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'Franchise' players begin four-month waiting period
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By Len Pasquarelli
ESPN.com
In a league governed by offseason time frames, the clock inexorably moves toward one key calendar date after another. Yet the latest deadline passed quietly last Friday afternoon.
And "quietly" is the operative term. Given the silence that is about to ensue over the next four months for those players still tagged with a "franchise" free-agent marker, it is also most appropriate.
Safety Tebucky Jones, the Patriots' "franchise" player, could be dealt to the Saints during the league's annual meeting next week in Phoenix.
Because none of the "franchise" players signed long-term contracts before the Friday 4 p.m. ET deadline, there is now in place an unofficial moratorium on discussions, one in which the two sides will only grow more intransigent in their respective negotiating stances. Until mid-July, there will be nary a conversation between team salary cap specialists and agents for "franchise" players.
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--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By Len Pasquarelli
ESPN.com
In a league governed by offseason time frames, the clock inexorably moves toward one key calendar date after another. Yet the latest deadline passed quietly last Friday afternoon.
And "quietly" is the operative term. Given the silence that is about to ensue over the next four months for those players still tagged with a "franchise" free-agent marker, it is also most appropriate.
Safety Tebucky Jones, the Patriots' "franchise" player, could be dealt to the Saints during the league's annual meeting next week in Phoenix.
Because none of the "franchise" players signed long-term contracts before the Friday 4 p.m. ET deadline, there is now in place an unofficial moratorium on discussions, one in which the two sides will only grow more intransigent in their respective negotiating stances. Until mid-July, there will be nary a conversation between team salary cap specialists and agents for "franchise" players.
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