Franchise Tag Recap
By Joe Barnes
Today was the deadline for teams to place franchise tags on players. The biggest stories of the day:
- The Carolina Panthers did not place the tag on Julius Peppers. This mean’s he’ll be a UFA and can sign with any team. The Falcons, Eagles and possibly Redskins are considered frontrunners right now.
- The Stinkers agreed on a long-term deal with stud defensive tackle Casey Hampton. They instead used their tag on kicker Jeff Reed. Seeing a tag placed on a kicker is an oddity in the NFL, so of course Pitt just had to do it, the jerks they are.
- Leave it to one of the stories of the offseason, Pete Carroll, to one-up Pittsburgh. The Seattle Seahawks used their tag on kicker Olindo Mare.
- The Arizona Cardinals were one of the interesting teams of the day. They did not tag former All-Pro kicker Neil Rackers or star linebacker Karlos Dansby. Knowing my opinion about Billy Cundiff, I believe the Ravens should at least attempt to make a run at Rackers. Dansby will be one of the biggest signings of the offseason, as he is expecting around $30 million, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Here are the additional players that have been tagged:
- Vince Wilfork, DT, New England
- Richard Seymour, DE, Oakland
- Aubrayo Franklin, DT, San Francisco
- Ryan Pickett, DT, Green Bay
Notable players that went untagged include:
- Antonio Bryant, WR, Tampa Bay
- Darren Sharper, S, New Orleans
- Miles Austin, WR, Dallas
- Gary Brackett, LB, Indianapolis