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Franchise Tag Among Bucs' Options In Bryant Talks

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By ROY CUMMINGS | The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 18, 2009

TAMPA - The clock is ticking on the Bucs and receiver Antonio Bryant.

If the two parties haven't reached an agreement on a new contract by 4 p.m. Thursday, Tampa Bay will have to make a decision whether to place the franchise tag on Bryant.

Placing the tag on Bryant will protect the Bucs from losing Bryant in the free agent market, but it will also require the Bucs to pay Bryant $9.8 million in 2009.

The two parties can continue working on a deal after the tag has been applied, and that may be the Bucs' plan. In fact, there are a lot of scenarios available to the two parties.

If the Bucs believe they are close to reaching an agreement, they can skip tagging Bryant and continue negotiating. If they're far apart, they can tag him and hope the talks continue in an amicable fashion.

When reached for comment on the matter a couple days ago, Bryant said he didn't know where the situation stood.

"I really don't know,'' he said.

The Bucs have been negotiating with Bryant's representatives for weeks, and the hope is that a deal can be reached either before 4 p.m. Thursday or before free agency begins.

With all parties involved heading to Indianapolis for the scouting combine, there's a chance a face-to-face meeting between Bucs general manager Mark Dominik and Bryant's agent will result in a deal getting done this weekend.

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