There’s a strong chance Tee Higgins won’t be the only former Tiger that gets the franchise tag this summer.
The Miami Dolphins are backed into a corner after discussions with former Clemson defensive lineman Christian Wilkins haven’t lead to a new extension yet. ESPN’s Dan Graziano reported that the franchise tag will be the last resort for Miami.
“Dolphins don’t plan to let Christian Wilkins leave and if that means franchising him, that’s likely what they’ll do,” Graziano said on NFL Live. “The problem is they’re in pretty big cap trouble.”
Now that the salary cap is officially decided at a whopping $255.4 million, there’s a bit more wiggle room for the Dolphins to keep Wilkins in town. Still, it could delay a large contract for the Clemson national champion should the tag be the case.
If that ends up as the decision, Wilkins and Miami will have until July 15 to negotiate a long-term extension or it’ll be a $22.1 million one-year deal. That would nearly match Wilkins’ total for his rookie contract.
Wilkins took a massive leap last season as the anchor of the Dolphins defense, and it’s why this contract situation is polarizing for the franchise. He set a career-high with nine sacks while completing his third straight season with double-digit tackles for loss.
The franchise tag would limit a large bidding war for Wilkins’ talents on the open market, but it would still net a massive payday for him while potentially delaying the long-term deal to be even larger.