So far, only nine of the league’s 21 franchise players have signed long-term deals. Saints quarterback Drew Brees kicked off the weekend, inking a spectacular five-year extension on Friday that includes a reported $40 million guaranteed in 2012.
Raiders safety Tyvon Branch is the most recent, inking a reported four-year deal worth $17.6 million in guaranteed money on Saturday morning. He had previously signed his one-year franchise tender worth $6.212 million in 2012.
The deadline to sign franchised players to long-term extensions is Monday at 3:00 PM (CST). After that, a multi-year deal can’t be revisited until after the regular season. If a new deal isn’t done by July 16th, attention in Kansas City will turn to Bowe signing a one-year franchise tender valued at $9.5 million.
On March 5th, Bowe became just the seventh player in Chiefs history to receive the franchise tag. Since then, both parties have kept the state of negotiations close to the vest.
Kansas City has historically kept its franchise players in town one way or another. Outside linebacker
Though it hasn’t always been without drama, the Chiefs usually come to terms with their holdouts. Five of the six franchised players preceding Bowe eventually received a long-term deal. Jared Allen was the lone exception, traded to the Vikings for draft picks used to acquire offensive tackle
Chiefs franchise tag history:
| Year | Player | Result |
| 1993 | DE Neil Smith | signed new deal w/ KC after preseason holdout |
| 1998 | DE Dan Williams | sat out entire '98 season |
| signed long-term deal w/ KC in '99 | ||
| 2000 | G Will Shields | played '00 season under franchise tender |
| signed long-term deal w/ KC in '01 | ||
| 2002 | TE Tony Gonzalez | signed tender after camp holdout |
| signed long-term deal w/KC during '02 season | ||
| 2008 | DE Jared Allen | traded to Minnesota before '08 draft |
| 2011 | OLB Tamba Hali | signed long-term deal w/ KC before '11 season |
| 2012 | WR Dwayne Bowe | ??? |
And here’s how each of the five franchised players performed in Kansas City after receiving long-term deals:
| Year | Player | Production |
| 1993 | DE Neil Smith | career-high 15.0 sacks in '93 |
| 1999 | DE Dan Williams | career ended two seasons later b/c of injury |
| 2001 | G Will Shields | Pro Bowls throughout remainder of career |
| 2002 | TE Tony Gonzalez | 2002-08: 582 rec. for 6,982 yards w/ 46 TDs |
| 2011 | OLB Tamba Hali | Pro Bowl in 2011 |
The current status of the league’s 21 franchised players (as of Saturday, July 14th):
| Team | Player | Status |
| Arizona | DE Calais Campbell | ***5-year, $55 million extension*** |
| Atlanta | CB Brent Grimes | Signed $10.281 million tender |
| Baltimore | RB Ray Rice | Unsigned |
| Chicago | RB Matt Forte | Unsigned |
| Cincinnati | K Mike Nugent | Signed $2.645 million tender |
| Cleveland | K Phil Dawson | Signed $3.81 million tender |
| Dallas | LB Anthony Spencer | Unsigned |
| Denver | K Matt Prater | ***4-year, $13 million extension*** |
| Detroit | DE Cliff Avril | Unsigned |
| Indianapolis | DE Robert Mathis | ***4-year, $36 million extension*** |
| Jacksonville | K Josh Scobee | Unsigned |
| Kansas City | WR Dwayne Bowe | Unsigned |
| New England | WR Wes Welker | Signed $9.5 million tender |
| New Orleans | QB Drew Brees | ***5-year, $100 million extension*** |
| N.Y. Giants | P Steve Weatherford | ***5-year, $12.75 million extension*** |
| Oakland | S Tyvon Branch | ***4-year, $28 million extension*** |
| Philadelphia | WR DeSean Jackson | ***5-year, $48 million extension*** |
| San Francisco | S Dashon Goldson | Unsigned |
| Tampa Bay | K Connor Barth | ***4-year, $13.2 million extension*** |
| Tennessee | S Michael Griffin | ***5-year, $35 million extension*** |
| Washington | TE Fred Davis | Signed $5.446 million tender |