Franchise tag roundup: Miller, Wilkerson get theirs, but others wait
All summer we heard about the distance between Von Miller and the Denver Broncos over long-term contract negotiations, and it became a very public battle. It ended well in a whopper contract extension for Miller, and as Yahoo’s Charles Robinson noted — it had to go that far for Miller to get what he felt he deserved.
In fact, those talks took so much of the NFL media attention the past few months that it was easy to forget just how many other significant players have also been at loggerheads with their respective teams. As Friday’s deadline to sign long-term contracts for franchised players came and went with only three long-term deals, we found out that other negotiations didn’t end as happily ever after as Miller’s did with the Broncos.
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Here’s a roundup of what happened with each of the players who were franchised this offseason now that Friday’s deadline has passed:
Miller: This got ugly behind the scenes — and publicly, a bit — because it likely had to. Broncos exec John Elway was never going to fold early, and Miller did his best to keep a poker face throughout the standoff. In the end, Miller got more guaranteed money than anyone in NFL history not named Andrew Luck, and that $70 million figure was $10 million more than Cam Newton received. Von sacked Cam one more time after the Super Bowl, and now that the Broncos pass rusher is officially back in the fold, he’ll have another crack at his foil in the season opener vs. the Carolina Panthers.
New York Jets DE Muhammad Wilkerson: This one appeared headed straight to Broadway as the next big talking point when it was assumed he and the Jets would fail to work out a long-term deal. All indications were that there was little chance it got done. But the stealth master, GM Mike Maccagnan, swooped in last minute, signing Wilkerson to a long-term contract that included $37 million guaranteed (a little more than half of what Miller got).
Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick remains unsigned, which could put pressure on the Jets’ three young quarterbacks — Geno Smith, Bryce Petty and Christian Hackenberg — to perform. But could WIlkerson’s deal clear up enough salary cap space to bring back Fitz? Perhaps. With Sheldon Richardson suspended for Week 1 and his long-term spot with the team in question, there was additional pressure to get a Wilkerson deal done. The Jets came through at the 11th hour in a big way.
Washington Redskins QB Kirk Cousins: At just shy of $20 million in salary (eighth among QBs in terms of total 2016 dollars) this season, Cousins wouldn’t be hurting. And all indications are that he willingly will sign his one-year tender to play out what could be a fascinating year to help determine his long-term value. But what the Redskins’ stance says is that they have no idea what he’s worth at the current time. This franchise, so long plagued at quarterback, finally appeared to get lucky in the post-RG3 rubble and watched the guy drafted 101 picks after him lead them to the postseason … but then they really made no strong, concerted push to give him big money long term. Pretty telling. It’s 2016 or bust for Mr. Cousins, it appears.
Chicago Bears WR Alshon Jeffery: For months, the signs out of the Windy City pointed toward no deal. That’s exactly what happened, and there’s no indication that there were even any last-minute attempts by the club to make one. The chatter for some time now is that the Bears were always willing to roll the dice and let Jeffery play on the franchise tender of $14.6 million. It’s not that they don’t like the player; they do, in fact. But they just want one more season’s worth of evidence that Jeffery is worth Dez Bryant-Demaryius Thomas type money. Staying healthy and remaining consistently engaged almost certainly would put Jeffery in line for a significant long-term offer after this season from the Bears.
Kansas City Chiefs S Eric Berry: In one of the great comebacks in recent years in the NFL, Berry reestablished himself as a top safety after a bout with Hodgkins lymphoma, which was diagnosed in December 2014. Berry expressed his frustration with the lack of progress in negotiations this week, which resonated with Chiefs fans, and an interesting note emerged Friday that could irk people on the outside even more — even if it’s standard practice for some teams to ask this:
During talks w Eric Berry, Chiefs proposed he pay for a disability policy that named the club as beneficiary, sources say. Later backed off.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) July 15, 2016
Chiefs GM John Dorsey didn’t address that element of the negotiations but did issue a statement after the deadline that indicated Berry remained in the Chiefs’ long-term picture despite no deadline deal.
Baltimore Ravens K Justin Tucker: Big talk from a kicker with Tucker, one of the best young legs in the league, saying prior to the deadline that he would not renegotiate with the team in 2017 if he was forced to play this season under the franchise tender. It appeared to work! Score one for the skinny guy. Tucker and the Ravens agreed on a four-year deal that will pay him the most guaranteed money ever for a kicker. Not too shabby. Interestingly, the Ravens could have kept Tucker shackled once more, franchising him again next offseason, had they wanted. That would have guaranteed him only a 120-percent — heh — kicker of his 2016 salary of $4.5 million. But that’s water under the bridge now, as Tucker appears to be in the fold for the long run.
Los Angeles Rams CB Trumaine Johnson: Another situation with months worth of crickets. There was virtually no public talk about a new deal being imminent, so the two sides not being able to come together before Friday was no shock. Johnson, who watched former teammate Janoris Jenkins cash in this offseason with just south of $29 million from the New York Giants, likely would play under the tag this season and re-enter the free-agent market in 2017 at age 27.
Buffalo Bills OT Cordy Glenn: The two sides reached a long-term deal back in May. Yes, it can be done.
Carolina Panthers cornerback Josh Norman: And … then there are negotiations like this one. After the Panthers heard Norman’s asking price, they promptly removed the franchise tag from him, make him a free agent and watched him migrate a few hundred miles to the north to join the Washington Redskins.
If there’s a silver lining to the lack of long-term deals outside of Miller, Wilkerson and Tucker, it’s that: At least those teams didn’t pull a Dave Gettleman on any of them.
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Eric Edholm is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at edholm@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter!
