Report: Falcons could face significant discipline for tampering

Dec 27, 2010; Houston, TX, USA; Atlanta Falcons helmet on the field before a game against the New Orleans Saints at the Georgia Dome. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

The NFL is nearing a conclusion in its tampering investigations involving the Atlanta Falcons and Philadelphia Eagles, and it sounds like one of the teams could face significant punishment.

Atlanta is being investigated for potentially meeting with and recruiting quarterback Kirk Cousins before league rules allowed. The Eagles have faced similar allegations with their handling of star running back Saquon Barkley. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on Sunday that the league will likely announce its findings in the tampering investigations this week.

According to Schefter, the Falcons’ alleged violations are viewed as “more significant” than Philadephia’s, and Atlanta’s discipline is expected to be “more severe.”

There is plenty of precedent for significant punishment if a team is found to have committed tampering violations. The Miami Dolphins had their 2023 first-round and 2024 third-round picks taken away after the league determined that they violated tampering rules on multiple occasions from 2019-2022 while trying to recruit Tom Brady and Sean Payton. Dolphins owner Stephen Ross was also fined $1.5 million.

Before that, the Chiefs had to forfeit a 2016 third-round pick and 2017 sixth-round pick for tampering with wide receiver Jeremy Maclin during the 2015 offseason. The team was fined $250,000, head coach Andy Reid was fined $75,000, and then-general manager John Dorsey was fined $25,000.

There is almost no question Atlanta violated tampering rules before they signed Cousins. We know this because the 35-year-old admitted that he had direct contact with members of the Falcons organization before league rules would have permitted it. Even if it is common for teams to recruit free agents before the legal tampering window opens, there is a “don’t ask, don’t tell” mentality that exists across the league.

Cousins has since tried to downplay any alleged violations, but some sort of punishment seems inevitable for the Falcons.