A few weeks ago, it was revealed that the NFL is investigating a possible violation of their tampering policy by the Atlanta Falcons during their efforts to sign former Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins this offseason.
This news came about shortly after Cousins spilled the beans during his introductory press conference with Atlanta that he had spoken to members of the Falcons organization before league rules allowed him to.
Some were hoping this investigation would result in some sort of draft pick swap between the Vikings and Falcons, but it doesn't sound like that's probably going to happen.
Insider doesn't expect the Minnesota Vikings to significantly benefit from a possible Atlanta Falcons tampering violation
With the NFL's investigation still ongoing, some have continued to wonder if Minnesota is going to be rewarded in any sort of way for the mistake that Cousins and Atlanta potentially made earlier this year.
Well, the Star Tribune's Andrew Krammer was recently asked about this in a mailbag column, and he had the following to say about what he expects to happen with the situation the former Vikings quarterback and his new team currently find themselves in.
"Whatever the punishment, I don't believe it will directly impact the Vikings beyond possibly moving up a draft spot because the Falcons had to forfeit a pick or two.
There is precedent to believe a punishment would solely impact the Falcons, like how the Dolphins forfeited multiple draft picks after the league found they tampered with quarterback Tom Brady and head coach Sean Payton.
There seems to be a misconception that the Vikings could swap picks because that's what the Cardinals and Eagles did for a tampering case over Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon. However, the Cardinals self-reported the violation and the two teams worked out a resolution.
In this case, Cousins indicated at a news conference that he'd communicated with Falcons officials before it was allowed."
So, based on Krammer's thoughts, it seems like the most logical benefit that Minnesota might encounter as a result of this investigation is just a slight change in slot position for one of their draft picks in 2025 or in the future as a result of the Falcons being forced to forfeit a selection.
It's not the outcome that some Vikings fans were hoping for. But, unfortunately, it's one that makes a ton of sense based on how the NFL has handled tampering violations in the past.