The Atlanta Falcons placed the franchise tag on defensive tackle Grady Jarrett on Monday.
The tag means Grady Jarrett can now negotiate with other teams, and the Falcons would then have a chance to match or get compensation if he were to receive an offer elsewhere.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that the Falcons and Jarrett "are not close" to a deal. The former former fifth-round pick out of Clemson reportedly wanting a contract closer to an Aaron Donald-type deal.
Donald, defensive tackle for the Los Angeles Rams, signed a six-year deal worth $135 million including $87 million guaranteed just last year.
"I don't know if Grady Jarrett's at that level," John Michaels of the Midday Show said. "As a matter of fact, I know he's not at Aaron Donald's level, but he's in that next tier. And when you have that, you have somebody right now at d-tackle that you can count on."
Jarrett had the highest sack total on the team last season (6) playing in only 14 games. He was also dealing with an ankle injury in which he could've easily sat out when the post season was out of reach.
"He's putting himself above his teammates," Rick Kamla said. "He's putting himself in a tax bracket and a priority bracket above his teammates."
The Falcons haven't used the franchise tag since 2012 when they tagged Brent Grimes.
"He's obviously asking for a number that is not even close," Kamla continued. "What do our Falcons do? They pay their guys. They take care of their guys...We have a long history and precedence of them operating that way when negotiating contracts with players."
John said the Falcons never let guys like Matt Ryan, Desmond Trufant, Devonta Freeman or Robert Alford get to a franchise tag scenario. They never let those players get to that final year.
"Until I hear it from the horse's mouth, I gotta assume there's negotiations going on," John said. "And then when the deal is finally struck, if it's $17 million then okay. I'm not happy with it because I think he's more of a $15 million player. But again, it's not my money...He should negotiate for every dime he can get."
Click below to hear that plus more in a heated debate with Rick and John.
