Steelers' Hampton Angry About Potential Franchise Tag

Is there anything more predictable than an NFL star complaining in advance about a potential franchise tag?

Casey Hampton wants a new long-term deal, one that would keep him a Steeler through retirement. But considering Hampton's tendency to put on five, 10 or 50 pounds when he's not in a contract year, the Steelers seem more inclined to throw the franchise tag on him, pay him more than $6 million for one year and let him hit the free-agent market again in 2011.

You can see the arguments for the Steelers. If they franchise Hampton they have a reasonably safe assumption that he will come into camp in shape, because he's playing for his next contract. And rather than pay millions for the decline years of Hampton's career (he's 32 years old), they can keep him for a run at the Super Bowl in 2010, while picking up his replacement in the draft.

As you would expect, Hampton isn't nearly as enthused about the idea of a franchise tag.

"You say we're family and you'll take care of me, and I feel like that's a slap in my face if you franchise me," Hampton told the Tribune-Review. "That's not right. You don't do business like that. I want to be treated fair, and I think franchising me is not fair."

Hampton can be angry, but he should be mad at the player's union as much as the Steelers. The union and the owners agreed to the franchise tag system, so there's no real reason for the Steelers to avoid using it just to make players happy. For the Steelers, it makes a whole lot more sense to give Hampton a one-year franchise tag than a long-term deal. Hampton will get more than $6 million if he's slapped with the franchise tag, which would be the biggest one-year payday of his career. And he's still likely to get a decent deal in 2011 barring a serious injury, it just won't be in Pittsburgh.