Safety Anthony Harris was given the franchise tag by the Vikings on Monday, securing him under contract for one more year.
Though that is a good sign that Harris is staying, there might be a possibility he’s not.
First off, the franchise tag is for one year, and oftentimes it’s used on a player who was going to walk in free agency, or one that the team couldn’t agree to a deal with.
It secures Harris for the time being, but eventually, if he thinks he could get more money elsewhere, he’s going to be able to leave.
A player can be franchise tagged three times by a team. Then, they can leave. Harris and the team have until July 15 to negotiate a long-term contract. If that doesn’t happen, and the Vikings don’t trade him, then Harris is here to stay for this season.
The Vikings could still trade Harris, though. A deal for a safety of his caliber would probably garner a lot in return. This move came as a surprise, partially because the Vikings hardly ever use the franchise tag and also because Mike Zimmer said at the NFL Combine that “if you put up the positions most important on defense it’s probably not going to be safety.”
So maybe Harris is on the move this season, maybe he isn’t. But as of now, the Vikings have two star safeties coming back, and a whole lot more can happen to this team in the offseason.
