Oakland Raiders outside linebacker Kamerion Wimbley will sign his franchise tender on Tuesday, according to agent Joe Linta.
Wimbley had been speaking to the Raiders about a long-term deal but the sides have been unable to bridge a gap, and so Linta said Wimbley would sign the $11.3 million tender on Tuesday.
Linta said the negotiations were cordial, but Wimbley is comfortable playing out the franchise tag in 2011.
"Mr. Davis and I couldn't agree on a long-term deal, but we agreed to keep talking as the labor process unfolds, and Kamerion will sign the franchise tender," Linta said in an e-mail to The Associated Press on Monday.
The Raiders initially had exercised a $3.5 million buy-back option that would have given Wimbley about $4.1 million next season, which was intended to keep him off the free-agent market.
The NFL Management Council ruled that the buy-back violated the 30-percent rule and voided it, which meant Wimbley, a fifth-year pro who led the Raiders with nine sacks in 2010, likely would have been eligible for unrestricted free agency under a new collective bargaining agreement.
To prevent that, the Raiders opted to franchise him.
Wimbley started in all 16 games in his first season with the Raiders, recording 58 tackles, one forced fumble and a team-leading nine sacks. Wimbley was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the first round of the 2006 NFL Draft. He was traded to Oakland last March in exchange for a third-round pick.
The Raiders now have five of their potential free agents under contract before the collective bargaining agreement expires Thursday. They have made more than $80 million in commitments, but none of those deals include signing bonuses that need to be paid before any games are played.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
