Reuters

One month ago, punter Steve Weatherford set a Super Bowl record, with three punts inside the 10. It made him a key figure in the Giants’ Super Bowl victory.

It also will keep him from leaving the team.

Per a league source, the Giants have applied the franchise tag to Weatherford, who has spent only one season with the team.

He’ll be eligible for a one-year contract in the range of $2.6 million. And that’s surely far less than he would have gotten on the open market, given his performance on the game’s biggest stage.

Weatherford, 29, has played for the Saints, Chiefs, Jaguars, and Jets. In 2011, he had a career-high gross average of 45.7 yards, and a career-high net average of 39.2. He’s never had a punt blocked at the NFL level.