This is only going to make the rivalry between the NY Giants and Philadelphia Eagles more dramatic. With the Birds stealing Saquon Barkley from East Rutherford, Giants Nation was mad enough with the enemy. Leave it to Howie Roseman to potentially make things worse.
Recently, news broke thanks to James Franklin that Roseman may have broken the tampering rules by speaking with Barkley during the negotiation period. If that was the case, Philly could be in serious trouble. However, the Giants' rivals have already said there's nothing to see here whatsoever:
Eagles have denied impermissible contact between general manager Howie Roseman and running back Saquon Barkley during the negotiating window before the start of free agency, via @Tim_McManus:https://t.co/qqMsW5AXnK
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 14, 2024
The Eagles have denied allegations that they illegally recruited Saquon Barkley to Philly
ESPN's Tim McManus reached out to the Eagles, as did Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio. Both were told that all contact the team had was through a player's agent. In this case, it means the Eagles were in touch with Ed Berry to try and get something done with the former Giant.
However, in an interview with Sports Illustrated, Penn State's James Franklin told Mark Wogenrich that Roseman spoke to Barkley and sold him on his Penn State playing days and a return to Pennsylvania as the main reasons he should suit up for the Eagles. If that were the case and the two had direct contact, then it would be a major violation. People on social media are already calling for Philly to lose draft picks.
Remember when the Dolphins were found guilty of tampering with Tom Brady and Sean Payton? That cost them two picks, including a 2023 first-rounder. It's up in the air if the NFL will end up investigating this, but countless Big Blue supporters are not happy about how things have played out.
Barkley ended up signing a three-year deal with the Eagles worth $37.75 million, with $26 million guaranteed. This was a huge sum of dough that Joe Schoen was never going to be able to match. While we're happy Saquon was able to get his bag, others are livid that tampering rumors have arrived. If this ends up being true, Roseman could end up paying much more than the $26 million guaranteed for Barkley.