NFL Insider Tom Pelissero Talks Eagles, Steelers, Cowboys & More with Rich

Tom Pelissero joined Rich on his usual Friday spot for a long, layered tour through the NFL's spring news cycle. The conversation hit the Cowboys, the Eagles, the Steelers, and the strange possibility of a top quarterback ending up in the supplemental draft.

The opening exchange was a setup. Rich asked Tom whether, knowing his team was going to lose, he'd rather get blown out or lose at the buzzer. Tom dragged the question through the wreckage of an actual NBA elimination game from the night before, then refused the premise three different ways. Rich kept resetting it. Tom kept slipping it. It was a perfect Friday warmup before they got to the news.

The first real beat was George Pickens. The Cowboys receiver had signed his franchise tender, and Rich asked the question in classic What's More Likely form. Is Pickens playing on the tender, or is he signing it because he's about to be traded?

Tom's answer leaned heavily toward Pickens playing. Signing the tender takes the long-shot scenario of Dallas pulling the offer off the board. The worst case for Pickens is now $27.3 million for one season. Tom noted that Pickens's agent, David Mulugheta, has a history of getting players to show up rather than burn money in fines. A trade is possible, but the trade market is constrained because contract control matters and the Cowboys would want sizable compensation. The likelier outcome, Tom said, is Pickens playing on the tender in Dallas.

Then Rich teed up the AJ Brown question that he planned to ask Howie Roseman the next hour, in a format he was sure Howie would dodge. Tom didn't dodge. "All signs are pointing toward AJ Brown moving on, most likely to the Patriots come June 2nd." Trade talks happened in February and March, including with New England, and the Patriots emerged as the lead bidder. Howie wanted a first-round pick and more, the same kind of haul he originally gave up to acquire Brown. The hold-up now, Tom said, is compensation, not destination. The dynamics are similar to the Aaron Rodgers trade from Green Bay to the Jets, where the only real conversation was the price.

Rodgers himself came up next. Rich asked about the Steelers using the UFA tender on the quarterback. Tom said it was procedural, that Steelers president Art Rooney II had told him as much on NFL Network's Insiders. The team protected itself in the event Rodgers signed elsewhere before July 22nd, which would help Pittsburgh in the comp pick formula. Tom said May 18th, the first day of OTAs, is the date to circle. Rooney has said Rodgers's decision is coming in the next several weeks. Tom is still leaning toward Rodgers showing up.

Finally, Tom opened the reporter's notebook. He flagged the trade volume in the first round, eight deals involving 22 spots, but no 2027 first-rounders moved and almost no future picks of any consequence. Teams are guarding 2027 picks because they expect a deeper quarterback class.

Which set up the kicker. Pelissero pointed to Brennan Sorsby, the former Cincinnati and current Texas Tech quarterback, who Pete Thamel reported is under investigation for gambling and has voluntarily entered a treatment center. If the NCAA rules him ineligible, Sorsby could enter the supplemental draft. Tom said Sorsby would be the highest-drafted supplemental pick in decades, with teams weighing real talent against the gambling concerns.

Tom closed with a warning to any athlete watching. If you gamble, the system pings. You will get caught. Every time.