Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald writes that with the starting date for teams to apply their franchise tags a little over a week away, both the Dolphins and CB Brent Grimes are hoping to reach an agreement on a long-term deal that would prevent them from going this route.
The franchise tag “is not what anybody wants,” Grimes said.
Jackson adds that although the Dolphins could afford to tag Grimes, it would reduce their available cap space around $20 million or so, which seems like a good amount until you consider that the Dolphins have a number of quality players to address as well as roster holes to fill.
The Dolphins do have other ways to create cap space if needed, but Grimes has certainly earned a long-term deal with his play last season and there is no obvious indication that he could be horrible investment.
The 2014 franchise tag should come close to $11.3 million, which is fully guaranteed, so you can see why the Dolphins would at least consider the idea of exploring a long-term deal.
Grimes, 30, put together a great season that earned him a trip to the Pro Bowl. He tallied 60 tackles, four interceptions including one for a touchdown, and 16 pass defenses. He was also the No. 2 cornerback in the league, according to Pro Football Focus.
We have him listed as the No. 13 player in our Top 50 Free Agents list.
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