The NFL offseason officially begins today, with Tuesday marking the beginning of the NFL’s franchise tag window. From Feb. 20 to March 5, teams can use one of three available tags on players entering free agency to prevent the player from hitting the open market.
Teams have three tags available for players: the “transition” tag, the “exclusive” tag, and the “non-exclusive” tag. Let’s break down the three tags, focus on the players who earned the franchise tag last season, and outline some players to keep an eye on going forward as potential tag candidates.
transition tag
Transition tags are less common than non-exclusive franchise tags. Under the transition tag, players are given one-year contracts, with annual salaries determined by average cap percentages. ten The highest annual salary for the player’s position in the previous year or 120 percent of the previous season’s salary, whichever is higher.
As you can quickly see, using data from the past 10 years, transition tags are cheaper than non-exclusive or exclusive franchise tags.
However, the team has its pitfalls. Players given the transition tag are free to negotiate with other teams and have an extended offer sheet. If a player’s current team does not match the offer, the player is free to sign with a new team and the current team will not receive any compensation.
Dedicated tag
Exclusive franchise tags are also quite rare. Under this designation, tagged players cannot negotiate with other teams. However, the price is higher. Under the exclusive franchise tag, a player’s one-year salary will be the average of the top five salaries at that player’s position. the current year, or 120% of previous salary.
Using only the current year’s salary data is better than using data from the past 10 years to generate an average, or using data from the past 5 years to generate an average, as shown under the migration tag. has a higher price tag. Non-exclusive franchise tag.
A player could end up playing for another team during the next season only through a trade.
Special tags are rare. Since 2012, four Players received this tag: Drew Brees (2012), Von Miller (2016), Kirk Cousins (2017), and Le’Veon Bell (2017).
non-exclusive tag
This is the most common tag used each offseason. Under the non-exclusive tag, players are given one-year contracts based on the average of the top five salaries at each position over the past five years or 120 percent of their previous salaries, whichever is greater. Therefore, it will be cheaper than the Exclusive Franchise His tag, but more expensive than the Transition tag.
However, players are free to negotiate with other teams. If a player signs an offer sheet from another of his NFL teams, the player’s current team has the right to match the offer. Otherwise, when a player leaves for a new team, he receives two first-round draft picks as compensation.
Can a player receive the tag for two consecutive seasons?
A player can receive the franchise tag up to three times, consecutively or non-consecutively. However, the cost increases each time. A player who receives the franchise tag for his second time will automatically have his salary increased by 20%.
When a player earns his third tag, his salary jumps 44% from the previous year.
Current tag value
Here are the current estimated tag values for both the franchise and transition tags for the 2024 season: These estimates are calculated as follows. over the cap, and not official. The NFL is likely to announce tag values for the 2024 season today.
Franchise Tag Value in 2024 (estimated)
| position | franchise tag | transition tag |
|---|---|---|
| position | franchise tag | transition tag |
| QB | $36,293,000 | $31,158,000 |
| lb | $22,748,000 | $18,730,000 |
| DT | $20,943,000 | $15,798,000 |
| W.R. | $20,672,000 | $19,398,000 |
| D.E. | $20,205,000 | $20,135,000 |
| OL | $19,885,000 | $19,718,000 |
| C.B. | $18,762,000 | $15,889,000 |
| S | $16,224,000 | $13,957,000 |
| T.E. | $12,027,000 | $10,564,000 |
| R.B. | $11,326,000 | $10,104,000 |
| ST | $5.67 million | $5,286,000 |
Who received these tags last offseason?
Photo credit: Perry Knotts/Getty Images
Six players received the tag last offseason, all receiving the “non-exclusive” franchise tag. Those players? baltimore ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson; jacksonville jaguars tight end Evan Engram; new york giants running back Saquon Barkley; las vegas raiders running back Josh Jacobs; dallas cowboys Running back Tony Pollard commander of washington defensive tackle Daron Payne;
Jackson, Engram and Payne ultimately reached agreement on contract extensions with the team. However, each of the three running backs went in different directions. Barkley signed a one-year deal with the Giants last year, avoiding playing on the tag team. Jacobs followed a similar path, signing a one-year deal to remain with the Raiders.
As for Pollard, they played together last year as well.
Who are the players to watch this season?
Entering the 2024 offseason, there are a number of potential tag teams in the league.
You can start with two of the running backs listed above. Barkley and Jacobs could be tag team candidates for the Giants and Raiders, respectively. However, both are coming off sub-1,000-yard rushing seasons, and the team may try to re-sign them on cheaper contracts rather than using the tag.
For the rest of the league, a pair of AFC wide receivers (Tee Higgins and Michael Pittman Jr.) are potential tag team candidates. Last season, we lost Joe Burrow to injury. cincinnati bengals I’d love to bring Higgins back and run him again alongside Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase.of indianapolis colts Look forward to Pittman catching passes from a healthy Anthony Richardson next year.
Unlike last offseason, when Jackson was considered a clear tag candidate at the position, the quarterback may not have a tag candidate. Baker Mayfield may be the frontrunner, but tagging a QB this year costs about $36 million.
of tampa bay buccaneers Entering the offseason with approximately $32 million in available cap space, according to over the cap. Tagging Mayfield would effectively eat up all of their cap space, but the team still has to make decisions about Mike Evans and Antoine Winfield Jr., and tagging Winfield would eat up about $1,600. At a cost of $10,000, a safety is probably the better candidate. .
There are some defensive backs to keep an eye on when it comes to tag teams.of chicago bears With about $46 million in available cap space, reaching a long-term deal with cornerback Jaylon Johnson appears to be a priority, but the team has the flexibility to use that tag if a deal is not reached. be.of kansas city chiefs There is approximately $15 million in available cap space, according to over the capHowever, many key players are scheduled to become free agents, including defensive tackle Chris Jones and cornerback L’Arius Sneed. TAG Jones is not a starter as this is the third time he has been tagged. Cost will be over $32 million. That could make Snead more likely to be a tag candidate for the Chiefs if the team decides to use the tag this season.
