Falcons owner denies tampering in acquisition of Kirk Cousins

Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank does not believe his team tampered with then-free agent quarterback Kirk Cousins prior to his official signing earlier this month.

Blank stated that the Falcons will "deal with" the results of the NFL's investigation into potential tampering, whatever they may be.

"The tampering deal, we obviously don't believe we tampered, and we shared all the information with the league," Blank told reporters Monday at the league meeting in Orlando. "And they'll review the process and the facts and they are in the middle of doing that, and whatever the result is, we'll deal with it."

Cousins signed a four-year contract with Atlanta worth up to $180 million on March 13, the first day of free agency. The team and Cousins' agent had agreed to terms during the so-called legal tampering period, which occurred two days before the start of the new league year.

During an introductory press conference in Atlanta, Cousins stated that he spoke with the Falcons' head athletic trainer and head of public relations over the phone before the legal negotiating window, which is against the rules for pending free agents.

The league is also looking into possible tampering by the Philadelphia Eagles with running back Saquon Barkley.

On the field, the Falcons believe Cousins will be the solution to their quarterback inconsistency since the departure of Matt Ryan. Cousins averaged 291.4 passing yards per game with the Minnesota Vikings last season before tearing his Achilles tendon.

"Obviously our football folks felt strongly," Blank said of Cousins. "Our fans I definitely think would concur with that. He's a very high-quality quarterback, he's performed at a high level for 12 years in the league and feel pretty fortunate having him as a quarterback and look forward to seeing the results with him."

Cousins has thrown for 39,471 yards, 270 touchdowns, and 110 interceptions during his NFL career, which includes six seasons with Washington and six seasons with Minnesota.

SportsLigue