The Dallas Cowboys made outside linebacker Anthony Spencer just the third player in franchise history to receive the franchise tag on Monday, but the two sides will continue to negotiate a long-term deal.
Spencer is due to make around $8.8 million for the 2012 season if he does, in fact, play under the franchise tag. In the only two cases in which the tag was used by the Cowboys before--with Flozell Adams in 2003 and Ken Hamlin in 2008--the two sides eventually came to terms on a longer-term deal.
That said, whether Dallas wants to invest in Spencer long term seems unclear. He has never recorded more than six sacks in a season, but in their remarks this week, Jerry Jones and Jason Garrett have made the point that the five-year veteran’s value isn’t really reflected in sack totals.
"If you look at his total production,” Garrett said, per the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, “how he's affected quarterbacks, how he's affected games, tackles for loss, hurries, tackles, all of that stuff, he's really been a strong contributor to our football team.”
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