All players restricted by the franchise tag have until July 15 to sign long-term contracts with their current teams. After that, they can accept only one-year deals to stay put.
As to the Chiefs and linebacker Justin Houston, who racked up 22.0 sacks in his contract year, there’s still a chance a long-term deal will be negotiated. Per a source with knowledge of the situation, the two sides have been talking. However, significant progress has not yet been made.
Houston, who can earn $13.1 million under the one-year franchise tag for linebackers, has a clear objective regarding the value of a long-term deal. It’s still not clear what he’ll do if he doesn’t get the figure he desires.
He could stay away from all offseason work, training camp, and the preseason, showing up in early September and still collecting his full salary. The only risk is that the franchise tender will be rescinded, which seems highly unlikely given his production in 2014. (That said, coach Andy Reid has twice before yanked a franchise tender, from linebacker Jeremiah Trotter and later from defensive tackle Corey Simon.)
Houston also could hold out through 10 weeks of the regular season, showing up late, getting the prorated portion of the $13.1 million over the balance of the season, and doing it all over again next year, at a 20-percent raise.
It’s still possible, in theory, that someone else will sign Houston to an offer sheet, willing to give up first-round picks in 2016 and 2017 if the Chiefs don’t match. But since that hasn’t happened yet -- indeed, no team has even brought Houston in for a visit -- that would seem to be a long shot, at most.
If, as it appears, no one will make a run at Houston, it’s unlikely that any non-quarterback will ever be pursued via the franchise tag. Between the financial obligation it takes to craft an offer that wouldn’t or couldn’t be matched and the pair of first-round picks that would be sacrificed, teams apparently believe it’s simply too much to give up for someone other than an actual or potential franchise quarterback.
And that’s good news for the Chiefs, who seem to be destined to keep Houston. The only question is whether he stays under a long-term contract, a full season of the franchise tag, or a chunk of the 2015 regular season.