NFL Insider Ian Rapoport Talks Vikings, Chiefs, Ravens, Rams & More with Rich

Eighteen days on the road, 17 teams, roughly 80,000 Delta miles. Ian Rapoport landed back in his home office with a full notebook, and he opened it up for Rich on everything from the quarterback call in Minnesota to whether Aaron Donald is walking back through the door.

Start with the Vikings, because Kevin O'Connell already made his decision. Rapoport does not think it was ever much of a mystery.

"Kyler Murray is the best option to be the quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings. That is number one," Rapoport said. "I think most of us have known this, even though when I was there it was everyone was like, you know, it's a good competition."

Murray was the top free agent quarterback on the market, and Minnesota was the team he wanted. The finances barely register, since the Cardinals are covering almost all of it. As for the timing, Rapoport pointed to reps and to the trap of scoring every practice as Kyler versus JJ. "Kyler's superpower is not practice," he said, relaying what Arizona people have told him. "But when he gets in games, that's when it's magic."

Money, Rapoport insisted, had nothing to do with it. He can argue the contract angle in either direction, including a version where JJ McCarthy wins the job outright and Minnesota gets a rookie deal to re-up after the season. He simply believes this one was settled on merit.

Atlanta, meanwhile, does not qualify as a competition in his eyes. Michael Penix has not been cleared and has not taken team reps, and until he is fully back from another ACL tear on the same knee, Rapoport sees Tua Tagovailoa starting Week 1. The interesting question there is who finishes the season.

Cleveland is the real one. Deshaun Watson gets preseason game one, Shedeur Sanders gets game two, and the Browns are collecting every data point available. Watson has flashed enough in healthy regular seasons to look like a starter. Sanders is less consistent and does not yet know the operation, but Rapoport said Browns people keep coming back to the same reaction: "Definitely something is there."

On Lamar Jackson, Rapoport confirmed what the show has suspected. Baltimore wants the deal. "This isn't a question of like do the Ravens want to pay him and make him the highest-paid quarterback in the NFL? Like, duh," he said. Jackson's camp has been a full buy-in, with the relationship with Jesse Minter going particularly well. Wanting it and finishing it are different things, but the appetite is there.

Kansas City left the strongest impression of the trip. Standing at practice, Baldi told Rapoport to stop and listen. All he heard was one voice.

"Full silence on the field except for Patrick Mahomes calling signals and directing players," Rapoport said. "He looked so good. I mean, I can't overstate how normal he looked." Chiefs people wanted to talk about the rebuilt offensive line, the remade defense and the draft class, and every conversation still bent back to the quarterback. Travis Kelce looked good too, and Rapoport was struck by how much Kelce genuinely loves camp at St. Joe's. Rashee Rice looked good, Tyquan Thornton is in the mix, and Ken Walker will be used more in the pass game than we have seen. Eight full padded practices in 10 days produced a team that looked energized instead of sluggish. "They are going to be really, really good."

Chicago, he skipped. The Indiana Bears rumor, he shot down. "No one in the know has told me that," Rapoport said of a name change being part of any deal, though he allowed the franchise could absolutely move there.

Then the Rams. Is A-A-Ron back yet? Not yet, and Rapoport cautioned against expecting a clean timeline, since Donald would be signing up for Week 19, not Week 1. Puka Nacua's groin should be fine, more precautionary than anything, and Rapoport does not believe any discipline has been decided.