The Cardinals have been adamant about their plans to hold onto running back Kenyan Drake after trading for him last season and they moved to bolster their chances of doing that on Monday.
The team announced that they have applied the transition tag to Drake. Under the rules of the tag, Drake is able to negotiate with other teams while the Cardinals hold the right to match any offer sheet he might sign with another club. If they chose not to match an offer, they would not receive any compensation.
As with players on the franchise tag, Drake would have until July 15 to work out a multi-year deal in Arizona. If he plays under the terms of the tag, he’d make in the neighborhood of $10 million.
Drake’s arrival in Arizona pushed David Johnson into a reserve role. Johnson is set to make $10.2 million in 2020 and there’s no cap relief for cutting him, so the Cardinals are prepared to spend a lot on running backs if they can’t find a taker for Johnson in a trade.
