Kirk Cousins Tampering Investigation Ends with Falcons Having “Improper Contact”
Well, there’s no direct benefit to the Vikings in the Kirk Cousins tampering investigation.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter provides the update: “NFL ruled the Falcons had improper contact with prospective unrestricted free agents Kirk Cousins, Darnell Mooney, and Charlie Woerner during the two-day negotiating period prior to the start of the 2024 League Year.”
The Result of the Kirk Cousins Tampering Investigation
Kirk Cousins is going to be Atlanta’s QB1 in 2024. After the current season, it’s anyone’s guess given that Michael Penix Jr. was scooped up at No. 8 in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Earlier in the week, Josh Frey of PurplePTSD wrote about the tampering situation, noting that a resolution should be coming soon. Frey was responding to another report from Schefter that was clarifying that a decision was upcoming.
Schefter offers more thoughts in the update from today.
First up, the penalty: “Atlanta will forfeit its original fifth-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft and pay a fine of $250,000, while General Manager Terry Fontenot has been fined $50,000.”
And then some broader thoughts on the situation: “While the policy permits clubs to engage with and negotiate all aspects of an NFL player contract with the certified agent of any prospective unrestricted free agent during the two-day negotiating period, any direct contact between the player and an employee or representative of the club is prohibited. This includes discussion of travel arrangements or other logistical matters, which the club acknowledges took place with regard to these three players.”
Prior to tearing his Achilles in Week 8, Kirk Cousins was having a strong season in Minnesota. He led Minnesota back from a paltry 1-4 start to a .500 record, climbing to 4-4 with a win at Lambeau. His personal stats were impressive. Cousins was completing 69.5% of his passes while piling up 2,331 yards, 18 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions.
Cousins agreed to a four-year contract to become a Falcon. The deal promises to pay the quarterback a whopping $180 million.
Minnesota and Atlanta are scheduled to play each other in Week 14 of the upcoming season.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference and Over the Cap helped with this piece.
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K. Joudry is the Senior Editor for Vikings Territory and PurplePTSD. He has been covering the Vikings full time since the summer of 2021. He can be found on Twitter and as a co-host for Notes from the North, a humble Vikings podcast.