The NFL is currently investigating potential tampering incidents involving the Eagles and Falcons just before free agency officially began. These two cases appear to be quite different at first glance, and possibly even more so upon closer examination.
The Eagles became a subject of interest in the tampering investigation due to comments made by Penn State coach James Franklin. He mentioned that Saquon Barkley, a former Giants running back, had direct conversations with Eagles General Manager Howie Roseman during the 52-hour negotiation period. The Eagles quickly refuted any claims that they had discussions with players who are represented by agents and still under contract with other teams during the pre-free agency window. Significantly, Barkley himself stated at his introductory press conference that he did not have direct communication with Roseman during the negotiation period.
However, Barkley, like any other player or executive with prior knowledge of the situation, would likely deny such interactions if they did occur. The real question is whether the NFL will examine phone records to determine if Roseman directly contacted Barkley, or vice versa. Most teams would typically avoid leaving such obvious digital evidence of their communications.
The Falcons, on the other hand, seem to have blatantly tampered with Kirk Cousins, the former Vikings quarterback, without much attempt to hide their actions. The clearest proof of this comes from Cousins himself who, during his introductory press conference, revealed without being asked that he had spoken to the team’s head athletic trainer on Tuesday. Cousins also mentioned a conversation with Falcons director of player personnel Ryan Pace, though he did not specify when this discussion took place. This press conference occurred shortly after the new league year began, which is also when the Falcons were officially allowed to start conversations with Cousins.
Interestingly, Cousins began to mention a meeting with the head athletic trainer before correcting himself to say it was a call. If a meeting had taken place, it would represent a more serious violation of the rules. An executive from another team suggested that if such a meeting occurred before 4:00 p.m. ET on March 13, the Falcons should face severe penalties, such as losing a first-round draft pick.
The situation becomes even more complicated as Cousins may have been used by the Falcons to tamper with Darnell Mooney, a former Bears receiver. Cousins admitted during his press conference that he offered to directly contact Mooney to pitch him on joining the team. This indicates that Cousins was acting on behalf of the Falcons to such an extent that he was involved in recruiting Mooney, which constitutes another violation.
The fact that Cousins disclosed this information so freely suggests the Falcons did not take enough precautions to avoid leaving evidence of tampering. It is likely that if the NFL investigates, it will uncover digital communications (emails and texts) that show direct contact with Cousins during the negotiation window. The investigation might also reveal communications involving the team and tight end Kyle Pitts, who, according to Cousins, played a significant role in recruiting him weeks before the official negotiation period began.
This situation represents one of the most blatant instances of pre-free-agency tampering ever seen. It is complex and shows a complete disregard for discretion. If the NFL does not thoroughly investigate and address this matter, it would call into question the purpose of having tampering rules at all.