NFL Rumors: Could Eagles' Super Bowl bettors launch action after Cardinals’ Jonathan Gannon tampering?

Jonathan Gannon was hired by the Arizona Cardinals during the 2023 NFL offseason to take over as their next head coach, replacing Kliff Kingsbury. The only issue is that the franchise recruited him illegally.

The Cardinals were charged by the NFL with a tampering violation for contacting the former defensive coordinator before officially being allowed to do so.

The Cardinals reportedly enquired with Gannon about his interest in their head coaching position immediately following the NFC Conference Championship game of the 2022 season. Gannon was still serving as the defensive coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles at the time, helping them defeat the San Francisco 49ers.

The biggest issue with what the Cardinals did by contacting Gannon is not just that they did so before being allowed to do so without legal permission. It is that his Eagles weren't yet eliminated from the NFL Playoffs.

They were on their way to take on the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl. The Cardinals' enquiry could potentially have affected his coaching performance leading up to such an important game.

According to Pro Football Talk:

"The Cardinals violated the rules; they’ve acknowledged it. The violation created a distraction. Depending on the total amount of time Gannon spent preparing for the interview, the distraction might have kept him from properly doing his job, which could have undermined the integrity of the Super Bowl."

According to PFT's report, this could potentially give reason to anyone who bet on the Eagles to win the Super Bowl to dispute their loss. They could theoretically do so by filing a lawsuit directly against the NFL.

The details of the tampering violation involving Jonathan Gannon have never been released, but a lawsuit would almost definitely force them to be made public.

This unprecedented situation is likely one that the NFL front office would be keen to avoid. They chose not to disclose the details of the tampering violation, presumably for a reason. It's possible the integrity of the Super Bowl may be called into question based on the severity of the tampering.

What penalty did the Cardinals face for tampering with Jonathan Gannon?

Michael Bidwill and Jonathan Gannon

While the exact details of the tampering violation have not yet been revealed, the Arizona Cardinals were still penalized for their illegal recruitment of Jonathan Gannon.

The franchise reportedly came to a settlement with the Philadelphia Eagles to swap picks in the NFL Draft. The Cardinals sent the Eagles their 66th overall pick in 2023 in exchange for the 94th pick this year and a fifth-rounder in 2024.