Franchise Tag is Here

[Bleedin Green]

I know there was a lot of discussion going in circles for the past few months about whether or not a franchise tag for this offseason would fall under the current CBA or not. Based on recent weeks it sounded like it was the case, and was all but confirmed when it was announced yesterday that the Patriots had placed the franchise tag on Logan Mankins. Now today comes the announcement that the Eagles are tagging Mike Vick, but not only that, additionally using the transition tag on David Akers (http://www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d5d81e5101e/article/eagles-make-it-official-place-franchise-tag-on-vick-transition-akers).

Given the Jets current FA situation the fact that this year teams apparently once again have the opportunity to use both tags independently, it could be huge. It was already reported that the Jets planned on franchising Harris, but the additional tag makes it only that much easier on the Jets to work to retain one, if not both, of their WRs. Granted, the transition tag doesn't do too much to scare away other teams from making an offer, however it still gives the Jets right of first refusal, and that itself is a big advantage. This offseason has the potential to be a bumpy road for the Jets, so I'm stoked to see any bit of good news that will help keep as many of this team's key FAs here as possible.