Knowing they needed to upgrade at quarterback this offseason, the Atlanta Falcons pieced together an aggressive plan in free agency. Falcons GM Terry Fontenot identified several top targets, and he wound up signing Kirk Cousins to the most expensive contract in free agency.
However, the matter of how Cousins reached a four-year, $180 million contract during the opening stages of free agency raised some eyebrows around the league. Then, during his introductory press conference with Atlanta, Cousins doubled down and made several hints that he and the Falcons unknowingly violated the NFL’s anti-tampering policy.
The NFL then opened an investigation into the Falcons’ signings, which also included taking a closer look at how Atlanta got Darnell Mooney and Charlie Woerner under contract too.
Now, the NFL has completed its investigation, and the Falcons are being penalized, though the damages are nowhere near what some expected. According to Tom Pelissero, the Falcons are set to lose a 2025 fifth-round pick and are also being fined $250K.
Related: See where Kirk Cousins lands in Sportsnaut’s NFL QB Rankings
Many are asking why the Falcons got off so easily, despite signing the NFL’s most valuable free agent, and Pelissero provided a strong reason why.
“Key part of the NFL’s findings on the #Falcons: The violations were found to have occurred *during* the two-day negotiating window, not before it opened, e.g. talking to players about flights after they’d (legally) agreed to terms. Hence, less discipline than in some other cases.”
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero on Atlanta Falcons tampering punishment
Perhaps Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio said it best when reacting to Atlanta’s punishment.
If a team can get away with tampering, even when signing who many agreed was the best free agent available, and only lose a fifth-round pick in exchange, why shouldn’t everyone follow the Falcons’ blueprint next offseason?
