The Atlanta Falcons continue to be the NFL's rule violation scapegoat.
The past three years have seen three separate fines handed down by the league for things that every team is guilty of, signaling toward a double standard.
Falcons rightfully fined by NFL, but wrongfully singled out
In 2023, the Falcons were fined $75,000, along with Arthur Smith's $25,000 fine, for misreporting Bijan Robinson's migraine before a game against the Buccaneers.
In 2024, the Falcons were fined $250,000 and docked a fifth-round pick for illegally tampering with Kirk Cousins in their free agency pursuit.
In 2025, the Falcons were fined $200,000, with Defensive Coordinator Jeff Ulbrich's $100,000 fine, for the lead that led to Shedeur Sanders' awful prank call.
The franchise deserved last year and this year's fines; as for 2023's, that's debateable.
The issue isn't the punishment, it is the blinders the NFL has had with each of these.
Do you really think there aren't misreported injuries every week during the season? Do you really think tampering doesn't happen every season? Do you really think no other teams could've fallen victim to the number leaks?
It does come down to how obvious each of these have been.
Arthur Smith admitted at halftime against the Buccaneers that Bijan wasn't being used because he woke up with a migraine.
Cousins admitted to having contact with the Falcons before the legal tampering period.
And then you have the prank call situation that was filmed, for whatever reason.
Nevertheless, these things still happen with other teams, and even though the fines aren't my problem, it is still frustrating to see.
Perhaps, the moral of the story is to keep your mouth shut and stop making things so obvious.
Hopefully, this three-year streak will end next year.