11:39am: The NFL will not conclude its tampering investigation this week, per a league announcement. That will mean any punishment the Falcons or Eagles face would not take effect until the 2025 draft. Should a penalty come down, both NFC teams will have more time to prepare.
8:48am: Arthur Blank said he did not believe the Falcons tampered with Kirk Cousins, but it does seem likely the team will face a punishment of some sort in the wake of its high-profile quarterback addition.
After Cousins committed to the Falcons during a span referred to as the legal tampering period, multiple comments from the 13th-year QB point to Atlanta being early on communicating with its next starter. No punishment has been handed out, but as last year’s Jonathan Gannon resolution reminded, the NFL could attempt to bury the headline by levying a penalty on draft day.
Some around the NFL expect the Falcons to face more severe tampering punishment compared to the Eagles, per ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter. Punishment for the Falcons’ alleged tampering with Cousins is expected to involve Atlanta’s draft. The results of the NFL’s investigation into the Falcons and Eagles could emerge this week, per Schefter. If it involves 2024 draft choices, it will obviously need to.
The NFL’s investigation into Philadelphia tampering centers around Saquon Barkley, though fewer signs of impermissible communication emerged from the team’s addition of the six-year Giants running back compared to the six-year Viking’s relocation. Cousins said he spoke with Falcons medical personnel before officially signing. Cousins also said during his introductory presser he offered to call Darnell Mooney to make a pitch on the NFC South team’s behalf. With Mooney committing to the Falcons on Day 2 of the legal tampering period, Cousins — whose deal could not become official until a day later — was not allowed to make this pitch under league rules.
The Cardinals’ pursuit of Gannon involving impermissible contact led the league to adjust their draft haul, with the penalty being announced minutes before Round 1 began. Philadelphia received the No. 66 pick in the draft, while the NFL gave the Cardinals Nos. 94 and a 2024 fifth-rounder. That being a situation where one team expected to retain its defensive coordinator, only to see him defect to Arizona, the punishment involved adjusting two teams’ draft hauls. Potential Falcons punishment should not be expected to involve the Vikings.
A past tampering violation could point to where the NFL will go on this front. The league stripped the Chiefs of their 2016 third-rounder and a 2017 sixth for their 2015 Jeremy Maclin addition. That punishment, which also involved Andy Reid and then-GM John Dorsey being fined five-figure amounts, affecting the Chiefs’ draft haul a year out would at least point to the league giving the Falcons time to prepare.
While the NFL came down much harder on the Dolphins for their Tom Brady/Sean Payton tampering scheme, it would surprise if any Falcons punishment reached that place due to the details behind the Miami effort. The league docked Miami first- and third-round picks, the latter coming this year, for attempting to unite a then-retired Brady — whose rights still belonged to the Bucs — and Payton, whose rights belonged to the Saints.
As for this draft, the Falcons hold their own first- and second-round picks but carry two third-rounders (Nos. 74 and 79) as a result of the Jaguars’ Calvin Ridley conclusion. If the NFL is to target this Falcons draft arsenal with regards to a Cousins-driven penalty, Round 3 could be an area to monitor based on the recent past.
Guess falcons are going to lose their first rounder, pretty costly in a deep draft like this one
Especially tough if it’s first rounder for Cousins…not worth it
Did you read the article?
Yep, just because the author thinks a 3rd rounder is going to be the penalty doesn’t mean that’s the law. Since the Falcons tampered with 2 players I am assuming they lose their first similar to the Dolphins.
This is no where near the dolphins level of tampering. Brady wasn’t a few days from free agency and Payton was under contract. Much different scenario. I’d be shocked if they got docked a 1st. I’d expect something similar to the Chiefs penalties for the Maclin signing. A 3rd and late rounder, fine for the GM and probably Blank too
Vikings get 8th pick from the Falcons and they get Vikings 23rd. It’s not gonna happen but I can dream right?
Even the 8th for the 11th would work. Dreeee-eee-eeem; dream, dream, dream.
The ohtani rule-
Front offices shall use players to recruit other players and if the league asks if players were instructed to do so by front office everybody denies any involved. Conversations shall be in person in the bathroom. No cameras texts phone calls emails.
Wait, so the Bears sign our RB as soon as free agency starts and it’s not tampering, but James Franklin opens his trap and we did something wrong? Got it.
Give the picks to the Vikings as restitution.
Eagles tampering was being informed there are a lot of Eagles fans that are also Penn State fans. That’s tampering?!? He grew up an hour from Philly and a little bit further from State College, that is nothing he wouldn’t have known most of his life.
The NFL should come up with discipline Thursday at noon to give them even less time to plan for it.
‘Hey you’re going to get in trouble but we’re going to give you a year to actually plan for it’ Lol.
Goodell: “We are going to punish the Falcons for their illegal tampering by redacting all their championship titles from the official league record…oh wait!”
“During the period beginning at 12:00 noon, New York time, on March 11 and ending at 3:59:59 p.m., New York time, on March 13, clubs are permitted to contact, and enter into contract negotiations with the certified agents of players who will become unrestricted free agents upon the expiration of their 2023 player contracts at 4:00 p.m., New York time, on March 13.”
Timeline
– The veteran quarterback, who has spent the past six seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, agreed to a four-year, $180 million deal with $90 million fully guaranteed on Monday. – per ESPN on Monday the 11th
– The club agreed to terms on a four-year deal with former Minnesota Vikings free agent quarterback Kirk Cousins on Monday, according to his agent, Mike McCartney. – again per ESPN on Monday the 11th
– “When you get here and you look around and you think, boy, there’s great people here,” Cousins said on March 13. “And it’s not just the football team. I mean, I’m looking at the support staff, meeting, calling yesterday, calling our head athletic trainer and talking to our head of PR, I’m thinking we’ve got good people here.
– So, technically, sometime on the 12th .. a full day after he had signed and it had been ‘unofficially’ announced, he stated he talked to members of the Atlanta organization.
To me, the league needs some clarity in the rules here, and I think they might have a problem enforcing this.
My thoughts are that if it’s already a deal that has been been signed and submitted to the league, but not ‘officially’ announced, why is the player still bound not to call the team? Granted, one would think Cousins agent would have told him to go fishing, dancing, rapping, whatever for two days, but we all know when you get that really cool new present that no one can tell you not to touch it for almost two days. I have not found any specifics online an unofficial signing allows for any change in the above, but it certainly also doesn’t say he is still bound to silence after signing his name.
I mean, I get the legal/illegal tampering is there for a reason, but it just seems like once they sign they should be able to chit chat. I find it to be total BS if anyone believes teams wait up to 54 hours or whatever it is to actually say ‘welcome to our club’ personally.
And if they do get a penalty like the Dolphins who left email and text trails where they were recruiting Brady and Payton for THREE YEARS then it’s disgusting and would just prove even further the NFL is biased in it’s enforcement, though I couldn’t think of why anyone would treat the Falcons with anything other than pity at this point.
The NFL’s punishment never makes sense to me. It’s arbitrary and inconsistent. The right thing to do when finding a team violated the rules is to not only fine or have the team forfeit a high draft choice (at least a 1st or 2nd rounder), but they should also void the signing and declare that the player they tampered with ineligible to sign with that team, making him a free agent once again.
Would this hurt the player as many teams have allocated their FA money already? Yes, but the player needs to also be punished for knowingly participating in the tampering, knowing it’s illegal.
Just a thought.
Who else but falcons
More time to prepare to be penalized for cheating?
God forbid you actually punish someone for bad behavior. Wouldn’t want anyone to feel bad or be inconvenienced.
Should Apple be prevented from contacting Google employees or Ford prevented from contacting GM employees? This happens all the time in the corporate world. The NFL seems overly paranoid to me. Perhaps they don’t realize the war between the AFL and NFL of the late 60s has ended.