Should the Buffalo Bills Use the Franchise Tag on Stevie Johnson?

If the Buffalo Bills want to turn the flash of brilliance from Weeks 1 through 8 into a season-long beacon of light in 2012, they'll need to keep their biggest star in house.

Nobody in Buffalo would tell you any differently about wide receiver Stevie Johnson, who is set to become a free agent this offseason. What you might hear conflicting reports on, though, is how the team will address the situation. Should the team use the franchise tag, or should they come to terms on a long-term deal?

Well, Bills general manager Buddy Nix wouldn't rule out anything, including the possibility that the team could use the franchise tag on Johnson.

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"You know everything's an option," Nix said to WGR 550 in Buffalo. "I read in the paper or somebody sent it to me the other day that we definitely were not going to tag him. I don't know who they talked to, I'd like to talk to them maybe see what we're gonna do with some of those other guys. So I don't know who the source was but they don't know, I can promise you that. Again, that's an option we've got until March 5 to decide."

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The two sides are set to meet on Friday, and though Nix doesn't expect a big breakthrough in the talks, he is expecting that these talks will turn into more talks...and where those talks go, we'll just have to wait and see.

But if it gets down to the last minute, the Bills would be wise to use the tag on their star wide receiver.

What the Franchise Tag Would Mean

Addressing a need from within would spell one less need in free agency (more on that later), but the bigger question with the tag is the money. Well, the Bills certainly aren't strapped for cash to make the move. According to a chart from Omar Kelly of the Miami Sun-Sentinel, the Bills are projected to have somewhere around $32 million in cap space.

With the franchise tag estimated at around $9.4 million for wide receivers, according to NFL.com, the Bills could use the tag and still have enough money to pursue any of the many free agents that may be tugging at their heartstrings.

Mario Williams, anyone?

What If They Can't Retain Johnson?

Nix touched on the caveat of the team's inability to retain Johnson.

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"Well it just makes you need another [wide receiver]," Nix said. "We need one anyway. We'll probably get one in free agents or draft one. If he's not back with us, we'll probably try to get two."

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Sure, the team would save the money, but the failure to retain Johnson would create a need for a wide receiver. 

Building from within can be one of the smartest things a team can do, and the franchise tag doesn't have to be the end of the line. Just ask the New England Patriots, who have retained almost all of their big-name free agents in the past few years (save cornerback Asante Samuel) and have done so by using the tag as a bridge.

The Bills need to keep this in mind and do everything they can to bring Johnson back in 2012.

Perhaps we could call on the old cliché: If it ain't broke, don't break it.

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