Patriots tag Samuel

[JoseA]

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) -- The New England Patriots designated Asante Samuel as their franchise player Friday in a move that would keep the cornerback with the team for at least one more season.

The 26-year-old has played in 59 regular-season and 11 playoff games with New England since being drafted in 2003, and would have been an unrestricted free agent if the Patriots hadn't designated him as their franchise player.

Without the tag, the Patriots would not be compensated if he signed with another team.

Patriots put franchise tag on Samuel - NFL - Yahoo! Sports

One of the true emerging defensive players, definetly a smart move to tag Samuel. 10 INTS last season was very impreesive