[Quesadilla Joe]

From Jason La Canfora...

Estimating the odds 10 teams use franchise tags, including three stone-cold locks


Chiefs S Eric Berry and DT Dontari Poe

Chances each are tagged: 50%

I still can’t see Berry being elsewhere in 2017, not given the kind of player, person, leader and galvanizing figure he has become for this franchise. And while the contract talks to this point have gone nowhere, I tend to think this is an instance where deadlines spur real actions.

Berry has said he won’t play on the tag, and the Chiefs are treading a fine line from a PR standpoint here with a star player who overcame cancer and spearheaded a surge near the top of the AFC in 2016. Avoiding tagging him again and a potentially tumultuous spring would be in their best interest, and while they have blanched at the idea of paying top-level safety money to this point, they’ve stepped up to keep their best guys in the past, and I can’t help but wonder if Wednesday becomes a big day in KC.

If the Chiefs can get something done with Berry, then the possibility of the franchise tag remains for Poe. Some close to the tackle anticipate he is in fact going to get tagged, but obviously the uncertainty with Berry’s situation clouds things a bit. In their perfect world, the Chiefs get one of these guys locked up now and can retain the other on the tag until a longer deal is complete.

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/es...ne-cold-locks/