Washington Redskins use franchise tag on Brian Orakpo

The Washington Redskins elected to use their franchise tag on outside linebacker Brian Orakpo, as announced on Monday.

With the franchise tag, Orakpo will earn $11.455 million as reported by NFL. This allows the Redskins to keep Orakpo before he can test the free agent market.

The tag is non-exclusive though, so Orakpo can become a free agent later in March. However, the Redskins can match any offer from another team, and if he leaves for another team, the Redskins may receive two compensatory first-round picks, according to ESPN.

The Redskins finished 31st in the NFL in total defense last season, but Orakpo has been a consistent pass rusher for them throughout his career. He led the team with 10 sacks in the 2013 season. He sat out most of the 2012 season with a torn pectoral muscle.

Orakpo has registered 39.5 sacks since being drafted by the Redskins with the 13th overall pick in the 2009 NFL draft.

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