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ESPN’s Adam Schefter announced Sunday: “A resolution in the alleged free agent tampering cases of the Atlanta Falcons and Philadelphia Eagles is likely to come this week, per league sources.”
The league has been investigating whether the Falcons and Eagles had illegal contact with quarterback Kirk Cousins and running back Saquon Barkley respectively, before the legal tampering period of free agency began on March 11 at noon ET.
Former NFL GM Mike Lombardi, continues to wonder why the Eagles aren’t being investigated for tampering with former New York Jets defensive end Bryce Huff.
“The one that I think Philly is going to slide through without any problem is the Bryce Huff one who we knew he was going to Philly 10 days before,” Lombardi said on VSIN. “Everyone in the league knew he was going to Philly. It was the worst-kept secret. I kept saying why don’t the Jets franchise him and keep him from Philly and then trade him to Philly. They had enough guys they could have cut easily to get under the cap for a brief time.
“And they go and trade for (Haason) Riddick and give up draft choices, not that much, but still. Joe Douglas knew. I knew. I didn’t say it was Philly, but I knew it was Philly. I knew Philly had him. That’s the amazing thing. There not even getting challenged on the tampering charge. God bless them. It’s a great cover-up.”
Remember, on March 5, Lombardi said, “Bryce Huff, defensive lineman from the Jets, hot commodity in the market, I know there is a team that has offered him a fairly substantial amount of money, and I think he’s going to go to that team. I don’t want to accuse the team of tampering, so I won’t say (which team it is).”
After Huff signed with Philly on March 13, Lombardi said, “I reported last week, Bryce Huff before the franchise tag (deadline), that everyone in the league thought Bryce Huff was an Eagle. I didn’t say the team because things can change, but everyone in the league thought Bryce Huff was an Eagle. Turns out he was an Eagle.”
How is this not tampering?
Why is nobody in the echo chamber writing about this?
Well, perhaps the Jets didn’t file any tampering charges.
Maybe Joe Douglas didn’t want to go after his former bosses, Howie Roseman and Jeffrey Lurie, and burn bridges there.
You never know when you might need a job in the future.
If the Jets have a bad season this year, I’m not saying the Jets and Douglas will get fired, but you never know.
But man, based on Lombardi’s sources, it certainly sounds like the Eagles tampered with Huff.
On March 29, the Eagles traded edge-rusher Haason Reddick to the Jets for a conditional 2026 third-round pick.
This is pure speculation, but was that trade a bit of a payback from the Eagles for tampering with Huff?
For the Jets to get a guy who had 27 sacks the last two years, for a conditional third-round pick, seems like Eagles kind of gave him away.
“That’s not a Howie Roseman trade,” said Philly sports talk host Dan Sileo. “How many trades have you seen Howie get his head kicked in like that?”
June 3, 2024
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