CHARLOTTE - The Carolina Panthers have officially placed the one-year, franchise tag on defensive tackle Kawann Short.
The projected franchise tag for a defensive tackle in 2017 is $13.5 million. Short was said to be seeking a long-term deal with the team since last offseason, worth around $17 million per season.
The Panthers and short have until July 15 to negotiate a long-term contract.
Other teams can offer Short a long-term deal, but the Panthers have to right to match any deal, and if Short were to sign elsewhere, Carolina would receive two first-round picks from that team.
In 2016 the Panthers applied, but then rescinded, the franchise tag on cornerback Josh Norman, who wound up signing a long-term deal with Washington.
Short has intimated that he would not follow Norman's path.
Short, the Panther's second-round pick in 2013, recorded 6 sacks in 2016, after an 11-sack performance in 2015.
