Don't Expect Any Franchise Tag News out of Green Bay

-- It's been almost a decade since the Green Bay Packers last used their franchise tag on one of their players.

You can expect the trend to continue today and for the next two weeks as teams across the league begin to tag star players with whom they intend on reaching a future long-term deal with.

As of February 20 until March 6, the window will remain open for teams to issue both exclusive and non-exclusive franchise tags. The Dallas Cowboys have already said that they plan on tagging defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence, preventing him from becoming a free agent.

The Packers, however, don't have anyone on their roster currently that would fit the bill of receiving the designation.

Safety Morgan Burnett, linebacker Ahmad Brooks, cornerbacks Davon House and Demetri Goodson, guard Jahri Evans, long-snapper Brett Goode, defensive tackle Quinton Dial, tight end Richard Rodgers, tackle Ulrick John and wide receiver Jeff Janis headline the Packers' 10 free agents this offseason, and while all present their own case for being retained, only Burnett's is the most formidable.

Burnett, who just turned 29 in January, is on the fringes of what may very well have been his worst season as a pro, not counting his rookie year in 2010 that saw him finish on injured reserve.

With a new defensive coordinator in Mike Pettine now at the helm of the defense's operations, there's a chance at rejuvenation for Burnett -- and any other player on the Packers' defense that has struggled in recent years -- and an outlet to provide Pettine with a versatile, rotational piece capable of playing multiple positions.

The first obstacle before being able to see what Burnett could do in Pettine's system, though, is retaining him and keeping him in town. Slapping him with a franchise tag wouldn't be the proper way to go about doing that.

According to OverTheCap.com, the 2018 projected franchise tag tenders for the safety position are running just under $11.1 million dollars. If the Packers were to tag Burnett, they'd actually be better off paying his annual $9.8 million salary, which is his estimated market value, according to Spotrac.

If the Packers were to use the tag on Burnett last season knowing his contract situation, the cost wouldn't have been that much more team-friendly at $10.9 million.

Evans is arguably the runner-up suitor for the franchise tag, but there's a high likelihood that the Packers bring him back on another one-year veteran deal to start at the right guard while the team continues trying to groom a replacement. After playing in 14 of 16 games in his first season with the team, he ended up collecting $50,000 in each game, amounting to a team-high $700,000 of per-game roster bonuses by the end of the season.

The roster bonuses were a sort of incentive to use on a veteran player such as Evans, which is a similar route the Packers could take in 2018 unless they feel comfortable with Lucas Patrick and Justin McCray as their primary offensive guard depth.

The Packers haven't used the franchise tag since defensive tackle Ryan Pickett was designated with it in 2010, just one year after the team issued him a non-exclusive tag in 2009. In 2008, defensive tackle Corey Williams was also signed to a non-exclusive tag.

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Zachary Jacobson is a staff writer/reporter for Cheesehead TV. He's the voice of The Leap on iTunes and can be heard on The Scoop KLGR 1490 AM every Saturday morning. He's also a contributor on the Pack-A-Day Podcast. He can be found on Twitter via @ZachAJacobson or contacted through email at [email protected].

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Comments (11)

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stockholder's picture

February 20, 2018 at 02:55 pm

They should have used it on DeVante Adams! There are just so many good offensive players this draft. His shoes could have been quickly filled. Not to mention Free Agency!

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DD's picture

February 21, 2018 at 09:27 am

You're right on Adams. Thompson made some bad moves with big contracts. They say the Packers were always protecting and keeping big salary cap money. My question then is why don't we have much more cap space like other teams?

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JeffJ496's picture

February 21, 2018 at 06:23 pm

They should have used it on Adams? That makes zero sense, since after all, they signed him to a new contract. If in fact they did tag him, he would have gotten MORE money, if no other team signed him. Not to mention, the draft, no matter how good a player was in college, does not mean he'll step right in a play at the level Adams did last season, even without a decent QB leading the offense.

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flackcatcher's picture

February 20, 2018 at 04:21 pm

I think your right Zach. So many unknowns at this point for this team, and free agency goes crazy money wise in recent years, it best for the Packers to be wary. Still I would like to have Burnett back, but if the market does with DB like it did last year, then he is good as gone. (NUTS)

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Tundraboy's picture

February 20, 2018 at 08:37 pm

Franchise Goodson!! Why is he mentioned, on the team?

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packer132's picture

February 20, 2018 at 08:55 pm

He is always injured and can't defend. He should have been cut last year.

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Since'61's picture

February 20, 2018 at 09:18 pm

Agree, chuck him. Thanks, Since '61

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NickPerry's picture

February 21, 2018 at 05:08 am

I'm pretty sure that's exactly what TB was saying. I think his response was due to the fact Goodsen was even mentioned.

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Tundraboy's picture

February 21, 2018 at 07:18 pm

Exactly.

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Since'61's picture

February 20, 2018 at 09:20 pm

Currently we don't have a player on the team worth the franchise tag except for Aaron Rodgers. Thanks, Since '61

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Thegreatreynoldo's picture

February 21, 2018 at 12:21 am

And Bakh.

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