Super Bowl 50 hangovers are finally subsiding with the NFL franchise tag sprouting forth on Tuesday. This first indication of life is met by the New York Giants’ intriguingly luxurious position, where they can use it as they desire stress-free.
The notorious franchise tag locks an unrestricted free agent with their team through a one-year deal averaging the five-highest contracts for each respective position, creating flexibility for the franchise but halting one player’s quest for security. The fad somewhat faded recently, as just 12 tags were given over the past two seasons after the total spiked to 19 in 2013.
One of those six belonged to the G-Men, as they tagged Jason Pierre-Paul. Despite the distraction and tribulations of JPP’s fireworks-related accident and holdout last season, New York should not shy away from utilizing the franchise tag in 2016.
With the third-best cap space in the NFL and defensive heavyweights galore hitting the open market, the goal is clearly to reload the league’s bottom-feeder defense. Though the urge to discard everyone and start fresh may be strong, some consistency is necessary in transitioning, and a few key pieces dangling from the Giants’ roster stand out.
While there are those who believe the Giants’ candidates are hardly worth the cost and subsequent headache, at least the dangerous prospects of celebratory Valentine’s Day are long behind them.
There’s roughly enough money this offseason to do it all, so long as everyone involved is willing to cooperate, signaling the tag. Hopefully that’s the case for one of these five players.
Next: A PRINCE'S RANSOM