The Cardinals aren’t letting Chandler Jones get away after only one year.
As expected, the Cardinals have placed the franchise tag on Jones, Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com reports.
Jones, the defensive end who arrived last year in a trade with the Patriots, is now guaranteed $15 million for the 2017 season if he wants to sign the one-year franchise tender. He can also negotiate a long-term deal with the Cardinals. To leave, he’d have to find a team willing not only to sign him to a long-term contract but also a team willing to give the Cardinals two first-round draft picks. that’s not going to happen.
The Cardinals had already announced that they would franchise Jones, a move that has been anticipated since they traded for him last year, as the trade wouldn’t have made any sense if the Cardinals weren’t committed to Jones for the long run. Now the move is official, and Jones is the first 2017 free agent to get the franchise tag.