Letting Alshon Jeffery Go: Five Reasons Why it’s Good for the Chicago Bears
The franchise tag cost is too rich.
To franchise tag Alshon Jeffery this year, the Chicago Bears would have to pay him over $17M.
#Bears are not expected to franchise Alshon Jeffery again at > $17M, sources say. A top WR on the market will generate lots of buzz in Indy
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 27, 2017
Given a salary cap of roughly $168M this year, that’s over 10% of the entire cap. Think of the Jeffery’s production, if you are convinced he’s worthy of a second franchise tag, this useful tool may be of interest.
Regardless of whether the Bears were to use the exclusive tag, non-exclusive tag, transition tag, or laser tag, the amount of money required to keep Jeffery is ridiculous. Franchise WR money should go to guys who dominate the game, players who produce at a much higher rate than Jeffery.
More from Chicago Bears News
- Franchise tag and transition tag windows open for Chicago Bears and NFL
- How the Chicago Bears can control the running back market in 2023
- The Chicago Bears can own the city of Chicago moving forward
- Chicago Bears NFL Combine Preview: Quarterback
- 7 best free agent tackle options for Chicago Bears
The benchmark for whether a player deserves the franchise tag or not should be someone who produces at or above the average of the top players at the respective positions. Based on the top ten WRs this year, that’s a player who gets about 6 receptions a game, nearly 100 receptions a year, and racks up nearly 10 TDs and 1150 yards. In other words, way better than Alshon Jeffery.
Given that Antonio Brown’s new deal just broke the bank, it would cost more to franchise tag Jeffery than had the tag already been used.
The franchise tag is just too rich for a player who doesn’t produce elite numbers, and for a team with so many holes to fill.