The NFL has strict rules for when and how players and teams are allowed to speak with each other, generally banning all direct contact outside of the free agency period. And it sounds like the league is investigating two teams for potential tampering violations related to those rules.
According to a report from Dan Graziano of ESPN, the NFL is looking into potential tampering violations from the Atlanta Falcons and the Philadelphia Eagles.
“Per a league source, the NFL is looking into potential tampering by the Eagles and the Falcons related to the free-agent signings of Saquon Barkley and Kirk Cousins,” Graziano said in a post on X, the social media website that was formerly known as Twitter.
Per a league source, the NFL is looking into potential tampering by the Eagles and the Falcons related to the free-agent signings of Saquon Barkley and Kirk Cousins.
— Dan Graziano (@DanGrazianoESPN) March 14, 2024
If the league does determine that the Eagles or the Falcons are guilty of tampering, they could face punishment. Teams can be fined and stripped of draft picks if they are found to have tampered with a player, and sometimes those penalties are rather severe.
In 2022, the NFL suspended Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross, fined him $1.5 million, and stripped the team of their 2023 first-round draft pick and 2024 third-round pick for tampering with quarterback Tom Brady and former New Orleans Saints (now Denver Broncos) coach Sean Payton.
Though it’s unlikely either team will face punishment quite that dramatic, there certainly could be some punishment.
