NFL Insider Ian Rapoport Talks Falcons/Penix, 49ers, Bills & More with Rich Eisen | Full Interview 

Ian is one of the more reliable “rumor” dudes and these days when I hear him give his take I always assume he isn’t just blowing smoke

Can we talk about how AMAZING Belichick was on McAfee?

Thanks, Ian! Nice to finally hear a good point about Penix.

Ian Rapoport was introduced to me by Pat McAfee... and Rich is always on top of the news, now. Good work Rich.

You can always tell the teams that have friendships with insiders and which teams don't have relationships with insiders. They'll defend teams bad decisions and kill some teams for similar stuff. I'm a Bengals fan and the only info the insiders get about Cincy is from the agents. When they report on the Bengals it always with a negative tone

Thank you Ian!! Finally someone gets it

This might not be a popular take, but I would argue up and down that an elite offensive line is just as important as an elite QB. No question. If you don't believe me watch the highlights of the Chiefs/Bucs Super Bowl, where Mahomes was running around like a chicken with his head cut off and Brady was his usual statue in the pocket, similar to how Goff is in Detroit these days.

The only folks (aside from Penix himself) who were happy with the Falcons pick are the rest of the NFC South teams.

I’d agree with Ian if Penix was 21

Ian is the man.

Fast??? Took 30 min to just announce a pick, after the TV said the pick was in.

Falcons should get the Hard Knocks this year! This would be a reality tv goldmine!!!

Either the Falcons don't trust Cousins' Achilles or think Cousins will take them to the NFC championship in the next two years. Regardless this pick makes zero sense.

Ian is a fantastic roster builder!!!

Wonder if Penix is okay with potentially sitting for two years?

Ian needs to get to a Toastmasters meeting. For someone who makes his living on air he has way too many “like” and “ you know “ dropped into his speech.

Same argument here as I, and many others, made about J Love. By taking him they may be taking a SB off the table. LA Rams, if they'd have done this, wouldn't have their SB. I HATED 'F them picks' but it worked. 'F the future. The future is NOW!" needs to be ATL's attitude.

I agree with Rich Eisen. Either you're playing to win this year's super bowl or you're not. Atlanta's apparently not interested in winning the next three years.

I’m not 100% sold on this, but did nobody watch last year? Virtually every team wound up playing at least two QBs last year. We’re getting to a point where a good backup QB is very valuable to your organisation

All these guys making more of this than is warranted. How many guys fail first season because they aren’t learning for a season or two, more than make it.

Signed an OLD qb off a big injury; with really only 2 years of guaranteed money, This isn’t Tom Brady in his youth here…I love this pick!

Come on Ian you're smarter than this, penix is not Love with the injury history and cousins is sure as hell not A Aron in temperment.

Where is Blake Corum gonna go? Any ideas?

Pretty good arguments. One side you have the next QB locked and loaded for the future and keeps you competitive for many years. The risk is they are a bust and you franchise is in shambles and you missed out on being closer to a Super Bowl. The other side you try to win right now and then go 50 years looking for the next Super Bowl. Something the jets are experienced with.

Penix is 1 1/2 years younger than J Love who is entering his 5th season btw. not at all comparable

Cousins doesn’t like competition. He wants his backups to be extra QB coaches. I’m almost positive he was told when he signed in ATL they wouldn’t draft this high.

Falcons screwed my Raiders...but...I have a feeling the Raiders are actually the better for it. It was painful in the moment but Bowers is a HOF stud and any 1st round QB is 50/50 bust material. Plus, the Raiders beat up on KC last year with NO OFFENSE whatsoever. They've gotten better at QB, much better on O-line and their defense was number one in the league under AP. Number ONE.

Josh Allen proved in the 2nd half of last season that he doesn't need a #1 WR and with this being a wide-receiver heavy draft &there's still a handful of starting WR on the market the Bills will be ok. Would you be hyped if the Bills would've drafted Worthy at the end of the 1st or if in two weeks you see that the Bills have signed DJ Chark & Hunter Renfrow? OBJ and Tyler Boyd are still on the market either one makes Allen's life easier

In regards to Cousins' Achilles, it is a brutal injury(speaking from experience) and sometimes there can also be damage to the foot and ankle. It is a regular occurrence that because the other leg is taking the weight that knee or hip can go on return to running/playing. Set backs can happen but if he rehabs every day, hits the pool and eats well then he could make a full recovery. Furthermore, the Falcons have had woeful QB play for years so I like that they thought long term in getting Penix. It worked for the Packers and Chiefs when they drafted Mahomes but had Alex Smith already. Pats had Brady but drafted Garoppolo. The Falcons did not prepare for life after Matt Ryan, so good on Fontenot for having the minerals to get Cousins and Penix this offseason. With the new HC in Raheem Morris, he has helped lay the platform for him at the QB position this year and years to come. ATL may not pick again this high for a few years so do it now. Orhororo and Trice are good players and fill areas of need so they took care of business in more ones than one. The 1st day was pretty dull with picks going to predictable places but maybe it was because my beloved Bills did not pick and did a good deal with the Chiefs that they would have got Worthy anyway at pick 32 and the Bills got Coleman plus DeWayne Carter who will be a good quality DT. Keep your friends close but your enemies closer. The Bills may get burnt by Gabe Davis, Stefon Diggs and/or Worthy at some point but maybe Coleman ends up being HIM and scores the winning TD. Such is the wonderful narratives of the NFL.

Yep it all makes sense IF Penix doesn’t get hurt. Seeing he’s had 4 major season ending injuries, pretty risky

Rich has the best guests and contrary to popular opinion, Pennix was a good pick. As good a pick as paying a 35 year old 1 pm QB coming off an achilles injury $100 mil guaranteed was a bad decision. I can see why Cousins would be upset. He likely lost years 3 & 4 of his contract.

How about letting Ian finish his answer @1:50 rather than cut him off for a promo response.

Penix is ready to go and should play right away. Cousins should simply be paid more to accept a trade. Or he can sit which is not bad either. No hits big checks ! Best retirement package of all time!

What do other teams thnk? is a sign of no confidence in one's own pick.

Yes, Jordan Love has proven to be a very good possibly great quarterback, but if the packers had drafted a first round cornerback, or perhaps a wide receiver, instead of Jordan Love. The Packers might well have beaten Tampa in the NFC championship and then easily beaten the injury riddled offensive line of the Chiefs and won that years Super Bowl.

So falcon should just vanish after Kirk is gone

The Bills had to let so many veterans walk, they need as many picks as possible to throw a pile of rookies at the wall and see who sticks. They were all in for a couple of years retaining veterans they now couldn't afford having to finally pay Josh Allen.

Heres my take on the Bills trading back with KC. The Bills have a draft board, same as every other team. They know who they want and where they rank people against each other. If you're sitting at 28 and you're getting calls for Worthy, and he's the 3rd WR on your draft board, why wouldn't you trade? In the Bis eyes, they just had KC pay them a pick to take a lesser player. And then Carolina came in and asked them to do the exact same thing. If I'm Buffalo and I have 2 different teams offering to pay me to take players that I don't have grades on AND I get my player for less on the cap!? I'm all over that. The question is, does it work out? If Coleman is better than Worthy and gets the Bills over the hump, then the Bills fleeced the Chiefs. If not, then KC fleeced the Bills. And keep in mind also, the only reason there's a huge stink on this is because of the Chiefs/Bills rivalry of late after Buffalo traded Mahomes to KC. But people are only sore about that because KC has won those tight games. In the grand scheme, Buffalo traded the best QB of a generation for a top 3 QB of a generation, a pro bowl C, a pro bowl LB, a contributing WR and a backup OL. That's arguably the better part of that trade..... If they won that one game.... Which they didn't. So people are sore

I wonder if Ian is reconsidering his argument today 😂😂

He right it was fast 🏃‍♀️ draft CFP media days it three days now they didn't want the money I guess R Rating Record

Haha when I was watching the draft and the Jets came up; suddenly thought that JJ McCarthy should be a serious option here! Who knows what Rodgers will be. Plus, JJ reminds me of Mark Sanchez. Im sure Jets fans would just Looove another Marky Mark 😂

Doesn't matter calmly and logically anyone explains why it was genius for the falcons to secure the QB room for the bext 10 years. If you're emotionally invested in the idea the falcons can do no right you'll never understand it. 😂

Justin Jefferson is going to be asking at least 30-35 per year from the Vikings. At least.

In today NFL if your picking 8th and you feel this is your franchise QB he has to play.

High register Rich... two years from now is 2026... not 2027,2028...

Anybody who watched Mahomes tape (not highlights, full games, all 22) could see that he was easily the most talented QB in the draft. It wasn’t close. That isn’t hindsight either, I said it at the time.

Rich, hush. You bring on Steve Young ALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL the time. The Niners had a SB winner at QB and they still traded for Young BECAUSE they wanted a stable QB room. MSN, you downplay the pick so hard. I bet you’d be saying McCarthy is taking over for Cousins if he went 8th. Yikes man.

DEBO TO THE RAVENS PLS GOD 🙏🏾😭‼️

Man Veach didn’t drafted Mahomes!! John Dorsey did. Ian lying

They talking about Penix as if it’s not probably he won’t be a bust 😂

I think the Falcons are smart. 2 yrs guaranteed on a 35 yr old QB with a late in the year Achilles. At worst it's competition for cousins. If you love Penix get him. No assurance that you'll have a kid you like that much in 2 yrs.. and if you were decent you won't have a high pick anyway

ha ha ha don't use the jets for an example of how to run things. geez

Ian definitely almost spilled something.

Rap and Schefter ruining picks on both channels. Absolutely the worst part of the draft this year.

Does anyone really believe Atlanta was winning a SB wish Cousins? Get real. He has won one playoff game over his entire career. They will just suck less. It was a good pick.

How can you compare Cousins and Rodgers? Rodgers is a champion. Kirk accomplished nothing so far

Thank God I know when Rappaport went to bed last night.

😅

Rich needs to talk less.

aaron winning MVPs, while MAHOMEBOY WINNING SBs 💯💯💯👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽😂😅😅😃🤣😆😆🤣🤣😁

LOL always amazing to watch someone try to stay in the good graces of their "sources " and blow total smoke up everyones ( fill in space ) either that or he is totally stupid. Fact : 24 year old quarter back, needs to start now , fact , if going that way 90 million buys at least 2 to 3 top level pass rushers over the next 2 years( which is why you get a high drafted qb so can use his low number against the salary cap to build team ) The truth is that this head office is a clown show who f'd up big time and makes Arthur Blank look like a clueless old folk home escapee.

Expand ur mind Rich

Atlanta must really like those left handed QB,s!!

Kirk Cousins is a loser that isn't winning anything and the Falcons know it. Now they just told everyone else they know it.

Bills take Keon Coleman at 33 😅

Ian strikes me as someone who's an arrogant piece of garbage in real life.

Now Kirk cousins is Aaron Rodgers this is the most ridiculous argument. Kirk is a career medicore qb acting like he has Brady’s legacy.

Wasted pick😅

He's just not very good to listen to.He doesn't sound very intelligent

Eisen is clueless

Hey Rich Eisen paid troll deleting comments. Why would I continue to watch a show that deletes my non-obscene, non-offensive comments? Get bent. Ian is obviously looking out for his contacts with the Falcons by given this "opinion."

Rich is always reliably douchey…..How many times can he say his own name? 😂🤡