WFT places franchise tag on G Brandon Scherff for 2nd straight season
The Washington Football Team knows a thing or two about racking up franchise tags.
The team that applied the tag to Kirk Cousins twice before letting him walk in free agency has done the same with Brandon Scherff, applying the tag to the Pro Bowl guard for a second straight season. The team announced the decision on Monday.
Scherff earned $15 million last season playing on the tag. The 20 percent escalator that comes with a second straight franchise tag would bump his salary to $18 million next season.
Tag doesn't rule out long-term deal
Monday's designation doesn't rule out the two sides from signing a long-term deal. It just ensures that Washington meets Tuesday's deadline to apply the tag. Scherff and Washington can keep negotiating a long-term deal until July 15.
If they don't reach a deal and Scherff does play under the tag next season, Washington would be required to pay him 144 percent of his 2021 salary in the case of a third consecutive franchise tag. That would add up to nearly $26 million in 2022.
Scherff has been one of the league's best interior lineman since Washington drafted him fifth overall in 2015. The 29-year-old has been named to four Pro Bowls in six seasons and earned his first All-Pro nod last season.
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