The franchise tag has been a useful tool for teams to keep their best players in town since its introduction in the 1993 collective agreement, but the New Orleans Saints have used it sparingly — though they’ve only given the tag to five players since 2004 was last used in 2021. These fully guaranteed one-year deals often buy time for a long-term renewal, but the added pressure can strain relationships between players and management.
And the results were hit-or-miss for New Orleans. Often, players who were tagged signed multi-year contracts with the Saints. However, sometimes this led to broken relationships and a rapid exodus. Now, let’s summarize each situation after the NFL’s franchise tag window opens, even if the Saints don’t have any candidates available in 2023:
2004: DE Darren Howard
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Howard played on the tag during the 2004 season and earned $6,503,000.
2005: DE Darren Howard
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Howard played the day again in 2005 and won $7,804,000. He left free agency the following offseason after landing a six-year contract with the Philadelphia Eagles.
2007: DE Charles Grant
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Grant initially signed the franchise tag in 2007 for $8,664,000. but it bought the team enough time to reach an agreement on a seven-year deal worth $52,750,000. However, he was released in 2010 after suffering an injury.
2012: QB Drew Brees
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Negotiations between Brees and the Saints in 2012 became contentious, and he initially agreed to play on the $16,371,000 franchise tag before later agreeing to a five-year, $100 million extension. He signed more renewals later in his career.
2014: TE Jimmy Graham
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In hindsight, the Saints tagging Graham ended their relationship with one of their best players. The issue of the tag’s valuation went to arbitration, where it was found to be a tight end and not a wide receiver, and therefore owed only $7,035,000. He later agreed to a four-year, $40 million extension, but wasn’t traded until the second year of that deal, as things continued to sour.
The story goes on
S Marcus Williams
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Williams played for the $10,612,000 tag in 2021, but he and the Saints couldn’t agree on a long-term deal. He signed a five-year, $70 million contract as a free agent with the Baltimore Ravens in 2022.
Story originally appeared on Saints Wire
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