Although it's still unclear if the Atlanta Falcons will be facing any punishment for their alleged tampering of Kirk Cousins during free agency this year, there will be at least one team dealing with a tampering penalty in 2024 and that's the Miami Dolphins.
The Dolphins are the only team in the entire NFL that has been forced to forfeit a pick in the 2024 NFL Draft so far. The missed pick is the final part of a punishment that was originally handed out all the way back in August 2022 when the NFL hammered the team for tampering with both Tom Brady and Sean Payton.
Here's what the league's investigation found back in 2022:
- The Dolphins had impermissible communications with Brady in 2019-20, while he was under contract to the New England Patriots. Those communications began as early as August 2019 and continued throughout the 2019 season and postseason.
- The Dolphins again had impermissible communications with Brady and his agent during and after the 2021 season, while he was under contract to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
- In January 2022, the Dolphins had impermissible communications with Don Yee, the agent for Sean Payton, who was under contract with the Saints at the time. The Dolphins had called Yee to check in on the possibility of hiring Payton as their head coach. Miami did not seek consent from New Orleans to have the discussions, which occurred before Payton had announced his decision to retire as head coach of the Saints.
For breaking the rules, the Dolphins got nailed by the NFL: They were docked two draft picks (2023 first-rounder and 2024 third-rounder) and owner Stephen Ross was hit with both a suspension and a $1.5 million fine.
That 2023 first-rounder ended up being the 21st overall pick last year. This year, they're being forced to forfeit the 86th overall pick. After the 86th pick passes, the Dolphins' punishment for tampering with Brady and Payton will finally be complete.
The only other team currently facing a punishment this year is the San Francisco 49ers. The NFL moved their fourth-round pick back four spots from 131 to 135 as part of a punishment over an administrative payroll accounting error that the team had. The 49ers are also being forced to forfeit a 2025 fifth-round pick.
As for the Falcons, they could also be forced to forfeit a pick this year for allegedly tampering with Cousins and you can read more about that here. The Eagles have also been accused of tampering with Saquon Barkley and they could also potentially face a punishment in this year's draft. Both teams will now have to wait to see if the NFL can complete its investigation before Thursday when the 2024 draft kicks off.
