The Philadelphia Eagles reportedly refute claims of Howie Roseman engaging in discussions with Saquon Barkley during the NFL’s legal tampering period.
A spokesperson for the Philadelphia Eagles refuted claims made by ESPN on Wednesday, asserting that general manager Howie Roseman did not communicate with newly acquired running back Saquon Barkley during the NFL’s legal tampering period before the commencement of free agency. The spokesperson indicated to ESPN that there was no awareness of any correspondence between the NFL and the Eagles regarding this matter.
CBS Philadelphia attempted to obtain further commentary from the Eagles but has not received a response thus far. Earlier reports from multiple sources, including CBS Sports, suggested that the Eagles and Barkley agreed to a three-year, $37.75 million contract within hours of the legal tampering period.
Subsequently, the Eagles officially confirmed the signing of Barkley three days later. However, remarks from Penn State University head football coach James Franklin implied that Roseman and Barkley had conversed before the official start of NFL free agency, which would be in violation of league regulations. Franklin’s comments, made on March 12th at a Penn State spring football press conference, indicated Roseman’s sales pitch to Barkley, emphasizing connections between the player and the state of Pennsylvania.
During the 52-hour legal tampering period, NFL teams can negotiate contracts with pending free agents’ agents but cannot directly communicate with the players themselves, except if the player represents themselves. Barkley is represented by Ed Berry of CAA.
Before his professional NFL career, Barkley achieved acclaim at Penn State University under Franklin’s leadership, almost securing the Heisman Trophy Award. Following his college tenure, Barkley was drafted second overall by the New York Giants in 2018 and played there for six seasons before joining the Eagles.
Barkley’s contract with the Eagles is worth $37.75 million over three years, with $25.5 million guaranteed upon signing. The contract will have a cap hit of $3.9 million in 2024, with increasing amounts over the next two seasons.
If the NFL were to investigate and find evidence of tampering by the Eagles, potential consequences could include loss of draft picks or fines. The Miami Dolphins faced similar penalties in the past due to tampering, losing a first-round pick in 2023 and a third-round pick in 2024. The Philadelphia Eagles were involved in a tampering investigation before the 2023 NFL draft, resulting in a swap of draft picks with the Arizona Cardinals and a fifth-round pick given to the Cardinals to settle the matter. Another historical instance involved the Kansas City Chiefs, who lost draft picks and faced a fine for tampering related to the signing of Jeremy Maclin in 2015.Sc
