The Facts: Following up on the ongoing story. ... A full week into the window for using the franchise tag, no player has yet to be on the receiving end of a pair of multi-million-dollar handcuffs. Though Rice may not be the first, it's looking more and more inevitable that, eventually, it'll happen. "We obviously know the tag is coming," agent Todd France told Aaron Wilson of the Carroll County Times. "But we will continue to have open dialogue and see if we can come to a long-term agreement, which is the preference for both sides."

Diehards Line:And so, at some point in the next week, Rice will receive an offer of a one-year, $7.7 million contract. The next question will be whether he'll sign the tender while negotiations continue, or whether he'll hold out. HC John Harbaugh is taking an optimistic approach. "I would be surprised, just knowing Ray and I know how much he loves football," Harbaugh recently told the Baltimore Sun. "I think he understands there's not leverage to be gained by doing that. ..." Whether Rice uses the tag as an excuse to take some additional time off or not this spring and summer, there's no reason to believe he won't be on the field as usual come Week 1 of the regular season.