Now that the New Orleans Saints and Drew Brees have agreed on a five-year, $100 million contract, eight of the 21 players who received the franchise tag this offseason have gotten multiyear deals.
That leaves 13 players who might have no choice but to play out the season under their one-year tenders, assuming they can't sign a new contract ahead of Monday's 4 p.m. ET deadline. According to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com, only two or three players other than Brees are expected to secure multiyear extensions.
One of those players is Oakland Raiders safety Tyvon Branch, who has already signed his $6.212 million tender (UPDATE: Branch agreed to a four-year, $26.6 million deal with the Raiders on Saturday). The other player La Canfora mentioned, surprisingly, is Chicago Bears running back Matt Forte, who has not signed his $7.742 million tender and skipped the team's offseason program. "Considerable progress" between the two sides has been made, according to La Canfora's report.
Handicapping the other 11
Brent Grimes, Atlanta Falcons cornerback. The franchise tag for him is worth $10.281 million. An extension would help the Falcons, who, at last check, have less than $3 million in salary-cap room remaining. That said, a deal does not appear imminent, according to D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal Constitution.
Ray Rice, Baltimore Ravens running back. He received the same $7.742 million tender as Forte, which he has not signed. No team in the league is more pressed against the cap than the Ravens, but a deal is not expected to happen before Monday's deadline.
Anthony Spencer, Dallas Cowboys outside linebacker. He did sign his $8.856 million tender, but the team's official website has reported that no multiyear deal will be signed by Monday.
Cliff Avril, Detroit Lions defensive end. The pass rusher remains optimistic, but the Lions might want to take a year-by-year approach with him.
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Dwayne Bowe, Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver. He has yet to sign his $9.515 million tender. La Canfora says talks between the two sides have "gone nowhere" and ESPN's Adam Schefter isn't expecting a deal to get done, either.
Wes Welker, New England Patriots wide receiver. He has signed his tender and, despite a reported $6 million gap in guaranteed money, La Canfora put the odds of a deal being signed this weekend at 50/50.
Dashon Goldson, San Francisco 49ers safety. He has not yet signed his $6.212 million tender. Goldson turned down a $5 million-per-year extension after last year's lockout before returning on a one-year, $2 million deal and going to the Pro Bowl. Goldson's trip to Hawaii last season probably won't be enough to get the 49ers to up their offer to $7 million per year, which would match the deal that former franchised safety Michael Griffin received from the Tennessee Titans.
Fred Davis, Washington Redskins tight end. One of the first players to sign his franchise tag, Davis is coming off a four-game suspension for violating the league's substance-abuse policy. He is unlikely to receive a multiyear commitment from the Redskins this offseason.
Though Tampa Bay Buccaneers kicker Connor Barth and Denver Broncos kicker Matt Pratereach signed similar four-year deals recently, franchised kickers Mike Nugent (Cincinnati Bengals), Phil Dawson (Cleveland Browns) and Josh Scobee (Jacksonville Jaguars) do not appear to be any closer to extensions of their own. Scobee has yet to sign his tender, though Nugent and Dawson have signed theirs.
