By BARRY WILNER, AP Professional Soccer Author
The large cash that accompanies franchise tags for the 2021 season goes to receivers, safeties and linemen.
No working backs. No tight ends. No linebackers. And, with Dak Prescott reaching settlement with the Dallas Cowboys on a brand new four-year deal, no quarterbacks.
So wideouts Chris Godwin, who helped the Buccaneers win the Tremendous Bowl, and Chicago’s Allen Robinson had been tagged simply earlier than Tuesday’s NFL deadline. So had been tackles Taylor Moton of Carolina and Cam Robinson of Jacksonville, defensive sort out Leonard Williams of the New York Giants, and security Marcus Williams of New Orleans.
Beforehand introduced as tagged gamers had been safeties Marcus Maye of the New York Jets and Justin Simmons of the Denver Broncos, and All-Professional guard Brandon Scherff by Washington.
Whereas none of them is in line for the $160 million, four-year contract — with a document $66 million signing bonus — that Prescott obtained, all of them will convey dwelling hefty paychecks.
Leonard Williams, Scherff and Simmons had been tagged for a second straight 12 months. Barring their groups figuring out long-term offers by July 15, they may earn about $19 million, $18 million and $13.7 million, respectively.
Godwin, a budding star with the Buccaneers — a lot in order that the crew apparently will enable prime linebacker Shaq Barrett to check the open waters — and the veteran Allen Robinson might be paid roughly $16.4 million apiece in 2021.
The going price for safeties underneath their first tag is round $10.5 million, which Maye and Marcus Williams will make in New Jersey. Moton and Cam Robinson will are available at about $14 million.
The 2021 wage cap has not been set but, however it’ll lower from $198.2 million to between $180 and $185 million as a result of misplaced revenues for the league through the coronavirus-impacted 2020 season. It’s the first lower within the cap.
The 25-year-old Godwin earned $2.13 million in 2020 when he had 65 receptions for 840 yards and 7 touchdowns in 12 video games. Tampa Bay additionally has such free brokers as defensive sort out Ndamukong Suh, tight finish Rob Gronkowski, receiver Antonio Brown and working again Leonard Fournette.
“He loves it right here. It’s arduous to go away and go to a different system only for cash,” coach Bruce Arians stated final month, including of Godwin and Mike Evans: “Nevertheless it’s not unhealthy paying two No. 1 receivers, that’s for positive, after they’re pretty much as good as our No. 1s.”
Robinson was on a three-year, $42 million contract. He earned his cash by catching a career-best 102 passes for 1,250 yards final season in quarterbacks-weak Chicago.
Whereas Simmons and Maye, each rising stars, had been anticipated to be franchised, New Orleans’ choice on Marcus Williams was extra stunning. He has been an inconsistent performer at free security, although he does discover the ball and has 13 profession interceptions.
Each Simmons and Maye are thought-about crew leaders, with Maye particularly stepping up when New York traded the disgruntled Jamal Adams to Seattle.
Scherff was a straightforward selection for Washington after his greatest professional season.
“I find it irresistible right here,” Scherff stated on locker cleanout day. “I’m simply trying ahead to the offseason and hopefully I can signal my title to remain right here.”
Moton, 26, began all 48 video games at proper sort out over the previous three seasons, and has allowed solely 10 sacks in 2,071 pass-blocking snaps in his profession and his 81.2 grade for 2020 was thirteenth amongst all tackles, in line with Professional Soccer Focus. He allowed three sacks and dedicated two penalties final season.
Cam Robinson made the largest leap in potential wage. A second-round draft choose from Alabama in 2017, Robinson made slightly greater than $7 million in his first 4 years within the league.
“We really feel that the best way the free company is transferring is that left sort out place — as at all times however perhaps extra now this 12 months from listening to from the blokes who’ve been within the NFL — it is a powerful 12 months for that left sort out place,” coach City Meyer stated, “and we really feel simply what’s on the market and with teaching, tradition and improvement, Cam has a whole lot of the expertise.”
The 26-year-old Leonard Williams, the primary participant the Giants have tagged twice, has flourished with the crew after being acquired on Oct. 29, 2019, from the opposite native New York membership, the Jets. He was the Jets’ first draft choose, sixth general, in 2015.
Williams had a team-leading 11 1-2 sacks in 2020, probably the most by a Large since Jason Pierre-Paul’s 14 1-2 in 2014 and had been 7 1-2 greater than any of his teammates. He ranked third within the NFL with 30 quarterback hits and tied for sixth with 14 tackles for loss. Williams was fifth on the Giants with 57 tackles (29 solo).
AP Professional Soccer Author Mark Lengthy and Sports activities Writers Fred Goodall, Jay Cohen, Stephen Whyno and Steve Reed contributed.
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