The upcoming 2021 season is set to be Brandon Scherff’s last in a Washington Football Team uniform. Washington and the All-Pro guard are not expected to reach a long-term deal ahead of Thursday’s July 15 deadline for franchise tagged players. Instead, Brandon Scherff will play on the franchise tag for the second straight season.
This essentially ensures he will hit free agency next March and go somewhere else. That is unless, Washington does the unthinkable and either franchise tags Scherff for a third straight year or give in to his demands and pay him left tackle money.
Either way it’s going to cost Washington heavily. A third straight franchise tag would cost Washington close to $26 million. That’s insane money for a guard in the NFL. It would make Scherff the highest-paid offensive lineman compared to 2021 salaries.
Scherff will make a guaranteed $18.035 million this season on the franchise tag. Last season he made $15.03 million on the franchise tag. Add in his fifth-year option back in 2019, Scherff is set to earn $45.6 million over the course of three seasons.
Joe Thuney just signed the richest contract in the league for an offensive guard with the Kansas City Chiefs. Thuney will make essentially a guaranteed $48 million over the next three years. That complicates Washington’s offers against Scherff’s asking price.
It’s Kirk Cousins all over again. Washington knows all too well about tagging a player twice and being unable to reach a long-term deal. Cousins got back-to-back tags in 2016 and 2017. Ultimately, Washington let the quarterback walk in free agency to the Minnesota Vikings.
Washington moved on to a more manageable contract in Alex Smith in 2018. Cousins got his money in Minnesota. Cousins used the $24 million second franchise tag as a bench mark to his long-term deal. Then landed a three-year, $84 million deal with the Vikings. And that was a discount more in lined with a transition tag.
Being at $18 million will only entice Scherff to go up to at least $21 million for an annual salary average — again left tackle money. Former Washington left tackle Trent Williams is set to make an average of $23 million as the highest-paid left tackle in the league.
Washington drafted Saahdiq Charles and Sam Cosmi in the last two drafts. Both are considered tackles but Charles played guard last season before a knee injury abruptly ended his rookie season. Cosmi is expected to compete at right tackle, but some scouts have projected the former Texas Longhorn transitioning to guard.
As great as Brandon Scherff has proved to be, its expected Washington is ready to part ways with its No. 5 overall pick in 2015. Washington will take the compensatory draft pick that will come with Scherff inking elsewhere as a free agent. In 2018, Cousins signing with the Vikings produced a compensatory pick which still equaled to a third-round pick in 2019.
Washington will ultimately get seven years out of their first-round pick for a price of $66 million. That’s considered great value. What sucks is Scherff’s pending departure will mark the third consecutive year a fan-favorite offensive lineman leaves Washington. See Williams in 2020 after an ugly situation and this offseason with the release of right tackle Morgan Moses.
