The Falcons could end up paying more than just the $180 million deal they agreed to with Kirk Cousins, especially in light of recent accusations about tampering charges involving their newly signed QB. The ex-Vikings man, during a press conference, let it slip that the Falcons GM and their front office had made prior contact with him, even before the free agency window opened, which opened a whole can of worms.
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Interestingly, however, the Dirty Birds are not alone in waiting for the axe to fall since the Philadelphia Eagles sit in the same boat for tampering charges in Saquon Barkley’s trade. As per Adam Schefter, both teams could learn their punishment as early as this week. But the punishment for teams would likely be different, with the Falcons likely to be dealt with more severely.
Moreover, it was also revealed that Kyle Pitts reached out to the former Vikings QB with a recruiting pitch. If the league finds any solid evidence of Pitts acting with the team’s approval, the Falcons would look at another violation.
The punishment could result in a forfeiture of draft picks, with the Falcons likely to lose a selection or two in 2025, possibly a first-round pick and a few other picks. If the worst-case scenario occurs, the club might have to swap picks with the Vikings, who would move to the 8th slot from 11. It’s also worth mentioning that there have been similar cases in the past that resulted in guilty teams losing their draft picks.
Tampering History in the NFL
Dolphins owner Stephen Ross and vice chairman/limited partner Bruce Beal made an ambitious plan to bring Tom Brady and Sean Payton to Miami. They apparently tried to pursue the duo a total of three times between 2010 and 2022. However, these conversations breached the anti-tampering policy on all three occasions, and after a six-month investigation, both Stephen and Bruce were found guilty.
It ended up costing Miami their 1st round pick (2023) and a 3rd round pick (2024). Moreover, Stephen and Bruce were fined $1.5 million and $50k, respectively.
Then there’s the case of the Kansas City Chiefs, who tampered with the league’s anti-tampering policy when they made illegal contact with receiver Jeremy Maclin before the 2015 free agency. This cost them a third-round draft pick in 2016 and a sixth-round choice in 2017. Besides that, they were also fined $250,000, with personal fines doled out to Andy Reid and general manager John Dorsey for $75k and $25,000, respectively.
While the fans and club may think the punishment seems excessive, this is a common trend across sports to prevent such infractions from happening in the future. In soccer, the clubs get transfer bans for dodgy dealings. For reference, Chelsea, Roma, Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Atletico have all been found guilty of shady transfer dealings.
