NFL Rumors: Saquon Barkley-Eagles, Cousins-Falcons Contracts Reviewed for Tampering

The NFL is investigating whether the Philadelphia Eagles or Atlanta Falcons were guilty of tampering before the free-agency negotiating window opened, according to ESPN's Dan Graziano.

For the Eagles, the allegation centers around running back Saquon Barkley, and Atlanta is under the microscope regarding quarterback Kirk Cousins.

Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio wrote Wednesday that Cousins may have inadvertently created some problems for Atlanta when he told reporters he had met with the team's head athletic trainer before he was allowed to do so.

"While it often happens, it rarely comes to light so clearly," Florio wrote. "It's exactly the kind of thing that could get the league to mobilize, even though it typically looks the other way when it comes to tampering."

Barkley and the Eagles, meanwhile, are under scrutiny based on comments his former coach made this week. Penn State head coach James Franklin spoke about a conversation the two-time Pro Bowler had with Philly's general manager, Howie Roseman.

ESPN's Tim McManus quickly reported the Eagles denied Roseman and Barkley had any impermissible contact, asserting instead that Barkley's agent had been the conduit with team representatives.

Florio alluded to illicit tampering being relatively commonplace because there's no other explanation for why so many deals come across the wire so quickly after the negotiating window opens. The key is leaving no paper trail or saying anything to arouse the NFL's interests.

The league has come down somewhat hard in the past when teams were guilty of tampering.

The Kansas City Chiefs had to surrender third- and sixth-round draft choices when they ran afoul of the rules when signing wide receiver Jeremy Maclin during the 2015 offseason. The penalties for the Miami Dolphins were much more severe when their representatives had impermissible contact with quarterback Tom Brady.

For the Eagles and/or Falcons, their big signings may carry an additional cost.