It was earlier this spring that the NFL opened a tampering investigation against the Philadelphia Eagles after they signed All-Pro running back Saquon Barkley away from the division-rival New York Giants.
Barkley signed with Philadelphia shortly after the legal tampering period for NFL free agency opened in March. It had been speculated leading up to then that he was going to land in Philadelphia, adding another layer to potential tampering.
Comments Penn State head coach James Franklin made at the time raised some eyebrows around the NFL and potentially led to the league opening an investigation.
“For him now to come back and be able to play within the state, in Philadelphia, he said that was one of the first things that Howie said to him on the phone as part of his sales pitch to him was not only the Philadelphia Eagles and that but obviously the connection with Penn State and the fan base as well.”
Franklin on the Philadelphia Eagles’ signing of Saquon Barkley
Penalties against the Eagles if they were found to have tampered would’ve included fines and a loss of draft pick(s).
We now have more on this from the NFL itself.
Related: Updated Philadelphia Eagles news and rumors
NFL doesn’t find evidence that the Philadelphia Eagles tampering with Saquon Barkley
At about pretty much the same time that the league announced the Atlanta Falcons would be docked a fifth-round pick for tampering with Kirk Cousins, it also concluded that the Eagles did not tamper.
“After a thorough review of the Philadelphia Eagles signing of Saquon Barkley, the NFL today informed the club that the investigation did not discover sufficient evidence to support a finding that the Anti-Tampering Policy was violated.”
NFL statement
The 27-year-old Barkley came over to Philadelphia on a three-year, $37.75 million contract back in March after spending his first six NFL seasons with the Giants.
This past season saw the Penn State product record 1,242 total yards and 10 touchdowns in 14 games. He’ll be a dynamic threat in the backfield to go with quarterback Jalen Hurts.