The NFL legal tampering period ahead of free agency was created to provide teams with a 48-hour window to negotiate with impending free agents before they officially hit the market. As the Philadelphia Eagles and Atlanta Falcons recently demonstrated, however, tampering is rampant around the league.

Philadelphia opened NFL free agency by signing running back Saquon Barkley, pulling him away from the New York Giants in one of the biggest moves of the offseason. Meanwhile, Atlanta came out on top of a bidding war with the Minnesota Vikings for Pro Bowl quarterback Kirk Cousins. However, revelations on both signings revealed information that would be a violation of NFL tampering rules.

Let’s dive into the situation with the Eagles and Falcons, focusing on the differences in tampering allegations against the two clubs.

A day after Barkley and the Eagles reportedly agreed on a three-year contract worth $37.75 million on the first day of the legal tampering period, Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin shed light on the recruitment process of Barkley.

Franklin told reporters on March 12 that Eagles general manager Howie Roseman pitched Barkley on the opportunity to play closer to home near Penn State. Importantly, the call came before Barkley would’ve been allowed to speak directly to Roseman.

“For him now to come back and be able to play within the state, in Philadelphia, he said that was one of the first things that Howie said to him on the phone as part of his sales pitch to him was not only the Philadelphia Eagles and that but obviously the connection with Penn State and the fan base as well.”

The Eagles issued a denial of Franklin’s claim, but the NFL formally launched an investigation. Asked about the matter by reports, Barkley indicated that Franklin “misinterpreted” what he said.

“Coach Franklin, I think, kind of misinterpreted. The truth was the sales pitch to Penn State, how many Penn State fans are Philadelphia Eagles fans. But that was through my agent and my agent told me that. It happens. I’m going to let Philly handle that.”

Why the Eagles will likely avoid an NFL tampering punishment

The NFL is conducting an official investigation into Franklin’s statement, inquiring into the claim that Roseman spoke to Barkley during the legal tampering period when contact between an unrestricted free agent and a team is forbidden. However, the investigation may not lead to discipline for Philadelphia for a critical reason.

This is a second-hand accusation, with both Barkley and the Eagles denying Franklin’s statement. For the NFL to discipline the Eagles, they would need to find conclusive evidence that Roseman spoke directly to Barkley. To do that, the league office would need to check the phone records of both Roseman and Barkley. Even if that happens, a veteran general manager knows the league’s rules and is very likely to communicate to a player through back channels. For instance, Barkley could’ve used the phone of a non-NFL employee to get in touch with Barkley. If phones of non-NFL employees were used, the league couldn’t access those records. Between this being hearsay and the scope of an investigation would be limited, it’s highly unlikely any discipline will come for the Eagles.