With the news that the Arizona Cardinals used their franchise tag on defensive end Calais Campbell, it was no surprise at all. General manager Rod Graves had all but said that this would happen if the team was unable to get a long-term deal in place before the free agency period began.
Now, Campbell is guaranteed to be a Cardinals through the 2012 season and he will be paid handsomely.
But there is the fear for many fans that the team and Campbell will not find common ground. After all, just a couple of years ago, the team lost Karlos Dansby and Antrel Rolle to free agency. Dansby had been franchised twice and the team never could get him locked up.
Will the same thing happen with Campbell?
So far, there is no need for concern. The two parties have been in discussions and progress is being made. TheYou can talk more Cardinals over at Revenge of the Birds.
For the latest AZ sports, follow us on Twitter @SBNArizona and "Like" us on Facebook. team in the last few seasons has also been able to negotiate long-term deals for Adrian Wilson, Darnell Dockett and Larry Fitzgerald.
Knowing that, unless there are unreasonable demands on the part of Campbell, there is no reason to believe that a deal won't be done with Campbell. He came out a tweeted his desire to get one done. The team has said it is their number one priority.
It will happen...but if the summer rolls around and nothing is yet done, then you can officially worry a bit.
In the meantime, it is simply a way to protect the team from losing their most important defensive player in free agency.
You can talk more Cardinals over at Revenge of the Birds.
For the latest AZ sports, follow us on Twitter @SBNArizona and "Like" us on Facebook.