The Philadelphia Eagles and Arizona Cardinals settled a tampering dispute on Thursday just before the start of the NFL Draft, but according to one report, the hard feelings are lingering from the franchise toward former defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon.
The Eagles and Cardinals announced Thursday that they had reached a settlement regarding a tampering investigation involving Gannon, who was hired as Arizona’s head coach following Philadelphia’s Super Bowl loss to Kansas City. The Cardinals had admitted that GM Monti Ossenfort spoke by phone with Gannon following the NFC Championship game, which is not allowed under NFL rules. The Eagles and Cardinals wound up swapping third-round picks, which helped Philly move up by nearly a full round.
The case has led to questions about Gannon as it relates to the Super Bowl. According to columnist Marcus Hayes of the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Eagles are privately “furious” over the situation, and some in the organization are now questioning whether Gannon was fully focused on the game against Kansas City. The Eagles were so “irate” that they held out for more compensation from the Cardinals.
Hayes even writes that Gannon appeared “giddy” at the team’s otherwise morose afterparty at the team hotel in Phoenix following their 38-35 loss to the Chiefs.
Notably, Gannon said after the NFC Championship that he expected to remain with the Eagles. He was a frequent subject of criticism from Eagles fans despite the team’s success, and Gannon fired back at them a bit after landing the Arizona job. The team’s Super Bowl performance, which saw them give up 24 second-half points and fail to sack Patrick Mahomes once, was not well-received by fans either.
