OFFICIAL Franchise Tag thread (1 Viewer)

[jeter23]

I think the deadline for placing the franchise tag on a player is February 22. Homers, please feel free to speculate on who might get the tag for your team.

Here is this on the Bears-

The Bears could keep LB Lance Briggs for another year by making him their “franchise” player. They would have to pay him the average of the top five linebackers, which would be in the neighborhood of $7 million.

Of course, there were rumors that Gonzo could get the tag from KC, but it looks like he has a new contract now.

Chicago- Lance Briggs

Indy- Dwight Freeney

Cincy- Justin Smith

NE- Asante Samuel

NO- Charles Grant

Detroit- Cory Redding

Seattle- Josh Brown

 

[The_Man]

There is some talk that the Ravens will franchise Adalius Thomas, but I don't believe it.

Ozzie franchised McAlister one time and basically said he'd never do it again. There would also be dispute over whether Thomas gets franchised as an LB or DL. My guess is that someone will absurdly overpay him (maybe SF or CLE, where former Ravens people are in the front office) and the Ravens won't match.

And then he'll go onto to join the list of Ravens free agents - Gary Baxter, Ed Hartwell, Anthony Weaver, Duane Starks, and Kemo Maakeatou among them - who get grossly overpaid because the teams acquiring them think that some of Baltimore's defensive prowess will rub off on them.

Ozzie is too shrewd to let the really good ones - Thomas three years ago, Reed, McAlister - get away.

 

[Warpig]

Of course, there were rumors that Gonzo could get the tag from KC, but it looks like he has a new contract now.

Where did you hear of this? I live in KC and haven't heard about this. Last I heard (yesterday) is that they are prepared to slap him with the franchise tag.*eta*

Nevermind...I see Ashcroft's thread.

 

[jeter23]

Today is the 1st day that teams can officially announce the franchise tags. Any news?

 

[Boston]

Gotta believe Samuel is a candidate. It's pretty obvvious the kid is in line to get a monster payday. I also don't believe the Pats would let him go without any compenation or signing another big time free agent like Thomas. So, I see three potential scenarios:

1) Pats sign him. Many think this isn't a possibility but they can easily afford it. They have the cap space and are in good shape as far as free agents are concerned the next two years. The key issue will be whether they feel the player Samuel was for a good portion of this year is the player they'd be getting the next four years or so. Also, they have proved they will step up and give big deals (i.e. Brady and Seymour) if they value the player as a top echelon player.

2) They franchise him, keep him for a year and either try to sign him or have a year to prepare for his departure.

3) They use big money on a player like Thomas and let Samuel walk. I could see a scenario like this because the Pats need LB help. BB's D is a LB based D and they look for very specific qualities from LBs which are not easy to find. This means they don't have a lot of talent to choose from to fill this hole. A guy like Thomas could give the Pats more bang for the buck than Samuel. I'm not saying he's better than Samuel but in the Pats scheme it's much easier to find a good CB that can help right away than a good LB.

I'd be surprised if they traded him. The Pats would want at least a #1 and maybe more and with Samuel's contract demands on top of that it will probably cost another team too much. Samuel has a tatoo that says "Get Paid" and he won't be offering anyone (including the Pats) any discounts.

 

[lions327]

All indications here in Detroit are that the Lions will definitely franchise Cory Redding.

 

[pizzatyme]

Word around Indy is that Freeney gets the tag and June gets signed. This leaves Harper and Rob Morris out.

 

[David Yudkin]

Gotta believe Samuel is a candidate. It's pretty obvvious the kid is in line to get a monster payday. I also don't believe the Pats would let him go without any compenation or signing another big time free agent like Thomas. So, I see three potential scenarios:1) Pats sign him. Many think this isn't a possibility but they can easily afford it. They have the cap space and are in good shape as far as free agents are concerned the next two years. The key issue will be whether they feel the player Samuel was for a good portion of this year is the player they'd be getting the next four years or so. Also, they have proved they will step up and give big deals (i.e. Brady and Seymour) if they value the player as a top echelon player.2) They franchise him, keep him for a year and either try to sign him or have a year to prepare for his departure.3) They use big money on a player like Thomas and let Samuel walk. I could see a scenario like this because the Pats need LB help. BB's D is a LB based D and they look for very specific qualities from LBs which are not easy to find. This means they don't have a lot of talent to choose from to fill this hole. A guy like Thomas could give the Pats more bang for the buck than Samuel. I'm not saying he's better than Samuel but in the Pats scheme it's much easier to find a good CB that can help right away than a good LB. I'd be surprised if they traded him. The Pats would want at least a #1 and maybe more and with Samuel's contract demands on top of that it will probably cost another team too much. Samuel has a tatoo that says "Get Paid" and he won't be offering anyone (including the Pats) any discounts.

I saw on local (Boston) tv that "sources within the organization" have said that the Pats will be franching Samuel if they can't get a deal done.However, I am not sure Samuel will go for that and things could turn into Deion Branch all over again.What happens if a player flat out refuses to sign the franchise offer? Does he simply not play?

 

[Boston]

Gotta believe Samuel is a candidate. It's pretty obvvious the kid is in line to get a monster payday. I also don't believe the Pats would let him go without any compenation or signing another big time free agent like Thomas. So, I see three potential scenarios:1) Pats sign him. Many think this isn't a possibility but they can easily afford it. They have the cap space and are in good shape as far as free agents are concerned the next two years. The key issue will be whether they feel the player Samuel was for a good portion of this year is the player they'd be getting the next four years or so. Also, they have proved they will step up and give big deals (i.e. Brady and Seymour) if they value the player as a top echelon player.2) They franchise him, keep him for a year and either try to sign him or have a year to prepare for his departure.3) They use big money on a player like Thomas and let Samuel walk. I could see a scenario like this because the Pats need LB help. BB's D is a LB based D and they look for very specific qualities from LBs which are not easy to find. This means they don't have a lot of talent to choose from to fill this hole. A guy like Thomas could give the Pats more bang for the buck than Samuel. I'm not saying he's better than Samuel but in the Pats scheme it's much easier to find a good CB that can help right away than a good LB. I'd be surprised if they traded him. The Pats would want at least a #1 and maybe more and with Samuel's contract demands on top of that it will probably cost another team too much. Samuel has a tatoo that says "Get Paid" and he won't be offering anyone (including the Pats) any discounts.

I saw on local (Boston) tv that "sources within the organization" have said that the Pats will be franching Samuel if they can't get a deal done.However, I am not sure Samuel will go for that and things could turn into Deion Branch all over again.What happens if a player flat out refuses to sign the franchise offer? Does he simply not play?

There's one huge difference between Branch and Samuel. If Branch had held out he was "only" going to lose around one million as he was still playing under his original rookie deal. If Samuel holds out he's losing the franchise number which is around eight million. Branch could gamble he would get that type of money back with his next contract since he didn't have much exposure. With Samuel there's no doubt his next deal will be big but forfeiting a good chunk of eight mil doesn't make too much sense.

 

[phthalatemagic]

Since Nate Clements is a CB FA and he will most likely get a monstrous deal this year, does that affect the franchise numbers for CBs this year, or next?

 

[Jene Bramel]

Since Nate Clements is a CB FA and he will most likely get a monstrous deal this year, does that affect the franchise numbers for CBs this year, or next?

Next year. The previous season's numbers are used and have already been confirmed for 2007.

 

[msommer]

Word around Indy is that Freeney gets the tag and June gets signed. This leaves Harper and Rob Morris out.

Is Gardner even a back up at this point?

 

[phthalatemagic]

Since Nate Clements is a CB FA and he will most likely get a monstrous deal this year, does that affect the franchise numbers for CBs this year, or next?

Next year. The previous season's numbers are used and have already been confirmed for 2007.

OK thanks. I knew the numbers came out, but I didn't know if they were static or not. Thanks!

 

[Jene Bramel]

Word around Indy is that Freeney gets the tag and June gets signed. This leaves Harper and Rob Morris out.

Is Gardner even a back up at this point?

He didn't have much impact on special teams and both Tyjuan Hagler and Freddy Keiaho will probably pass him on the depth chart this off-season, if they haven't already. I can't imagine he'll be tendered highly, if at all.

 

[pizzatyme]

Word around Indy is that Freeney gets the tag and June gets signed. This leaves Harper and Rob Morris out.

Is Gardner even a back up at this point?

He didn't have much impact on special teams and both Tyjuan Hagler and Freddy Keiaho will probably pass him on the depth chart this off-season, if they haven't already. I can't imagine he'll be tendered highly, if at all.

Agreed, he'll likely end up playing ST for someone else at the league minimum. He was THAT bad!

 

[QuizGuy66]

From bengals.com :

Story on the Franchise Tag at the bottom

Don’t be surprised if the Bengals decide to franchise defensive end Justin Smith by the Feb. 22 deadline even though it would cost them $8.6 million this year.

-QG

 

[Pat Patriot]

I think the Pats franchise Samuel. They definitely want to see Asante perform at a high level for at least another year. I actually think they have the option to franchise a guy 2 years in a row. I believe they did that with Vinatieri.

 

[ExaltedOne]

The Redskins won't franchise anyone.

 

[jeter23]

Patrick Kerney is believed to be intent on re-signing with the Falcons.

Kerney may have been holding off on voiding the two-year player option in his deal so Atlanta couldn't slap him with the franchise tag and he gets the chance for a contract that allows him to finish his career there.

Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution

 

[jeter23]

Charles Grant-DL- Saints Feb. 19 - 6:31 pm et

The Saints are planning to place the franchise tag on Charles Grant, barring a last minute contract extension this week.

Grant would play for $8.66 million this season under the one-year contract. While that seems like a lot for someone with only 8.5 sacks the last two seasons, it's only a one-year commitment and New Orleans has plenty of cap room. Grant is an excellent run-stuffer, had 20.5 sacks between 2003-2004, and has never missed an NFL game. Letting him leave for free doesn't make sense.

 

[jeter23]

Tomorrow is the deadline. John Clayton says Thomas will NOT be tagged by Baltimore, but that Josh Brown could be by Seattle.

 

[chris1969]

Paying LeChuck for not playing the entire season? about 6mil...

Paying Baxter for not playing the entire year? about 6 mil...

Not having 1 single player on your roster worth franchising? priceless

 

[jeter23]

Some reports have said the Falcons were considering franchising Patrick Kerney, but that is not the case. Kerney will be on the free-agent market. Fact. Now before he gets there, the Falcons will continue to re-sign him, and Kerney wants to give Atlanta every chance to retain his services. But with San Francisco, Seattle, Denver, Detroit, Cleveland and practically every team in the league looking to upgrade the position, the 30-year-old Kerney knows he is going to cash in somewhere -- even coming off a torn pectoral muscle he suffered last season.

 

[jeter23]

The Baltimore Ravens aren’t expected to designate All-Pro linebacker Adalius Thomas as their franchise player by today’s deadline. Baltimore general manager Ozzie Newsome said Wednesday the team hasn’t decided whether to assign the $7.2 million tag to Thomas and was actively trying to sign him to a contract extension. If Thomas isn’t signed to a new deal or named the franchise player by 4 p.m. today, he’s scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent who can sign with any team without compensation awarded to Baltimore. It would be difficult for the Ravens to compete financially with potential Thomas suitors that have a lot of salary cap flexibility like the San Francisco 49ers ($37.6 million), New England Patriots ($26.6 million), Cleveland Browns ($26.6 million) and Green Bay Packers ($24.8 million).

 

[jeter23]

With both Clements and Fletcher as FAs, why wouldn't Buffalo franchise one of them? Homers, any ideas?

 

[Mungo Burrows]

The Baltimore Ravens aren’t expected to designate All-Pro linebacker Adalius Thomas as their franchise player by today’s deadline. Baltimore general manager Ozzie Newsome said Wednesday the team hasn’t decided whether to assign the $7.2 million tag to Thomas and was actively trying to sign him to a contract extension. If Thomas isn’t signed to a new deal or named the franchise player by 4 p.m. today, he’s scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent who can sign with any team without compensation awarded to Baltimore. It would be difficult for the Ravens to compete financially with potential Thomas suitors that have a lot of salary cap flexibility like the San Francisco 49ers ($37.6 million), New England Patriots ($26.6 million), Cleveland Browns ($26.6 million) and Green Bay Packers ($24.8 million).

just confirming..."Today at 4 p.m. is the NFL's deadline for teams to designate a franchise player, which secures a 1-year contract at the average pay of the 5 highest paid players at that position. The Ravens will not use this designation on any of their 10 players who can become unrestricted free agents next Friday, March 2, 2007."

http://www.baltimoreravens.com/news/article.jsp?id=16665

 

[The_Man]

There is some talk that the Ravens will franchise Adalius Thomas, but I don't believe it.Ozzie franchised McAlister one time and basically said he'd never do it again. There would also be dispute over whether Thomas gets franchised as an LB or DL. My guess is that someone will absurdly overpay him (maybe SF or CLE, where former Ravens people are in the front office) and the Ravens won't match.And then he'll go onto to join the list of Ravens free agents - Gary Baxter, Ed Hartwell, Anthony Weaver, Duane Starks, and Kemo Maakeatou among them - who get grossly overpaid because the teams acquiring them think that some of Baltimore's defensive prowess will rub off on them.Ozzie is too shrewd to let the really good ones - Thomas three years ago, Reed, McAlister - get away.

No surprise -- Ozzie hates the franchise tag. Plus, Suggs' contract ends after this season, and I think resigning him long-term prior to the start of the season is a high priority. After being the youngest player in the NFL first his first two seasons, Suggs is still only 24 years old (Mario Williams is 22) and is still getting better. Meanwhile, Thomas will be 30 before the season begins. And the Ravens will pick up a 3rd or 4th roudn compensation pick in the 2008 draft for losing him.Thomas is a very good player, and I wish him well. But I think the Ravens' system uniquely showcased his talents, and he won't be as successful elsewhere.

 

[G-Money]

Seahawks | Team franchises Brown

Thu, 22 Feb 2007 13:13:34 -0800

Mike Sando, of the Tacoma News Tribune, reports the Seattle Seahawks have placed their franchise tag on PK Josh Brown. The one-year offer will be worth around $2 million.