Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen is not a fan of the franchise tag. When asked about it on Kyle Brandt’s podcast this week, his first response was “Eww.” He is very interested in a long-term deal, however, and that was just part of this hour-long conversation where Allen let his hair down a bit, even singing some of “Watermelon Sugar.”
The franchise tag talk starts at the 36:25 mark in the embedded audio. (Note: The audio is stripped in Apple News.) I’d encourage you to listen to the whole thing or watch the video.
“How do you feel about the words ‘franchise tag’?” asked the host Brandt following a conversation on getting a long-term deal done.
“Eww.”
It was a simple response. He eventually elaborated.
“I don’t think it’s great for the team nor the player. I need to do more research on it but if you look at guys who have been [tagged] in the last couple years as far as the quarterback position goes—Dak [Prescott] and Kirk Cousins—at the end of the day, you could make the case that they should have just done the deal the year prior or the couple of years prior... At the end of the day, it’s not going to deter me from being the best quarterback I can be for the Bills.”
Prior to the franchise tag conversation, they did talk about a long-term contract extension. General manager Brandon Beane has spoken about beginning those talks as soon as next month and getting something done in the next year or two.
Allen would love to sign on the dotted line, he says, and get that deal done.
“When it happens, it happens,” said Allen. “Honestly, I love playing football. I want to listen and be engaged in the contract talks, but ultimately that’s why you pay your agents. They’ll iron out the details and if we get to something soon, I’d love to be locked down in Buffalo for a very long time. It’s a place that I call home. I love being there, I love the fan base, I love the city. Everything I want is there. If they called up and wanted to talk tomorrow, I’d be willing.”