Did Commanders Commit 'Clear Violation' of NFL Tampering Policy Calling QB Andrew Luck?

An old Washington Commanders story is causing a new buzz, and Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay is not happy about it.

If you're thinking you heard about the Washington Commanders calling around the NFL about available quarterbacks before, you have. 

And if you're remembering the Commanders even called retired quarterback Andrew Luck, you'd be correct again. 

In fact, we wrote about these stories - just like most did - last year when they first came out.

But they're coming out again, and just like before, people are mostly laughing at the idea that Washington called the Buffalo Bills to gauge quarterback Josh Allen's availability and even the Kansas City Chiefs to ask about Patrick Mahomes. 

One person isn't laughing this time around, however, and that's Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay.

"If any NFL Team [attempted] to contact Andrew Luck (or any associate of him)... to play for their Franchise - it would be a clear Violation of the League's Tampering Policy," Irsay tweeted on Sunday evening. 

Irsay's comment is in response to an ESPN report that states this year, "(Washington) didn't feel the same urgency they did last offseason, when they called every team that might have a quarterback available. They even phoned about retired Andrew Luck, just in case."

The column actually set out to go in-depth on why the Commanders are committed to second-year quarterback Sam Howell, but has sparked a whole different set of conversations in the process.

While ESPN's report doesn't say the team called Luck personally, or even his representatives, Irsay's response seems to imply that if Washington contacted Indianapolis about the quarterback their owner is unaware of it.

In fact, another ESPN reporter followed up with another tweet stating Irsay's comments are about the Washington report, "But the Colts own his rights and might pursue it."

A recent example of this type of tampering came when the Miami Dolphins attempted to woo quarterback Tom Brady away from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers while he was still under contract. 

For that violation, the Dolphins forfeited a first-round pick in this year's NFL Draft.

That wasn't the only case of tampering that impacted this year's draft, however, as the Arizona Cardinals and Philadelphia Eagles agreed to a swap of third-round picks this year due to another violation. 

Arizona's infraction came in the form of unauthorized contact with new head coach Jonathan Gannon without permission and while still employed by Philadelphia.

In that arrangement, the Eagles got to move up 28 spots in the third round and the Cardinals got to accept punishment without losing a top pick in a future draft.

If the Commanders truly violated the NFL's tampering policy, it may be wise for them to reach out to Irsay and the Colts to see if a similar deal can be struck before the league takes their own - more harsh - type of action.

Find David Harrison on the Locked On Commanders podcast or text him directly at (202) 760-2188.

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