There is little time left for long-term contracts.
The deadline for franchise tagged players to enter into long-term deals is now less than a week, Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET. This is the deadline for any club that has appointed a franchise player to sign the player for a multi-year contract. The following Wednesday, a marked player can only sign an extension after the last game of the next regular season.
So far, of the 14 players marked, 10 have signed their offers and none have accepted long-term contracts.
With “economic uncertainty” due to the unpredictable future amid the COVID-19 pandemic, NFL network insider Ian Rapoport reported on Friday that it looked like many would be playing on their contracts a year, including Washington goalkeeper Shaq Barrett in Tampa Bay. Brandon Scherff and Jacksonville overtake defender Yannick Ngakoue.
Those who remain to sign their labels are Ngakoue, Denver Safety Justin Simmons, wide receiver Cincinnati AJ Green and defensive lineman Chris Jones.
Players who signed a franchise offer
2020 season
DE QB Dak Prescott $ 31.4 M
TEN RB Derrick Henry $ 10.3 M
LAC TE Hunter Henry $ 10.6 M
WAS G Brandon Scherff $ 15.0 M
NYG DT Leonard Williams $ 16.1 million
BAL LB Matthew Judon $ 16.8 M
MIN S Anthony Harris $ 11.4 M
Of the 14 franchisees, each has their own story, but overall, few seem to be for long-term signings, many seem to have some controversy with the label and at least two are grieving about the positions for which they were designed to.
Barrett signed his offer on Friday, but also grieved because he thinks he should be named a defender rather than a linebacker. Steelers star Bud Dupree signed his offer on April 23, but followed Barrett’s lead in a grievance as he sought defensive action against a linebacker. The linebackers’ salary for 2020 is $ 15.8 million, while defensive workers are $ 17.8 million. This is a situation in which Matthew Judon of Baltimore sailed with the Ravens, making a contractual compromise at $ 16.8 million, by Rapoport.
The most prominent are Dallas QB1 – Dak Prescott – and the Tennessee freight train in the backfield – Derrick Henry.
A week before the deadline, nothing had changed for Prescott, who was looking for fewer years than Dallas had offered.
Henry’s coach Mike Vrabel recently spoke about how important his ball carrier is to the team – something that has never been more evident than the Titans’ march to the AFC Championship game. last season in which Henry accumulated yards and knocked down potential tacklers – and that, in his experience, patience usually paid off.
Players who have not signed a franchise tender
2020 season
JAX DE Yannick Ngakoue $ 17.8 M
TB LB Shaquil Barrett $ 15.8 M
DEN S Justin Simmons $ 11.4 M
Los Angeles tight end Hunter Henry doesn’t seem to expect an extension and is just “not worried”.
At one point during the offseason, although a franchise label was expected, it seemed that a long-term pact between Simmons and the Broncos was imminent, but nothing materialized as the date approached limit.
Green has just had a season where an injured ankle never allowed him to set foot on the field. He had previously expressed his dismay at the prospect of being tagged and, as mentioned above, has not yet put out a tender.
Where he becomes particularly curious is on the defensive line with Jones and the Super Bowl champions and Ngakoue and the Jaguars under reconstruction. Ngakoue has done little to mince words when it comes to making known that he would like his days at Duval to end. As for Jones, he would like to be paid among the elite in his position “otherwise I will not play”.
With Jones, Ngakoue, Green and Simmons, concern about a holdout remains until the deals are signed, the thoughts of Le’Veon Bell and the lost seasons no doubt dancing in the minds of their directors general.
Temperatures are rising and the term of long-term agreements is approaching. Indeed, things could well heat up with the approach of Wednesday.
