I know have a good kicker is important but is it worth applying the franchise tag?
The Cleveland Browns think so as this week they used the valuable tag to hold onto kicker Phil Dawson for another year. He’s a kicker. Just sign him to a contract. It’s cheaper than signing a QB and let’s be honest here. The Browns only have one kicker on their roster worth keeping and he’s the youngest of the bunch.
Maybe the Browns just didn’t have anyone else to use the tag on or maybe Holmgren hazed Dawson in the offseason and pissed him off and he’s ready to bolt to the Bengals or something. You never know what’s really going on behind the doors of an NFL team and the Browns are a bit nuttier than most. Either way, the two sides couldn’t work out a long term deal so here we are.
I mean, Phil’s a great kicker, clutch, and sadly the best offensive threat on the team but a kicker with your franchise tag? I’m pretty sure this is the first time that has been applied to a kicker. Dawson is in his 13th year which for any other position means it’s time to cut the guy. But as a kicker, he’s just hitting his prime years.
Instead of giving Phil a long term contract, which I’d like to point out is pennies compared to a QB or WR, the franchise tag for kickers is expected to be somewhere between $3-3.5 million which is about a 300% pay raise. Wait? They pay him only a million a year but shoved a ton of money at aging Jake Delhomme to sit on the bench. Go figure….
Anyway, highlights for a kicker are pretty straight forward. You either make it or you don’t. Here’s a clip of Phil making it….kinda
The Browns today designated kicker Phil Dawson as the team’s franchise player for the 2011 season, the club announced.
Dawson, a veteran of 12 NFL seasons, led the Browns in 2010 with 97 points, converting on 23-of-28 field goal attempts and all 28 PATs.
During his career, he has connected on 252-of-303 attempts for an 83.2 field goal percentage, which stands ninth all-time in NFL history. Dawson is the Browns’ all-time leader in field goals and ranks third in club history with 1,063 career points.[via Brownsgab]
