Panthers can franchise tag Taylor Moton today. What that means for him and the O-Line
The quarterback question for the Carolina Panthers isn’t disappearing anytime soon. With the Houston Texans continuing to be uninterested in trading Deshaun Watson and the draft two months away, the conversations will continue.
While Carolina plans what is next, the offensive line remains the position with some of the most glaring needs. Four of five starting offensive linemen from the 2020 season are scheduled to hit free agency.
February 23 begins the two-week period through March 9 during which teams can apply the franchise tag to players. At this time, the Panthers are likely to use the tag on right tackle Taylor Moton, per a source with knowledge of the situation, if a long-term deal can’t be reached. If the tag is used, most teams end up waiting until near the end of the window to do so.
The projected amount to tag Moton, per Spotrac, is about $13.6 million, which became at least more doable by some of the cap-clearing moves the Panthers made at the end of last week, from releasing Tre Boston to restructuring center Matt Paradis’ deal. The exact numbers are not yet known as the salary cap is still in flux. The league and the NFLPA have shared with teams that the cap will be a minimum of $180 million, down from $198.2 million last year.
Spending $13.6 million is not an unreasonable amount to pay Moton per year. Right tackle Jack Conklin, who has missed games, in his career due to injury unlike Moton, was one of the big offensive line free agent signings last year, agreeing to a three-year, $42 million deal with the Cleveland Browns — or $14 million per year.
Even if Moton is signed for this season or a long-term deal is agreed to, there are still three other positions that need to be addressed in some way this offseason. The team is putting a priority on investing in a franchise quarterback. Doing the same with the offensive line comes with the territory.
▪ Related | Analysis: Panthers’ options to back up McCaffrey with Mike Davis being a free agent
WHAT IS A FRANCHISE TAG?
A franchise tag limits a player’s potential free agency movement in return for a high one-year salary. There are two types.
The “exclusive” tag restricts a player to the original team for the season and their agent cannot negotiate with any other clubs. Players are offered whichever is larger — the average of the top five salaries at the position for that year or 120% of his previous salary.
The “non-exclusive” tag is more commonly used and the one most often referred to. Players are given whichever is larger — the average of the top five salaries at the position over the last five years or 120% of his previous salary. This allows a player’s agent to continue to negotiate with other teams, however, the previous club has the right to match any offer or receive two first-round draft picks as compensation from the new team that signs him.
The “transition” tag is a one-year tender offer based on the average of the top 10 salaries at the position. It allows a team an opportunity to match any offer a player receives.
Each team can use one franchise tag per year. With either tag, the team and the player can continue to work on a multi-year extension through mid-July. A player can be tagged by his team up to three times. Teams can rescind franchise tags, most notably what the Panthers did with cornerback Josh Norman in 2016.
The Panthers have used the franchise tag seven times, including twice with offensive linemen — left tackle Jordan Gross (2008) and center Ryan Kalil (2011). Gross signed a long-term deal the following year, while Kalil agreed to a new contract before the start of the season.
OFFENSIVE LINEMEN ON THE ROSTER
▪ Left tackle Greg Little
▪ Tackle/guard Dennis Daley
▪ Tackle/guard Aaron Monteiro
▪ Center Matt Paradis
▪ Center/guard Sam Tecklenburg
▪ Guard Mike Horton
▪ Tackle Matt Kaskey
▪ Tackle Trent Scott
PANTHERS RE-SIGNINGS
Moton isn’t the only potential free agent that Carolina could bring back. The team re-signed Scott, who was set to become a restricted free agent, to a one-year deal Tuesday. He started four games last year and will provide valuable depth on the offensive line.
As Carolina did last year, signing outside veteran free agents to short-term deals will remain an option. Some of their own players could be on the table as well, including right guard John Miller, who had a solid year.
There’s only so much cap room, especially this year, and the offensive line will be a work in progress. But figuring out both lines will be a priority, as new general manager Scott Fitterer stated that after the quarterback, he believes in building a team around the offensive and defensive lines.
The Panthers’ 2020 offensive linemen scheduled to become free agents ranked in likeliness to re-sign in some capacity at this point: right tackle Moton, guard John Miller, guard Chris Reed, center Tyler Larsen, guard Michael Schofield, left tackle Russell Okung.
PANTHERS DRAFT POSSIBILITIES
There are a number of ways that the Panthers could address the offensive line throughout the NFL draft beginning in late April, and it’s more likely than not that it is a position that will be addressed in some way.
“As we enter the draft, we just have to infuse a little bit of youth onto the offensive side,” Panthers coach Matt Rhule said during his end-of-season press conference.
Check out a full analysis of some names in the draft to keep an eye on: Panthers need to protect future franchise QB. These O-line draft options can help
BOTTOM LINE
The biggest and most important move the Panthers make this offseason regarding the offensive line is Moton. Paying him is expensive and not easy to configure, but the team is expected to most likely use the tag if a long-term deal cannot be reached. When it comes to left tackle, Carolina needs to determine if the future at the position is definitely not on the roster between Scott and the likely re-signing of Daley and Little, who was a healthy scratch for multiple games last year after being a 2019 second-round pick.
Drafting at any of the offensive line positions should be options as the depth is limited. There’s still a significant amount of work to be done.
This story was originally published February 23, 2021 at 1:58 PM.
