The Tampa Bay Buccaneers slapped kicker Connor Barth with the franchise tag on Monday afternoon, right before the deadline for NFL teams to use the tag. Adam Schefter of ESPN reported the news on Monday afternoon, via Twitter.
Barth was one of the better players for the Bucs last season, on offense anyway. He made 26 of 28 field goal attempts in 2011, including two of three attempts of 50 yards or more. He did not get many chances to kick extra points, but when he did, he was a perfect 23-for-23.
Tampa Bay will owe Barth roughly $2.6 million under the franchise tag this season.
Barth was the fifth kicker to get the franchise tag from NFL teams this spring. A punter also received the tag, Steve Weatherford of the New York Giants. The relatively low cost of the tag for kickers makes it an attractive option for teams to avoid the hassle of finding another kicker.
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