Saints Apply Non-Exclusive Franchise Tag To Jimmy Graham

[jonathanlambert33]

the Saints have opted for the non-exclusive version of the tag on tight end Jimmy Graham, according to Chris Mortensen of ESPN.

The move paves the way for another team to woo Graham and ultimately to sign him to an offer sheet. If the Saints cant or wont match, Graham would change teams in exchange for a pair of first-round picks.

The question becomes whether a team with a low first-round pick in 2014 and that expects to have a low first-round pick in 2015 would be willing to pay Graham $12 million or more annually for one of the best non-quarterbacks in the league. (In theory, a team could wait until after the draft to make a run at Graham, giving up first-round picks in 2015 and 2016 if the Saints dont match.)

The Saints presumably dont believe that another team would pay Graham what he wants and give up two first-round picks; otherwise, the Saints would have used the exclusive version of the tag. Doing so, however, would have raised the stakes on the question of whether hes a receiver or a tight end, pushing Grahams maximum tender to the average of the five highest cap numbers in 2014 for receivers, as determined in April.

With the top cap numbers currently belonging to Mike Wallace ($17.25 million), Andre Johnson ($15.6 million), Percy Harvin ($13.4 million), Calvin Johnson ($13 million), DeSean Jackson ($12.75 million), the average would have been $14.4 million $2.1 million more than the non-exclusive tag of $12.3 million. Restructurings in the coming weeks, however, could have driven the average down considerably.

For example, Larry Fitzgeralds 2014 cap number dropped from $18 million to $8.6 million last month. If Fitzgeralds contract hadnt been restructured, the average would have been $15.45 million. If Wallace or Johnson drop their cap numbers to below Harvins, the gap would be much smaller.

Regardless, the Saints have opted to roll the dice on the question of whether another team will break the bank for Graham. If the Saints guessed wrong, and if they choose not to match any offer sheet Graham signs, theyll have to try to replace him with a pair of first-round picks.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/03/01/saints-apply-non-exclusive-tag-to-graham/

 

[jonathanlambert33]

The league has officially announced the full list of franchise-tagged and transition-tagged players for 2014. The biggest name belongs to the player for whom the biggest fight is looming.

The NFL’s Management Council has decided to deem Jimmy Graham a tight end for purposes of the franchise tag. It sets the stage for a grievance to be filed by Graham and the NFLPA arguing that, based on the language of the labor deal, Graham is actually a receiver.

The league’s release even quotes the relevant language from the Collective Bargaining Agreement, which states that the tender will be based on “the position . . . at which the Franchise Player participated in the most plays during the prior League Year.”

Graham will argue that he lined up more as receiver than as a tight end in 2013. The Saints will argue that tight ends routinely line up in the slot or split wide, but that this doesn’t make them something other than tight ends, since only tight ends line up tight to the tackle.

In other words, the Saints hope to persuade the System Arbitrator to find that, when Graham lines up in the slot or split wide, he’s still participating in those plays as a tight end.

Whatever the outcome, the issue has been lingering for the last few years. At some point, a resolution is needed, either through arbitration or an amendment to the labor deal.

For the Saints and Graham, more than $5.2 million hangs in the balance. While the two sides can resolve the situation at any time with a long-term deal, Graham could decide to let it ride. Regardless of the outcome, he’s going to make far more than the $3.3 million he has received in four NFL seasons.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/03/03/nfl-officially-applies-tight-end-tag-to-jimmy-graham/

 

[elcheato]

I think it's going to be ruled in his favor

 

[jonathanlambert33]

I don't know what to think, but I don't want to bring him back at more than 9-10 a year.