The Philadelphia Eagles were thrilled to steal Saquon Barkley from their NFC East rival in the New York Giants in free agency this offseason, giving their high-powered offense another big name weapon. However, they found themselves in a bit of a sticky situation after landing him, as the NFL opened an investigation to see whether or not they illegally tampered with him before they were allowed to do so.
NFL free agency always unofficially opens with the legal tampering period, which is when teams are allowed to negotiate with free agents from other teams. The league believed that Philadelphia had violated their anti-tampering rules with Barkley, but after investigating the situation, they found that the Eagles did not tamper with Barkley before they were allowed to do so.
Via Tom Pelissero:
“After a thorough review of the Philadelphia Eagles signing of Saquon Barkley, the NFL today informed the club that the investigation did not discover sufficient evidence to support a finding that the Anti-Tampering Policy was violated. In coming to this conclusion, the league reviewed phone logs, text messages and other documents related to Philadelphia’s free agency strategy and decision to sign Barkley. The NFL also interviewed several members of the organization, including Howie Roseman and Nick Sirianni, as well as Barkley and Penn State head coach James Franklin. As with every review, should new evidence be uncovered, the league may reopen the investigation.”
Eagles looking forward to Saquon Barkley's debut
The Eagles will be happy to escape without getting punished, because you never want to fork over money or draft picks to the league when you don't have to. Now, they can fully turn their attention towards getting Barkley ready for his debut campaign with the team, although truth be told, they probably weren't sweating out the potential repercussions they could have faced if they were found guilty, as they would have been relatively minor.
While Philly had a dominant rushing attack in 2023, they have undoubtedly upgraded their running back room by bringing Barkley to town. The 2023 campaign wasn't the greatest for Barkley (247 CAR, 962 YDS, 6 TD, 41 REC, 280 YDS, 4 TD), as he struggled to get much going on a weekly basis in the New York Giants anemic offense.
Those same problems won't exist in Philadelphia, as the Eagles are led by star quarterback Jalen Hurts, and also feature stars in the passing game such as A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, and Dallas Goedert. Barkley should have tons of room to work with on the ground, especially when you consider Hurts' capabilities as a runner as well.
After the team crashed and burned at the end of last season, they are going to have an extra chip on their shoulder to bounce back and make another run back to the Super Bowl. And if Barkley can come in and perform at his usual high level, Philadelphia's offense will easily be one of the scariest units in the entire league.
Follow Us
Subscribe
