The franchise tag deadline is a dull exercise in curtailing a player’s voyage to free agency. It’s one of the more boring dates on the offseason calendar, albeit one with plenty of business being done. I’m shocked the NFL hasn’t turned it into a primetime television event.
Rise & Grind: Getting primed for NFL free agency
The decisions made at the NFL’s franchise tag deadline are setting up a wild free agency period.
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Stephen Jones glances over for Jerry’s nod of approval, gets it, walks to the stage and applies a velcro label on a cardboard cutout of Dez Bryant. Chris Berman narrates.
It’s two terrible hours of television and for some stupid reason 20 million of us end up watching it.
The moves not made -- the players we all expected to get tagged but don’t -- is what’s really interesting about the tag deadline. With an impressive list of players who escaped the tag and an official salary cap of $143 million, we have all the ingredients for a free agent gold rush.
Ndamukong Suh sits at the top of the heap. Washington is rumored to be interested in Suh. How aggressively the team pursues him will say a lot about the franchise under new GM Scot McCloughan. Suh doesn’t carry the same kind of risk as the last big ticket defensive tackle Washington signed, but how much they’re willing to spend and what the opportunity cost might just give us some insight into how independently Dan Snyder and Bruce Allen are letting McCloughan operate.
And that’s just one of many fascinating little side plots to watch when the bidding wars start next week.
New England has some tough choices to make with its secondary. Safety Devin McCourty wasn’t tagged, saving the team $9.6 million this year. The Patriots’ cap situation says a lot about that decision. Right now, they’re projected to be more than $11 million over the cap. Belichick and Co. also have a $20 million decision to make regarding Darrelle Revis.
The most surprising news to come out of the tag deadline was the Eagles’ decision not to use it on Jeremy Maclin. They still have time to get a deal done, but there’s no incentive for Maclin’s side to come to the table given what he’ll command as a free agent. So now the Eagles are going to have to figure out their quarterback situation AND how to replace their top receiver? The team reshuffled its front office a month ago, in dramatic fashion. This offseason will reveal whether or not that was a good idea.
Headlines
Dockett visits the 49ers
The Arizona Cardinals couldn't come to terms on a restructuring for defensive lineman Darnell Dockett, so they released him last week. Though the possibility remains for the two sides to agree to a new deal, Dockett has begun taking visits with other squads, including a meeting with the San Francisco 49ers on Monday.
Buccaneers shopping Anthony Collins
The Bucs are attempting to trade Anthony Collins after just one year with the team. It will be hard find a taker his massive contract; $6 million per year is near the top end of compensation for a right tackle. Collins has rarely performed at that level. A more likely outcome would be the team releasing him outright. By doing so, Tampa Bay would realize a cap savings of $3 million for 2015.
Lions re-sign Dan Orlovsky
To most of the football world, Dan Orlovsky is remembered as the quarterback who accidentally ran out of the back of his own end zone during the Detroit Lions' winless 2008 season. However, despite the embarrassment he's managed to stick around the NFL for several years. He'll continue to do so in 2015 as the backup to Matthew Stafford.
Even though I was furious they chose not to Franchise Tag me, I'm stoked to re-sign with the Lions for another season! #onepride
— Dan Orlovsky (@danorlovsky7) March 2, 2015
He may be a backup, but his Twitter game is elite.
Other news:
- Kendall Langford visits Lions (Pride of Detroit)
- Ravens release Victor Hampton after arrest (Baltimore Beatdown)
- Giants release J.D. Walton (Big Blue View)
- Dolphins release Cortland Finnegan (The Phinsider)
- Steelers release Lance Moore (Behind the Steel Curtain)
SB Nation presents: Choosing defense or Mariota early in NFL mock draft
Further reading
Oh my, the Jaguars have a ton of cap space to work with, and the Saints are $20 million OVER the cap. Everything you need to know about this year’s $143 million salary cap is right here.
Trade rumors about the Eagles and quarterbacks just won’t go away.
The Texans and Andre Johnson are finally parting ways after 12 seasons together. It’s a bittersweet moment for Texans fans over at Battle Red Blog:
No player deserves a playoff berth. Except ‘Dre. He deserved it. He earned it. He showed up for work, day after day, week after week, season after season, through the lean times, and he gave all of us a reason to believe we had a shot someday.
The Chiefs tagged Justin Houston, which was kind of a no-brainer. It’s hard to let a pass rusher of his caliber get away, but the tag in this case seems more like a formality, a first step toward a new deal. Check out what Chiefs GM John Dorsey had to say about it.
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