When the Washington Commanders applied the second franchise tag to Pro Bowl right guard Brandon Scherff last year, his time with the franchise was essentially over.
Yes, Scherff would be with Washington for the entire 2021 season, and the Commanders had until mid-July last summer to reach a new long-term agreement with him. However, a deal was never happening despite Scherff repeating his desires to remain in Washington.
Why? Because Scherff never wanted to stay in Washington. Sure, he said he wanted to finish his career with the Commanders, but what was he supposed to say?
Now, Scherff is set to sign with the Jacksonville Jaguars Wednesday after seven years in Washington. And just like that, Washington loses another decorated player who couldn’t get out of town fast enough.
In January, general manager Martin Mayhew said the team offered Scherff a contract that would’ve made him the highest-paid guard in NFL history. I believe Mayhew. Sure, we didn’t get to see the language of the offer, but Mayhew isn’t Bruce Allen. No one can forget the Bruce Allen press conference where he discussed Washington’s proposal to Kirk Cousins.
Washington wanted to keep Scherff. He was essential to the team, the culture and the on-field product. Make no mistake, despite Scherff’s injury history; he is a dominant player when he is on the field. Washington’s record without him speaks to his value. Now, that’s not to say that Scherff is the only reason Washington was winless in his absence last season. The game is much bigger than a single offensive lineman. But the Commanders understood Scherff’s value by placing the two consecutive franchise tags on him.
We can debate how wise it was for Washington to apply a second franchise tag on Scherff. However, expectations were high in 2021, and the Commanders wanted to keep one of its core players from a playoff team while attempting to reach a long-term deal one more time.
Ultimately, it wasn’t to be, as Scherff couldn’t wait to get out of Washington fast enough.
There’s a part of every fan who can understand why Scherff wanted out. However, after dealing with Kirk Cousins repeatedly stating how much he wanted to remain in Washington, all the while wanting out, it becomes disingenuous to the fan base. Fans became tired of discussing Cousins, and the same applied to Scherff over the last two years.
Scherff is a great player, but it was time to move on for both parties.
