Atlanta Falcons Owner Arthur Blank does not believe he tampered with quarterback Kirk Cousins.
Arthur Blank spoke about the alleged tampering case against the Atlanta Falcons and Kirk Cousins at the Annual Owners meeting.
According to ESPN, Blank stated, “The tampering deal, we obviously don’t believe we tampered, and we shared all the information with the league,” Blank said at the NFL’s annual meeting Monday. “And they’ll review the process and the facts and they are in the middle of doing that, and whatever the result is, we’ll deal with it.”
The Falcons signed Cousins to a four-year deal worth up to $180 million on the first day of official free agency, two days after his agent, Mike McCartney, announced that Cousins and Atlanta had agreed to terms.
During Cousins’ opening news conference, he mentioned he had spoken with the team’s head trainer before 4 p.m. on March 13, when the new league year was set to open. Mentioning that opened the eyes and ears of league officials.
One day after Cousins’s press conference, reports of an investigation hit the media.
Quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons
Kirk Cousins was the most sought-after quarterback and possibly player this offseason. The 35-year-old Cousins, coming off an Achilles injury, is a stable, consistent quarterback that many NFL teams were after.
The former 4th-round draft pick out of Michigan State started his career with the Washington Commanders (at the time, the Redskins). After becoming the starter due to a Robert Griffin III knee injury, he took over the role full-time. Cousins was franchise-tagged by Washington for two consecutive years.
In 2018, Cousins signed with the Minnesota Vikings on a fully guaranteed three-year contract worth $84 million. This was the first fully guaranteed and, at the time of the signing, highest-paying contract in NFL history. Cousins has since spent his time with Minnesota before signing with the Falcons.
Since his rookie year in 2012, Cousins has earned a total of $281.5 million in contract money, including the $50 million signing bonus he’ll receive from the Falcons.
Cousins said he wants to retire with the Falcons, and at 35, one would anticipate he will be able to do so. The Falcons and Cousins that the tampering case does not lead to any long-term problems for the franchise.
Would you be
More must-reads: