Report: NFL investigating 2 teams for possible tampering

Apr 29, 2021; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; NFL commissioner Roger Goodell announces the final pick of the 2021 NFL Draft for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at First Energy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The NFL is investigating two teams for potential tampering violations.

ESPN’s Dan Graziano reported on Thursday that the NFL is looking into whether the Philadelphia Eagles and Atlanta Falcons violated tampering rules with their respective pursuits of Saquon Barkley and Kirk Cousins.

Barkley agreed to a 3-year, $37.75 million contract with the Eagles shortly after the legal tampering window of free agency opened on Monday. The legal tampering period for NFL free agents began on Monday at 12 p.m. EST and lasted until the start of the new league year at 4 p.m. EST Wednesday. During that period, certified agents are allowed to enter into negotiations with teams. Players are not permitted to speak directly with representatives from teams that are interested in signing them until the new league year begins.

Penn State coach James Franklin, who coached Barkley in college, indicated in an interview on Tuesday that Barkley had already spoken with Eagles general manager Howie Roseman, which would not have been permitted under league rules.

“For him now to come back and be able to play within the state, in Philadelphia, he said that was one of the first things that Howie said to him on the phone as part of his sales pitch to him was not only the Philadelphia Eagles and that but obviously the connection with Penn State and the fan base as well,” Franklin said, via ESPN’s Tim McManus.

An Eagles spokesperson said any recruiting that was done by the team prior to Wednesday would have been through an agent, which is allowed.

In Cousins’ case, the tampering probe stems from remarks the quarterback made himself during his introductory press conference with the Falcons on Wednesday.

The Kansas City Chiefs lost a third-round draft pick for speaking directly to receiver Jeremy Maclin during the legal tampering period years ago, so there is precedent for disciplinary action.

It is hardly a secret that teams speak directly with players prior to and during the legal tampering period. Otherwise, there is no way contracts would come together so quickly after the legal tampering period begins. But when a team gets caught, the NFL faces pressure to investigate. It probably does not help that Barkley signed with one of the Giants’ biggest rivals.