Two days before the twice-moved tag deadline, the Redskins will not take any chances with Brandon Scherff. As a result, the NFL will have its first franchise-tagged guard since 2011. This year’s O-line tag comes in at $14.8MM.
The Redskins will use their top tag on Scherff, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (on Twitter). This was the expectation, but it still marks a notable change of sorts for the guard position. This will take a three-time Pro Bowler off the market. Scherff joins Matt Judon, Yannick Ngakoue, Hunter Henry and Justin Simmons among this year’s franchise-tagged contingent.
Washington will use the exclusive franchise tag on Scherff, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). This is in dispute, however, with Rapoport and NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero indicating it’s the non-exclusive tag (Twitter links). The latter scenario would make more sense, given the implausibility of a team trading two first-round picks for a guard.
While Scherff has battled injuries in recent years, he would have been a strong candidate to become the NFL’s highest-paid guard had the Redskins let him hit the market. The sides’ negotiations did not produce a deal. They will have until July 15 to finalize an extension, or Scherff will play on the tag.
No team has franchised a guard since the Patriots kept Logan Mankins off the market nine years ago. The tag system groups all offensive linemen together. A guard tag being worth the same as a tackle tag has undoubtedly influenced teams’ thinking in recent years, thus allowing several high-end guards to hit free agency.
Washington drafted Scherff at No. 5 overall and immediately moved the Iowa tackle to guard. Scherff, 28, has started all 65 games in which he’s played. He only missed two games from 2015-17 but has been absent for 13 over the past two years. Shoulder and elbow injuries shut Scherff down in 2019; a torn pectoral muscle ended his 2018 season. When on the field, however, Scherff has been one of the NFL’s best offensive linemen.
Why didn’t the Redskins enter a rebuild mode 2 years ago when Trent Williams and Brandon Scherff both had really high value as being 2 of the top linemen. Redskins two years later are now paying lots to both players both with 1 year left on their current deals, both having injury issues and both wanting to rather leave.
That’s an easy question. I grew up on the Skins in the 80’s loved them. Then Dan took over and ran the entire franchise into the ground. Dan doesn’t care one iota about the team, or the fans. He banks big bucks though, as do all owners, not based on winning %, but ownership.
I live in Jacksonville. Shad has owned the Jaguars 7 years, thereabout, and 1 division title. Do you see him wanting to sell?
Many owners don’t care about on field success. Heck even Jerry Jones says he’s more worried about primetime games than playoffs appearances. It’s killing the league that 20% teams try to win, on the field.
The Redskins two years ago had Alex Smith at QB and were 6-2 and on their way to division champions before the gruesome leg injury. It’s true though that Trent Williams should have been traded last year. This year probably not as Williams’s ludicrous contract demands and holdouts have diminished his trade value to a compensatory pick or less.
Scherff: the goal was to sign Brandon Scherff to a long term deal. The franchise tag in this case is brilliant: Scherff is on a prove-it year (for other teams) so he will have good reason to perform. Scherff recent injury history is not good so it’s another year to see whether Scherff is in a position to honour a long term guaranteed contract (by playing and not by sitting on injured reserve).
Nothing wrong with what the Redskins did here. Redskins fans are among the worst in the NFL sadly for cannibalism. Love to complain about the franchise. All spoiled by the Joe Gibbs years and the years before that without salary cap.
So losing for 20 years is fun? No reason to complain? Get a life.
Once smith got injured they should’ve looked to start trading the valuable pieces knowing that year and the year after were pretty much gone.
Should’ve traded Trent straight away as a pro bowl tackle on a decent contract at 29 to a team like the Seahawks who have needed O Line help. Instead the Hawks traded for Duane Brown.. that could’ve got the skins back a first and a second.
Redskins made a flurry of bad decisions in recent memory and I think getting Rivera and him making decisions was a step in the right direction but still going to take a few years to turn this team around.
It’s never a good sign when a team’s best decision the past year was choosing to tag Scherff instead of Ereck Flowers or Donald Penn.
Ereck Wreck Flowers? The former Giant bust? You must be joking…
Flowers is a solid guard, but not worth a tag. Penn? Not worth a tag.
I don’t really like that they had to tag Scherff- hoping they agree to a longer deal