If the Baltimore Ravens do what they are expected to do and place the Franchise Tag on defensive tackle Haloti Ngata, it will be a costly way to keep him under contract in 2011. Teams have until the end of this week to place the Tag on players and the amount they would have to pay in 2011 if the CBA is settled is a lot different than what it was in 2010.
According to NFL.com's Jason LaCanfora, the average for the top five players at defensive tackle shot through the roof this past year, thanks to the incredible signing bonus that Washington Redskins DT Albert Haynesworth received for that mammoth contract the team gave him. While the Franchise Tag in 2010 for defensive tackles was around $7 million, in 2011 that number explodes up the charts to over $12 million, only trailing quarterbacks, cornerbacks and just slightly behind defensive ends.
Ngata might not be happy about being tagged by the Ravens, but he certainly will be happy when he gets his paycheck each week, which will come out to around $700,000 per week under the current 17 week paycheck scenario. Nice, Haloti, real nice!