Dallas Cowboys place franchise tag on Anthony Spencer, will pay him around $8.8 million in 2012
In a move, which has received appreciation as well as criticism, Dallas Cowboys placed their franchise tag on outside linebacker, Anthony Spencer, on Monday, March 5, 2012.
If Spencer signs under the tag, he will earn around $8.8 million in 2012. However, it is still not known if the player will sign or not because he was expecting a long-term deal with Cowboys.
Spencer started his professional National Football League (NFL) career in 2007 with the Cowboys. In the last season, he recorded 66 tackles and 6.0 sacks while starting 15 out of the 16 games he played.
The tag, which was expected to come, has also received criticism from some experts, who believe that Spencer’s performance is not up to the mark.
However, the Cowboys have retained him because of his experience as the team is already short of players who could serve as linebacker.
Cowboys’ head coach, Jason Garrett, has different views than critics. He believes that Spencer deserves to be with the Cowboys.
He said:
"There's a lot of different ways to handle the business of the NFL and the franchise tag is one of the ways teams can try and keep their really good players."
The coach added:
"Spencer is a guy who has played really well for us and is the right kind of guy, been a very productive player for us.”
While mentioning Spencer’s stats, Garrett asserted that the player’s overall performance is commendable.
Garrett said:
"A lot of people get caught up in he only has six sacks and I think if you look at his total production, how he's effected quarterbacks, how he's effected games, tackles for loss, hurries, tackles all of that stuff, he's really been a strong contributor
to our football team."
Meanwhile, no word has yet been given by Spencer, but different reports have strongly indicated that the player wanted an extended stay and future security.
If the player receives an offer from any other team of the league, he could also choose to leave the Cowboys.
However, nothing is finalised, but if he opts for any other team, Cowboys will get two compensatory picks in the upcoming NFL drafts.
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