Tom Pelissero reports no meeting has been set between Aaron Rodgers and Steelers 👀 | Rich Eisen Show

0:00 Tom Pelisero here on the Rich Eisen Show, everybody.

0:02 Tommy P.

0:04 Oh, hoodie day.

0:05 Hoodie Friday.

0:05 It's hoodie.

0:06 It's hoodie Friday.

0:06 Hoody Friday.

0:07 It's hoodie Tommy.

0:08 Like hoodie mellow.

0:09 It just means you didn't do an NFL network hit where

0:12 this this is like one of my only weeks off per year from TV Rich.

0:16 So this quite frankly this is as dressed up as I have been uh since last Friday.

0:21 So okay, great to be with you.

0:22 Great to be with my boys in the studio.

0:24 What's up fellas?

0:24 Tom,

0:26 my mom is so happy.

0:30 My mom loves Tommy P.

0:31 I don't know what she doesn't.

0:32 Every time he's on, she's like, "Tom,

0:35 hey, just like Norm walking in." Cheers.

0:38 There's Tom Pig.

0:39 Uh, all right.

0:42 So, uh, what's everybody talking about right now where they're hitting you

0:47 up or or is there less traffic on your phone right now?

0:50 What's everybody?

0:51 There's There is less,

0:53 which is again why this is one of the only weeks a year that I'm not on TV.

0:56 But you still have there are still plenty of uh outstanding items.

1:01 Um obviously the Aaron Rogers saga which does remain uh ongoing at this point.

1:08 You still have some loose ends in terms

1:10 of the AJ Brown situation and then you have

1:13 something that may come to a head and be

1:15 finalized even before this uh segment is over.

1:19 I would be anticipating good news on the officiating front.

1:27 The vote has now closed for the NFL referees association.

1:32 The people I have spoken to anticipate ratification of a new

1:36 labor deal which will ensure peace for years to come.

1:40 We'll keep the replacement officials off the field.

1:42 Again, nothing is finalized.

1:44 They have to have an auditor go through the votes.

1:47 Uh but fully anticipating we'll get uh good news on that front soon.

1:50 Okay.

1:50 So let's just assume we're getting good news on that front.

1:53 Tom Pelisero, let's just do that.

1:55 Our radio audience has returned.

1:56 Tom Pelisero just dropped on our TVonly portion that he believes

2:01 there's going to be a deal between the NFL and its officials.

2:05 So there will be labor peace there, which is awesome.

2:08 Um so let's just assume this deal gets ratified.

2:11 any changes that we should know about um in the way that uh officials are rated,

2:18 put out on the field, uh replay chiming in on uh some of their calls.

2:24 Is there anything in this CBA based on on that that you can drop for us here?

2:30 A big focus for the NFL was on expanding

2:34 the investment and in terms improving the quality of officiating.

2:39 One of the big sticking points um

2:42 and this goes back for years was this dark period.

2:45 Basically after the Super Bowl for multiple months into the spring,

2:49 they couldn't have any contact with their officials.

2:52 You couldn't do training sessions, you couldn't do film sessions.

2:55 You really couldn't do anything.

2:56 And that was all protecting um you know

2:58 the working hours as unions do uh for the officials.

3:01 I would anticipate based on what I know that that is going to change

3:04 that there's going to be expanded access to officials as part of a new deal.

3:09 The NFL has also pushed for and I believe will get

3:12 the ability to establish a bench of officials so that if you have,

3:16 let's say, underperforming officials,

3:19 you would have other people who are ready to be called up just like it is,

3:22 you know, with players and a practice squad

3:24 and the inactives who can go to the active list,

3:26 you potentially can have officials who can rise or fall uh within that.

3:31 And then the other part of it was,

3:32 you know, expanding their training programs into the off season.

3:36 Um, I know the union made a comment at one point about, you know,

3:39 interesting that they were going to put the replacement officials out there

3:41 in training camp when they no longer have us at training camps.

3:45 That also should change here, Rich.

3:47 Uh, they should be able to have officials out there,

3:50 you know, from joint practices to training camp to mini camp,

3:54 just more time on task, more reps, the same stuff that they were going to do

3:57 if they had to initiate um the replacement officials.

4:00 At this point, it appears that is going

4:03 to be necessary pending the final audit of the vote.

4:06 Um, but some significant changes basically just expanding

4:09 the amount of training they can give officials who are

4:12 also financially I fully anticipate are going to get

4:15 the best deal that NFL officials have ever gotten.

4:17 Okay, that's good news.

4:18 It really is because nobody wanted that.

4:20 Certainly, the league didn't want to put um, you know,

4:23 replacement officials out on the field in Australia

4:26 for the first game of the year internationally.

4:29 Rams and the ners and seeing all of that and and and also officials um you

4:35 know deserve what they what they can get and also um I I think they didn't

4:42 want to see maybe put into place let's just see how efficient the uh Art McN

4:48 ruling in chiming in on on actual calls

4:51 on a field um would be because that could

4:54 be pretty darn efficient at the end of the day Tom you And to go back

4:58 back to the March meeting that was approved

5:00 on a one-year basis contingent on replacement officials

5:04 that they would be able from the league office to change any call on the field

5:09 that was clearly and obviously wrong which would just

5:12 far expand um where replay has always cut off.

5:16 Um there is always been broad difference uh

5:18 from the competition committee to allowing the people who are

5:20 on the field to not have their judgment swapped out

5:24 for the judgment of someone who is not on the field.

5:26 this would have been a seismic shift.

5:29 Um, like many things that the NFL did and said over the past several months,

5:34 I'm sure that there is a leverage aspect to it of, hey,

5:37 if we don't get this deal done,

5:38 and this the current deal is set to expire on May 31st.

5:41 If we don't get this done,

5:43 you may come back to a completely different work environment where we are,

5:48 you know, overhauling everything around you.

5:50 There is still going to be some limited

5:52 expansion um of replay specifically for ejectable offenses.

5:57 Now the league office can eject players even

5:59 if a flag is not thrown on the field.

6:01 They also can for the first time put down a flag for an ejectable offense.

6:04 So both a flag and an ejection

6:06 for something that is completely missed on the field.

6:08 You think of situations like uh DK Metaf on the sideline.

6:12 Could that have been an example of it?

6:13 Certain hits that don't get flagged and then you see 10

6:16 different replay angles that just are missed because the game's so fast.

6:19 the league now would be able to insert themselves uh on those matters,

6:24 but it will not be the broad expansion,

6:25 the fix everything sky judge, which I would personally say,

6:29 and I know there are some people who've been campaigning for this forever.

6:32 There is no earthly way in, and I know we just released the UFO files today,

6:37 so maybe they'll find some,

6:38 but there's no earthly way to make that efficient in the in the near

6:43 term that you don't have enough of the highly qualified,

6:46 you know, sky judge type people to be doing that.

6:48 you would have a real questions about where the line is drawn,

6:53 where what is clear and obvious.

6:54 Is it the 100% call?

6:56 Is it the 95% call?

6:58 It's such a slippery slope.

6:59 I I personally hope the NFL doesn't go there.

7:02 Technology continues to improve.

7:03 The league will continue to do things incrementally.

7:05 Having the full-time, not full-time, but the real officials,

7:09 whatever you want to call them, on the field, not replacement officials,

7:14 it'll allow them to continue to move incrementally toward technology as opposed

7:17 to a broad experiment that would be virtually impossible to roll back.

7:20 Tom Pelisero here on the Rich Eisen Show.

7:22 Uh, a nice rarity, which is a Mother's Day week bonafide free agent signing.

7:28 Uh, Jawan Jennings, a one-year reportedly $13 million deal

7:32 to join the Minnesota Vikings right there in that town.

7:35 And that means Addison and Justin Jefferson and Jawan Jennings.

7:40 That is a nice trio of receivers for which starting quarterback, Tom?

7:47 Well, let's start with how Jawan Jennings fits into this.

7:50 No, I don't wish to start with that.

7:52 I won't te it immediately raises questions about, okay,

7:57 are they plan to move on from Jordan Addison?

8:00 Like, why would he come to Minnesota?

8:02 It's a one-year $8 million deal.

8:03 can earn up to 13 million with incentives.

8:05 He was the free agent left on the market other than

8:08 Aaron Rogers who was going to make the most money somewhere.

8:12 So the Vikings end up getting him at what can only

8:14 be called a cut rate at this stage in the offseason.

8:17 The vision, as I understand it,

8:19 is Jawan Jennings effectively will fill the Jaylen Naylor role.

8:22 He had a lot of productivity,

8:23 cashed in on a big deal with the Raiders in free agency.

8:26 It does not bear on Jordan or Justin Jefferson.

8:29 and they envision the three of those guys all being out there along with TJ

8:33 Hawinson um and having a really diverse

8:36 passing game for whichever quarterback ends up starting.

8:39 My understanding has been and I will continue to say this Rich,

8:42 we got OTAAS getting going in a couple weeks.

8:44 That'll tell us more about what the actual landscape of this is going to be,

8:48 but they envision it being a true competition.

8:50 Kyler Murray versus JJ McCarthy.

8:52 And both these guys are going to go

8:54 into this believing they're going to win this job.

8:57 You know, I don't know, frankly,

8:58 how friendly that quarterback room is going to be.

9:01 It is going to be a very competitive uh quarterback room.

9:04 They are two players that have some things

9:06 in common in terms of their skill set.

9:08 You know, nobody moves like Kyler, but JJ's got good mobility as you know.

9:11 Well, Rich, from watching him at at Michigan.

9:15 You've got um Sorry, my uh Siri thought I was saying something.

9:18 I was not.

9:19 What was that?

9:20 Kyler Murray.

9:21 That's that's what you wanted.

9:22 No, I was about to say is Siri trying giving you information.

9:26 Who the Maybe I had a message.

9:27 Yeah, that would be that would be the ultimate

9:29 AI if it starts sorting out quarterback competitions.

9:31 But Kyler comes in.

9:32 Listen, he hasn't played in this offense.

9:34 JJ's got two years in it.

9:35 It's been a roller coaster ride.

9:36 There's been some really good moments.

9:38 There's been some not so good moments and there have been a ton of injuries.

9:41 Kyler also has dealt with injuries in recent years, you know,

9:44 since the the torn ACL and then obviously last year

9:47 with the foot injury they never made it back from.

9:50 It's going to be interesting to watch these guys duke it out

9:52 because you've got JJ who's got at least a foundation in the offense.

9:55 You've got Kyler who has shown ability.

9:58 He's been to Pro Bowls.

9:59 He's been to the playoffs.

10:00 He's only 28 years old.

10:02 Um, this is to me is going to be

10:03 the most fascinating quarterback competition in the NFL.

10:06 And from everything that I have understood, it is truly wide open.

10:10 They're keeping an open mind as a coaching

10:11 staff and we'll see what direction it goes.

10:13 That was maybe maybe that was Nick Sriani chiming in.

10:17 Oh, what do you think?

10:18 What do you think?

10:19 All right.

10:20 Um, so Rogers, what what like we're talking money now, right?

10:25 Is that what it is?

10:26 Is it now money?

10:27 I mean, it can't be a scheme.

10:28 Can't be anything else other than,

10:31 you know, um 15's the base based on on the procedure

10:36 procedural maneuver the Steelers made right after the draft, right?

10:40 Is that what it is?

10:42 Is he there today?

10:42 Is he now?

10:43 Is he there now?

10:44 Right now.

10:46 First of all, Aaron Rogers is believed to be in Pittsburgh.

10:52 Okay.

10:53 There is no meeting scheduled.

10:54 There is not a visit to the facility scheduled.

10:57 No,

10:58 it does not sound from what I was told this morning

11:00 that there's even been communication right now in terms of like,

11:03 hey, you're going to pop over or something like none of that's happened.

11:06 There has been communication.

11:07 What's he there for?

11:08 Is he getting a penny brothers made of bark?

11:10 Is that what it is?

11:11 Bark

11:13 Rogers.

11:13 we're talking about.

11:14 I'm just trying to frame this for you as accurately

11:16 as I can because like everything with Aaron Rogers,

11:19 there could be many, many stops and starts to the point on money.

11:22 I do not believe based on what I know

11:24 that the contract is going to hold this up.

11:26 There has been communication between the Steelers and Rogers agent Dave Dunn.

11:29 That communication has been positive.

11:32 Uh they have talked numbers.

11:34 They don't have an agreement.

11:36 Aaron Rogers has made about $400 million in his career.

11:39 If he's making 15 or 20,

11:41 I don't think that that's going to have a great impact on his life.

11:46 If Aaron Rogers is coming back, it's not to make a few extra bucks.

11:49 It's to go and try to win a championship with a locker room that enjoyed

11:54 him last year with a head coach and Mike McCarthy who's new to Pittsburgh,

11:57 but knows Aaron Rogers as well as anybody, an offense he's hyper familiar with.

12:02 Aaron has to ultimately decide what he wants to do.

12:06 I believe that this all ends with Aaron Rogers being the Steelers quarterback.

12:11 I believe most likely it ends with Aaron Rogers

12:13 out there when OTAAS get going on May 18th.

12:16 Does that take place this weekend?

12:18 Does it take place next week?

12:20 It is Aaron Rodgers.

12:22 He is going to decide on his own terms, but not about money.

12:25 Not about, you know, you know, beating each other up over the contract.

12:29 This is just about Aaron making a full and final decision, a commitment.

12:33 I'm coming.

12:34 I'm gonna be the Steelers quarterback.

12:36 He can walk in the door in three minutes for all we know, Rich.

12:39 But right now, no meeting is set and we continue to wait.

12:43 Okay.

12:44 Uh what else is there then?

12:45 What's on what's in your reporter's notebook

12:47 or people blowing you up about this team?

12:49 We're not talking about that team enough.

12:51 Anything like that?

12:52 Any as we're waiting for the schedule?

12:54 Could it be schedule related?

12:56 You got anything for me there, Tom?

12:57 I think we're really into now that you know the draft is settled.

13:00 All the free agent movement in essence has settled.

13:03 There are some big names that are still sitting out there,

13:05 you know, in free agency.

13:07 Digs, right?

13:07 Diggs sitting out there.

13:09 Diggs, you know, Tyreek,

13:10 we don't know if he's going to be ready to play in 2026,

13:12 but he's still a free agent.

13:13 Debo is still a free agent.

13:15 Keenan Allen is still a free agent.

13:17 There's a bunch of running backs.

13:18 Um, you know, Naji and Eckler both coming off of significant types of injuries.

13:23 There's a bunch of pass rushers, Von Miller, Cam Jordan.

13:26 So, all those guys, you're at that stage where

13:28 you're not making the money that you used to.

13:30 And you're going to have to make a decision.

13:32 Do you want to play?

13:33 If so, what matters to you?

13:35 Do you want to take the most money?

13:36 Do you want to go to the right spot?

13:37 Do you want to go back to the team you've always been with?

13:39 Do you want to try something new?

13:41 Those can be anytime in the next four months here, Rich.

13:44 And we'll see exactly what those directions go.

13:46 But at this point, now you start to get into, all right,

13:48 we now know who's on what team.

13:49 There's no more speculating about the draft.

13:51 No more speculating other than Rogers about what quarterback is going where.

13:55 Uh, it's competition time.

13:57 Um, you I don't think that there's one at all in Los Angeles.

14:00 The full anticipation as Tai Simpson waits uh behind Matthew Stafford,

14:04 but we'll certainly await Stafford's contract getting done

14:06 as well as what he has to say on the subject of the Tai Simpson draft

14:09 pick uh whenever that ends up taking place.

14:13 Um, you've got Las Vegas obviously with Fernando Mendoza there.

14:16 We know what Clint Kubak has said um

14:19 that he would like to have a veteran starting quarterback,

14:21 but there's going to be competition on some level.

14:23 If Kirk Cousins goes and stinks it up in the preseason,

14:26 I don't think they're just going to default to Kirk has to be the quarterback,

14:29 but they are believers in um you want to give Fernando time,

14:32 especially when he's making this um significant transition out there,

14:36 you know, in Arizona, barring some wild scenario where Aaron Rogers all

14:40 of a sudden ends up in the Cardinals uniform, which I don't anticipate.

14:43 You know, you're gonna have Jacobe Brassette,

14:45 who from my understanding is still the clear QB1,

14:47 but he's got Gardenner Mchu there.

14:49 He's got a guy in Carson Beck there that was the first pick

14:51 in the third round and has won a ton of football games at the college level.

14:56 Um, that to me is going to be a really interesting competition.

14:59 Obviously, if Aaron doesn't come back,

15:00 which all indications are that he will, but if he doesn't come back,

15:03 then in Pittsburgh it'll be Will Howard

15:06 and Drew Aller and Mason Rudolph going at it.

15:09 This is the to me this is the fun time

15:11 of year Rich because now again all the speculation that we've had.

15:15 Let's actually see the guys on the field.

15:16 Let's actually see how these things um begin to play out

15:19 and then there's you know veteran competitions as well in places like

15:22 Minnesota and Cleveland where I know that you know everyone has

15:25 been saying that Deshun Watson's a top the totem pole it's May.

15:29 Let's see where we are uh come August.

15:31 Um you know this is again this is the part of the calendar where you

15:34 start to all right get past the theoretical

15:36 phase and see what happens in reality.

15:37 All right, Tom, you go back.

15:39 You go do your thing, man.

15:41 You know, like you you you're you're you tapped out of Tom Pelisero the civilian

15:47 to to throw your hoodie on and get your hair ready and and join us.

15:51 And I appreciate that.

15:52 I'm wearing a tuxedo next week just for you, Rich.

15:55 We're We're dressing.

15:56 If you do it, I'll What do you call a Canadian tuxedo?

15:59 What is that?

15:59 Canadian tuxedo is I can do the Canadian tuxedo, too.

16:02 That all denim.

16:03 All right, we can go and make that happen.

16:05 You going any t any of the T-Wolf games or no?

16:08 No.

16:09 Uh, not as of now.

16:10 We'll see.

16:11 My kids continue to bug me about it,

16:13 but those those 8:30 central starts that are actually 8:57 central starts.

16:18 Little rough.

16:18 Little rough on the kids.

16:20 Okay, I got it.

16:20 Uh, have a great Mother's Day with your lovely wife, sir.

16:23 Enjoy it.

16:24 Same to you, Rich.

16:25 Thank you.

16:25 That's Tom, brother.

16:26 That's Tom Pelisero, everybody, right here on the Rich Eisen Show.