New Orleans Saints QB Drew Brees' current franchise tag counts as his second according to arbitrator
New Orleans Saints quarterback, Drew Brees, is in a unique situation regarding the exclusive franchise tag.
The collective bargaining agreement (CBA) signed between the National Football League (NFL) and the players union National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) states that a player can be tagged only three times in his career but remains vague on
whether that rule comes into effect only with a single franchise or multiple teams.
Brees was tagged for the second time in his career by the New Orleans Saints this offseason and the quarterback through the NFLPA took his case to system arbitrator, Stephen Burbank to clarify whether this tag constitutes his second or first tag according
to the CBA rules.
The quarterback was first tagged by his former team the San Diego Chargers in 2005 before he left them the next season to join the Saints.
Currently locked in a contract standoff with the Saints, Brees was put on the franchise tag and will have to play under the tag which will pay him $16.371 million this season if both parties cannot agree on a new deal by July 16th.
Burbank released his decision on Tuesday and agreed with Brees’ assertion that his next tag would count as his third and any franchise putting him on a tender again will pay him 44% more than his current salary.
The NFLPA which had taken Brees’ case to Burbank released a statement to praise the decision which stated:
"We are very pleased that that the arbitrator agreed with the NFLPA that the correct interpretation of the "third time" Franchise Player designation in the CBA applies across clubs, and a player's rights will not be unfairly hindered if different clubs
designate him as a Franchise Player during his career.”
Brees also said that the ruling made perfect sense and would clarify the CBA for other players who find themselves in a similar position in the future according to a message he sent to
ESPN.
With this decision if Brees plays on the tag this year and the Saints once again place a franchise tag on him in 2013, the quarterback will earn a combined $39,945,240 for playing on a tag in both 2012 and 2013 regular seasons.
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