Drew Brees Wins Franchise Tag Ruling

Added on Jul 03, 2012 by Scott in

NFL

Way back in 2005, when Drew Brees was in San Diego, the Chargers used their franchise tag to keep him under center while a young Philip Rivers continued to develop. Brees was also tagged this offseason by the Saints, but clunky language in the new CBA made it unclear whether it counted as the first or second such tag. To alleviate the uncertainty, Brees and the NFLPA filed a grievance that was ruled on today.

Basically, Brees won his appeal, meaning should a long-term deal not be reached, the ex-Super Bowl MVP will receive a tendered salary of $16,371,000 in 2012, and $23,574,240 in 2013 if the Saints elect to utilize the tag again. That 2013 figure would be a 144 percent of this year’s number, not 120 percent.

The current CBA didn’t specify if a player had to be tagged three times by the same team, or just three times in total. Going forward, there will be no more confusion should a similar situation arise in the future.

“The arbitrator properly rejected the NFL’s strained interpretation of the CBA language, which ignored the fact that a Franchise Player designation is a narrow exception to the overall free agency structure. This ruling will help all Franchise Players in the future,” the NFLPA said in a release… “We are very happy that Drew Brees has clarification on this matter, and we hope that it facilitates a successful negotiation for Drew and the Saints.”

This decision will also force the hand of Saints management to negotiate a long-term extension prior to the upcoming season. If not, they will be strapped with a fat cap hit in 2012 and a morbidly obese hit in 2013. Considering the negative stigma surrounding the franchise in wake of the bounty scandal, failing to do right by their best player would only add to their woes.

Both sides have until July 16th to reach a new deal.

Source: NFL.com