Washington is expected to begin contract talks with offensive guard Brandon Scherff soon, Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post reports.
It appears the team has no intention of letting Scherff leave in free agency.
Washington tagged the Pro Bowler last offseason, and he played 2020 under the $15.03 million franchise tag.
The team could use the franchise tag on Scherff again, if necessary, according to Jhabvala, but Washington is more interested in getting a long-team deal completed. A new deal could reset the market for guards, topping the $14.1 million annual average that Philadelphia pays Brandon Brooks.
The window for designating franchise players closes March 9.
Scherff would make $18.04 million on a second tag. But tagging Scherff would buy the team four more months to get a long-term deal done if they can’t get it completed before then.
Washington is projected to have around $38 million in salary cap space based on a projected cap of $180.5 million, according to overthecap.com.
Scherff, 29, made All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors last season despite missing three games with a medial collateral ligament sprain. He has spent time on injured reserve each of the past three seasons and has not played a full, 16-game season since 2016, his second year in the league.
He has made four Pro Bowls in six seasons.