Tag: franchise tag

How the franchise tag works, and why Redskins’ Brandon Scherff might be a candidate

The Redskins may not wish to sign Scherff to a multi-year extension, but they could keep him around for another year with the franchise tag.

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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Should the Steelers use the franchise tag on Bud Dupree?

The Steelers might want to use the franchise tag on Bud Dupree.

In just a few short weeks, the new NFL league year will begin and the Pittsburgh Steelers will be faced with their first significant decision of the offseason. What to do with outside linebacker Bud Dupree. Dupree is coming off the best season of his career and looking to cash in.

The question of the Steelers front office is a financial one. Pittsburgh has very little in terms of cap space. According to Over the Cap, the Steelers have just over $1.4 million heading into the offseason.

Having said that, the salary cap gurus for the Pittsburgh Steelers seem to always find a way to fit a player or two in who you might not think would. One tool for this is the franchise tag. Dupree is the only free agent the Steelers have who might be worth using the tag on. But should they?

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Personally, after the debacle with Le’Veon Bell and the franchise tag, I’d feel better if the Steelers just let Dupree walk. I don’t want to see another holdout and the team be on hold because of a player.

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Prescott answer to $40M question puts ball in Cowboys’ court

As opinions fly about whether the Cowboys should pay their starting QB top dollar, Dak weighs in on if he’s worth a record-setting contract.

When it comes to Dak Prescott’s coming payday, things basically boil down to two schools of thought. One philosophy says when your franchise quarterback’s contract is due, you simply pay him the going rate for a starting NFL passer, with the next man up possibly setting the financial bar at the position just because it’s his turn in line. The other wants to tie the player’s paycheck directly to his skills, with a ranking of all quarterback salaries closely mirroring the current pecking order of who’s best.

Everyone has an opinion on the Dallas Cowboys quarterback’s next deal. And now Prescott himself has elaborated- at least a little bit- on his own view.

In a sit-down interview with Kimberley A. Martin of Yahoo Sports, Prescott was asked point-blank about the staggering annual number getting tossed around by what Prescott calls “the talking heads and prognosticators,” a figure that would make him the highest-paid player in the league.

“Are you a $40-million quarterback?”

“You tell me,” Prescott deadpans. In three succinct words, it’s precisely what the signal-caller is telling Jerry Jones and the Dallas front office as their negotiations continue.

“If it’s my call to write it,” Prescott continues, “yeah, no telling. I mean, let’s be honest, right? So like I said before, I mean, I trust my agent. I trust the Cowboys. Something will get done. We’re not going to sit here and put a number on it. Something will happen.”

Whether that something happens before the franchise tag deadline of March 10 remains to be seen.

Prescott knows he has doubters. Even inside Cowboys Nation, there’s a vocalfaction of fans who haven’t warmed up to him because he replaced Tony Romo or because they can’t forgive a three-game stretch of infamously bad games in 2017 or because they feel he owes it to the organization who drafted him to take a hometown discount or because they cling to a misguided notion that he’s inaccurate and can’t throw the deep ball.

But the four-year veteran who hasn’t missed a game as a pro tunes out those skeptics.

“I don’t necessarily listen to the people that can’t put me in the box,” the two-time Pro Bowler said. “I ignore them and I put that away before they even being to open their mouths, I guess you could say. And I have to do that because the only thing I can worry about is what I can control. And that’s going out there and being the best teammate, the best quarterback, and the best player I can be to give my team and myself a chance to win.”

The guy who throws the passes for the Cowboys has just put the ball back in the front office’s court.

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Freeze Tag: Cowboys hope to ink Prescott before franchise window invites chill

Dak Prescott and the Cowboys are going through serious contract negotiations. See why the Cowboys want a deal done by this specific date.

The Dallas Cowboys and Dak Prescott dilemma is going to be an ongoing one, complete with the usual drawn out negotiations the club has undertaken with almost all of their stars in recent years. DeMarcus Lawrence took multiple offseasons and two franchise tags before a deal was reached. Running back Ezekiel Elliott sat out a summer before the team gave him his extension. A few years prior, wideout Dez Bryant was away from the team until the franchise tag deadline was right around the corner. Now, it may be Prescott’s turn to push things to the wire. Or will it be?

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported Tuesday the Cowboys have locked in on the date they would like to have signed Prescott by. The date the Dallas front office has mentioned as the target is March 10, or the last day to franchise tag a player.

“Historically this has been incredibly difficult to do,” Rapoport said about teams trying to reach long term agreement with a player before using the franchise tag.

If a deal isn’t done by March 10, the Cowboys plan use the franchise tag on Prescott, keeping him on the team for another year but not long term as both sides want. The two sides would be allowed to continue negotiating towards that goal until July 15.

The non-exclusive tag would pay Prescott the average of the top five salaries at his position over the last five years, which will come in around $27 million or so.

It was reported Prescott declined a $33 million a year offer, but further details were not known at the time.

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The pressure would seem to be on the Cowboys for multiple reasons.

Houston’s Deshaun Watson is now eligible for a contract extension and any established QB market price could be shattered when the Chiefs lock up Patrick Mahomes long term. It could be crucial that Dallas strike a deal with Prescott before Mahomes resets the market for quarterback contracts, which could come at any time.

Dallas also has a new head coach and Mike McCarthy is an offensive mind, meaning a holdout by Prescott ruins the chance to integrate the new concepts and risks the chance of impacting the coming season.

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Whether a deal with Prescott will agreed be upon or not is still in the air. However, it is highly unlikely Dallas lets Prescott test free agency. The franchise tag would keep Prescott in Dallas until the two parties can hopefully come to terms on a multiple year contract, and Dallas has two of them to use in consecutive years.

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7 players that could get the franchise tag in 2020

There would be a lot more players on this list but Tom Brady, Drew Brees, and Jadeveon Clowney all can’t be franchise tagged this offseason. The players below definitely can be tagged, and it’s more plausible than not that they will end up at least …

There would be a lot more players on this list but Tom Brady, Drew Brees, and Jadeveon Clowney all can’t be franchise tagged this offseason. The players below definitely can be tagged, and it’s more plausible than not that they will end up at least being franchised for a little bit before some of them sign a long term deal. The list is filled with some young quarterbacks, defensive linemen who can wreck gameplans, a veteran, and an offensive lineman.

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Michael Irvin earths can of worms he opened with Brady-to-Cowboys Prescott talk

The Tom-Brady-to-Dallas theory simply doesn’t hold much water when looked at through the lens of common football sense. He’s 42 years old. His skills and stats have taken a noticeable dip. Yes, he’s the most decorated quarterback to ever take a …

The Tom-Brady-to-Dallas theory simply doesn’t hold much water when looked at through the lens of common football sense. He’s 42 years old. His skills and stats have taken a noticeable dip. Yes, he’s the most decorated quarterback to ever take a snap, but he’s played his entire career under one coach in one system that was built for him. This is who some think is really the answer for the Cowboys? Who are, themselves, revamping the organization with a new head coach? A coach just happens to be a quarterback-whisperer type who ostensibly took the job because- at least in part- of Dak Prescott? Who himself just happens to be a 26-year-old coming off his best season as a pro and has all the goods to be the long-term solution on a roster already loaded with young talent?

It just doesn’t pass the sniff test. But this is the offseason for America’s Team, so logic need not apply. Jerry-Jones-should-pay-Tom-Brady-whatever-he-wants is just too hot a take, too clickable a headline for some not to go off the deep end with it. And now Cowboys legend Michael Irvin has inadvertently stepped into the middle of the madness.

The Hall of Fame receiver spoke to Boston radio station WEEI on Friday and was asked for his thoughts on a hypothetical scenario that has Dallas placing a franchise tag on Prescott and signing Brady when free agency begins.

“I’m just telling you right now, at the Super Bowl in Miami, some very significant people that I had some conversations [with were] leaning in that same direction,” Irvin told the station’s Dale & Keefe. “It was shocking. I had a vodka cranberry in my hand and when they said it to me, I put the drink down and said, ‘Let’s talk a little bit more about this.’ I promise you, I had a conversation with people, I can’t tell you who, about that same scenario going down. And I was like, ‘I just don’t know if there’s a real possibility of that happening.'”

Irvin’s tale is brimming with red flags right from the jump. First of all, the conversation took place during Super Bowl Week in Miami. By the Playmaker’s own admission, alcohol was flowing. There were no doubt lots of outrageous and fantastical things being said under similar circumstances. Second, Irvin doesn’t name the “significant people.” Significant in what way? Significant to whom? And third, Irvin said- literally within seconds of hearing it- that he immediately doubted the likelihood of Brady signing with Dallas.

But despite the lack of any details, many media outlets raced to spread the story that Michel Irvin, a longtime member of the Cowboys inner circle, had suggested a Brady deal was coming. Some began speculating that the “significant people” Irvin cited were themselves Cowboys insiders or possibly even team management.

By Friday night, reporters were busy working to either confirm or deny what they could.

But rumors of the NFL’s most loved/hated player going to the NFL’s most loved/hated team had taken on a life of their own. Irvin himself took to social media over the weekend to try to set the record straight.

Some of the same outlets who had reported that Irvin was leaking team intel now claimed that the three-time Super Bowl champ was “clarifying” or “walking back” his earlier comments, when in fact, they had simply been reported incorrectly to begin with. Irvin was still addressing the fallout via his Twitter account Monday morning.

But no retraction or clarification could chop off the legs that the story had already grown. The whole mess had become fodder for the morning shows. ESPN’s Dan Graziano tried to put out the firestorm on Monday’s Get Up, saying, “I believe the Dallas Cowboys’ plan is for Dak Prescott to be their quarterback. And I don’t think that this is something that’s being talked about at any serious level in their building.”

Graziano did admit, though, that the story’s breaking-news buzz probably doesn’t hurt the front office as they work through contract negotiations with Prescott.

“It’s not bad for the Cowboys and Jerry and Stephen Jones if this is out there, right?” he spitballed. “You talk about leverage, right? If Dak Prescott has it in his head, ‘Oh, they might replace me with Tom Brady, maybe…’ It’s all about pushing the guy toward you in the negotiation.”

Team executive vice president Stephen Jones said just last week that talks with Prescott were “fixin’ to heat up.” He told the Dallas Morning News on Friday- the same day that Irvin told his vodka cranberry story- that the organization’s goal was to avoid using the franchise tag on Prescott.

After a weekend of flustered story chasing, Irvin joined Dallas’ 105.3 The Fan and put an end to the ordeal, grounding the rumors in the reality that he never said the Cowboys front office were the significant people he mentioned.

Rumor officially ended, well at least this one. Until something definitive happens, Prescott theories will be all over the airwaves… and all over the map. And until New England and Brady figure out their mutual status moving forward, some of those theories will undoubtedly involve Tom Terrific wearing a blue star, even with Irvin’s recent statements.

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Seattle Seahawks 2020 free agent profile: DE Jadeveon Clowney

The Seattle Seahawks entire offseason rests on the contract of star defensive end Jadeveon Clowney. Will the team pony up to bring him back?

*The Seattle Seahawks are heading into the 2020 offseason with 19 players set to become unrestricted free agents, which should make for another busy spring and summer for Pete Carroll and John Schneider as they look to shore up the roster and contend for the number one seed in the NFC again next year.*

Our free agent series continues with a look at defensive end Jadeveon Clowney.

When the Seahawks traded for star defensive end Jadeveon Clowney just before the start of the 2019 season, it was always known it could be just a one-year partnership between both sides.

After all, Clowney insisted his new contract with Seattle include a clause preventing them from placing a franchise tag on him this offseason, clearing the way for him to enter free agency ahead of his age-27 season.

Clowney’s numbers last year for the Seahawks may look relatively tame, with his 31 combined tackles, seven for loss, and three sacks all representing career lows outside of his rookie season when he only appeared in four games.

However, Clowney still had a huge impact on this Seattle defense, often drawing double teams that freed up other players while also proving himself a menace in both the running and passing game, and earning admiration from his teammates for playing big chunks of the season through a sports hernia injury, for which he is expected to get surgery very shortly.

The surgery isn’t expected to prohibit Seattle from signing him, but the price tag will be the big kicker. Clowney will almost certainly look for a record-breaking multi-year deal, and while the Seahawks have the cap space to get it done, they may try to spread out their money instead, heading into 2020.

Clowney’s free agency will be a big hinge for how the next few seasons go in the Emerald City.

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Important NFL dates for February 2020

Before the start of the new league year, free agency and the 2020 NFL Draft, there are still these important NFL dates in February.

The Kansas City Chiefs beat the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LIV to finish the year as the league champions. Attention now turns to the start of the new league year, free agency and the 2020 NFL Draft later this spring.

However, there are still a few important NFL dates to remember for this month. Here’s a look at the schedule for February, per NFL Communications.

February NFL calendar of events

February 3: The start of the 2020 waiver system began.

February 11: Beginning at 9:00 a.m. PT, NFL clubs may begin to sign CFL players whose contracts have expired. Those under contract to a CFL team for the 2020 season or who have an option for the 2020 season are not eligible to be signed.

February 24: The NFL Scouting Combine kicks off from Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana and lasts through March 2.

February 25: Marks the first day for teams to designate Franchise or Transition Players.

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News: Cowboys coaching staff more intriguing than originally thought

The NFL is just days removed from the Super Bowl and already the 2020 offseason is in full swing. When it comes to the big changes in Dallas there is no time to waste. The public gets to know a little bit more about new Cowboys defensive …

The NFL is just days removed from the Super Bowl and already the 2020 offseason is in full swing. When it comes to the big changes in Dallas there is no time to waste.

The public gets to know a little bit more about new Cowboys defensive coordinator, Mike Nolan. There are predictions of who has the best chance to get to Super Bowl 55. A bold Jason Witten projection his fans may want to look away from.

If things don’t work out in Dallas, there’s a look at potential different landing spots for Amari Cooper. 2020 over-under bets are filing in for season win totals. An introduction to the new individual responsible for linebackers Jaylon Smith & Leighton Vander Esch’s growth. All this and more in this edition of News and Notes.

Mike Nolan wants Cowboys defense to have ‘swarming type of mentality’ :: ESPN

A great read from Todd Archer profiles new defensive coordinator Mike Nolan. Among the tidbits, there’s a glimpse back at Nolan’s introduction to the Cowboys as a five-year-old sitting atop the shoulders of Ring of Honor quarterback Don Meredith, the collaborative lengths he’s going to with his newly-assembled staff to marry his coaches’ various defensive philosophies, and the thing that Troy Aikman told him about Deion Sanders 15 years ago that still resonates with him today.

At the heart of everything Nolan does in Dallas, though, will be his emphasis on creating takeaways. “You want it to look like a swarming type of mentality,” Nolan says. He adds, “The number one thing in football is getting the ball for your offense.”

–TB

NFL’s biggest Super Bowl window? Chiefs, Ravens, 49ers top list :: NFL.com

Though some have been quick to already christen the Chiefs the league’s next “dynasty,” there are actually several teams for whom the proverbial window is wide open to win a championship of their own in 2020. NFL.com columnist Adam Schein ranks the nine teams for whom the time is now. Or at least now-ish.

The Cowboys come in fifth, thanks in large part to the hiring of Mike McCarthy as head coach. Schein thinks he’s the ideal leader to make the most of quarterback Dak Prescott hitting his football stride: “McCarthy and Prescott comprise the kind of coach-quarterback tandem that can carry a franchise to years of contention.”

–TB

Offseason predictions for all 32 teams :: ESPN

The Worldwide Leader tasked its NFL Nation reporters with making a “bold prediction” for the 2020 offseason for each team in the league. While some of the crystal-ball calls aren’t exactly exciting (The Browns will add two starting tackles! The Broncos will be active in making moves!), several are worthy of at least a slight eyebrow raise (The Rams will try to trade Todd Gurley).

As for Dallas, Todd Archer’s calling his shot on a topic that’s already gotten a good deal of traction with many fans: “Jason Witten will play a 17th season… but it won’t be with the Cowboys.”

–TB

Las Vegas Raiders announce hiring of Rod Marinelli :: Raiders

Rod Marinelli found a new home in the business, one with a familiar face, Jon Gruden. Gruden and Marinelli worked together for four seasons in Tampa Bay in the early 2000’s. On Wednesday, the now Las Vegas Raiders announced the hiring of two coaches. While his stint in Dallas didn’t end how he wanted, Marinelli’s resume speaks for itself and his time with the Cowboys was more positive than negative.

–AH

Eagles, Bills among potential landing spots for Amari Cooper :: NFL.com

Cooper, coming off his best season, is sure to attract looks for a number of teams in need of an upgrade at the position. Former NFL quarterback David Carr explains his top 5 landing spots for Cooper.

–AH

2020 Dallas Cowboys have an over/under win total set at 9. . . what would you take? ::Blogging The Boys

The 2019 Cowboys had and over/under set at 8.5 wins according to BetOnline and by the looks of things, they were pretty spot on.

In 2020, Dallas has been given the early over/under total of nine wins. RJ Ochoa goes on to explain that with the team being in win-now mode, nine wins would be a complete disaster. Whether it being losing close games, or just plain old bad luck, anything short of a double-digit win season would have Cowboys fans once again in a frenzy.

–DS

Troy Aikman believes it’s “inevitable” Cowboys, Dak Prescott reach a deal :: Pro Football Talk

There are many different opinions on the contract status of Cowboys starting quarterback Dak Prescott. Now, with the new reports that a franchise tag is coming, the new question is whether or not Prescott will show up to the off-season programs when the new NFL calendar year starts in just a few short months.

Dallas Cowboys Hall of Fame quarterback, Troy Aikman told 96.7 FM/1310 AM The Ticket that he thinks that it’s “inevitable” that it gets done. He mentions that Prescott would be there for the off season programs because he wants to get better and that he would want to be there for his teammates.

“I think the Cowboys, they’ve said it, I believe they really want him back. I have no reason to think otherwise,” Aikman said. “I believe Mike McCarthy really wants him back. Dak wants to be there. I think it’s inevitable that they are going to reach a deal.

“I think everyone understands that he’s the quarterback of the future.”

–DS

McCurley’s Faith In McCarthy Led Him To Dallas :: Dallas Cowboys

The majority of the coaching staff has been changed and revamped under the new direction and vision of head coach Mike McCarthy. For a few weeks the focus has been on all of the coordinators such as Kellen Moore (offensive), Mike Nolan (defensive)and John Fassel (special teams).

This article focuses in on a position coach with very high expectations due to  the group of individuals he’ll be working with; the linebackers. Scott McCurley will be tagging along with Mike McCarthy for a second time as he begins his job as Cowboys linebackers coach. McCurley started with McCarthy in Green Bay as an intern in 2006 and after Mike McCarthy was fired in 2018, McCurley remained loyal. The journey of getting to Dallas and how McCurley turned down an opportunity to latch on with the college football National Champions, LSU, is quite the read.

–DS

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13 important dates in the 2020 NFL offseason

Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports Now that the season ended exactly two days ago, it’s time to focus on the next season. Only one city is reveling in what happened in the 2019 season and 2020 playoffs. The rest of the United States is ready to …

Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

Now that the season ended exactly two days ago, it’s time to focus on the next season. Only one city is reveling in what happened in the 2019 season and 2020 playoffs. The rest of the United States is ready to move on. Hope springs eternal in the NFL, that’s why these future dates are kind of important.

February 24 – The Start of the NFL Draft Combine

It’s time to watch football players in shorts do exercises and some drills and get excited about numbers! The draft combine has become big business — and expect the NFL to move it around the country in the next few years — and it’s now televised for all the world to see. We’ll find out who is a workout warrior, some insane physical skills from players, and even get some leaks about interviews. It’s the beginning of the draft process so fans who cheer for teams with a bunch of picks will be especially excited to get this thing started.

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