We sit less than one week away (Feb. 17) from NFL teams beginning to utilize the franchise tag.
For most players, the tag is a hindrance to a desired long-term contract.
Miami Dolphins cornerback Brent Grimes is a prime candidate to receive the tag. The Pro Bowl cornerback signed a one-year, $5.5 million contract in 2013, coming off an Achilles tendon tear.
Grimes would like to avoid the tag, telling The Miami Herald on Monday that being franchised "is not what anybody wants."
It's certainly not what a 5-foot-10, 30-year-old corner wants. Coming off a fantastic season, Grimes is looking to cash in, possibly one last time, on a long-term contract. Pro Football Focus rated Grimes its second-overall cornerback in 2013.
The projected franchise tag number for corners sits around $11.3 million. That number would eat up part of the Dolphins' projected $30 million-plus in salary-cap space. It is very possible the Dolphins tag Grimes next week and work out a long-term deal over the summer to lower the cap number.
For a Dolphins team looking to move beyond a string of mediocre seasons, losing its best defensive back is not an option. Much like New Orleans Saints tight end Jimmy Graham, Grimes might not like the tag, but that doesn't mean the Dolphins shouldn't hit him with it.
On the latest edition of the "Around The League Podcast," the guys talk Michael Sam, potential big-name cap casualties and offseason forecasts for the Steelers and Jaguars.
