It finally happened. The New England Patriots have, finger by finger, pulled off their white glove and whapped Vince Wilfork in the face with it.

Or at least that's the way the free-agent nose tackle views the Patriots' decision to place the franchise tag on him.

The Patriots released a club statement not attributed to any person in the front office:

A long-term agreement with Vince Wilfork has been the team's top contractual priority for some time. Unfortunately, despite numerous conversations and proposals, the goal has not yet been realized. Vince is a tremendous player for our team and remains a significant part of our future plans. It is because of Vince's importance to this organization that we have assigned the franchise designation as we continue to work toward a long-term agreement. We are hopeful that Vince will remain a Patriot for many years to come.

Wilfork has stated his preference is to remain a Patriot with a long-term contract. Beyond that, he would like the opportunity to hit the open market and be free to sign with the highest bidder.

The franchise tag was not what Wilfork was hoping for.

The franchise tag "is decent money for most people out there. What I do, it's OK," Wilfork told Boston sports radio station WEEI last month. "But I don't look at myself as an OK player. Like I said, it's just basically a slap in my face and an insult to me to basically tell me I'm an OK player."

A franchise tag means that unless Wilfork and the Patriots hammer out a new deal, he will have a one-year, guaranteed contract at the average salary of the five highest-paid players at his position. The franchise-tag figure for defensive tackles is $7.003 million.