NFL Insider Tom Pelissero Talks Schedule Release, Rodgers & More with Rich

NFL Network's Tom Pelissero joined Rich for the full insider tour. Malik Nabers' surgical cleanup. The Hanukkah of sports. The international slate frustration. Thanksgiving's plate. AJ Brown's June 1 window. And the May 18 date that has hung over the Aaron Rodgers conversation for months.

The injury news opened it. Pelissero reported that Nabers had a knee cleanup three or four weeks ago, after experiencing stiffness from his original ACL-and-meniscus tear.

"Does not sound like that has set him back a significant amount," Pelissero said. "The hope is still that he's ready to roll in week one."

He set the temperature on the panic button.

"You never want to hear about one of your young star players having one knee surgery, much less multiple procedures on the knee," Pelissero said. "But does not sound like this is cause for great concern given the fact that we're still about four months away from playing football."

Rich pivoted to the rolling schedule release, which Pelissero called the Hanukkah of sports.

"This is the fourth day of the holiday," Pelissero said. "You're lighting the candles. The biggest present, if I am familiar with the culture, would come tonight. And that is the other 257 games that have not yet been announced."

The story that has been buzzing through ops staffs all week is the international slate. Specifically, when teams learn they have to go abroad.

"There is, let's just say, some frustration among some teams about the international slate, and specifically when teams learned they have to go and play overseas," Pelissero said.

The hosts know early. The Saints knew in January about Paris. The 49ers learned during Super Bowl week about Mexico City. The visiting teams find out Tuesday.

"The Steelers found out on Tuesday, hey, remember last year you went to Ireland to play the first game there?" Pelissero said. "This year we're sending you to play the first game in Paris."

Minnesota, fresh off back-to-back international trips, drew Mexico City. The Colts got London again. The travel itself, Pelissero said, is not the issue. It is the operational lift on no notice.

The forecast is clear, in his framing.

"This is going to become, Rich, the norm for years to come," Pelissero said. "My belief, just me, no one has told me this, but my belief is ultimately teams may be playing two games per year overseas. Just because if you're playing that many, it makes sense to have pods, reduce the travel, establish those markets with multiple games."

The CBA carries the conversation forward. For now, players get a $5,000 stipend for a second international game in a single season.

"Hey, it's better than zero," Pelissero said.

The Thanksgiving stretch is the part of the schedule the league is leaning into hardest. Pelissero confirmed the slate. Packers-Rams on Thanksgiving Eve. Bears-Lions in the early Thursday window. Eagles-Cowboys as the prime Thanksgiving game.

"You want to talk about lit, there will be some people getting lit while watching the Packers and the Rams," Pelissero said.

The broader strategic shift, in Pelissero's framing, is the league mining new windows.

"They've never espoused the idea of, well, we need to be playing seven nights a week," Pelissero said. "But they are taking some parts of that model, which is any other places they can find to put a game where they feel like it's going to be advantageous."

He flagged the Week 1 Chiefs-Broncos slot as a tell about quarterback health.

"You certainly wouldn't think the NFL would want to be putting a Justin Fields versus Jared Stidham game in week one," Pelissero said. "It would seem to suggest they're pretty confident about Patrick Mahomes, whose goal has been to be out there in week one, and Bo Nix."

The Bo Nix update came from Sean Payton's podium session.

"Sean Payton sometimes can be liberal with the truth, but in this case it sounds like everything he said in his podium session the other day was true," Pelissero said. "Bo Nix should be ready to roll."

Pelissero also flagged the Highmark Stadium opener and the Week 2 Thursday-night Bills-Lions game as fun stuff to watch.

The AJ Brown timeline came next. June 1 is the cap inflection point.

"It'll be right around the June 1st date at which the cap consequences changed substantially here," Pelissero said. "I would tell you, as of a couple of days ago when I checked in, doesn't sound like there's been any communication, much less negotiation on AJ Brown since before the draft."

The Patriots remain the only team to have made a formal offer. The compensation conversation has moved.

"Howie Roseman was looking originally for a similar type of price that he paid to get AJ Brown four years ago from the Titans," Pelissero said. "He did not at that time have an offer that was comparable to that."

The pick that will get moved is now in a 2027 draft Pelissero called really good.

"This is Howie," Pelissero said. "He is going to make every phone call and get the most out of every deal."

The conclusion is a Brown trade is coming.

"It does seem like we're headed toward resolution in the not too distant future," Pelissero said. "And it sounds like that resolution is going to be with AJ Brown putting on a different uniform in 2026."

Rich asked the show's classic What's More Likely. Who shows up first, Rodgers in Pittsburgh or AJ Brown in New England?

Pelissero went immediately to Rodgers.

"Aaron Rodgers in Pittsburgh is more likely to show up sooner because, and I've said this for months on this show and elsewhere, the target date was never the draft," Pelissero said. "It was really May 18th. It was first day of OTAs."

The reason is the offseason cadence. Phase three is where the entire room comes together. Pelissero reached for the 2007 Brett Favre Green Bay comp.

"Brett showed up in 2007, not for all the OTAs, but for some of them," Pelissero said. "That was part of a conversation that Mike McCarthy had with Brett Favre about, hey, we need to get everybody together here. It's important. I can't force you. It's voluntary and it remains voluntary, but it would be really good if you came."

The result of that buy-in was a surprise NFC Championship Game run.

Pelissero's current Rodgers read held.

"If Aaron Rodgers is not there next week, that would be the first time to me that the dauber would begin to go up on, is Aaron Rodgers potentially not going to show up," Pelissero said. "I still believe that he is. I still believe he's going to sign."

The deal is straightforward.

"It's going to be a one-year deal," Pelissero said. "It's going to have a two in front of it. This is not about money for a player who's made close to $400 million in his career."

The patience-meter is starting to move.

"It certainly seems like the patience for Steelers fans, just based on the feedback I get every time I talk about Aaron Rodgers, may already be running out for some people," Pelissero said. "For Art Rooney, for Mike McCarthy who's trying to get the team ready on the field, that patience may be tested. I don't believe that that has happened yet."

The decision that remains, in Pelissero's framing, is not contract or rumor.

"It's about Aaron Rodgers deciding, yes, I 100 percent committed to playing football in 2026, and I'm going to put in the time to make sure that I and everybody around me is ready to roll," Pelissero said.

Rich noted the meta-irony. Pelissero's next show appearance is Monday, May 18.

"That's the day that you and Roger showing up at the same time," Rich said.