The Chiefs did what just about everyone expected them to do on Monday afternoon by placing the franchise tag on wide receiver Dwayne Bowe.
It is the non-exclusive franchise tag, which means that Bowe can still receive offers from other teams when free agency opens on March 13th. That would cost a bidding team two first-round picks, however, which makes it unlikely that anyone will make the effort. If Bowe signs the tender, he’ll play for roughly $9.4 million in 2012.
“Today was the league’s deadline to designate a franchise player and we felt it was in the best interest of the Kansas City Chiefs to place the tag on Dwayne,” said General Manager Scott Pioli said in a statement from the team.
Bowe has 356 catches for 4,927 yards and 36 touchdowns in five seasons with the Chiefs since being taken in the first round of the 2007 Draft. With Bowe squared away, the Chiefs can now move on to trying to sign cornerback Brandon Carr to a long-term deal and/or addressing their needs on the offensive line.