The deadline to sign players with franchise tags to multi-year deals is on Tuesday afternoon and it looks like it will pass without any big news for Redskins linebacker Brian Orakpo.
Rich Tandler of CSNWashington.com reports that the two sides started the negotiating process with a big gap between their thoughts on an appropriate contract and that they haven’t made much progress toward bridging it over the intervening months. Assuming things remain that way through the deadline, Orakpo, who signed his tender, will have a salary of $11.45 million in 2014.
The Redskins could tag Orakpo again in 2015 at a cost of $13.7 million or they could take another whack at reaching a longer deal. Orakpo would be an unrestricted free agent if they pass on both options, but he doesn’t feel he’s trying to prove anything by playing out the year on the franchise tag.
“I have to prove myself again, huh?” Orakpo said. “I don’t have to prove myself to anybody. I’m already proven in this league. I don’t have to prove anything to anybody. That goes for fans, that goes for media. Anybody. I’m well-proven in this league. If it doesn’t work out, then it doesn’t work out, but I don’t have to prove anything to anybody.”
Orakpo had 10 sacks last season and 39.5 over the course of his career in Washington.