It’s a clear and direct violation of the rules for the Packers to talk to Myers, but the Packers aren’t the only team doing it. Indeed, if the famously rules-conscious Thompson is tampering, everyone is tampering.
“Almost every re-signing, waiver and UFA signing upcoming germinate from supposedly illegal club-agent meetings in Indy,” McGinn writes. “All happens here.”
McGinn uses “supposedly” because the rules prohibit meetings with free agents who won’t be free until March 13 at 4:00 p.m. ET. But no one follows the rules. Indeed, as the Packers negotiate with Myers, Wells undoubtedly is negotiating with some other team, or teams.
Sometimes, this gauging of the market helps lay the foundation for a player to stay put. The bigger issue is that tampering remains rampant, and the NFL will continue to look foolish until the rules are revised to reflect the reality.