The Rich Eisen Show Power Rankings: Tom Pelissero’s Top 10 NFL Storylines to Watch Between Now & WK1

With the 2026 NFL season 77 days out and a Seahawks-Patriots Super Bowl rematch waiting in the September 9 kickoff game, Tom Pelissero did something he rarely does on the show: power rankings. Here are his top 10 storylines to resolve between now and Week 1, presented by SoFi.

10. Does Brandon Aiyuk play this season? Pelissero traced the whole saga, from the 2024 standoff to a contract to an argument with Kyle Shanahan over the color of his practice shorts to a string of Instagram posts cheering the Commanders and taking shots at the 49ers. His advice is simple: show up. Aiyuk should be at the building with his key card on the July report date, pass a physical, and force the issue. Then he can probably go play in Washington, near his Arizona State friend Jayden Daniels, on a minimum deal plus incentives.

9. Do any more real quarterback deals get done? Patrick Mahomes added two years to the longest contract in league history, and Matthew Stafford got a one-year, $60 million bump. The big one is Lamar Jackson. With no agent and no urgency, Pelissero's read is that Jackson, making around $52 million this year, should wait. The market is climbing toward $70 million with Caleb Williams, Daniels, Drake Maye and Bo Nix all coming up. Baker Mayfield, on the final year of his deal, has set a training-camp cutoff in Tampa.

8. Where do the former Pro Bowl receivers land? Stefon Diggs, Tyreek Hill, Deebo Samuel, Keenan Allen and DeAndre Hopkins are all still out there. Guys who once made $25 or $30 million are now $5 million players, and the first weeks of camp will tell teams where they need the help.

7. What happens with Brandon Sorsby? Pelissero walked through the spiral, from gambling-addiction treatment to a stripped eligibility to a lawsuit, an injunction, and the NFL declining to hold a supplemental draft. Sorsby's representatives have already talked with the players association. For now he trains, his pro day still scheduled, eligible for a loaded 2027 class.

6. Are the Bears moving to Indiana? The board of directors voted that Northwest Indiana is the focus, but permits, land deals and league approval remain. Until it is signed and sealed, they are still the Chicago Bears, still the Monsters of the Midway.

5. Who is the Browns' starting quarterback? Pelissero says Shedeur Sanders has genuinely grown under Todd Monken, and that Deshaun Watson looked good in the spring despite his injury history. His guess is both are on the roster in September, with the answer shaping a Cleveland reset already stocked with picks from the Myles Garrett trade.

4. Who is the Vikings' starting quarterback? Kyler Murray or J.J. McCarthy. Pelissero leans Murray for now but believes McCarthy, who beat the Lions in Detroit down the stretch, can play. Kevin O'Connell split the reps 50/50 all spring.

3. Who is the Falcons' starting quarterback? Tua Tagovailoa, healthy and getting reps, has a leg up on Michael Penix Jr., who is working back from another knee injury.

2. Does Aaron Donald come back? Nobody has shot it down. The Rams have said the door is open, and if Donald calls Sean McVay in August, Pelissero is certain McVay says yes.

1. Does one more blockbuster trade happen before the season? After the Garrett and A.J. Brown deals, Pelissero is watching Max Crosby. If a top pass rusher tears an ACL, his first call is Las Vegas, where John Spytek would want two first-round picks in return.