The Philadelphia Eagles Deny Breaking NFL Rules With Saquon Barkley

The Philadelphia Eagles sent the NFL world into a frenzy when they announced they were signing Saquon Barkley from the New York Giants. The deal was for three years giving Barkley $37.5 million with $26 million being fully guaranteed. The deal was not allowed to be official until 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday afternoon, but the two sides reportedly agreed to the deal days prior.

Penn State head coach James Franklin made some comments that are now sparking a potential NFL investigation for the Eagles tampering.

James Franklin May Put The Philadelphia Eagles In Hot Water

Franklin, according to a conversation from Mark Wogenrich of SI.com, said that Eagles general manager Howie Roseman spoke directly with Barkley which would break the NFL tampering rule.

“He said that was one of the first things that Howie said to him on the phone as part of his sales pitch,” Franklin said. “Not only the Philadelphia Eagles and that that but also the connection with Penn State and the fan base as well. So just a really cool opportunity.”

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk and many others noted that’s not allowed. If there is any legitimacy to what Franklin said, there will be an NFL investigation to see if rules were actually broken.

“During the 52-hour, pre-free-agency negotiating window, teams can talk directly to agents,” Florio said. “They can’t talk to the player, unless the player has no agent and represents himself.”

Philadelphia Eagles Deny Report Of Breaking Tampering Rule

The Philadelphia Eagles front office had a spokesperson that denied these reports and said that the team did everything by the books when bringing in Saquon Barkley. When Mike Florio sat down with the spokesperson, he revealed that the team did not have contact with Barkley himself but rather his agent.

“Through a team spokesman, the Eagles told PFT that all player recruiting is facilitated through the player’s agent,” Florio said.

We will see if the NFL conducts a full fledged investigation, but we know tampering is not new and it is not going anywhere.

Related: REPORT: Atlanta Falcons, Philadelphia Eagles Could Face Massive Punishment After NFL’s Tampering Investigation