The Philadelphia Eagles and Atlanta Falcons can breathe a sigh of relief – but only for now.

The NFL has officially announced that investigations into several player trades during free agency will not be completed before the start of the 2024 NFL Draft next Thursday.

This means that none of the 32 NFL teams in this year’s draft will face a penalty that could have been imposed due to possible tampering.

The Philadelphia Eagles and Atlanta Falcons were particularly affected.

The league said its efforts to gather information about the Eagles’ and Falcons’ actions at the start of the new league year and possible tampering are ongoing and will not be completed this week.

Conversely, however, that simply means that the potential consequences and penalties for both teams could shift to next year.

The Eagles are investigating the signing of Saquon Barkley, who moved to Philly from the division rival New York Giants and signed a three-year, $37.5 million contract.

The Falcons are under scrutiny by the league because of the Kirk Cousins deal. The quarterback came from the Minnesota Vikings and received a four-year contract worth a whopping 180 million US dollars in Atlanta.

Teams in the NFL are prohibited from conducting negotiations or official talks before the start of free agency with players who are still under contract with another franchise at that time and who will not be without a contract until the start of the new league year.

Barkley still had a contract with the New York Giants, Cousins with the Minnesota Vikings. The NFL is now investigating whether unauthorized talks were held before the official start of free agency. This so-called tampering, if confirmed, could result in drastic penalties.

Draft picks are at risk – fines also possible

As “NBC Sports” reports, the two teams are now facing the loss of their first-round draft picks. But not until next year. A fine could also be a possible consequence if tampering is proven by the league.

The Falcons are therefore allowed to draft eighth in 2024, while “Philly” has the 22nd pick in this year’s draft