Don’t expect the Commanders to use the franchise tag in 2022

The window to franchise tag players opens at 4:00 p.m. ET Tuesday. Unlike the past two years, don’t expect any action from the Washington Commanders.

Washington tagged Pro Bowl right guard Brandon Scherff in each of the past two years with the hopes of reaching a long-term contract extension. However, the two sides couldn’t agree to a contract despite the team’s best efforts. General manager Martin Mayhew said month the team offered Scherff a contract which would’ve made him the highest-paid guard in NFL history.

While Washington would certainly still like to keep the 30-year-old Scherff, using a third franchise tag is not an option. Yes, the Commanders could afford the cap hit of over $25 million it would cost to tag Scherff for a third consecutive year, but the team will let the guard hit free agency, and the expectation is he’s played his last down in Washington.

A long-term deal made sense for Scherff in the last two years. However, Scherff will be 31 in 2022 and hasn’t played every game in a season since 2016. He missed six games in 2021. Yes, Scherff is a fantastic player, but he’s already injury-prone and combined with his age and contract demands, which is not ideal for the Commanders.

Scherff earned $15 and $18 million on the last two franchise tags. For a third tag, which is extremely rare as it’s cost-prohibitive, the team must pay the player 120% of the player’s previous salary.

Washington has no other contenders for the franchise tag. Running back J.D. McKissic and safety Bobby McCain are free agents the team would prefer to keep, but they are not receiving the franchise tag.

The franchise tag hasn’t been good to Washington over the last several years as Scherff and Kirk Cousins saw two franchise tags. Cousins left after the 2017 season.