Washington G Brandon Scherff signs franchise tag tender

A top-tier guard was tagged as such earlier this week, and he didn’t waste much time signing on the dotted line.

Brandon Scherff has signed his franchise tag tender with Washington for the second year in a row, according to the league’s official transaction wire.

Because he’s a repeat recipient of the tag, Scherff will earn $18.036 million in 2021, a total that is fully guaranteed, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. Scherff and Washington have until July 15 to strike a long-term deal, if they so desire.

Scherff is one of the game’s best at his position, ranking fourth among all guards in the NFL in 2020, per Pro Football Focus. He played 13 games in 2020, reaching the Pro Bowl for the fourth time in his six-year career.

At 29 years old, it would make sense for Washington to strike a multi-year deal with a guard who has proven to be as effective and dependable as they come. Scherff ranked 11th on Gregg Rosenthal’s original Top 101 Free Agents list, and Washington likely would have locked him up in prior to the 2019 or 2020 season had he not landed on injured reserve in both 2018 and 2019. Instead, Washington decided to risk losing Scherff, all while knowing the tag would be available to retain him.

Now, Scherff is cashing in, making the most of any guard in the NFL in terms of average annual value by a $4 million difference. He joins Carolina tackle Taylor Moton as the first two to sign their franchise tag tenders.

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