Friday, February 28, 2014

Folk gets raise of more than 400 percent under tag

BY NICK ST. DENIS

Most NFL players aren't fans of the franchise tag. Most players aren't kickers.

The New York Jets announced Friday that they've used their 2014 tag on kicker Nick Folk. Folk, coming off a stellar season and arguably the best of his career, was slated for free agency this March.

With the tag, Folk will make more than four times his 2013 salary -- a jump from $780,000 to around $3.4 million.

We're not saying Folk wouldn't prefer a multi-year contract for more money over a longer period of time, but while kicking is important, kickers are more interchangeable than most other positions. It's nice to have a job, especially one that doesn't require a move and pays that much more.

In fact, as former sports agent and CBS Sports writer Joel Corry noted via Twitter, Folk's 2014 salary trumps what he's made in the last five years combined (just under $3.3 million).

The veteran kicker went 33-of-36 on field goal attempts last year, making all three of his 50-plus boots.

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