I just ran into this one in an email from Footballguys and I was floored. Apparently in 1993, all the plaintiffs that were involved in the situation then were granted immunity from the franchise tag for their careers. This whole concept makes me absolutely sick. I can't believe a player would even accept this and that it wouldn't cause a total revolt among the other players. Not even sure why they would be granted this, especially with all the things that have been said over the course of the process.

Here is the article link and a few excerpts that I thought were interesting:

 

An NFL source with direct knowledge of negotiations said Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning and Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints are requesting to be exempt from the franchise tag for the rest of their careers.

UPDATE: To be clear, this request was communicated to the league. Whether the request came directly from the players, through one of their representatives or a rogue request from NFLPA lawyers, is unknown. But the topic was broached with the NFL on Tuesday.

UPDATE II: Last Tuesday night, Brees denied this an other media reports on this subject. "I want no special perks. My job is to get a fair deal for all players, and I am proud to represent them all - past, present and future," he said. "All media claims about me wanting a personal reward for this deal are false. I hope you all know me better than that."

That means Manning, who was tagged by the Colts before the lockout, wants to become an unrestricted free agent now.