Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank is intent on learning from the mistakes that were made back in March. The NFL stripped the franchise of its fifth-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, fined it $250,000 thousand and also docked general manager Terry Fontenot $50,000 thousand for violating tampering rules.
An investigation arose after free agent signing Kirk Cousins let it slip that he had been in contact with the Falcons' athletic trainer and head of public relations before the new league year started. In addition to allegedly breaking the rules in its pursuit of the Pro Bowl quarterback, Atlanta was also punished by the league for its dealings with wide receiver Darnell Mooney and tight end Charlie Woerner.
Blank claims the organization's intentions were pure, but he also understands why the NFL took action.
“So, the tampering situation, we were advised by the NFL that we didn’t dot every ‘I’ and cross every ‘T,' despite our attempt to do that,” The Home Depot co-founder said, per Pro Football Talk's Myles Simmons. “There were a couple of procedural mistakes, I think, that were made by the organization. We fully cooperated with the NFL, as we always do in any sort of investigation. They found there were certain things were deficient in the way we handled things with Kirk. We’ve addressed those things internally.”
Falcons move forward under new QB Kirk Cousins
It is no secret that teams sometimes try to bend the rules as much as they can in order to gain an edge over the competition. Even so, certain protocols must be followed, or owners and executives must at least publicly maintain the facade if they are not. Kirk Cousins' flub left the Falcons exposed. Perhaps he can make it up to them this fall.
With the veteran QB leading the way and respected defensive mind Raheem Morris serving as head coach, there is optimism that this team can win the NFC South this season. There are multiple talents on the roster who appear to be on the cusp of breaking out. Atlanta's offseason additions will ideally unlock the group's full potential, at long last.
Correcting the on-field mistakes from previous years is of the utmost importance to fans, but staying out of the NFL's crosshairs would also be wise. Apparently, steps are being taken to do just that.
“Find something that’s a problem, you fix it and make sure it doesn’t happen again, and that’s our attitude about it,” Arthur blank said. Hopefully, he will remember those words the next time he gets the urge to trot down to the Falcons' sidelines before the game ends.
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