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The Atlanta Falcons got off easy for tampering with Kirk Cousins. This isn’t great for the NFL.
The league finally punished the Falcons for tampering with the former Minnesota Vikings quarterback. But, the Philadelphia Eagles faced no consequences for tampering with Saquon Barkley.
Ian Rapoport from NFL Network reported that the Eagles weren’t penalized. Meanwhile, the Falcons lost a fifth-round pick and were fined $300,000 for tampering with Cousins, Darnell Mooney, and Charlie Woerner.
This suggests the NFL didn’t have much evidence against the Falcons or anything on the Eagles. It’s a bad look for the league, as it sends a message that tampering is okay.
In reality, players about to hit free agency often know where they want to go. The NFL lost leverage here.
“I obviously have mixed feelings about this,” but it’s a referendum on the NFL league office.
In summary:
— The #Eagles were not penalized for tampering.
— The #Falcons lost a 2025 5th-round pick for violating the anti-tampering policy with Kirk Cousins, Darnell Mooney and Charlie Woerner. ATL was fined $250K and GM Terry Fontenot was fined $50K. pic.twitter.com/LZIzWBbrkx
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) June 13, 2024
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk isn’t happy about the Falcons getting off easy. “The NFL took only a fifth-round pick and imposed minimal fines on the Falcons for tampering with THREE DIFFERENT PLAYERS. Message to league = tamper away.”
Let’s discuss the ramifications of the NFL’s decision to give Atlanta a slap on the wrist and Philadelphia nothing.
Cousins and Woerner were likely always going to join Atlanta. Cousins’ wife is from Alpharetta, and he spends his offseasons in Metro Atlanta. Woerner, from Tiger, Georgia, played college football in Athens. Playing for his hometown team made sense.
As for Mooney, he may have had a connection with Falcons executive Ryan Pace from their time in Chicago. Despite the fines, Atlanta was aggressive this offseason. Aggressiveness often wins in football.
Overall, the league seems to be getting more player-friendly. This is a good thing. Happy players make for a better league. Plus, it’s important for teams in major cities like Atlanta and Philadelphia to have some excitement around them.
However, the NFL’s leniency could lead to more blatant tampering in the future. Another team might cross the line even more than the Falcons did. Will the NFL have the backbone to act then?
Today was a win for players and teams but a loss for the league’s control.
