Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean has the details on what it will take for Titans defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth to become an unrestricted free agent in 2009. He signed a one-year franchise tender on Friday, with provisions that would prevent the Titans from using the tag again next year.
Haynesworth will win his freedom if he: (1) qualifies for the Pro Bowl; (2) participates in 60 percent of the snaps on defense; (3) participates in 53 percent of the snaps and the team wins 10 games or more; (4) participates in 53 percent of the snaps and the Titans finish in the league’s top five in total defense.
So, barring a serious injury, Haynesworth will be an unrestricted free agent in 2009. On the offensive line and interior defensive line, the Pro Bowl rosters largely are determined by reputation, and Haynesworth has a sufficiently high profile to get to Honolulu.
And this means that Haynesworth almost certainly will be an unrestricted free agent in 2009, because the team likely wouldn’t use the franchise tag on him again if he suffers a serious injury. Instead, they’d let the market determine his value.
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July 26th, 2008 at 1:18 pm
I don’t understand these deals. Why does the team even bother. If he sucks, they won’t want to franchise him. If he gets injured, are they going to franchise him? If he performs great, he’s a free agent, when the team might actually consider franchising him again. Why isn’t the deal like 90% of the franchise money and a guarantee they won’t get franchised again. Instead, it’s get 100% of the money, no franchise tag if you have a good year and a possible franchise tag if you have a terrible year. The player gives up a “holdout”?
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July 26th, 2008 at 1:19 pm
One more year of overachieving, then he’ll sign the big FA contract and he’ll go back to being nothing special.
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July 26th, 2008 at 6:43 pm
If he makes any of those incentives then the Titans will sign him long term after the season. he’ll never hit FA.
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July 26th, 2008 at 11:40 pm
I agree with you hawk4life! Funny, he was not much of a DT, then became all the rave in the last year of his contract.
I would only sign him to an essentially flat deal kinda like the deal Dallas gave TO.
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