Why the NFL’s franchise tag should be abolished
Last offseason, the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League placed a franchise tag on their star running back, Le’Veon Bell, for the second consecutive season. While Bell was adamant that he would sign and play under the tag, he has yet to show up to practice, games or sign the roughly 14.5-million dollar tag. So far, he has missed the Steelers’ first five games, forfeiting roughly 3.4-million dollars in the process. His goal is to preserve his long-term health and he wants to receive the pay that he feels like he deserves.
Bell’s agent, Adisa bakari, has been speaking on his behalf. “Le’Veon has several years ahead of him in football,” Bakari said on NFL network. “We know right now his days in Pittsburgh are precarious at best. We also know how he’s been utilized in the past by the Steelers organization,” he continued.
I agree with the 26-year-old’s decision to sit out because he is arguably the best running back in the NFL, the most versatile and should be paid accordingly. He’s a Swiss army knife on the field where he is used as a running back in various I formations, single back formations, pistol formation and as a receiver in various shotgun formations, bunch formations and empty backfield formations. He is also a very effective pass blocker. He can do everything and then some.
In the 2017 season, while playing under the initial franchise tag of ten million dollars, Bell totaled a league-leading 406 touches (321 carries and 85 catches) in fifteen games. The next highest amount was Buffalo Bills’ running back LeSean McCoy at 346 touches. That’s an absurd amount of volume.
The franchise tag was instituted to help teams secure their top potential free agent, thus giving them another year to reevaluate certain players. But, what about the players? Players who play under the franchise tag run the risk of getting injured every snap they take. Football is a dangerous sport, and one hit to the head, chest or back could end a player’s career. This risk increases when you play the running back position, especially when you are asked to touch the ball, make a play, and get hit 406 times in a season. Running backs have the shortest NFL careers because of this. So can we blame Bell for wanting to maximize the money he can make in this dangerous sport? No other American professional league has the franchise tag, so why have it in the most dangerous sport?
Many people feel differently about it about Bell and the franchise tag situation.
“It is unfair to the players that the NFL even have a franchise tag,” said Zachary Sjogreen, a starting linebacker of the FGCU football team. “Le’Veon is the best running back in the NFL and he should have a chance at getting a long-term deal. I play football, and I try not to think about what would happen to me if I suffered an injury, but how could you not think about that when you play a game that you have to get hit every single play?”
Chase Richardson, an employee for ESPN3 in the Naples area, said, “Le’Veon is letting his team down by not showing up when his team needs him the most. The average American would kill for 14.5 million. Accept the money and be a good teammate.”
Though many people may agree with Chase, they must realize that the owners and the franchise that these players play for are making over a billion dollars. If your company is worth a billion dollars, and you’re part of the reason that drives consumers to its cause and its product, you should be paid like it. If you give a team the best chance to win week in and week out, you should be paid like it.
Two weeks ago, Bell tweeted: “If I have to continue to be a bad guy for all of us, then I will do so.” In regards to his hold-out situation.
He is not just fighting for himself, he is fighting for every player. He is fighting to make sure that every players get what they deserve.
Franchise tags are a form of servitude, forcing players to play on one-year deals instead of pursuing long-term deals elsewhere. The longer teams hinder a player from securing a long-term deal, the more likely the player never receives that deal.
Here’s a solution: the NFL should get rid of its hard cap and turn it into a soft cap, like the National Basketball Association (NBA). This will make teams more inclined to give their star players long-term deals. An NFL team’s biggest worry is having to pay a player, and that player handicapping the franchise because they never live up to the contract extension they received. A hard cap would allow team to go over the league salary cap of 177.2 million dollars per team.
This will benefit players and teams, and would put an end to the franchise tag that has doomed players year in and year out.
