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Franchise tags

If the Patriots can not reach contract extensions with cornerback Asante Samuel and tight end Daniel Graham before free agency begins March 2, they could retain one player by using the franchise tag.

The franchise tag figures have been finalized for 2007 and the numbers for the cornerback and tight end positions are as follows:

Cornerback: $7.79 million
Tight end: $4.31 million

ANALYSIS: The franchise figure for Samuel would give him the second highest cap hit on the team, behind quarterback Tom Brady ($11.3 million). It is possible the Patriots could use the tag the same way they did with Tebucky Jones in February of 2003, when the Patriots tagged Jones and then traded him. Otherwise, the tag is likely too rich for the Patriots, who would have almost $19 million of the $109 million cap tied up in two players, which runs counter to their philosophy of spreading more money to more players. As for Graham, the preference on both sides is to work out an extension, but if that fails, it's hard to imagine the Patriots letting him go given that the franchise tag is "only" $4.3 million.