Washington Football Team All-Pro guard Brandon Scherff is likely to play under the franchise tag for a second consecutive year.
The sixth-year veteran is not expected to reach an agreement on a long-term deal with Washington prior to the July 15 deadline, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.
Scherff, who will be the highest-paid guard in the NFL in 2021 with an $18 million salary, will play under the tag this fall before becoming an unrestricted free agent next spring.
The former first-round pick is coming off the best professional season of his career. Scherff started 13 games for Washington in 2020 and earned his fourth Pro Bowl nod in six seasons with the team. He was also named to the Associated Press' first-team All-Pro squad for the first time, marking the first time a Burgundy and Gold player made the All-Pro team since punter Matt Turk did in 1996.
Despite the two sides being unable to agree to a long-term deal, Scherff was present for all of Washington's voluntary OTA sessions this spring as well as mandatory minicamp. Head coach Ron Rivera was appreciative of such, too.
"It is good to have Brandon here. He most certainly is a leader," Rivera said in May. "He’s an influential person on our team, and it’s good to have a guy like that here."
For the past two years, Scherff has gone on the record multiple times that he wants to remain in Washington for the entirety of his career.
"I've been here 6 years and I absolutely love it here," Scherff said in January once the season ended. "We are building something here to absolutely make a run in the future."