Cleveland Browns kicker Phil Dawson has accepted his franchise tag, according to a report from the Plain Dealer's Mary Kay Cabot. Dawson has been the only starting kicker the new Browns franchise has known since their return in 1999. The tag will pay the Texas product around $3.8 million a year, according to Cabot. The news came as little surprise, as the kicker who's spent so much of his career in Northeast Ohio was expected to stay on for at least one more season.
Via @MaryKayCabot:
#Browns kicker Phil Dawson has accepted his franchise tag, a league source tells the Plain Dealer. About $3.8 million.
— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) March 13, 2012
Despite the franchise tag, Dawson did not have his best season with the Browns in 2011. He ranked 19th in the league in touchback percentage and field goal accuracy.
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