Browns Give Franchise Tag To Kicker Phil Dawson

The Cleveland Browns have placed the franchise tag on kicker Phil Dawson, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. The franchise tag for kickers is projected to be around $3.2 million in 2011. 

Dawson has been unhappy with his contract for a couple of seasons. He signed a five-year, $7.1 million deal in 2005 and played the final year of that deal in 2010 which paid him $1 million. He even skipped some of the Browns OTAs last year in protest of his contract.

It's unclear how Dawson feels about the tag. A lot of players don't like it because they want a long-term deal but, for a position as replaceable as a kicker, that seems like a decent pay day for one season.

The deadline for teams to use the franchise tag ends on Thursday. If the two sides are talking about a new contract, then it apparently wasn't going to get done before then. 

For more on the Browns, check out SB Nation's Dawgs By Nature.