Coming off a breakout season, Tennessee Titans defensive end Jason Babin, who is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent, is more interested in long-term security than short-term money, John Glennon of The Tennessean reports.
"What people don't understand is that the franchise tag kind of has an underlying meaning (to players)," Babin said. "It's kind of restricting a guy from free agency. They can say, 'We want to give you a deal. This is the deal, even though you might not like the deal.'
"There are a lot of little things like that...Everyone will say, 'How could you (not want) $12 million or whatever it is for a franchised defensive end?' But it's not as simple as that, unfortunately. Nothing in the NFL is simple."
Babin was an unrestricted free agent in 2009, but his former team, the Philadelphia Eagles, held a right of first refusal and opted not to match the one-year, $1 million contract offer from the Titans.
A 16-game starter for the Titans, his fifth franchise in seven seasons, Babin posted 58 tackles, including a career-high 12.5 quarterback sacks.
Due to his production, the 30-year old could have the franchise tag placed upon him, which if it holds up under an expected challenge from the union, would pay Babin slightly over $13 million in 2011. On the open market, Babin could expect a multi-year contract with a $6-7 million per year average, but with more long-term security and an opportunity to finally lay down some NFL roots.
source: MacsFootballBlog
Posted by Brian McIntyre
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