NFL Tampering Probe of Falcons' Cousins, Eagles' Barkley Won't End Before 2024 Draft

The NFL said Tuesday the tampering investigations into the Atlanta Falcons and Philadelphia Eagles won't wrap up in time for the 2024 NFL draft.

As a result, any draft sanctions issued to either team wouldn't go into effect until 2025 at the earliest.

The league continues to examine whether the Falcons or Eagles ran afoul of the tampering rules when they respectively signed quarterback Kirk Cousins and running back Saquon Barkley.

The early evidence against both teams didn't look good.

During his introductory press conference with Atlanta, Cousins told reporters he had spoken with the team's head athletic trainer at a point before he was allowed to do so. The four-time Pro Bowler is still recovering from his season-ending Achilles injury.

Philadelphia, meanwhile, has Barkley's college coach partly to thank for its current predicament. Penn State head coach James Franklin said in March that Eagles general manager Howie Roseman made a direct pitch to the veteran ball-carrier during the legal tampering period, which isn't allowed.

Atlanta and Philadelphia have both denied the allegations of tampering, but they've yet to exonerated by the NFL.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Monday a final judgment could potentially arrive this week and include draft-related penalties. He added the consequences for the Falcons are "expected to be more severe."

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk detailed in March why Atlanta could be in particularly hot water.

There are the questions of whether Cousins or his agent spoke to Falcons officials before the negotiating window opened and whether the conversations, if they happened, included the exchange of any medical information about his surgically repaired Achilles. The NFL will also want to determine whether Cousins violated any rules by speaking with Atlanta's trainer. In addition, Florio pondered whether the Falcons launched a coordinated effort to have their players individually sell the quarterback on signing with the team.

There's never a good time for a team to lose draft picks. It at least doesn't appear the Falcons or Eagles will be left scrambling days before this year's draft.