The one-year deal for receivers who are given the franchise tag is expected to be around $14.5 million.
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The Chicago Bears have placed the franchise tag on wide receiver Alshon Jeffery, a team source told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter on Friday.
The Bears are “actively and aggressively negotiating right now”, he said.
Apparently those negotiations grew sedentary and passive.
The Bears could opt to use that franchise tag and pay Jeffery $14M in 2016, forcing him to prove his worth for a long-term deal. In both of those cases, the Broncos and Cowboys did use the franchise tag on the wideouts in the spring. There’s a chance Jeffery could become even better, or at least more consistent, as nagging injuries have held him back a bit in recent years. The problem for the Bears is that Jeffery wasn’t on the field that often.
The move would come as no surprise, as the Bears certainly want to keep Jeffery in their control but might be hesitant to commit to anything long-term after Jeffery’s multiple injuries in 2015. Jeffery ended the season on injured reserve with 54 receptions for a team-high 807 yards with four touchdowns. They could also see how he does in 2016 and decide on a new contract in the next offseason. While Jeffery had missed just eight games in the three seasons prior and played a full season in 2014, the frequency of soft-tissue tweaks created concern to his health.
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“Things I’ve heard have been real positive from both sides”, Fox said, “from both Alshon and the people there at Jay’s gym”.
