Ron Rivera: If Dave Gettleman ‘has to use the franchise tag’ on Kawann Short, he will

Atop the list of priority Carolina Panthers free agents sits Kawann “KK” Short.

It’s a lofty position for the 28-year-old defensive tackle, who will weigh his options as an unrestricted free agent after Carolina couldn’t solidify a long-term deal last offseason.

The Panthers know they want him back.

“We believe up front is the most important part of your team,” coach Ron Rivera saud Thursday in an appearance on ESPN’s NFL Insiders in Houston. “You've got to be able to stop the run, rush the passer, and I think KK is one of those guys who has that kind of ability.”

One option, of course, is franchise-tagging Short before he enters free agency– at an estimated cost of around $13.5 million, according to early cap reports.

“We’ve gone through some of our salary cap meetings already,” Rivera said. “(General manager) Dave Gettleman and his staff has looked at it, and the best way to approach KK as we get into free agency is obviously, we’re probably going to have to tag him. If we do, so be it. If not, I think they can get a deal done and I’m pretty optimistic about that.

“KK is a big part of what we do.”

Rivera also clarified that just because a franchise tag is an option, that doesn’t mean it is absolutely going to happen.

Gettleman told the Observer at Senior Bowl practices in late January that he is confident the priority deals the Panthers have in mind will get done.

“If (Gettleman) has to use the tag, he’ll use the tag,” Rivera told the Observer on Thursday in Houston. “But at the end of the day, as I said, we can use the tag or we can work a deal out.”

Short mentioned during locker-room cleanout at the end of the Panthers’ season that he’d be open to signing a franchise tag, but that statement was walked back by a sourced report at NBC’s Pro Football Talk later that day.

Carolina’s second-round pick in 2013, Short finished the 2016 season with six sacks.

This story was originally published February 2, 2017 at 5:41 PM with the headline "Ron Rivera: If Dave Gettleman ‘has to use the franchise tag’ on Kawann Short, he will."