Pats Franchise Wilfork, Hope For Long-Term Deal
Vince Wilfork, consider yourself slapped in the face.
A month ago, the Patriots’ prized defensive lineman said that a franchise tag would be a slap in the face; today, the Pats announced that they had placed the tag on Wilfork, with hopes of working out a long-term deal.
“A long-term agreement with Vince Wilfork has been the team’s top contractual priority for some time,” the Patriots announced in a statement. “Unfortunately, despite numerous conversations and proposals, the goal has not yet been realized. Vince is a tremendous player for our team and remains a significant part of our future plans. It is because of Vince’s importance to this organization that we have assigned the franchise designation as we continue to work toward a long-term agreement. We are hopeful that Vince will remain a Patriot for many years to come.”
The Pats used a non-exclusive franchise tag on Wilfork, which allows other NFL teams to potentially sign him to an offer sheet. If the Pats don’t match the offer, they’d receive two first-round draft choices as compensation.
If Wilfork signs his franchise tender, he’ll earn $7 million this season, which is the average of the five highest-paid players at his position last season.
Wilfork took to his wife’s Twitter account Monday to respond:
“After six years of dedicated service I do understand this is a business,” the message read. “With that being said it is my hope that the tag is applied for its true purpose. For the purpose of allotting more time for us to continue our talks and be able to reach a long term agreement. Only time will tell what the final result will be.”
