Kirk Cousins
ArticlesFeaturedNFLBy Arthur Weinstein on

Kirk Cousins’ introductory media conference with the Atlanta Falcons on Wednesday featured everything you would expect (praise, big goals, etc.) and something no one expected — an apparent admission of illegal tampering by the veteran quarterback.

The former Minnesota Vikings quarterback is signing a whopping four-year, $180 million contract, with $100 million guaranteed, to join the Falcons. The deal was announced Monday, so of course that means there had to be some negotiations going on before the NFL’s so-called “legal tampering” period began at noon ET that day. Teams are not supposed to negotiate or share information with players or their agents before that legal  tampering period begins, and no deals could officially be signed until Wednesday afternoon.

So while everyone knows tampering goes on and it’s been a fact of life for years in the NFL, it’s not often players seem to admit it, especially at a high-profile event as Cousins seemed to do Wednesday.

Those legal tampering rules only allow a player’s certified agent, not the player, to conduct negotiations during that period. Players are not allowed to contact anyone with the team before free agency officially begins. That was at 4 p.m. (ET) Wednesday.

Cousins seemed to admit he did just that, although it slipped out by accident.

“There’s great people here,” Cousins said. “And it’s not just the football team. I mean, I’m looking at the support staff. Meeting — calling, yesterday, calling our head athletic trainer, talking to our head of PR. I’m thinking, we got good people here. And that’s exciting to be a part of.”

Those remarks start around the 9:25 mark in the video below.

Teams can be fined and stripped of draft picks if they are found to have tampered with a player. The penalties are relatively rare considering that everyone knows tampering is a fact of life behind the scenes, but penalties can be dramatic. In 2022, the NFL suspended Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross, fined him $1.5 million and stripped the team of their 2023 first-round draft pick and 2024 third-round pick for tampering with quarterback Tom Brady and former New Orleans Saints (now Denver Broncos) coach Sean Payton.

So whether or not the NFL will take a closer look at Cousins’ remarks, the NFL world at large debated them in depth Wednesday on X/Twitter.


[Pro Football Talk]

About Arthur Weinstein

Arthur spends his free time traveling around the U.S. to sporting events, state and national parks, and in search of great restaurants off the beaten path.

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