Kirk Cousins has shrugged off the tampering allegations involving him and the Atlanta Falcons.
The quarterback, who inked a massive 4-year, $180million (£141.8m) deal with Atlanta in March, appeared to let slip that there had been direct contact between him and the team during the legal negotiating period in March, which is a clear no-no under NFL rules.
"The league’s still kind of going through that," Cousins, who arrived in Atlanta after a successful spell with the Minnesota Vikings, said during the team's OTA press conference last week. "So, I’ll let them do it. But there’s not a whole lot there."
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The investigation was prompted after Cousins had said at his introductory press conference: "There’s great people here. 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."
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Cousins hit the market as one of the hottest free-agent quarterbacks. The NFL's free agency period commenced with a 52-hour legal tampering phase starting March 11, during which teams are strictly prohibited from making direct contact with players, though they can start talks with agents and representatives.
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Cousins suffered a season-ending injury in 2023 (Getty Images)The Falcons announced the signing of Kirk Cousins on March 13, the first day of unrestricted free agency. However, Cousins' own words during his introduction raised eyebrows as he mentioned "meeting" - quickly amending it to "calling" - the team's athletic trainer, and revealed that Kyle Pitts had been wooing him to Atlanta "weeks ago," hinting at potential tampering if the tight end acted with the team's blessing.
Cousins' alleged interaction with the Atlanta medical team likely relates to concerns about a season-ending Achilles injury. Since taking over as the starting quarterback in Washington in 2015, Cousins has become one of the NFL's most dependable passers, missing only one game and racking up three consecutive seasons with over 4,200 passing yards leading into 2023.
Despite this, his recent injury and age - he'll be 36 by the start of the 2024 season - have sparked some worries about his longevity in the league.
Atlanta escaped immediate draft repercussions, as the NFL extended its investigation into the Falcons beyond the late-April draft. Nevertheless, they could face a serious penalty, including the loss of future draft picks.
Still, within the Falcons camp, reassurances of their innocence echo throughout, with owner Arthur Blank delivering a clear message: "The tampering deal, we obviously don’t believe we tampered, and we shared all the information with the league... they’ll review the process and the facts and they are in the middle of doing that, and whatever the result is, we’ll deal with it."
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