Anthony Spencer is ready to get to work for the Cowboys.
Spencer, the outside linebacker/defensive end who was given the franchise tag for the second consecutive year, will sign his franchise tender. That means he’s guaranteed a 2013 base salary of $10.6 million, although agent Jordan Woy told ESPNDallas.com that he’s still hoping to work out a long-term deal with the Cowboys before the July 15 deadline.
“We’ve got a little time, but I told them I’d like to start moving forward on this and hopefully maybe as soon as next week we can have some serious talks toward it,” Woy said about a long-term deal.
Spencer made $8.8 million last year on the franchise tag as a linebacker. This year the Cowboys are moving him to defensive end in new coordinator Monte Kiffin’s defense, but he was still tagged as a linebacker because that’s the position he played last year, which meant he was entitled to only (only?) a 20 percent raise from last year’s salary.
If Spencer doesn’t work out a long-term deal, he’ll end up having played two seasons on the franchise tag, having made $19.4 million, and he’ll hit unrestricted free agency a year from now.