The Facts:
Fans breathed a big sigh of relief when the team extended TE Rob Gronkowski in a deal that benefits both sides in the short term. The common reaction was, “Now that Gronkowski is done, that leaves the TE franchise tag available for Hernandez, since both their deals were due to expire after the 2013 season.” Not so fast. Don’t expect Hernandez to accept the franchise tag number at tight end.
Reported by the Boston Globe
Fantasy Football Diehards Line:
According to Globe staffer Greg Bedard, the argument is there to be made that in his role, Hernandez is more of a WR than a TE. And considering that the receiver tag ($9.515 million) is almost double that of tight end ($5.446 million) this year, you can almost bet that Hernandez and David Dunn, will prepare an argument for the receiver tag. That’s exactly what agent Blake Baratz did in February for tight end Jermichael Finley. It’s not known how much the threat affected the Packers, but they ultimately signed Finley to a two-year contract worth around $15 million. According to footballoutsiders.com, Finley (152 snaps) and Hernandez (123) ranked 1-2 among tight ends lining up at receiver. The next highest was Jimmy Graham of the Saints (78), and then there was a dropoff to Zach Miller of the Seahawks (32). It'll be interested to see how this one plays out over the next year.
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