ATLANTA — The Atlanta Falcons designated defensive tackle Grady Jarrett with the franchise tag on Monday, choosing not to wait for Tuesday's NFL 'tag' deadline.
Within the tag application, the 25-year-old Jarrett won't be allowed to hit NFL free agency on March 13.
However, as compensation for that, Jarrett will be tendered at approximately $15.57 million for the 2019 season.
It's worth noting: Jarrett's tag will be non-exclusive, meaning other clubs are allowed to negotiate a long-term deal, or offer sheet, with the fifth-round pick from 2015.
(Jarrett's 2018 salary: Nearly $1.91 million.)
Within that scenario, the Falcons would have the right to match the offer sheet, thus keeping Jarrett (two-year tally: 10 sacks, 23 tackles for loss, 29 QB hits) in the mix.
And if they passed on the big-money deal, Jarrett's new club would automatically forfeit two first-round picks to Atlanta.
In other words, NFL history isn't long with non-exclusive tenders immediately landing with other teams.
RELATED | Opinion: Atlanta Falcons must demand more from Vic Beasley during this make-or-break season
Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff is already on record, saying the club wants to sign Jarrett to a long-term extension. (The two parties can freely exchange numbers for the next four months, if necessary.)
However, neither side likely had much motivation to strike a deal before Tuesday's deadline.
According to Spotrac.com, a popular Web site for tracking NFL salaries, six defensive tackles currently possess long-term deals averaging $15 million or more (Aaron Donald, Fletcher Cox, Geno Atkins, Kawann Short, Gerald McCoy, Jurrell Casey), a likely starting point, negotiations-wise, for Jarrett's representation.
For what it's worth, OverTheCap.com and Pro Football Focus have projected Jarrett for a five-year, $82.5 million deal, with $46 million guaranteed.
Spotrac, in turn, has a five-year projection of $76.2 million.
With Jarrett penciled in for a 2019 salary of nearly $16 million, the Falcons now have less than $8 million of cap room for NFL free agency.
