Jaguars Tag Cam Robinson
Now, a surprise tag. The Jaguars will use the franchise tag on offensive tackle Cam Robinson (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). 
Robinson was set to be one of the top tackles available this offseason and the Jaguars were expected to let him test the open waters. Instead, they’ll retain him at the top-five average for his position, which should come out to roughly $14MM for 2021.
You’d be hard-pressed to find any evaluator that would rank Robinson in the top five at tackle. In fact, Pro Football Focus assigned him an overall grade of 61.7, which placed him in a tie for 59th in the NFL. Still, Robinson is only 25 (26 in October) and young left tackles tend to get paid. Replacing Robinson this year or next year would have been costly, so the Jags opted for the tag. The decision may raise some eyebrows, but a sub-$14MM deal isn’t all that much for youth at a premium position.
Robinson will likely be protecting Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence, the presumptive No. 1 overall pick. He’ll have until the summer to hash out a long-term deal with the Jaguars, which would allow the team to smooth out his cap hit. A long-term pact could provide Robinson with security, though he’d also have to trade in multiple prime seasons.
Buccaneers Franchise Tag Chris Godwin
Chris Godwin isn’t going anywhere. On Tuesday, the Buccaneers assigned the franchise tag to the standout wide receiver, yanking him from the open market. 
Godwin will get a considerable pay raise, going from $4.65MM in the final year of his rookie contract to $16MM+. The tag is likely being deployed as a placeholder for a multi-year deal and will allow the two sides to negotiate between now and the middle of July. Players often bristle at the franchise tag, but Godwin is an exception.
“Yeah, I mean, the way I look at it, similar to like a lot of guys,” Godwin said to MJ Acosta of NFL.com (via Charean Williams of ProFootballTalk.com). “Obviously, we all want to have long-term security; we all want to be able to take care of the people that we love. So that’s the ideal situation. But, you know, a franchise tag is not something that I can control. If that’s what keeps me here, then that’s what it is. And I’ll play on it and go back to war with my guys. Like I said, I love it here in in Tampa. I love what we have building, and I would love to stay.”
Godwin, a former third-round pick, broke out in 2019 with 86 receptions for 1,333 yards and nine touchdowns en route to his first Pro Bowl nod. The stage was set for an even bigger year in 2020 — especially with Tom Brady on board — but he was also joined by a cavalcade of new stars, including Rob Gronkowski and Antonio Brown. The 24-year-old ultimately finished with 65 catches for 840 yards and seven scores in 12 games. In four postseason contests, Godwin added another 16 grabs for 232 yards and one TD.
Godwin wasn’t the Buccaneers’ only candidate for the tag. Teams can only cuff one player per offseason, which means that edge rusher Shaq Barrett and inside linebacker Lavonte David are now scheduled to be free agents.
Panthers To Franchise Tag Taylor Moton
The Panthers will use the franchise tag on tackle Taylor Moton, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. This was the expected move, though a long-term deal remains possible. 
Moton, a 2017 second-round pick, has started 48 straight games at right tackle. The Panthers weren’t about to let him walk. Instead, they’ll tag him for the coming year for a yet-to-be-determined amount. In all likelihood, it’ll put him at around $15MM.
Pro Football Focus has graded Moton as a top-20 tackle in each of the past three years. He came in as a top-five right tackle in 2020, providing all the more reason for the Panthers to retain him. Now, the two sides will have until mid-July to hammer out a multi-year deal.
As a reminder: Offensive linemen are grouped together under the franchise tag formula, meaning that tagged guards often outperform their market. Tags for interior linemen are becoming more and more common, however — Brandon Scherff, for example, just scored his second straight.
Patriots Won’t Tag Joe Thuney
After taking on Trent Brown, the Patriots have decided against using the franchise tag on Joe Thuney (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter). As a second-time tag, the offensive lineman would have been in line for about $17.7MM. 
[RELATED: Raiders Trade Trent Brown To Patriots]
The Patriots stunned everyone last year by tagging Thuney. Historically, the Patriots have been comfortable with allowing high-priced free agents to walk and the league, for some reason, puts guards and tackles in the same category for the franchise tag. Still, they were willing to give Thuney “tackle money” on a one-year, ~$14.8MM deal.
Thuney, 29 in November, has started in all 80 of his games for the Pats over the last four seasons. In 2018 and 2019, he graded out as one of the five best offensive guards in the NFL, per Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics. He slipped ever so slightly this past season, placing him at No. 10. With Thuney out of the picture, the Patriots will likely use Trent Brown at left tackle while shifting Isaiah Wynn to left guard.
On the open market, Thuney will likely seek something in the range of $14MM per annum. A five-year, $70MM deal would position him as the highest-paid left guard in the NFL, topping Andrew Norwell‘s $66.5MM deal.
Bills’ Mitch Morse Takes Pay Cut
Bills center Mitch Morse has agreed to a salary reduction (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). The veteran was originally set to earn $7.025MM with a cap hit of $10.3MM+. Now, he’ll make about $2MM less in salary, though he can get close to his original number via incentives. 
Morse parlayed four solid Chiefs seasons into a four-year, $44MM+ deal with the Bills in 2019. His Kansas City tenure was maligned by injuries and concussions, but the Bills still saw his potential. In his eleven starts for KC in his platform year, he graded out as the 13th-best center in the league, per Pro Football Focus.
In Buffalo, Morse has continued to be the main man in the middle, starting 30 games over the last two years, plus every playoff game. That’s where he’ll remain for 2021 after accepting a trim.
Giants To Tag Leonard Williams
The Giants are expected to assign the franchise tag to Leonard Williams (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). This marks the second straight tag for the defensive lineman, though the two sides intend to continue discussions on a multi-year deal. 
Per the collective bargaining agreement, Williams will earn a 20% raise on his 2020 tag. Last year, his tag was worth just over $16MM. This year, the tender would amount to $19.351MM.
The Giants’ decision to tag Williams was widely panned last year. Williams responded with a career-high 11.5 sacks, vindicating GM Dave Gettleman in the process. No one knew what to expect from Williams, but after setting a new watermark for sacks plus 14 total tackles for loss and 30 quarterback hits, he would have profiled as one of the most prized players in free agency.
Williams is said to be seeking a ~$20MM/year deal. That’s the figure he wanted last year and, this time around, it sounds like he’ll get what he wants. For his career, the Jets’ former No. 6 overall pick has 48 tackles for loss and 131 quarterback hits across six seasons. He also has 29 career sacks. Much to the Jets’ chagrin, he’s logged more than 30% of those for the Meadowlands’ other tenant.
Packers WR Devin Funchess Takes Pay Cut
Devin Funchess is staying put. On Tuesday, the wide receiver agreed to take a pay cut in order to remain with the Packers for 2021 (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). 
Funchess inked a one-year, $1.2MM deal with the Packers last year but later decided to opt out in the midst of the pandemic. Per the league’s agreement with the NFLPA, Funchess’ contract tolled into 2021. The Packers were likely thinking about releasing the veteran in advance of free agency, so he agreed to a small salary reduction in order to make the numbers work.
Funchess has not played since his 2019 stint with the Colts, which was really more like a cup of coffee. That season ended early due a broken collarbone — he recorded three grabs for 32 yards in his lone game. For the year, he earned $10MM in salary.
The Panthers selected Funchess in the second round of the 2015 draft, but he has yet to put it all together in the pros. He enjoyed the best year of his career in 2017, compiling 63 receptions for 840 yards and eight touchdowns. Still, it’s worth noting that it took him 111 targets to get those 63 grabs.
Raiders Trade Trent Brown To Patriots
Trent Brown is going back to New England. On Tuesday morning, the Raiders agreed to trade the tackle and a 2022 seventh-round draft pick to the Patriots in exchange for a 2022 fifth-rounder (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport).
Brown was due $14MM in salary, a sum that was too rich for the Raiders’ blood. It was set to be the third year of his massive four-year, $66MM deal, but last year’s setbacks gave them second thoughts. He started strong, earning a Pro Bowl nod in 2019 as a right tackle. Then, two stints on the COVID-19 list limited him to just five games in 2020. When asked recently about Brown’s future with the team, Raiders GM Mike Mayock said the jury is “still out.” Now, Brown is out of town.
“When he’s healthy, he’s dominant,” Mayock said after the season ended. “And you’ve got to juxtapose that with his inability to play, week to week, over a two-year period. We’ve got to get a more consistent player. We think he’s the best right tackle in the league when healthy.”
The 27-year-old (28 in April) agreed to re-work his contract as a part of the deal. Instead of two years at $29.5MM, Brown will play on a new one-year, $11MM pact.
Brown enjoyed a tremendous season with the Patriots in 2018. That year, he started in all 19 regular and postseason games en route to a Super Bowl championship. Pro Football Focus was bullish on his performance too, ranking him 32nd among 80 eligible linemen.
RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/8/21
The restricted free agent and exclusive rights free agent tender decision deadline is a little more than a week away. Some teams are already making their calls in advance of March 17. We’ll keep tabs on the latest here:
RFAs
Non-tendered:
- Titans: WR Kalif Raymond (story)
ERFAs
Tendered:
- Dolphins: LB Calvin Munson, CB Nik Needham, CB Jamal Perry
Non-tendered:
- Vikings: CB Chris Jones
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/8/21
Today’s minor moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: P Dom Maggio
Las Vegas Raiders
- Re-signed: DB Dallin Leavitt
New York Giants
- Released: WR Cody Core
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Re-signed: DL Pat O’Connor