According to Dianna Russini of The Athletic, the NFL will look into any tampering infractions committed by the Philadelphia Eagles in their pursuit of former New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley as a free agency.
The league will investigate the Atlanta Falcons’ pursuit of quarterback Kirk Cousins in addition to the Barkley/Eagles incident.
It is “standard for the league to look into such matters,” according to Russini.
Barkley’s college head coach at Penn State, James Franklin, caused a stir when he revealed that Howie Roseman, the general manager of the Eagles, had talked with Barkley directly before to signing him to a $37.75 million, three-year contract that included a $26 million guarantee. Teams are not permitted to interact with players directly during the free agency negotiation window, often known as the legal tampering window. Instead, they may only communicate via the representatives of the players.
Franklin had stated, “He said it was one of the first things Howie said to him on the phone as part of his sales pitch.” In addition to the Philadelphia Eagles, there’s the relationship with Penn State and the support system. Thus, it’s just a very awesome chance.
Barkley has not been in direct communication with the Eagles. In 2016, the Kansas City Chiefs lost a third-round selection due to inappropriate communication with former Eagles wide receiver Jeremy Maclin while pursuing him as a free agency.