Kirk Cousins ​​tampering penalty leaves Atlanta Falcons smiling and Vikings seething

In a perfect world, no one commits an offense. For the Atlanta Falcons, tampering with potential free agents cost them a 2025 fifth-round pick and $250,000. Additionally, the Falcons general manager felt his wallet opened in the form of a $50,000 fine.

That said, in the minds of Falcons executives, was Kirk Cousins ​​worth a forfeiture of his draft pick and a quarter-million dollar penalty? Of course.

Moment of honesty

Now, other media outlets wanted to paint the problem as serious for Atlanta, but that may have been wishful thinking coming from Vikings sources. In all honesty, the fine is becoming the cost of doing business in today’s NFL. If you truly believe in the purity of the NFL, a real estate agent will happily sell you oceanfront property in Wyoming.

Looking at who founded the National Football League from a family perspective, the quest for honesty fails. Google the names of prominent NFL families who created the billion-dollar monster and you’ll see a long list of alleged angels with dirty halos.

Falcons’ point of view

Did the Falcons expect the league to find out and impose punishment? No. Do they really care? No. Will the $250,000 fine hurt? No way. That’s 0.25% as 0.0025 of the $100 million guaranteed that Kirk Cousins ​​will receive over the next two years. That’s less than 1% of the dead money Cousins ​​has on the Vikings’ salary cap.

Certainly, general manager Terry Fontenot feels the financial difficulties a little more. Anyone who personally loses $50,000 must be seething when the deduction shows up in transactions. Still, Atlanta signed the quarterback they wanted, and Fontenot will likely receive a $50,000 discretionary bonus in the near future.

Kirk Cousins ​​provides an immediate upgrade. Within the confines of the NFC South, no team stands out above the rest. The penalty therefore counts more as a success. By securing Cousins ​​and reshuffling the roster, Atlanta immediately figures into the divisional hunt in 2024.

Viking point of view

Oddly, a few Vikings faithful seem upset. Make sense of this. The same fan base that lamented his lack of playoff success and was happy to see his back is angry at the Falcons?

Still, the enmity directed at the Falcons seems misplaced, considering the franchise wanted to draft a first-round quarterback anyway, which the Falcons ended up doing, but we digress. Essentially, being upset about just being crazy is evolving into a cottage industry in the Upper Midwest. However, they will have the opportunity to get the revenge they need on the pitch.

Sunday clash

On Sunday, December 8, the Falcons will travel to Minneapolis to face the Vikings.
The slap on the wrist is the backdrop to the game. Whether the Falcons win or not, they win. When it comes to targeting the free agents they want, for what the league has mandated, they come away a winner.