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Kirk Cousins should be more careful with his words. The quarterback's statements prompted the NFL to begin an investigation for tampering in his hiring with the Atlanta Falcons. Now, he is shrugging off in the face of what could be a serious problem for the team.
Just a few hours after g his contract this past March 13, during his presentation to the Falcons, Cousins hinted that he had had with the team's management during the prohibition of between the team and the player period.
NFL rules have a strict 52-hour window beginning March 11 each year in which teams cannot come into with players. Management can continue to speak with the player's representatives, but direct is strictly prohibited.
Despite this, during a press conference after g the agreement with the team, Cousins declared, "There's great people here. And it's not just the football team. I mean, I'm looking at the 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."
Cousins doesn't think it's a big deal
Meeting with the Falcons trainer is a clear no-no under tampering rules. Cousins doesn't seem worried about it, though. In recent statements, the former Minnesota Vikings quarterback simply said, "The league's still kind of going through that."
During a press conference following the first organized team activities (OTAs) this weekend, Cousins explained, "I'll let them do it. But there's not a whole lot there."
The NFL announced it would resolve the case after the 2024 Draft. However, there has been no announcement in this regard yet. For its part, the Falcons board has repeatedly maintained its innocence.
The Falcons do not believe they tampered
Arthur Blank, the team's owner, ruled out that they broke the rules during the negotiations with Cousins. "The tampering deal, we obviously don't believe we tampered, and we shared all the information with the league," said the Falcons owner.
He explained, too, "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."
The Falcons' offseason is in full swing. The first voluntary minicamp was at the end of April, and the first OTAs from the second week of May. The OTAs will continue during May and June, and the first mandatory minicamp will be from June 10 to 12.