Ted Wells is gonna need a bigger retainer.
NFL spokesman Greg Aiello tells PFT that the league has advised teams that potential violations of the rules regarding the three-day negotiating period will be investigated via memo sent Monday.
“The memo makes clear that we will look into any potential violations of the rules,” Aiello said.
The question becomes how will the NFL look into potential violations? Starting with the Sunday news that defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh will sign with the Dolphins, the floodgates opened, with multiple teams linked to multiple players.
Seahawks cornerback Byron Maxwell has said he’s going to Philly. So is running back Frank Gore. Meanwhile, Eagles receiver Jeremy Maclin reportedly is going to the Chiefs.
The list goes on and on, with plenty of teams doing exactly what the annual list of pre-free agency “thou shalt nots” says they shalt not do.
While it’s impossible for negotiations to not result in offers and, in turn, contracts, the league’s goal is discretion. In past years, teams have indeed been discreet.
This year, the only news that got out on Saturday involved players staying with current teams (which is permissible). As of Sunday, all hell broke loose.
It’s highly unlikely that the NFL will sic Wells on most of the league’s franchises for phone records and text messages and emails that would demonstrate offers were made and deals were done when teams and agents were supposed to be simply negotiating. The more likely goal of the memo is to get teams to go back to the days when we knew offers were being made and deals were being done.
We just didn’t know who and where and for how much.