Myles Garrett got $40 million per year and totally reset the edge market. There's a deal to be had with T.J. Watt. We'll see if and when that deal happens. He is entering the last year of his contract. The Steelers would like to lock him up, but they're not going to go above and beyond what the marketplace is for T.J. Watt in order to get that deal done. Micah, because he's young, he's younger even than Myles Garrett, obviously going into his second contract here, he's the one that you would anticipate that's going to be over $40 million per year, and like everything else with the Cowboys, it just doesn't sound like they're really far down the road right now with getting a Micah deal done.
This is just kind of Jerry's approach to this. I know there have been conversations, but conversations are different than negotiations. You know, I think we've got a pretty good idea what the number is going to have to be for Micah Parsons, but Micah also, by virtue of being a high first round pick, he's made some money. He's due a bunch of money this year.
You know, he doesn't necessarily need to rush. Nobody wants to play out their deal and then get tagged and go down that road just because there's so much injury risk and everything else, but if that's what it comes to here, Micah Parsons is going to be in a power position. He's going to have the leverage, especially if you were to get into that first franchise tag season and the type of number that that would be sitting like a rock on the Cowboys salary cap at a time that they're going to have other people they're looking to pay, including potentially George Pickens. No, it does not sound like that's down the road. It doesn't sound like anything in terms of a George Pickens extension is in the works at this time. We'll see. You know, they're good problems to have, but I was just about to use the Bengals analogy there, Rich, because they showed you can pay both wide receivers.
Well, they currently have an edge rusher, Trey Hendrickson, that they haven't gotten a deal done with the NFL's reigning sack leader. There's just, you know, everybody can say all the stuff they want about the cap is fake and all this stuff. It's real.
Every dollar you spend hits the cap eventually. And these are real things the teams have to navigate here in terms of, you know, trying to set up their roster the best they can while simultaneously dealing with a good problem, which is having a lot of really good players you got to pay. OK, so what's next here? Schedule gets released next week, right? Anything you want to you're hearing that you're comfortable throwing out there? Any breadcrumbs? I believe I am contractually barred from speculating.
So am I. I'm asking you to go first. Speculating about the schedule. I do anticipate there are going to be some interesting things from an international scheduling perspective. Yes. Maybe a little bit different than what we've seen in the past.
Maybe even I was filling in for you, Rich. A couple of months ago, I gave my my idea for how you would eventually play 32 international games a year. And it was all about sending pods of four teams over. Maybe the NFL might be experimenting a little bit with something very similar to that. So that'll be something to keep an eye on here. Obviously, we'll be watching for the kickoff game. Who the Eagles are going to have is a bunch of really good options because they've got the Lions on their home slate this year. They've got the Rams on their home slate this year.
Obviously, they've got those other NFC East teams. So who get who gets put in those positions? I do know there's at least five different announcements Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday before the whole schedule gets released. Five formal announcements, not including the leaks that back in my Prescott that days, you got those leaks by calling the local hotel because somebody with the Packers would slip on the home game schedule so they could jack up their rates. Yeah. Coming out.
That's how that's how you used to get that back in the day. No doubt. Green Bay was always the spot because you would I know people apparently with the hotels there that we were all hanging out in for the draft will book a room for 18 straight weeks and then cancel on the bye weeks and the weeks that they're on the road just to make sure that they get the spot for the home games. I've heard all these things throughout hosting schedule release shows, but interesting nuggets right there. Yeah, I think the Today show is going to be the first to go up on Monday and that that's my probably where we'll find out what the the season opener is for the Philadelphia Eagles in the first night game of of of the season, the first Thursday night game. When is Purdy popping?
When's that going? Like, is there a timing that you're hearing about right now? When this is one of those rates that could happen pretty much any time.
I don't get the sense that, you know, I always hesitate to say anything is close or because there is, you know, it's like Yoda, there is no close. There is only done. Are they within the realm of, hey, if they agree to something right now, it could get done quickly?
Yeah, but they're not there just yet. I would anticipate it's going to come to a head sometime before the start of training camp, potentially sooner than that. I do anticipate that it's going to be somewhere in the 50s. Exactly what that number ends up being remains to be seen. But it's going to be a solid, if not top of the market type of deal, because Dak was in just a different position, having earned a lot of money, having the level of leverage that he did. Brock Purdy right now is due like five million dollars this season and they've got the Spector franchise tags. It's a lot harder at times just to make the numbers work when you got a very small number remaining in the last year of an existing contract. He was a seventh round pick, as everybody knows.
And so it's just it's a little bit more difficult here. But he, I believe, is going to get paid. I do believe that this gets done in terms of the exact timing. We'll see.
But I would think for all parties involved resolving this before training camp and not having that hanging over everybody's heads would probably be a benefit. I appreciate it. Giving you a heads up next Friday, Tom, you'll be talking with Susie, Sarah, Tiana and Colleen Wolf as there's a Women's Sports Now takeover of the Rich Eisen show next Friday, because the rest of us, all of us, are going to Atlanta to record an episode of Celebrity Family Feud against the Dan Patrick, Dan Patrick Show. Yeah, Tom.
I was not invited. I thought you would have me over Brockman. Oh, I love this.
Because he's the one who loves your hellos more than anyone else. And now we're playing the feud. I love it. I'm going to take back the picture I sent Tom 10 minutes ago. What picture is that?
It's me waving hello. Picture? I sent a video. Why do you do this?
I sent a video. I muted the thread. I muted the thread just so I wouldn't be distracted by this. Oh, my God. Are you really sending him this during our conversation? It's the same shirt that he's wearing now. I know. So it is what it is.
Yeah. Did you get my text, Tom? T.J. sent him a video. I sent him a video.
I'm just doing pictures. Buttons all the way to the top like Rain Man, like one of the Babbitt brothers. I'm the opposite of that. I'm showing a little bit too much today because I'm feeling it. Two buttons is the way to go.
Thank you, sir. I'm always a two button guy on TV. That's because you got the hair to back it up. I don't.
I'm out of moves. You're not. All right. Listen, Tom, thanks for the time. We appreciate it. You be well.
And if on that word, insider Tom Pelissero, I don't want to. Did Yoda really say that it it's in the cadence of Yoda. So I'm saying is he actually quoting Yoda or I don't know.
Tom has not seen a lot of movies, so I would question if Tom's actually seen Star Wars. Maybe he is. Maybe I'll ask him. Leave him alone. You clearly he doesn't want to hear from you.
Leave him alone. Even the safest drivers still encounter unsafe conditions. So it's important they do it in a safe vehicle. And Hyundai's offer available class executive advanced safety features to help keep you protected against the many challenges the road throws your way. Basically, in a Hyundai, you can drive as safely as possible and enjoy your journey and confidence and style. When you change lanes, signal check for traffic and enjoy the added safety of Hyundai's available blind spot view monitor constantly scan for dangers and take advantage of Hyundai's standard forward collision avoidance assist to help prevent accidents by alerting you of imminent collisions and automatically applying the brakes. Stay alert at all times and be thankful that Hyundai's standard driver attention warning system monitors your attention levels and can bring your focus back on the road. Safety is all about making the right decisions on the road and when selecting a vehicle. Learn more at HyundaiUSA.com.
Call 562-314-4603 for details. Okay, this is not a drill. Get ready because Mission Impossible, the final Reckoning hits theaters May 23rd and I'm counting down the days. This is it. The biggest practical action movie ever made. Tom Cruise and director Christopher McQuarrie are back pushing the limits of what action cinema can do. We're talking real stunts, real danger and real edge of your seat intensity all shot in jaw dropping locations around the world. Did you see that trailer? Tom Cruise free falling through fire, Haley Atwell back in action and the whole crew reunited.
Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Esai Morales. It's like the ultimate global team up. This franchise started almost 30 years ago and it just keeps getting better. Mission is more than a movie. It's a high-stakes ride built on loyalty, friendship, sacrifice and seriously gutsy stunts. So yeah, I'm beyond excited to see Mission Impossible, the final Reckoning on the biggest screen possible in a theater May 23rd.
This summer the mission is clear. Don't miss it. Rockman just out of the blue. Where were you when you sent this tweet, Chris? Oh, I mean, was that on a Sunday? Was it a Sunday night?
Don't remember. I was probably just at home and you just said, you know, if the Eagles make the playoffs, I'll take a bite out of Mike Del Tufo's hat. You said, I will take a bite out of Mike Del Tufo's hat. Yeah. Eagles have made the playoffs and you have avoided the inevitable for a week.
That ends now. I just sliced up a one inch by one inch cutout of Mike Del Tufo's Callaway hat and I placed it like little Easter eggs into the half of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Take a bite. Here we go.
Here you go. Rockman has taken a bite. Did you get a piece of the hat there? I think you did. You're the one who chose the peanut butter too. No, we don't.
We don't. That's one bite of it. Oh, he's taking it in.
Just swallow. Did you get it? Did you get a nice piece? It's down. It's gone. By the way, this is creamy peanut butter suddenly made a little chunky. Oh, I feel it. It might be stuck in my throat. There we go. There we go, man.
You're, you're champions of the NFC East Philadelphia Eagles. Oh, there's part of the hat sticking out. I didn't get it. Oh, that is a, that is an awful piece right there in that sandwich.
No, you may not eat it as long as you eat it. Yeah. Keep going. Keep going. I didn't go through man.
This piece is like right in my tooth. Keep going. You're almost done, man. I mean, I'm very proud of you. Oh, I went down. Why did you even do this?
Chris? You didn't have to. You took the McLovin. The Eagles stink.
You took them. They shouldn't have made the playoffs. That's why the Eagles make the playoffs. I'll eat a bite of Del Tufo's hat on air.
I mean, and you're doing it right now. That was on the 24th of November. Oh my God.
That was Sunday radio audience. I can't even tell if that's a piece of glistening jelly or a piece of a glistening gel, a jelly glistened Del Tufo hat piece. Oh, down it just, I feel like I'm talking to Taylor eating her broccoli. Just eat it and we'll get off your case. Oh, he just went one bite. He finished it. This is not going to be good because that is peanut butter and it is jelly and it is Del Tufo hat.
And you just jammed literally three inches by three inch piece of sandwich. It was a proud day for my future son. Oh my God. Have you shown that video to cage?
Oh no, actually I have not. He'd probably really like it now. He's of an age where he thinks he's now five years old. You're eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. That's relatable.
You're eating something you shouldn't be eating. He'll find that funny. And then you give him a shout out at the end. That's true. He wasn't even a thot at that point, was he? No, no.
He was six weeks away from coming out. Also, did I start COVID? Yeah, probably. With that, absolutely eating that. Yeah, you might've.
Well, technically Del Tufo sweat then said it. You are definitely for COVID. You're the host mass hole. Yeah.
We should go throughout the countryside to find the host at the host mass hole, shoot it with a dart and then use their antibodies. Sorry folks. Yeah. Yeah.
That was an out. Was that outbreak? Was that that movie outbreak? Okay. Yeah. Good.
Contagion. And by the way, you're the monkey. Thank you. All right, Chris, I, I know, listen, I know this is a sore subject. Oh God. No, no, I, Chris, I know this is a sore subject.
And you already said you're not watching game three between the Knicks and the Celtics on Saturday, which was great. The, the full-throated, I don't really, I don't really sweat what's happening right now. You know, I'm, we're, we're good. All we just got to do is just shoot 1% better from three point range.
And, and, and again, just 1% better and, and, and they get through there. They're good. I understand that's what you're saying, but do you see the, um, Jason Tatum slander that's going around, right? Uh, yes. A wide, wide swath of national voices who obviously don't watch a lot of Celtics games. No, but you, you, they're one of them. I know you're a big Dan Lebertard guy. Well, they're also very pro Miami and anti Boston, but basically like, where are the moments? Where's his moments? You're like, give me, give me a moment. Like, what's his moment. Oh, his 50 piece in Milwaukee, uh, against Philly game seven, they were down three, two, and that guy, he's had so many moments.
Oh, how about this one winning the NBA championship? How's that? Okay. Yeah.
That's a moment. I mean, he's had, I don't even want to, I don't even want to like give them credence. I'm using him as an avatar, but for, for what, for what's being said, mostly it's that, that in this title defense, um, well, so far, he's not been great in the playoffs. He was awesome this year.
He's going to be first team all NBA for the fourth straight year, obviously bonafide superstar. Uh, yeah, he's been really bad in these two games against the Knicks. I mean, make some shots and it's a different story and you change the narrative. Uh, obviously can't lose tomorrow or it's basically over.
Well, I mean, down, down, down Oh three would be, um, it'd be bad. I mean, which is why, which is why Shaq and Charles have said that this is must win for the Knicks because if it's two one, well, then you never know. I mean, then suddenly all your, all the Knicks hard work of doing that in Boston gets erased because Boston did that in New York. And now it's now back to Boston.
You've got to now win another one. Everyone is just assuming which you know, is always dangerous that the Knicks work in Boston is concluded. They don't need to do any more there. All they gotta do is win two of their remaining three home games in this series.
And it's a wrap, right? Like that's the math. And so if the Celtics create a scenario in which the Knicks and game four are now pressured to win this one at home, that they, that they are, they now have to win their next two at home. Otherwise they're going to have to do it again in Boston, which is a tall order that that's why game three is must win for the next.
Yeah. And these two games have done, done nothing to like silence all the Tatum haters of which there are many throughout the country. And he's not really helping himself out, uh, with the numbers and the performance. And obviously that pretty atrocious final possession in game two in which he dribbled right into the quadruple team.
Guess what? I will blame it over. I'm going to blame the coach for that. I don't mind Missoula drawing up the same play, calling the same play that led to a wide open, go for whatever reason, the Knicks just let Tatum's stroll down the paint untouched and jamming. It was odd cause like they were seemingly defending the perimeter when they hadn't made anything all day and let them drive right down the middle. But you still have to defend the perimeter because they're shamelessly hoisting from three, right? And so, and, and, you know, that's their most comfortable shot.
Yep. So Missoula wisely used that to just, and Tatum had a clear path. I mean, and I don't mind him doing that again, but the minute the Knicks close that up, give it up early and you've got to time out fire that one off. You had to time out. You could also, he could also could have passed it to, to Brown, I think was on the wing and there was someone else in the corner at the eight second mark instead of continuing to dribble all the way down to the baseline, which allowed Bridges to drop down and make the defensive play. The minute the play as it was called, the minute the way, I'm sorry, the minute the play as it was called, wasn't working and it was obvious that Tatum was struggling to find an outlet.
You got, and you got one in your pocket with six seconds to go fire it off. He did try to make the pass. It was way too late.
It was too late, but I mean, you could see the thought process. It was trying to draw seconds left. He was trying to draw a double to get Jalen who would have had an open shot, but Bridges is acting like Glenn close or not. Glenn close.
There's the closer right now. What's her cara said, Kara said, closer. I mean, it was a good line.
If you'd only stuck that land, you know what? Can I say it again? Bridges was acting like Kara Sedgwick. Great line. I don't even remember what happened with Glenn close.
I just had Glenn. What's her nuts in my head? Good one, but don't worry. Only 43 more missed references and you'll match game one. I need to be one percent better.
Or actually you're still, if you miss 43 more, you're still fine. You're not as bad as the Celtics in game one. That said, have you, now that you're a day removed, potentially rethought that you're not going to watch game three? None of it. You're not even going to look at your phone. You won't even watch some of it on your phone.
I won't look at the phone. Cage has a game at 1230. They last about an hour. That's tip time. You got the second half, 100%. I know, but I'm locked up. I'm going to play golf. I have a Saturday afternoon freak.
It's Sarah and Cage are going to a concert with friends. So I have an unexpected afternoon and evening to myself. She won't have the game on your phone while you're on the way?
Probably not. I really need to lock in because I'm a celebrity next weekend. So I really need to lock in on that. Listen, there are priorities.
And plus you just go to, you know, open up X or whatever and you could just quickly follow one. And if you have one person you just want to follow to see how it's going in New York, just follow up, follow Russell Wilson's account. You know, cause he's, he's Nick fan number one.
I do follow Russell Wilson. So just, just check on what Russ is saying. He's, he's going to be core. Of course he will be. Are you kidding me?
He's a, he's the, he's the quarterback of the New York giants. He's going to insert by the way, his thoughts, the tweet before that is take the lead. Like it must have been when they finally went up for the first time in that game. I'm so glad he was sharing his excitement. It's a very, as you know, social media it's, it's, it's sharing at your, your thoughts. And if it mirrors the person's thoughts, reading the tweet, there's a connection, right? That's why we do it.
That's why I do it. Yeah. So he's just connecting with the New York sports fans. He's using chat DRW.
What is that? Chad danger Russ Wilson. He's tweets, Kara Cedric, the closer.
I'm just wondering where, where, where's a, where's, where's chat EMJ. Yeah, I know. Right.
What's magic we're doing? You know, maybe he's only going to, well, the Lakers are out or outside. It's still basketball. I would imagine, I imagine he still has some Celtic hate in him. Yeah. But you know, these Lakers are hurt right now.
He's been tweeting, he tweeted on the seventh. So he's, I remember when magic played center against the Celtics and beat him in the, in the NBA finals. That was my uncle who was a diehard die. I was against the Sixers, unfortunately. Okay.
Yeah. My uncle was a diehard Celtic fan. And I remember one time he was so angry when the Lakers beat him. And then years later I realized it's probably because he lost a bet at the time though, it was very impressionable.
Former MLB all-star Sean Casey, AKA the mayor keeps hitting it out of the park. Take my 30 years of experience, take the wisdom and knowledge I've learned from the failures. When I got sent down my rookie year, all the injuries I had to overcome your mind is the most important tool you have in life. Be relentless, keep charging. It matters how you talk to yourself, how you look at the world that matters. We talk about that. I don't know. I'm fired up baseball's back and it's going to be incredible. I love it. The mayor's office with Sean Casey from Believe. Follow and listen on your favorite platform.
