John Keim of ESPN.com writes that, assuming the Redskins and impending free agent OLB Brian Orakpo aren’t able to reach an agreement on a long-term contract, the franchise tag would be a “strong option.”
Keim believes Orakpo is in position to secure an even larger contract than the five-year, $40.5 million deal that included $20 million guaranteed that the Browns gave to Paul Kruger last year.
However, if they are unable to get an extension finalized, the franchise tag would run Washington close to $11 million next season. Of course, tagging Orakpo would also buy them extra time to negotiate a new contract.
Keim doesn’t see the Redskins allowing Orakpo to leave one way or another, especially considering that they have ample cap space available to them.
Orakpo finished the 2013 season with 10 sacks and has 39.5 career sacks in just 64 games for the Redskins defense. We have Orakpo listed as the No. 5 player in our Top 50 – 2014 Free Agents list.
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