How New England Patriots Could Benefit from Potential Falcons' Tampering Punishment

If the Atlanta Falcons are punished for their alleged tampering before the signing of Kirk Cousins, the New England Patriots could be a beneficiary of a possible punishment.

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It has been a month since the NFL officially opened its investigation into the alleged tampering of the Atlanta Falcons in their eventual successful free-agent pursuit of now-former Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins. With the NFL Draft just two weeks away, is it possible a verdict will be rendered soon? 

I know what you’re thinking. If so, why should the New England Patriots even care? Well, if it happens, a new scenario proposed by Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio could see the Patriots benefit if they decide to trade the No. 3 overall pick.

Florio’s suggestion that the Falcons be punished if they are found to have tampered with Cousins, as he seemingly accidentally indicated in his introductory press conference in Atlanta, could see the league office have the Vikings swap picks. Florio’s suggested swap would see the Vikings gain the No. 8 pick while the Falcons take No. 11.

“The end result could, and perhaps should, be that the Vikings will have the eighth and 23rd picks, which makes their potential effort to trade up into the top five a little easier," Florio writes. "Or maybe they’ll just stay put at eight and wait for a quarterback they like to fall to them.”

Feb 27, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; New England Patriots director of scouting Eliot Wolf during the / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

As Florio notes pick swapping as a punishment for tampering isn’t unprecedented. Last season, the Arizona Cardinals were compelled to swap their third-round pick with the Philadelphia Eagles as punishment for tampering with then-defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon, who became their coach.

Swapping first-round picks isn’t the same as a third-round, and it may not be a realistic expectation. However, if it does happen and the Vikings are still intent on trading up in hopes of drafting their replacement for Cousins, their potential trade package could become all the more enticing for a team like the Patriots.

If the Vikings get the No. 8 pick as compensation for the Falcons’ tampering with Cousins, they’d be able to offer the Patriots a trade package that allows them to move down just five spots instead of eight, in addition to No. 23. 

While it’d be unlikely the Patriots would trade down and still take a quarterback, moving down to No. 8 could allow them to do that if just three signal-callers are taken in the first seven selections. However, it is more likely that the Patriots would trade down and fill other needs with their two Day 1 picks. 

Moving to No. 8 would allow them to take a top playmaker or offensive tackle. Then, with the 23rd pick, they could fill the other need.

Ultimately, this is a hypothetical, as a potential punishment for the Falcons hasn't been announced, and it seems the Patriots are dead set on taking their next quarterback at No. 3 overall.