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The NFL has announced the 2014 tender numbers for 2014, and they're not going to break the bank for any teams that have to use them.
Our friends at Cincy Jungle have a great breakdown of the tenders for the year ahead:
The maximum tender has a compensation level $3.113 million, which includes a first-round pick if another team signs that player to another offer sheet and the Bengals refuse to match. The second-level tender has a compensation level of $2.187 million with a second-round pick and the third, and final tender, is the original round compensation with a $1.431 million tender. Original round is based on where that player was originally drafted into the NFL -- if he's an undrafted free agent, the original team receives no compensation if that players signs an offer sheet and the original team doesn't match.
The Falcons have one restricted free agent this year, former seventh round pick Robert McClain. McClain had one stellar year with the Falcons in 2012 and an up-and-down season in 2013, but tendering him at the seventh round level would be a profoundly stupid move by the Falcons. There are quite a few cornerback-needy teams that would be happy to surrender a seventh to get a decent nickel cornerback. The Falcons should go ahead and offer McClain the second-round tender, because you can certainly live with $2.187 million for a player of his caliber.
Kevin Cone and Drew Davis are exclusive rights free agents, which means nobody else can negotiate with them unless the Falcons elect to release them. They'll be lower priorities than any other player due to that.
Your thoughts on the RFA tender and McClain in particular?