The NFL made rulings on two high-profile tampering investigations Thursday: The Atlanta Falcons were disciplined for an “improper” courtship of new quarterback Kirk Cousins, while the Philadelphia Eagles were cleared of alleged wrongdoing for their own addition of running back Saquon Barkley.
So which parties were the real winners and losers of Thursday’s announcements? Let’s review:
Winner: Atlanta Falcons
Wait, really? The team publicly outed for tampering with Cousins? General manager Terry Fontenot probably isn’t jumping for joy over his $50,000 fine, but consider the big picture here: The NFL declared that Atlanta had direct, impermissible contact with not only Cousins but two other free agents — wide receiver Darnell Mooney and tight end Charlie Woerner — during the pre-free agency negotiating period, which is expressly prohibited. All three players ended up signing with the team. And yet all the Falcons are forfeiting is a 2025 fifth-round draft pick. “Minimal” as their violations may have been, reportedly occurring after players had likely agreed to terms on contracts via their agents, this is like ordering an ice-cream sundae and then being told you simply can’t have the cherry on top. Just two years ago, remember, the Miami Dolphins were stripped of first- and third-round picks (!), and their owner fined $1.5 million, for allegedly tampering with Tom Brady and Sean Payton from 2019-2021, and neither Brady nor Payton even ended up joining the team.
This isn’t to suggest the Vikings would’ve kept Cousins had the Falcons not improperly communicated with the signal-caller during the negotiating window. By that point, frankly, Minnesota had probably pivoted to a post-Cousins strategy, preparing for its eventual quarterback double dip: Sam Darnold in free agency, J.J. McCarthy in the draft. But it has to sting a little bit that the Falcons are getting off fairly easily for…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/winners-and-losers-from-nfls-tampering-rulings-falcons-avoid-major-discipline-giants-fans-may-be-sour-again/
Author : Cody Benjamin
Publish date : 2024-06-13 16:08:20
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