Pittsburgh Steelers veteran Cam Heyward has never been afraid to share his feelings.
Heyward is also an NFLPA executive committee member, and he made his feelings clear about the NFL franchise tag.
“Stupid. It hampers players. Why should any team be able to take advantage of a player for one year? It’s used in negotiations, and I think between the player options, the franchise tags, the way they control rookies, I think it’s kind of backwards,” Heyward said, via Brooke Pryor of ESPN.
Heyward’s comments come just a few days after Christian Gonzalez signed a massive four-year, $135 million deal to reset the cornerback market.
The franchise tag for the cornerback position is just over $21 million, and Heyward made it clear how he feels about that difference.
If a player is at the top of his position, he should be paid that way,” Heyward added.
Heyward himself dealt with some contract issues this offseason. In the end, the Steelers and Heyward agreed to a revised deal that can pay him up to $18 million this season.
In recent years, more and more NFL players have been hesitant to play on the franchise tag, especially since it isn’t a guarantee of long-term money, and that’s something Heyward showed his frustration about.
Whether or not the NFL franchise tag rules will change remains to be seen, but Heyward being vocal about it could open the eyes of other NFLPA members.
