Kirk Cousins’ return to the Minnesota Vikings in 2024 was always going to be a challenging task, but the Atlanta Falcons’ actions made it all the more impossible.
In an appearance on the March 20th episode of the “What the Football” podcast, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk charged that the Falcons were engaging in “the most blatant case of tampering” that he had ever come across.
“Tampering is a major aspect of the NFL and it occurs frequently. When agents and team representatives meet in person, conversations take place, according to Florio. But you have to exercise some care and not just announce to the world that you’ve messed with this guy. Furthermore, I think the Falcons’ pursuit of Kirk Cousins is the clearest example of tampering I’ve ever witnessed.
By getting Kirk Cousins to recruit Darnell Mooney, Florio accused the Falcons of “tampering within tampering.”
With his charges against the Falcons, who will give Cousins $180 million over the course of a four-year contract with $100 million fully guaranteed, Florio didn’t stop there.
Additionally, he charged that the team was using its newfound bond with Cousins to exert pressure on the quarterback to use his clout to lure former Chicago Bears wide receiver Darnell Mooney to Atlanta.
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Florio went on, “Someone recruited [Cousins] to recruit Darnell Mooney from the Bears.” That’s tampering inside of tampering, then. There were several tampering levels. The cousins seemed indifferent to the topic, as they discussed it candidly. It was really obvious.
