The NFL is investigating whether the Eagles and Falcons committed any wrongdoing just days before free agency officially began. On the surface, the two situations are very different. And maybe below that.
The Eagles appeared on the tampered radar screen during a 52-hour negotiation period in which Penn State coach James Franklin revealed the Eagles' recruitment of former Giants running back Saquon Barkley.・This is because he stated that he spoke directly with Roseman. The Eagles flatly denied any suggestion that agents talk to the players they represent during the pre-free agency period, when they discuss signing players who are still under contract with other teams. More importantly, Mr. Barkley said at his inaugural press conference that he had not heard directly from Mr. Roseman during the negotiation period.
Of course, even if that happened, Barkley (and other players and executives who were aware of this issue beforehand) would be inclined to deny it. The question becomes whether the NFL will examine phone records to see if Roseman called Barkley directly or if he received a call from Barkley. But most teams are smart enough not to leave such a clear digital footprint.
Except for the Falcons, apparently. The Falcons appear to have committed blatant cheating against former Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins. Recklessly too. It is likely that little effort was made to cover their tracks.
The best evidence comes from Cousins himself, who admitted — unprompted — at his introductory press conference on Tuesday that he had spoken with the team's head athletic trainer. Cousins also voluntarily acknowledged that he spoke with Falcons director of player personnel Ryan Pace. Although no specific time was applied to that conversation, Cousins' press conference took place just hours after the start of the new league year, and was also the point at which conversations between the Falcons and Cousins could have begun.
At one point, Cousins began saying he actually met with the head athletic trainer before changing “meeting” to “phone call.” It would be an even more egregious violation if the talks took place. (Team executives not involved in the situation say that if Cousins actually meets with the Falcons' head athletic trainer before 4 p.m. ET on March 13, the Falcons will forfeit their first-round draft pick. (He suggested that it should be.)
There is another wrinkle in the situation. The Falcons may have done extensive tampering with Cousins, making him a conduit for tampering with former Bears receiver Darnell Mooney. Cousins said in his induction press conference that at some point during the team's negotiations with Mooney, Cousins called Mooney directly and offered to be on the field. This shows that the Falcons jumped the line with Cousins and that Cousins was acting as an extension of the team. It also shows Cousins was scouting Mooney with the team's orders or permission, another violation.
The fact that Cousins did not know not to volunteer such information shows that the Falcons were not careful enough not to generate evidence of tampering. This suggests that if the league were to investigate, it would find a wealth of digital evidence (emails and texts) showing direct contact with Cousins during the negotiation period. The league could also find some interaction between the team and tight end Kyle Pitts. Pitts (again, according to Cousins) took the lead in acquiring Cousins weeks before the window opened with his agent.
This is the most blatant case of pre-free agency cheating we've ever seen. Let's deepen the layers. inception. It doesn't take into account subtlety or direction. And there's no point in having rules against tampering if the NFL won't fairly investigate and address the issue.
