After six seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, QB Kirk Cousins decided to sign with the Atlanta Falcons in March.

The QB inked a four-year deal worth $180 million, but there may have been a bit of a hiccup in how the two sides handled the agreement. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk has discussed the idea of Atlanta potentially tampering with Cousins throughout their negotiations, and this week, he suggested that there could be some very massive consequences for it.

Could Kirk Cousins’ Departure Lead to a Huge Prize for the Vikings?

Florio wrote that Atlanta and Minnesota could end up swapping draft picks as a result of the tampering. Take a look:

“Given the manner in which the NFL handled last year’s tampering by the Cardinals with former Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon, it’s impossible to rule out an announcement that drops just before the first round of the draft. The Falcons have the eighth pick in round one. The Vikings have the eleventh. What if the punishment is as simple as the Falcons and Vikings flip-flopping the two picks?”

So, how have we reached this point?

The day after Cousins agreed to his deal with the Falcons, a press conference was held, and the QB may have slipped up. He mentioned meeting the Falcons’ head trainer and many people within the organization. Cousins said, “There’s great people here. And it’s not just the football team. I mean, I’m looking at the support staff. Meeting — calling, yesterday, calling our head athletic trainer, talking to our head of P.R. I’m thinking, we got good people here. And that’s exciting to be a part of.”

Jan 7, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins (8) talks with teammates prior to their game against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-USA TODAY Sports

By the letter of the law in the NFL, Cousins wasn’t allowed to have direct contact with the organization before March 15th when free agency officially started. As a result, if he did meet with members of the Falcons as Cousins himself suggested, tampering comes into play.

The Cardinals-Eagles situation that Florio laid out regarded tampering for then-Eagles defensive coordinator, Jonathan Gannon, who was hired to be the head coach of the Cardinals. Minutes before the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft began, the two sides agreed to swap third-round picks to settle the tampering charges.

As a result, it could very well be in the 11th hour that the NFL puts charges on Atlanta that would force them to either face harsh consequences or come to an agreement with the Vikings. Of course, a first-round pick swap would be far harsher than a third-round swap, but here is how Florio defends the heightened price:

“It would be a fair outcome, if (as Cousins admitted) he spoke with the team’s head athletic trainer the day before the team was allowed to speak to him, he possibly spoke with director of player personnel Ryan Pace before the team was allowed to speak to him, he participated in the recruitment of former Bears receiver Darnell Mooney during the negotiating window, and whatever else the NFL might have discovered by reviewing text messages and other evidence, including whether the team knew about the efforts of tight end Kyle Pitts to recruit Cousins — efforts Pitts tried to deny once they came to light.”

Oct 23, 2023; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins (8) warms up before the game against the San Francisco 49ers at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports

Ultimately, nothing has been decided at this point in time, but if Atlanta were forced to hand Minnesota the eighth overall pick, it would make the Vikings’ pursuit of a quarterback much easier.