Manning, Brees May Have Softened Stance On Franchise Tag Request After Backlash

Update: Drew Brees has personally denied the franchise tag report.

Various reports have said throughout the day that Colts QB Peyton Manning, Saints QB Drew Brees, Patriots G Logan Mankins and Chargers WR Vincent Jackson are seeking some sort of compensation for being named plaintiffs in the Brady vs. NFL antitrust lawsuit.

Chris Kluwe, punter for the Vikings, took his concerns over the issue with those players to Twitter:

Sigh, and once again greed is the operative byword. Congrats Brees, Manning, Mankins, and Jackson for being 'that guy'.#douchebags

Assuming he's probably not the only player who feels that way, there was a bit of backlash today and those plaintiffs have surely been hearing about it, publicly or not. So it's not a surprise to hear that at least two of them are backing off their request.

At this point, NL players have been hearing about how the deal is almost done for a while now. Topics like this aren't high on their list of priorities, given the solidarity they've had throughout the process.