According to Alex Marvez of FOX Sports, the Green Bay Packers will not use their franchise tag on wide receiver Greg Jennings on Monday, which means that Jennings will hit free agency on March 12, provided a long-term deal is not reached.
Packers allow Greg Jennings to become free agent
The Green Bay Packers are reportedly not going to use their franchise tag on wide receiver Greg Jennings.
Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
The deadline to designate a franchise player is at 4 p.m. ET on Monday and the news came out with under an hour remaining. The talk of Jennings potentially getting franchised actually heated up somewhat recently. When the season came to an end, most were of the opinion that the chances of a tag were incredibly low and that Jennings would hit the market.
But some suggested that the Packers could stand to pay Jennings the $10 million-plus that the tag indicated for a wide receiver in 2013. That would equate to about half of what the Packers have in free cap space for 2013, so it’s definitely a luxury.
Some thought that the Packers might tag Jennings in hopes of working out a trade with another team, with the ability to rescind the tag in the event that they were unable to find a trade partner. However, the Packers didn't embrace that chance with quarterback Matt Flynn before, so it was always seen as unlikely with Jennings.
Now, Jennings will likely hit the free-agent market at the start of the new league year on March 12 at 4 p.m. ET. The two sides have reportedly not been in discussions on a long-term deal for some time so no pact with the Packers seems especially likely at this point. He’ll likely be one of the most-pursued free agents this offseason.
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