The numbers might look big, but no NFL player wants the franchise tag.
Dashon Goldson especially doesn’t want it for a second straight year, as the 49ers safety said Tuesday he’s done enough he shouldn’t be kept away from a long-term deal.
“I felt that they wanted me to prove myself, and I think I did just that,” Goldson said, via Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee. “So if I was in the position again with the franchise tag, I’d be very surprised.”
Goldson had another good season while playing under the one-year, $6.2 million tag, and it would cost them $7.45 million to use it again this year. But he clearly would prefer the security a longer deal would provide.
The 49ers have given linebackers Patrick Willis, Ahmad Brooks and NaVorro Bowman long-term deals, and Goldson said they gave him a “heads up” before those deals were finalized.
“I think that guys that got deals done were deserving,” Goldson said. “It was a little, like, ‘Wow. Ok.’ But I had to stay focused on what was more important, and that was the team and getting to the Super Bowl.”
But now that the football part has been taken care of, it’s time for business.