Why the surprise? The tag for both of them was way too much money.
Like 6 players got tagged and they are either all stars at their position and/or the tag is value for their level of performance. You only get franchise tagged if the tag is what you would be paid anyway and neither Allen or Murphy are close.
Also, can we stop this fantasy every year that the Cards haven't tried to re-sign them or they haven't offered enough money or they don't want to be here?
Apparently both players are happy here and would like to stay. We know that Allen at least has had an offer, Mike said in a recent interview they want him to stay and have been working on a deal. I'm sure Murphy does too. But here's the important bit...
Who here wouldn't test free agency just to see what the options are? You have an offer in hand from your team as a backup at the very least. Who wouldn't take a few days to see if someone might blow you away? Or at least give you a little bit of bargaining power to eek out a bit more from your current team? This is even more so for players hitting FA for the first time.
It's absolutely basic stuff. It's why of the 695 players set to hit FA next week none of them have resigned with their teams. Not a single one. Not the Bills, not the Eagles, not the Chiefs, not the Ravens, not the Patriots. Nobody.
The Cards are no different than anyone else.
