Jacksonville Jaguars place non-exclusive franchise tag on Marcedes Lewis
There are very few things about the Jacksonville Jaguars which are really good. Tight end Marcedes Lewis is definitely one of those good things, so it comes as no surprise that the Jaguars are placing the non-exclusive franchise tag on him.
On Wednesday the Jaguars applied the non-exclusive franchise player tag to Lewis. The Jaguars have been negotiating with Lewis for some time now but so far have been unable to get a deal done. Lewis would have become a free agent in the offseason and would
have been able to sign with any team. Now Lewis can get offers from other teams but the Jaguars reserve the right to match any offer and keep Lewis. If the Jaguars don’t match that offer, they will be compensated with two first round draft choices by the team
which signs Lewis.
Negotiations with Lewis will continue until the expiration of the current collective bargaining agreement (CBA) in March. If no deal is reached until then, the Jaguars will be unable to sign a long-term contract with Lewis until a new labour agreement comes
into effect.
“Our goal remains the same, for Marcedes to be a Jaguar long-term,” Jaguars General Manager Gene Smith said. He added, “This season, he earned the honour of being selected to his first Pro Bowl and really emerged as a leader on our team.”
A non-exclusive franchise tag pays a player the average of the five highest players on that position from the previous year. The value of a franchise tag for this year is estimated to be around $7.3 million. Lewis has already said that he wants to stay with
the Jaguars. He added that he wasn’t sure what to make of the decision by the Jaguars to apply the franchise tag to him. Lewis said, “OK, they franchised me so they want to keep me here to play. But then if that was the case, then why not just sign me to a
long-term deal. You don't know what to think.”
The decision is Jacksonville’s way of buying time to negotiate the best deal they can with the tight end. Teams are also concerned by the uncertainty of the labour situation. The CBA will undoubtedly include a salary cap. The owners are trying to get a larger
share of total revenue, which will mean the salary cap might be lower than last year’s. The safe bet is to secure key and expensive players until a new labour deal is signed and then offer them long-term contract extensions.
Lewis has more than proven his worth in the roster. In 58 receptions, Lewis gained 700 yards. The Jaguars are a rushing side. They averaged almost 150 yards per game on the ground. Powered by running backs Maurice Jones-Drew and Rashad Jennings, Jacksonville’s
rush ranked third in the league. Their passing on the other hand ranked a dismal 27th.
The Jaguars were more at ease rushing the ball. Jacksonville’s three leading rushers attempted 449 plays. On the other hand, their three leading receivers had just 167 receptions combined. Lewis was still able to score 10 touchdowns and is now tied for first
place in the franchise. Lewis was also selected to the pro bowl this year. It was his first pro bowl selection in his five-year NFL career.
Lewis now also holds the franchise record for the most touchdowns by a tight end in a season, and has become the first player in his position to be tagged by Jacksonville.
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