NFL teams have until 4 p.m. ET on Thursday, July 15, to reach a long-term deal with players who received the franchise tag earlier this offseason.
If the team and player cannot agree to a deal, the player will play this season under the franchise tag and cannot negotiate a long-term deal until after the 2021 season.
This deadline is particularly interesting for the Washington Football Team and guard Brandon Scherff. Washington applied the franchise tag on Scherff for the second consecutive season, and if the two sides cannot agree to a deal before the deadline, it’s unlikely Scherff is back in 2022.
Deadlines spur action, and perhaps the hard deadline will bring Washington and Scherff back to the table for a deal.
Count Brad Gagnon of Bleacher Report among those who believe a deal will get done.
Washington should be motivated to get this done because it’d be extremely difficult to keep Scherff with the tag essentially off the table in 2022. We’re talking about a four-time Pro Bowler in his prime coming off maybe his best season yet at a position with long shelf lives.
Scherff has shown no signs of slowing down and the WFT is looking to build on a promising 2020 campaign across the board. Logic says they cave and get this done.
Prediction: Signs a four-year, $68 million contract
You can certainly see this going either way. Washington coach Ron Rivera has made it clear he is a big fan of Scherff. Not only is he a great player, but a strong leader, too. That matters.
If Scherff plays on the tag in 2021, he will earn $18 million. Washington can afford that number but would certainly like to lower it in the form of a long-term deal.
Joe Thuney signed a five-year, $80 million contract with the Kansas City Chiefs this offseason. If Scherff receives the proposed deal Gagnon offers, he will earn an average of $17 million annually.
Would that be enough to get a deal done from his side?
And would Washington want to invest that much long-term in a guard?
Both questions are fascinating, and this deadline will certainly bring plenty of intrigue for Washington fans.
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