Eagles Deny Tampering with Saquon Barkley

The Eagles allegedly made "improper contact" with Barkley during the 52-hour pre-free agency negotiating window.

The Philadelphia Eagles have strongly denied any allegations of tampering with running back Saquon Barkley during the NFL's 52-hour "legal tampering" window, which began Monday at noon.

Antennas were raised when Penn State head coach James Franklin, with whom Barkley has a close relationship, claimed that Eagles general manager Howie Roseman contacted Barkey, a Penn State alumnus, directly during the period in which teams were only allowed to deal with a player's representation and not with the player directly.

On Monday, Barkley agreed to a three-year deal with Philadelphia worth up to $37.75 million with $26 million guaranteed. 

Franklin, according to ESPN, said after the news broke of Barkley's agreeing to terms with the Eagles, "For him now to come back and be able to play within the state, in Philadelphia, he said that was one of the first things that Howie [Roseman] said to him on the phone as part of his sales pitch to him was not only the Philadelphia Eagles and that but obviously the connection with Penn State and the fan base as well."

The Eagles denied any wrongdoing, issuing a statement to Pro Football Talk stating, "All player recruiting is facilitated through the player’s agent."

According to multiple reports, the Giants know the league has been made aware of the alleged illegal communication between Roseman and Barkley. A source confirms the league is looking into the matter but adds that this is standard.

If an investigation were to prove tampering with Barkley, the Eagles would be docked a draft pick.

The Giants reportedly didn't make a contract offer to Barkley, on whom they declined to use the franchise tag for a second year, this time around because they did not want to get stuck with the $11.9 million cost to pay a running back when the team had so many other needs to fill.

With Barkley having signed with the Eagles. Over the Cap projected, the team would have been eligible for a fifth-round compensatory pick in next year's draft. However, the signing of offensive lineman Jon Runyan appears to have canceled out that prospective pick.

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