NFL slaps Falcons for tampering with Kirk Cousins, plus Patriots honor Tom Brady with rousing tribute

Happy Thursday, everyone! John Breech is enjoying some much-needed offseason rest, so you’ve got me, Cody Benjamin, to deliver all the latest from around the NFL, right here in the Pick Six newsletter.

Be sure to subscribe right here, to ensure you never miss a daily dose of NFL updates. Today we’ve got NFL tampering news, a Tom Brady night to remember and so much more. 

Kirk Cousins
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Three months after signing Cousins to a $180 million deal to kick off free agency, Atlanta has been penalized for having “improper contact” with the former Minnesota Vikings quarterback during this year’s negotiating period. The punishment: forfeiture of a 2025 fifth-round draft pick and payment of a $250,000 fine, with general manager Terry Fontenot also docked $50,000.

While the tampering violations did not involve communications prior to the NFL’s two-day negotiating window in March, per NFL Media, they likely included Cousins — plus fellow signees Darnell Mooney and Charlie Woerner — making direct contact and/or travel arrangements with Atlanta before their contracts could be finalized. The Philadelphia Eagles, on the other hand, were cleared of potential tampering charges for signing former New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley, the NFL said.

2. Backup QB watch: Dolphins, Lions may need help

Speaking of big-name quarterbacks, not every team has the luxury of entering 2024 with both a premium starter and backup plan. We’ve sorted through every depth chart to identify six quietly concerning No. 2 spots, while proposing some potential upgrades. Two 2023 playoff teams made the list:

Detroit Lions | Current backup: Hendon Hooker | Proposal: Trade for Taylor Heinicke

Hooker has a third-round pedigree, but he’s 26 and still in the learning stages of the No. 2 role,…

Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/nfl-slaps-falcons-for-tampering-with-kirk-cousins-plus-patriots-honor-tom-brady-with-rousing-tribute/

Author : Cody Benjamin

Publish date : 2024-06-13 17:00:15

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