2017 Franchise and Transition Tags

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No numbers per position yet, but here are some odds to use when assessing who will actually be Free Agents this March. Speculation from CBS and Jason LaCanfora.

1. Kirk Cousins, franchise - 100%
2. Chandler Jones, franchise, - 100%
3. Kawaan Short, franchise - 100%
4. Le'Veon Bell - franchise - 90%
5. CB Truman Johnson - franchise - 75%
6. Melvin Ingram - either - 75%
7. Terrelle Pryor - either - 75%
8. S Eric Berry and DT Dontari Poe, franchise one or the other - 50/50/100%
9. Dont’a Hightower, franchise, 25%
10. CB A.J. Buoy, franchise, 25%

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/es...ne-cold-locks/

[Guiness]

No numbers per position yet, but here are some odds to use when assessing who will actually be Free Agents this March. Speculation from CBS and Jason LaCanfora.

1. Kirk Cousins, franchise - 100%
2. Chandler Jones, franchise, - 100%
3. Kawaan Short, franchise - 100%
4. Le'Veon Bell - franchise - 90%
5. CB Truman Johnson - franchise - 75%
6. Melvin Ingram - either - 75%
7. Terrelle Pryor - either - 75%
8. S Eric Berry and DT Dontari Poe, franchise one or the other - 50/50/100%
9. Dont’a Hightower, franchise, 25%
10. CB A.J. Buoy, franchise, 25%

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/es...ne-cold-locks/

something tells me Cousins won't see the franchise tag.

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something tells me Cousins won't see the franchise tag.

But then you would expect him to sign with Washington right?

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But then you would expect him to sign with Washington right?

they just can't commit to him, even though hes the best QB they've had in forever

so they keep holding out thinking they'll somehow find an elite QB. in the meantime they keep having to pay him elite money while they make up their minds

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they just can't commit to him, even though hes the best QB they've had in forever

so they keep holding out thinking they'll somehow find an elite QB. in the meantime they keep having to pay him elite money while they make up their minds

Bingo.

The money just seems too much and creates an impasse. He has no reason to sign until tagged, and the tag makes him prohibitively expensive because he'll want that amount per year. They've screwed the pooch on this one and are really painted into a corner. I think they have to let him test the open market, and there all bets are off as to where he ends up.

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Bingo.

The money just seems too much and creates an impasse. He has no reason to sign until tagged, and the tag makes him prohibitively expensive because he'll want that amount per year. They've screwed the pooch on this one and are really painted into a corner. I think they have to let him test the open market, and there all bets are off as to where he ends up.

There are lots of reports, including by LaCanfora, that they are prepared to live with the tag one more year.

But that does leave open your question, whether they really want him on a long term deal or they are just biding their time and trying to not angering him enough to hold out.

[Guiness]

something tells me Cousins won't see the franchise tag.

oops?

I wonder if this is tag and trade to SF or if Washington wants him?

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didn't larry fitzgerald go down the same way?

they tagged him twice, then he ended up with an insane contract that crippled the team for years

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Chandler Jones tagged. Kawaan Short tagged. Both got franchise.

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Adam Schefter @AdamSchefter
Top pass rushers - JPP, Melvin Ingram, Chandler Jones, Kawann Short - basically off the market. So much for that.

Not quite there yet, but ...

Adam Schefter‏Verified account @AdamSchefter 51m51 minutes ago
Giants expected to use franchise tag on Jason Pierre-Paul by Wednesday if two sides cannot reach long-term deal by then, per league sources.

Adam Schefter‏Verified account @AdamSchefter 5h5 hours ago
Other players expected to be tagged by Wednesday deadline include Kirk Cousins, Le'Veon Bell, Kawann Short, Melvin Ingram, Trumaine Johnson.

So only two pass rushers have tags applied yet (CJones and Short). If Ingram gets tagged, then Perry might be best combo OLB/DE left on board. Not only pass rush though, as there are DEs and DTs left.

The question is where does the market land? We need to know the actual tag number and someone needs to sign a deal. That way we know whether the tags are high end of market or low end this year.

[Guiness]

So only two pass rushers have tags applied yet (CJones and Short). If Ingram gets tagged, then Perry might be best combo OLB/DE left on board. Not only pass rush though, as there are DEs and DTs left.

The question is where does the market land? We need to know the actual tag number and someone needs to sign a deal. That way we know whether the tags are high end of market or low end this year.

If he's the best left out there, I would think that means a $10M+ deal

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If he's the best left out there, I would think that means a $10M+ deal

Yeah, I would guesstimate $10.7 based on salaries now. But that doesn't include a stupid figure from someone else.

Still find it hard to believe he gets a blockbuster deal given his history. But teams will want that guaranteed number to be low, and might give him large salaries instead.

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Jason La Canfora

Chargers have tagged Melvin Ingram according to a league source. Made the move official tonite

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NY Post

As @ProFootballTalk reported, Giants will place franchise tag on Jason Pierre-Paul. Official transaction takes place tomorrow.

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Cousins got the tag, around 22 million. On mike and mike, they just said that if he gets tagged next year, or just signs a so-so deal, he will make more over 3 years then any other player in history

Not bad for a non elite player

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Cousins got the tag, around 22 million. On mike and mike, they just said that if he gets tagged next year, or just signs a so-so deal, he will make more over 3 years then any other player in history

Not bad for a non elite player

Not saying it won't happen, but tag for Cousins has not been announced yet. This is his second tag. Another year of tag (the last possible I think) would be prohibitive if its the franchise level (44% increase in year 3) and only marginally acceptable under the transition take (22% increase).

That is where red and Mike and Mike are getting those huge first two year numbers for Cousins. And its what gives him a lit of leverage over a trade now.

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Cousins officially tagged with exclusive franchise designation.

Kirk Cousins‏ @KirkCousins8 51m51 minutes ago
Tag! I'm it!

Adam Schefter‏Verified account @AdamSchefter 35m35 minutes ago
Washington placed exclusive franchise tag on Kirk Cousins.

Adam Rank‏ @adamrank 16m16 minutes ago
Paying $24M for Kirk Cousins is akin to paying $11 for an airport beer. I mean, you don't want to pay that much, but you have no choice.

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He will pocket at least 44 million over the last two seasons now

It could still go up if he signs a new deal. 24 million for this season is now the starting point for any new deal

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He will pocket at least 44 million over the last two seasons now

It could still go up if he signs a new deal. 24 million for this season is now the starting point for any new deal

The best part of this is that they COULD have locked him up long term for same guaranteed cost last year. So they would be on hook for same money as last two tags, but be paying him less per year for 3 more years.

Before diving into the civil strife, let’s absorb the logistics of finance that are in play now for Cousins. On Tuesday, he received a franchise tag that will amount to a one-year deal for $23.94 million in 2017. This means Cousins will be on the books in Washington for a two-season total of $43.89 million in guaranteed money.

After following this situation for the last year and speaking with multiple sources familiar with the negotiations, this much is unequivocal: If Washington had offered Cousins a multiyear deal last offseason that included $44 million guaranteed and base salaries of $20 million, he would have taken it. Anyone who says otherwise (on either side of this negotiation) is either lying or trying to rewrite history with alternative facts.

Without a shred of doubt, Cousins would be under a multiyear deal now, with the bulk of his guaranteed money set to expire after the 2017 season, given that the Redskins could have done the deal in a manner to take the same financial gut-punch that they’re already sustaining.

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/this-is...010853506.html

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Cousins future deals get even more absurd (same Yahoo article as above):

• Tag Cousins and trade him – a move that will draw far less of a draft pick or player compensation now than ever because NFL teams can see the flames lapping against the windows of the negotiation room.

• Cousins plays out the season at a similar pace of the last two seasons. The option here is the Redskins let him go after 2017, blowing through $43.89 million and having no long-term answer to show for it. Or Washington can franchise tag him for a third season at a clip of $34.47 million for 2018. After that? They’d have sunk $78.36 million into Cousins for three seasons – significantly more guaranteed money than any player has ever made over a three-season span. And they’d be forced to let him go to free agency, having nothing to show for one of the biggest financial negotiation blunders in NFL history.

• The Redskins can transition tag him ($28.78 million) in 2018, paying out $72.67 million over three years – still more than any player has ever earned in three years. But under the transition tag in 2018, Cousins would have the right to negotiate with other clubs. And if the Redskins matched, they’d be on the hook for a brand-spanking new deal likely to come with at least $50 million in guaranteed money. And with the salary cap climbing, that $50 million guaranteed figure in 2018 is very conservative. This means Washington pays out $43.89 million for 2016 and 2017 and then, if its hand is forced, matches a transition offer sheet that delivers potentially another $50 million in guaranteed money, most of which will likely be paid in the first two years of the deal. That would put Cousins at likely more than $93.89 million in guaranteed money for four years of work.

To put that digit in perspective, the New Orleans Saints will have paid Drew Brees and his massive, mismanaged, back-end contract just over $71 million the last four years of his deal. The Indianapolis Colts’ Andrew Luck just signed a deal that if it goes as planned, will pay out about $88 million in cash over the next four years. To recap: Brees, $71 million over four. Luck, $88 million over four. Cousins, $93 million (or more) over four.