The Washington Redskins may not sign right guard Brandon Scherff to an extension this offseason before he hits the 2020 free agency market, but that doesn’t mean he won’t be a Redskin this coming season.
Rather than shelling out a chunk of change for the top-rated offensive lineman in this year’s free agency market, they can always choose to place the Franchise Tag on him, locking him down for one additional year and taking away his ability to negotiate with other teams.
Unfamiliar with how the franchise tag works in the NFL? No need to dig up past articles on how it was used with QB Kirk Cousins, we’ll offer a brief explainer here.
A franchise tag is a one-year contract for the amount no less than the average of the top-five salaries in the league at the player’s position for the current year, or 120 percent of the player’s salary the previous year — whichever is greater.
So what does this mean for the Redskins salary cap projections should they place the tag on Scherff? Let’s break it down.
Scherff had the fifth-year option on his contract picked up by the Redskins in 2018, paying him $12.5 million for the 2019 season and making him the second-highest paid right guard in the NFL. This is important because, by the rules of the Franchise Tag, the Redskins would have to pay him 120 percent of that $12.5 million —$15,030,000 — in 2020, seeing as it would be greater than the average of the top-five salaries at the position — $14.28 million.
Does this really help alleviate the salary cap? Not exactly, but it would give Washington an extra year to evaluate Scherff and make sure he’s a sound investment after missing 13 games over the past two years.
The team can only use one franchise tag per season, and Scherff seems to be the obvious candidate in Washington for 2020. There’s also the chance that they have seen enough to trust their future with the 28-year-old, signing him to a full extension.
Starting on February 25th, the franchise tag period opens for the NFL, and teams can designate which player they wish to place a tender on. That period ends on March 10th.
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