The NFL offseason is in full swing, and while most teams are looking towards the draft, some are dealing with players already on their team. The Saints are in that boat, as yesterday they placed the franchise tag on star TE Jimmy Graham. If you’re unfamiliar what the franchise tag is then let us fill you in. It is basically a way for teams to keep their star players under a one-year based salary if they can’t come to terms on a multi-year deal.
For instance, the league set salary for TE’s placed under the tag is $7 million, so that is what the Saints will pay Graham this season. The only problem for Graham though, is that he wants the WR based salary because he lined up in that spot so many times this season. That salary set by the league is around $12 million, so you could see why he wants that jump.
Read more after the jump.
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To make things even more complicated for Graham and the Saints, is the fact that the Saints used the non-exclusive tag on him, which basically means any other NFL team can sign Graham, but they have to give the Saints two first round draft picks. Crazy, right? This will undoubtedly be one of the major NFL storyline’s as free agency approaches this month, and the watch will be on to see if any other team actually makes an offer for Jimmy Graham. The Saints would be able to match any deal, but the thought of getting two first round picks would have to be enticing, especially if they feel they won’t be able to reach a long-term agreement with Graham. We will continue to follow this story as it progresses.
Confirming it's officially Franchisefriday… TAG … I guess I'm it…
— Jimmy Graham (@TheJimmyGraham) February 28, 2014