Pelissero on Cousins, Rodgers, and Puka

Tom Pelissero joins from Arizona to unpack the Kirk Cousins-to-Raiders structure, the Aaron Rodgers-Steelers standoff, Puka Nacua's situation, and the NFL's escalating dispute with its officials.

The Cousins deal has two paths. The base case is one year at $20 million, the Raiders pay $11.3M, Cousins gets $1.3M minimum salary, and a $10 million roster bonus on day three of the 2027 league year defers the cash. The $10 million owed by the Falcons is subject to offsets. The upside case: if Cousins is still on the roster day five of the 2027 league year, two additional years and $80 million vest. Pelissero calls it effectively a team option, with most of the money pushed to 2028.

Clint Kubiak told media that in a perfect world a rookie sits behind a 'grown adult.' Pelissero reports Cousins has been told the same thing privately. Translation: Fernando Mendoza likely sits to start 2026 unless he forces the issue in preseason. Cousins is the week-one quarterback as of now.

On Rodgers and Pittsburgh: Cousins was on the Steelers' radar just like last year. With him off the board, the veteran market is thin, Russell Wilson's out, Garoppolo likely back to the Rams, Tyrod Taylor not a day-one starter. Pelissero leans toward Rodgers in Pittsburgh but notes he hasn't committed. Art Rooney wants an answer before the draft.

Puka Nacua is in a rehab facility in Malibu. Pelissero says the Rams knew for months that something needed to be addressed. He references Maxx Crosby and Brett Favre as examples of players who came back stronger. The extension isn't on the front burner, Nacua has one year left at a low number, so the Rams aren't pressed.

The owners meeting story was the standoff with officials. The NFLRA wants a 10% raise and $2.5M in marketing rights the NFL says aren't worth anything. Scott Green has gone public in a way he hadn't previously. The league is resisting on performance-based evaluation, probationary periods, and merit-based playoff assignments.

More significant: the NFL is already preparing for a work stoppage. Replacement officials, Division 1, 2, and 3 college refs, will be hired starting next month. Two rule changes passed. One permanently lets the league office weigh in on ejectable offenses even without a flag. The second, one-year only, lets the league office overrule anything 'clear and obvious.' Pelissero flags the door this opens: if the league can fix officiating mistakes with replacements, why not with regular officials? That's a line the Competition Committee hasn't wanted to cross.