Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun writes that the franchise tag may not be an options for Ravens TE Dennis Pitta seeing as he too could contend that he should be paid like a receiver.
Saints TE Jimmy Graham is expected to make a similar argument if New Orleans elects to use their franchise tag on him in the coming weeks.
Interestingly enough, Wilson mentions that in the four games Pitta in 2013 after returning from hip surgery, he played a staggering 79.7 percent of his snaps from the slot, which happens to be the highest rate among all NFL tight ends.
Last year, Jared Cook played a similar percentage of snaps while being lined up as a receiver, and although the Titans were hoping to retain him, they ultimately elected to not use their franchise tag on him.
Wilson adds that both the Ravens and Pitta are “motivated” to get a long-term agreement in place before the start of free agency in March, but admits that reaching an agreement on Pitta’s true value could be a sticking point in negotiations.
We have Pitta listed as the No. 19 player in our Top 50 Free Agents list.
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