NFL: Saquon Barkley, Eagles Cleared in Free Agency Contract Tampering Investigation

The Philadelphia Eagles did nothing wrong in the signing of Saquon Barkley, at least in the NFL’s eyes.

NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero relayed a memo Thursday that the league investigated whether the NFC East team tampered with the star running back and “did not discover sufficient evidence to support a finding that the Anti-Tampering Policy was violated.”

The investigation included interviewing Eagles general manager Howie Roseman, Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni and Penn State coach James Franklin, as well as reviewing phone logs and text messages.

That the NFL included Franklin in its investigation is notable since his comments added fuel to the tampering speculation.

Dave Zangaro of NBC Sports Philadelphia noted that general managers are only allowed to speak to player agents or players without agents during the NFL’s negotiating period, but a comment from Franklin made it seem like Roseman spoke to Barkley directly.

“For him now to to come back and be able to play within the state in Philadelphia, he said that was one of the first things that Howie said to him on the phone as part of kind of his sales pitch to him,” Franklin said, “was not not only the Philadelphia Eagles and that but obviously the connection with Penn State and the fan bases as well.”

For his part, Barkley said, “Coach Franklin, I think, kind of misinterpreted. The truth was the sales pitch to Penn State, how many Penn State fans are Philadelphia Eagles fans. But that was through my agent and my agent told me that. It happens. I’m going to let Philly handle that.”

Franklin also later told reporters, “I had a 10-minute conversation with Saquon and I just assumed and connected dots that weren’t there. All those conversations went through his agent. And obviously I made a comment for three minutes that was misinterpreted, but by no means was it how it was portrayed.”

Barkley and Philadelphia agreed to a three-year, $37.75 million contract this offseason, which both gave the Eagles one of the best running backs in the league and dealt quite the blow to a division rival.

The Penn State product spent the first six years of his career with the New York Giants and built a resume that included an Offensive Rookie of the Year and two Pro Bowl selections.

He was at his best during the 2022 campaign with 1,312 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground to go with 57 catches for 338 yards but took something of a step back last year with 962 rushing yards on 3.9 yards per carry in 14 games.

Joining Philadelphia means he will likely have plenty of room to make plays as part of a loaded offense.

Opposing defenses will not be able to stack the box against him like they did when he was with the Giants since Jalen Hurts, A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith will likely make them pay. That should lead to plenty of big plays for Barkley and the Eagles as they pursue a Super Bowl title.

As for the investigation, Pelissero noted the NFL could reopen the proceedings if new evidence emerged.