This Monday, February 20th, signifies the start of franchise tag season. Last year, a record 14 players were franchised by their respective teams. This year will likely yield more with the number of caliber players up for the tag. However, the decision to place a tag on a player is dependent on his position since his contract is the average of the top five players’ salaries at that position. Thus, running backs, wide receivers and defensive backs are more likely to get the tag than defensive linemen and quarterbacks. Let’s take a look at some of these players and the impact this may have on their teams.
DeSean Jackson, Wide Receiver, Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles are fully expected to franchise DeSean Jackson. However, instead of keeping him, rumor has it they will franchise him and trade him to the highest bidder. Deep threat playmakers are a rare breed so it can be expected that Jackson will garner plenty of interest. At the same time, this upcoming season is a “win or lose your job” season for coach Andy Reid and company. Trading Jackson away will make them have to find an alternate deep threat receiver. Why look for one when you already have one on your team?
Ray Rice, Running Back, Baltimore Ravens
1364 Rushing yards, 12 rushing touchdowns, 704 receiving yards, 3 receiving touchdowns. Next. This year, franchised running backs will receive approximately 8 million dollars. That is a steal for Rice, who will most likely be franchised, and then offered a long-term contract. With the retirement of Ricky Williams, the Ravens will do everything in their power to not let one of the most dynamic running backs in the league go to another team. Losing Rice would be like getting your heart ripped out in Mortal Kombat.
Matt Forte, Running Back, Chicago Bears
Like Rice, Forte is too instrumental in the Bears’ offense to be let go. Therefore, it is with certainty that the Bears will franchise Forte. Forte, frankly, will be unhappy with this move and the stare-down between the two could be a significant story during the offseason. His season ending knee injury verified the stance of both parties. Forte wants long-term security in case he suffers a career threatening injury; the Bears want to commit a reasonable amount to him being that running backs suffer these injuries often. This will be an interesting story to watch unfold as the offseason progresses.
Arian Foster, Running Back, Houston Texans
Foster isn’t going anywhere. The Texans have a litany of re-signing moves to make and keeping Foster will be at the very top. Although he is a restricted free agent, the Texans can franchise Foster for this season and hope to work out a long-term deal down the line. If the Texans were to franchise a player, it would be Foster, as he would only command $8 million instead of the $21 million a franchised Mario Williams would be owed. Pro Bowl center Chris Myers could also be a franchise possibility if the Texans are able to sign Foster long term before March 5th, the end of franchise tag season.
Drew Brees, Quarterback, New Orleans Saints
If the Saints franchise Brees, he would make $16.1 million. I’d say that is a small price to pay for a Hall of Fame quarterback who IS your entire offense. This seems likely to happen, and rest assured that a long-term deal will be worked out. Brees is a New Orleans guy all the way, and the Saints organization will do everything to make sure it stays that way until he hangs up the pads for good.
Jermichael Finley, Tight End, Green Bay Packers
As a Longhorn alum, I am a huge Finley fan. He is a freak of nature that is a nightmare for opposing defenses to guard. However, he had a down year coming off a serious injury in 2010. Finley still needs to prove himself in order to get the long- term contract and franchising him will be his one-year audition to prove his worth.
Wes Welker, Wide Receiver, New England Patriots
Welker is too instrumental to the Patriot’s offense to let walk. If they are unable to work out a long- term contract, expect Welker to be tagged to buy some more time. The Patriots would be ill advised to let Welker shop around because teams would pay big money for his services, especially coming off a career year.
As you can see, the predominant theme here is security. Football is a brutal sport that sees horrific injuries every year. Player longevity in the NFL is considerably less than athletes in other sports. Therefore, everyone wants the financial security in case the most unfortunate of events happens. The franchise tag is a way for teams to delay these negotiations for the time being. It may make players feel disrespected, but those who have proven their worth will surely be taken care of.
The players mentioned above are only a fraction of a long list of high caliber players. Players that include, Vincent Jackson, Calais Campbell, Dwayne Bowe, Brent Grimes, Marshawn “Skittles” Lynch, Cliff Avril, Mike Wallace, Stevie Johnson, Dashon Goldson, and many more are all franchise tag candidates. With so many quality players and a limited salary cap, it’s going to be interesting to see who teams let walk into free agency. Sit back and enjoy the show. It’s guaranteed to be an interesting offseason.
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