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NFL franchise tag deadline day: 8 of league's best players tagged by respective teams

josé m. romero, arizona republic
·3 min read

Tuesday was the NFL franchise tag deadline. It is the day by which teams must choose what free-agent-to-be on their roster, if any, to tag and therefore keep from being signed by another team.

Eight players were given a franchise or transition tag. The designation gives teams more time to work out long-term contracts with the player (only one player per team) while keeping them under team control for the next season.

It's been a process in the NFL since 1993, and some players have been tagged multiple times with no deal negotiated between their agents and the team that tagged them.

Teams have the option to place three kinds of tags on players, with differing costs for the current team and teams that wish to acquire the player. Arizona Cardinals wide receiver and unrestricted free agent Marquise "Hollywood" Brown is eligible to be tagged, but the team did not make that move prior to the afternoon deadline and therefore has about a week to work out a contract with him for next season before NFL free agency begins.

Exclusive franchise tag

A player who receives this must be paid no less than the average of the top five salaries at his position, or 120% of the player's salary from the previous season, whichever is greater. The player is not allowed to negotiate with other teams and may not sign with another team should they reject the franchise tag.

Non-exclusive franchise tag

The one-year contract for a player given the non-exclusive tag must be no less than either the average of the top five salaries at that player's position, or 120% of the player's salary the previous season, whichever is greater.

However, the player is allowed to negotiate with other teams, and if he receives a contract offer, his current team has the chance to match the offer. If the team chooses not to match, it is entitled to receive two first-round draft picks from the signing team.

Most teams just aren't willing to part with such a high cost, but this is the most commonly used tag.

Transition tag

The transition tag is a one-year tender offer for the average of the top 10 salaries at the player's position — not the top five with franchise tags. It guarantees the original club the right of first refusal to match any offer the player might receive from another club. There is no draft compensation if the original team doesn't match an offer.

Only six players were tagged last year. Here are the players to have received franchise/transition tags prior to or on Tuesday:

  • Indianapolis Colts WR Michael Pittman Jr. (reported by NFL Media) The non-exclusive tag is worth $21.816M.

  • New England Patriots S Kyle Dugger. The transition tag he received is worth $13.8 million.

  • Tampa Bay Buccaneers S Antoine Winfield. Jr., who will be paid $17.1 million if no long-term deal is worked out.

  • Jacksonville Jaguars DE Josh Allen, who had 17 ½ sacks last season and gets a salary of $22.748 million.

  • Chicago Bears CB Jaylon Johnson, regarded by many as the NFL's best cornerback. Salary: $19.8 million.

  • Baltimore Ravens DT Justin Madubuike, a big part of one of the league's best defenses in 2023. Salary: $22.1 million

  • Carolina Panthers OLB Brian Burns, a two-time Pro Bowler. Salary: $24 million.

  • Kansas City Chiefs CB L'Jarius Sneed, a back-to-back Super Bowl champion. Salary: $19.8 million.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: NFL players who have received franchise, transition tags in 2024