Texans Tampering with Jimmy Garoppolo? Another Fine Coming For Houston?
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The Houston Texans have already forfeited a fifth-round pick and been fined due to league salary-cap violations with former star quarterback Deshaun Watson.
And now, more violations and punishment could be on the way for the Texans for possible tampering.
Offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik acknowledged on Wednesday that the Texans are interested in signing San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. There is no example of tampering more evident than that, directly mentioning interest in another player who is already under contract with another team.
“We have a process that we go through, Jimmy is obviously a part of that process,” Slowik said.
What does it mean? Maybe nothing. Maybe something. But other teams have been punished for much less.
The NFL is largely inconsistent with the way it handles and enforces tampering rules. In this situation, we know the 49ers are shopping Garoppolo and don't want him back. Look what happened to the Dolphins with their punishment of tampering with both Tom Brady and Sean Payton last season. Miami lost a first-round draft pick.
The Chiefs were slapped with the loss of a third-round pick and sixth-round pick in 2016 for talking directly with Eagles WR Jeremy Maclin instead of his agent.
“We appreciate the opportunity to make our appeal on this matter, and we acknowledge the minor reduction in fines imposed,” Chiefs owner Clark Hunt said after an appeal upheld the draft-pick punishment but reduced the fine. “However, we continue to believe that the facts of this case combined with the league’s inconsistent enforcement of its tampering policies do not warrant the most severe penalty for player-related tampering in league history.”
If the NFL doesn't punish the Texans in some way, they'll be making Hunt's point for him.
As the Texans are trying to rebuild, the loss of draft picks won't help their cause, and could only delay their growth.
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