'If it were the Patriots...'
The NFL finally announced the findings of its weeks-long investigation into tampering allegations levied against the Philadelphia Eagles and Atlanta Falcons on Thursday.
The Eagles were not penalized, as it was found they had no illegal contact with Saquon Barkley prior to signing him this offseason. The Falcons? It appears they love to tamper.
Atlanta was found to have violated the anti-tampering policy with Kirk Cousins, Darnell Mooney and Charlie Woerner, though it only lost a 2025 fifth-round pick for the violation. The Falcons were fined $250k and general manager Terry Fontenot was fined $50k, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Media.
Could it have been any lighter of a slap on the wrist?
That’s the question many asked specifically relating the punishment to the New England Patriots and their many run-ins with the NFL.
The NFL is essentially telling teams to tamper away when it comes to top-of-market free agents. The Minnesota Vikings, San Francisco 49ers, Chicago Bears, Patriots and 27 other teams in the league have every right to be peeved.
How long until they make a change to the way tampering is policed?