Soon after Kirk Cousins’ inaugural news conference with the Falcons, tampering claims became the hot topic. Atlanta’s new quarterback appears to have hinted at some actions that the NFL may consider illegal.
“There’s great people here,” Cousins said at his first press conference. “But it’s not only the football squad. I mean, I am looking at the support workers. Yesterday, we met, called our head athletic trainer, and spoke with our head of public relations. I think we’ve got some good folks here. And that is exciting to be a part of.
Not long after, the league said that they would be reviewing the situation, and that is where we are now. No discipline has been issued, but those at the top of the Falcons organization, beginning with Arthur Blank, do not appear to be concerned.
“Any time the word ‘tampering’ comes up, you worry about it,” Blank told USA TODAY Sports at the owner’s meetings in Orlando. “I know there was no meddling from our end. Whatever conversation there was was quite benign. We will see. Whatever the league decides, we will deal with it.
“There was nothing intentional,” Blank stated. “Minneapolis understands that. That is something the athlete understands.
Raheem Morris, the Falcons’ new head coach, made similar sentiments about the situation, saying he is confident that his staff did the right thing in bringing Cousins to Atlanta.
Tampering in the NFL is the epitome of futility. There are rules prohibiting it, and hardly no organization observes them. Even if the Falcons are found guilty of breaking the rules, I suspect they will get more than a slap on the wrist.
The Falcons were able to get Kirk Cousins out of Minnesota not because they interacted with him and his reps before to the permissible tampering period. It’s because they were willing to go above and above in their contract offer, providing him with more years, guarantees, and overall compensation than the Vikings. If anything, the Falcons’ tampering has accelerated what was already going to happen. The Vikings were never going to get that far, which is why Kirk Cousins is in Atlanta.
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