ClutchPoints
For many NFL fans, the offseason is the most fun time of the year. Players switch teams left and right, usually due to free agents signing with new teams. This year, there are plenty of talented athletes set to hit the open market, but not everybody with an expiring contract will end up on a new team. For one, some players will re-sign with their old squad. Additionally, the franchise tag is a tool that teams can use to ensure that their best players don’t bolt in free agency. The franchise tag window opened up on Tuesday, Feb. 18, and in this article, we are going to detail just what the tag is, how much the contract is fiscally valued at, and look at the best players who are candidates to be tagged.
The franchise is a one-year contract that NFL teams can offer to their impending free agents players. The contract ensures that teams won’t lose their best players for nothing, and it is usually handed out when teams and their players haven’t been able to come to a long-term contract agreement.
Franchise tag values are expensive, though. In fact, players who are tagged automatically rank among the highest-paid players for the upcoming season. Teams are limited to tagging one player per offseason, and there are three different types of tags that teams have at their disposal. The first type of tag is the exclusive franchise tag. This is a one-year contract worth no less than the average of the top five salaries at that player’s position or 120 percent of the players previous salary, whichever is higher.
Teams using the exclusive franchise tag have exclusive negotiating rights with the tagged player, meaning the player must either sign the tag or sit out the season, as they can’t discuss contract talk with other teams. While this is the easiest way for teams to ensure their star player will play for them next season, it also is an easy way to frustrate a player, as it binds them to that team and limits their long-term options. The exclusive tag is rarely used. In fact, Drew Brees (2012), Von Miller (2016), Kirk Cousins (2017), and Le’veon Bell (2017) are the only four players who have had this tag placed on them.
The other franchise tag is the non-exclusive franchise tag. This is also a one-year deal that is worth no less than the average of the top five cap hits at that player’s respective position or 120 percent of the player’s previous deal, whichever is greater. The difference with the non-exclusive franchise tag is that players are allowed to negotiate long-term contracts with other teams. If they agree to a deal elsewhere, then the tagging team can either match the contract or let the player walk and receive two first-round draft picks in exchange. This is the most commonly used tag.
The third tag teams can use is the transition tag. The less commonly used...
