Chargers place franchise tag on QB Brees

Full Story Here: "SAN DIEGO (Ticker) - Last April, the San Diego Chargers were willing to give away Drew Brees for a fourth-round pick. Now they have named him their franchise player.

Chargers general manager A.J. Smith announced Thursday that the team has designated Brees as a franchise player, giving the Pro Bowl quarterback a salary of $8.078 million in 2005 - the average of the top five players at his position.

Brees was tagged as a 'non-exclusive' franchise player, which means that he can still negotiate with the league's other 31 teams. Should Brees receive an offer from another team, the Chargers can either match the new club's offer, or receive two first-round choices from that team."