The NFL Franchise tag is a lot of money for one player for only a single season. Is it a shrewd business decision to make, and should fans embrace the tag or hate its short sighted intent? Dan Salem and Todd Salem debate in today’s NFL TD Sports Debate. Two brothers from New York yell, scream and debate the NFL and sports.
TODD:
The franchise tag is being thrown around a lot this time of year. Teams have until March 2nd to use it on pending unrestricted free agents.
Dallas may use its on Dez Bryant or even DeMarco Murray. The Giants may do the same with Jason Pierre Paul. Kansas City has a decision on Justin Houston, and the Thomases in Denver are up for it, among a slew of other players.
The franchise tag is an easy way to delay a decision, to procrastinate in the NFL world. Rather than deciding on a long-term contract or to cut ties completely, franchising a player allows a team to pay him a (large) contract for just one season, without fear of said player turning down the offer.
Then, the following season, a decision towards the future can actually be made.
Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
For a couple of franchise-tender guys, this option makes a lot of sense. JPP in New York is someone who has seen his production decline from its heights of a few seasons ago. 2014 could be considered a bounce-back for Paul, but it is hard to know whether that bounce is here to stay.
Since Paul will demand a ton of money on the open market, rather than pay him an extended deal, it makes sense for the Giants to franchise him and make him prove it for one more season.
On the other hand, JPP’s cheapest worth may be right now. He is coming off of a couple mediocre seasons. If he puts together another monster year in 2015 while under the franchise tag, his market will be much higher than it already is.
Where do you stand on franchise-tag use? Obviously is it unavoidable in certain cap situations, but on the whole, when technically either option may be at a team’s disposal (that being the tag or offering a long-term deal), which is the shrewder choice?
I say it’s tagging. In a league where so much can change in one season, buying another year of information is priceless…or in Dez Bryant’s case, $12.8 million as projected by NFLTradeRumors.com.
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DAN:
I realize that slapping the NFL Franchise tag on a player should be considered a positive and always pays a high salary for that one year to said player. Yet the opposite is almost always true and from a player’s perspective, the franchise tag feels disrespectful.
Ego is certainly the culprit here, but when a player like Dez Bryant gets the franchise tag, his team is basically telling him in little to no words that they don’t believe he’s worth keeping around for the long-term, at least not yet. They don’t think he will be as valuable in a year and are unsure if they want him to be a face of their franchise. If none of that were true, then why not sign him long-term and keep Bryant in Dallas for the remainder of his career?
That is a player’s ego talking, or at least the part of his ego that is self-conscious. The other part thrives off the challenge and lives to prove his team wrong. That part relishes in an inflated salary for one season, only to earn an even larger one next year. But that part of a player’s ego rarely wins.
Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Applying the franchise tag is certainly the better business decision if you aren’t sure a player can maintain his production. But if you think he will, its cheaper to pay him $10 million a year for five years rather than pay him $12.8 million for one season and then negotiate.
There is something about the security of a long-term contract, something about knowing that your team loves you enough to keep you, that makes players happy. This whole debate feels ridiculous as I write it, but it makes this no less true. These are human beings getting the business treatment.
As a huge NFL fan I love the franchise tag and all its flexibility. It gives our teams a feather in their cap, an extra bargaining chip, and leverage. No single player is enough to vault a team to a championship, and franchising lets everyone know this. But it’s also a reward, or its suppose to be. You have to earn the ability to be franchised.
What all this means for fans is simple. Get excited if your team slaps the tag on your guy, but also get excited if they sign him to a long-term deal. Either decision means your star player ‘should’ be happy and is remaining with your team. They like each other, at least for one more season.
Next: Chris Johnson: 5 teams that must sign him
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