Following the lead of teams like Cincinnati (Justin Smith) and Chicago (Lance Briggs), the New England Patriots have decided to franchise Asante Samuel, guarantying the cornerback $7.79 million for 2007. New England now has first rights to Samuel if he signs an offer sheet from another team this offseason.
According to Adam Schefter of the NFL Network, Samuel and his agent, Alonzo Shavers, don’t necessarily look at the move as a bad thing. As I noted in the blog about Briggs, most players don’t like the tag because it gives a team balking power on getting a long-term deal done. But as Schefter noted, Shavers looks at this move as a step towards getting Samuel a multi-year deal.
The Patriots are actually going to pay somebody not named Brady or Seymour? I’ll believe it when I see it.
