Before the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft started on Thursday, the Eagles and Cardinals had announced a trade. No, Philadelphia was not trading up to the third overall pick, rather, the two sides agreed on a pick swap, as a form of settlement.
ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter reported on Thursday that two sides had settled a tampering investigation involving the hiring of former Philadelphia defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon as Arizona’s head coach. The two teams released a statement that indicated that Arizona made impermissible contact with Gannon during its head coaching search this past January.
The Cardinals self-reported to the league that general manager Monti Ossenfort had a phone conversation with then-Eagles DC, Jonathan Gannon, in the days following the NFC Championship Game. Contact during that time is not permitted, according to the NFL’s Anti-Tampering policy.
“I made a mistake,” Ossenfort said, via Pro Football Talk. “I own that. It’s a situation we were able to resolve. I have apologized to [Cardinals owner] Michael Bidwill. I’ve apologized to our staff. The deal we worked out, it is what it is and we are moving on from it.”
The Cardinals traded the 66th pick in this year’s draft to the Eagles for the 94th pick and 2024 fifth-round selection. Following the trade, Philadelphia now owns picks Nos. 62 and 66 overall.
[Pro Football Talk, Adam Schefter on Twitter]
About Sam Neumann
Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.