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One more day

In a small wrinkle, the deadline for teams to sign franchise-tagged players to long-term deals has been pushed back one day. The deadline opens a slightly wider window for the Patriots in negotiations with cornerback Asante Samuel.

The original deadline was July 15. But since that falls on a Sunday this year, the date has been pushed to July 16.

If a franchise-tagged player does not sign a long-term deal by that date, he can only sign the one-year tender.

It's unlikely that the minor extension will help the Patriots and Samuel's representatives reach an agreement, as the sides remain far apart in negotiations. But if some positive momentum is generated over the next 10 days, the extra time could come in handy.