Salty Mike Florio Rips NFL Over Atlanta Falcons Tampering Penalty

The fix is ​​here. At least that’s the case according to Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio.

The NFL insider argued that the league gave preferential treatment to the Atlanta Falcons, with the decision depriving the team of a 2025 fifth-round pick on Thursday. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported that the league was taking away the draft pick as punishment for “inappropriate contact” with unrestricted free agents Kirk Cousins, Darnell Mooney and Charlie Woerner this offseason.

The Falcons were also fined $250,000 and the league fined Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot $50,000.

But Florio argued that, based on logic, common sense and precedent, the league’s punishment was no match for the Falcons’ crime.

“Eight years ago, the league stripped the Chiefs of a third-round pick for speaking directly to a player – Eagles wide receiver Jeremy Maclin – during the pre-free agency negotiating window,” Florio wrote.

“Either the league has changed its view on tampering, or the Falcons got a bye because team manager Rich McKay is the chairman of the competition committee. Or, perhaps, the league doesn’t doesn’t want to draw too much attention to cheating, at a time when more and more people believe the solution is there.

“Two years ago, the Dolphins lost a first-round pick and a third-round pick for tampering with Sean Payton and Tom Brady, and Miami ended up employing neither.”

Florio’s displeasure with the league’s punishment of the Falcons may be sincere. Other media experts, such as CBS Sports’ Cody Benjamin, agreed with Florio’s assertion that the NFL had failed to follow its previously set precedent for tampering violations.

But Florio cannot be considered a completely objective journalist with this story either. Florio is a self-proclaimed Minnesota Vikings fan and might just be upset that his team lost its Pro Bowl starting quarterback in free agency.

Second, it’s quite possible, even likely, that Florio’s sources on Atlanta’s punishment came from the Vikings organization. It turned out that these one-sided sources were wrong, and therefore Florio too.

Pelissero reported that the league concluded that the Falcons’ violations of the league’s anti-tampering policy were considered “logistical/administrative.” The Falcons arranged their travel directly with the players during the trading window, when the team was supposed to communicate only with the players’ agents.

Bottom line, according to the league’s investigation, the Falcons didn’t even really tamper. Their violation was “inappropriate contact.”

But Florio didn’t stop doubling down on Thursday.

If Florio has sources confirming that the Falcons had non-travel discussions with Cousins, Mooney or Woerner, then the NFL can reopen the investigation at any time.

But for now, the Falcons have received their punishment. It is time to move on.