The NFL draft starts on Thursday, and the event could be in for a big shakeup. And no, we’re not talking about the Minnesota Vikings trading up for a quarterback — for once. Instead, we’re talking about a former Vikings quarterback, Kirk Cousins, and the league’s tampering investigation centered on his signing with the Atlanta Falcons.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the league could conclude its investigation and hand down the punishment as early as this week, which could have an effect on the first round of the draft. There is precedent for the league to take away a team’s draft picks for tampering.
The Miami Dolphins forfeited their first-round pick in last year’s draft, along with a third-round pick in this year’s draft, in two separate tampering cases involving former Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and former Saints head coach Sean Payton. That punishment was handed down in August 2022.
Before that, the league stripped the Kansas City Chiefs of a third-round pick in 2016 and a sixth-round selection in 2017 for their tampering with former Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Jeremy Maclin in 2015.
In both cases, members of the coaching staffs and/or front office personnel received fines in addition to the draft pick forfeitures. Schefter reports that there are some sources who believe that the punishment for the Falcons is “likely to involve draft picks” and “is expected to be more severe.”
However severe the punishment winds up being, it’s probably unlikely the league would grant the Minnesota Vikings any compensation despite rumors that Minnesota could be granted the Falcons’ selection, which is currently No. 8 in Thursday’s first round.