Breer: Background Piece on Nate Clements & the Franchise Tag

[Box_O_Rocks]

http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/sports/x1971710863

France and Clements believed that being franchised would enhance perception of the player. And in doing so, prompt teams to study him as he approached free agency.

Of course, there's always the looming possibility of a down season or injury. The corner's camp, though, wasn't worried about it.

"At the end of the day, teams aren't gonna look at just one year," said France, citing Clements' body of work as a starting corner since his rookie year. "We felt like the big picture was going to carry us through. We studied to see upcoming free agents, and what the cap would be. What we found was a huge jump in the cap and that the next guy (among potential free-agent corners) wasn't real close. From a timing standpoint, it made the most sense to wait."

First, France tested the waters with the Bills. The sides wound up finding that, similar to the Patriots and Samuel, the gap was simply too large to be bridged.
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With few options left, Clements and France privately decided that the best course of action, so the player could fulfill a desire to "just go play football," was to work within the parameters of the one-year, $5.893 million tender offer attached to the tag. And they also determined that it was important, with a new coaching staff in place, to get him to a May minicamp to integrate his game into coach **** Jauron's Tampa-2 defense.

"What's the alternative?" said France, who went into the negotiations with a good relationship with Buffalo and another star, Takeo Spikes, on the team. "Are you willing to sit? Well, when you come back, you risk the same thing. Maybe there's less time for it to happen. But you have to figure you'd really be hurt by missing 10 weeks. You might not be in football shape, like the guys you're play against are, you're rusty, you've been out. There's so many different factors."

The day before that minicamp, France and Clements made history, with the player becoming the first corner to ever have a promise not to franchise or transition the following year written into a contract by a team.

 

[Fencer]

Well, the Pats wouldn't agree not to franchise Deion the following year to get him to come in and play. And he was less likely to be truly worth the first year of a franchise tag than Asante is to be worth the second year of one.

Not the same situation, but it's suggestive.

On the other hand, the Clements and Briggs situations are pretty suggestive of a league trend.

I'm guessing Asante capitulates completely financially, but gets lots of public praise for his play and professionalism.