Packers Calendar: Franchise, Transition Tag Deadline

The Packers have until 3:00 p.m. CT on Monday to place the franchise tag on wide receiver Randall Cobb.

A two-week window comes to an end on Monday.

The Green Bay Packers have until 3:00 p.m. CT to place the franchise tag on wide receiver Randall Cobb.

Assuming the report that Cobb is seeking a deal averaging about $9 million per season is accurate, the franchise tag being placed on the slot receiver would seem unlikely.

The franchise tag figure for wide receivers is expected to be worth in the neighborhood of $12.8 million, based on a $143 million salary cap projection, according to Albert Breer of NFL.com.

If there's one reason that makes you think the Packers could indeed use the franchise tag on Cobb, it's that the tag can simply be used as a placeholder, preventing him from negotiating with other teams while continuing to hammer out a deal with the Packers.

The player doesn't have to accept the one-year deal. He can continue to negotiate a long-term contract until July 15.

One problem with going this route, however, is that it sets precedent. It tells the player the club is willing to pay him somewhere near the franchise tag value.

While Cobb is valuable to the Packers, he's not valuable to the tune of over $12 million per season.

If the deadline passes and nothing happens, the Packers still have exclusive negotiating rights with Cobb for five more days until Mar. 7.

At that point, a three-day negotiating window open in which Cobb could negotiate with other teams, but he couldn't sign a contract with another team until the opening of free agency on Mar. 10.

The most likely scenario is that the Packers and Cobb eventually agree to a long-term extension without going the route of the franchise tag, but when that happens remains to be seen. The more time that passes, the more leverage Cobb has.

It's highly unlikely any other players on the Packers roster would receive the franchise or transition tag, including offensive lineman Bryan Bulaga.

The franchise tag figure for offensive linemen is roughly $12.9 million, which right tackles in the NFL don't come close to commanding.

Meanwhile, down in Naples, Fla., Packers head coach Mike McCarthy is hosting a charity golf tournament in the community where he makes an annual vacation.

McCarthy is joining former Packers players Jerry Kramer, Dave Robinson, Frank Winters, Lynn Dickey, Paul Coffman and others.

They'll be golfing from 8:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. ET at The Club at Olde Cypress in a fundraiser for the Greater Naples YMCA and the NFL Alumni's Caring for Kids campaign. There is a cost to participate. See above link for details.

Also taking place on Monday is the first day of college pro day workouts. Five universities across the nation are hosting a venue for their draft-eligible prospects to perform in front of scouts and NFL personnel people.

The Packers don't publish which campuses they'll visit, but those holding pro day workouts on Monday are Minnesota, Tennessee-Chattanooga, Troy, Virginia and Wake Forest.

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Comments (2)

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HankScorpio's picture

March 02, 2015 at 08:04 am

I remain confident the Packers will eventually get Cobb re-signed. The FA market for WRs has been underwhelming for the past few years so I'm not sure I buy another team is willing to jump over what the Packers are willing to offer. It seems more likely Cobb's side is waiting for the legal tampering period to open just to be sure of the market, like Shields did last year.

If Cobb gets a mega-deal from someone else and signs it, there are plenty of other FA fish in the WR pond. Rodgers doesn't need superstar talent on the other end to be productive. But the Packers should give him more than what they currently have signed for 2015, which amounts to Nelson, Adams and a whole bunch of ?s. I don't think you can count on a draft choice to supplement that, either. Rookie WRs are making a bigger impact than they had been making just a few years ago but I still think you need 2 or 3 years to really see what they can be.

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Allan Murphy's picture

March 02, 2015 at 10:44 am

Pay as you play contract 9 million a year is cheep if Packers wait they will be paying 3 to 4 million a year more .

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