In information that has nothing to do with the Chicago Bears trading Justin Fields, a pair of former Bears (and anybody the Bears are quite acquainted with) discover themselves in the center of an NFL tampering investigation
Ryan Pace, Darnell Mooney, and Kirk Cousins are key cogs in the NFL’s cutting-edge offseason tampering investigation.
Yes, that sentence was bizarre to kind out and I think about it was weird to read. But observe me for a moment.
This tweet from NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero caught me with the aid of surprise as transactions were flying at the begin of the new league year…
The NFL is looking into conceivable tampering by means of the #Eagles and #Falcons prior to the start of free agency, as is wellknown in such matters, per league source.— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 14, 2024
… but I wasn’t sure what to do with it in the heat of the moment due to the fact there used to be so a great deal going on and I used to be at a point where I didn’t even understand what to do with my hands. However, the weekend rolled around and clarity came through this post from Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio. And I’m beginning to assume someone is going to be in bother because of some phrases that had been stated and timelines just not adding up.
Most teams, however, would be smart enough to not leave such clear digital footprints.
Except for the Falcons, apparently. The Falcons appear to have engaged in blatant tampering with former Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins. Recklessly. With doubtlessly little effort made to cowl their tracks.
The satisfactory evidence comes from Cousins himself, who admitted throughout his introductory press conference — except prompting — that he spoke to the team’s head athletic coach on Tuesday.
Cousins additionally spontaneously admitted that he spoke with Falcons director of participant personnel Ryan Pace. While no specific time used to be applied to that conversation, the Cousins press conference came about simply a few hours after the start of the new league year, which additionally marks the factor at which conversations between the Falcons and Cousins may want to commence.
The situation has another wrinkle. The Falcons may have tampered so considerably with Cousins that Cousins became the conduit for tampering with former Bears receiver Darnell Mooney.
Cousins said at his introductory press convention that, at one point all through the team’s negotiations with Mooney, Cousins provided to call Mooney directly to make the pitch. This suggests that the Falcons had jumped over the line with Cousins so a long way that Cousins was working as an extension of the team. It additionally suggests that Cousins was recruiting Mooney at the behest of or with the permission of the team, which is a separate violation.
If you would’ve heard the chortle I just let out after reading Florio’s line about the Falcons tampering so badly with Cousins that it roped in former Bears vast receiver Darnell Mooney into its own separate tampering shenanigan.
