The franchise tag is a relatively simple process, but the ramifications can be big for both teams and players.
When the NFL offseason heats up, one of the biggest storylines to watch every year is which players get the franchise tag. Teams have a two-week window to apply the one-year tender. Players who get the tag have to either sign their tender or negotiate a long-term contract with their teams before the July 15 deadline.
The franchise tag is essentially a one-year contract that guarantees a predetermined salary for players. The salary amount is set by the averaging the top five salaries by position for the previous league year, or if it’s higher, 120 percent of a player’s salary the previous season. So players like quarterbacks and defensive ends will have a much higher tag salary than positions like kicker or punter.
With the salary cap climbing to an estimated $190 million, here are the estimated salaries for each position under the franchise tag in 2019, courtesy of OvertheCap.com:
Quarterbacks: $25.578 million
Running backs: $11.98 million
Wide receivers: $17.101 million
Tight ends: $10.93 million
Offensive linemen: $15.283 million
Defensive tackles: $15.571 million
Defensive ends: $18.653 million
Linebackers: $15.777 million
Cornerbacks: $15.992 million
Safeties: $12.037 million
Kickers/Punters: $5.162 million
Teams can only use the tag once per year. There are three different types of tags a team can assign.
Types of NFL franchise tags
Exclusive
Just what the name implies. The player is locked into his team and cannot negotiate with any other team during the free agency period.
Non-exclusive
The player is allowed to negotiate with other teams, but if a competing team makes a free agent offer, the original team has the right to match it. If they don’t match the offer, they get two first-round picks in compensation. In other words, this is basically a convoluted trade scenario.
Transition tag
Similar to the non-exclusive tag, except the player gets paid an average of the top 10 salaries at his position, rather than top five. Transition-tagged players are free to negotiate with other teams, but unlike non-exclusive players, the original team gets no compensation if it fails to match an offer.
Once a player gets tagged, that’s when the real drama begins. Both sides have until mid-July to negotiate a long-term contract. This ramps up the sense of urgency. Teams don’t want to use the tag because it ties up a huge chunk of their salary cap for just one year. The players don’t like it because they don’t have any financial security beyond that one year, and have almost no leverage outside of threatening to hold out. If they fail to agree to a long-term deal before the deadline, the player is set for his one-year contract.
Fortunately for most players, they’re often able to secure a new contract with their team and the franchise tag doesn’t have to come into play — at least until the next offseason.
Who could get the franchise tag in 2019?
The number of players who are franchise-tagged varies by year. Six players received some form of a tag last year, and the year before it was seven. In 2016, there were nine.
Here are some candidates for 2019:
Demarcus Lawrence, DE, Dallas Cowboys
Lawrence was put to the test after being tagged in 2018. He passed with flying colors, recording double-digit sacks for the second straight season and emerging as one of the league’s most powerful pass rushers. Unfortunately for the five-year veteran, he may not be a priority as the Cowboys work out a long-term deal for quarterback Dak Prescott. That could leave Lawrence staring down another year under the tag — but he’d get a 20 percent bump over last year’s salary under NFL rules, which puts him at $20.57 million for 2019.
Nick Foles, QB, Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles would like to trade Foles rather than allow him to leave in free agency with no compensation. Locking him down with the non-exclusive tag would allow the team to gauge trade requests while keeping the door open for the Super Bowl 52 MVP to return to Philadelphia — albeit at a high price.
Trey Flowers, DE, New England Patriots
Flowers’ versatility has been tremendously valuable in New England, as his ability to take on different roles across the trenches has helped a pair of defensive coordinators level up to head coaching positions the past two years. The former fourth-round pick has led the Patriots in sacks in each of the past three seasons, even if his overall number in that span (21) isn’t especially impressive. Flowers has proven himself a perfect fit up front for Bill Belichick — the question now is whether the Patriots are ready to pay him on a long-term deal.
Donovan Smith, OT, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Smith has started all 64 games with the Bucs since being drafted in 2015, and the team values his consistency at left tackle. While Tampa is expected to work out a long term deal with the rising blocker, the franchise tag could keep him under team control while the two sides negotiate a contract.
Jadeveon Clowney, OLB, Houston Texans
Clowney has been very good in his five seasons as a pro, but he has yet to unleash that extra gear that made him terrifying at the University of South Carolina. His baseline is a Pro Bowl edge rusher who can approach double-digit sacks each season, but his ceiling is a Michael Strahan-level disruptor who terrorizes quarterbacks on a series-by-series basis. Tagging him will give the Texans another season to determine whether he’s worth a record-setting contract — and whether he can keep his recent streak of relatively healthy seasons intact.
Dee Ford, OLB, Kansas City Chiefs
Ford is part of a triumvirate of pass rushers in Kansas City, along with Justin Houston and Chris Jones, who made life difficult for quarterbacks across the AFC the past two seasons. Losing Ford would be a major blow for an overtaxed unit, but keeping him will be an expensive proposition for a team that only has $25 million in cap space this spring.
The Chiefs gave up 5.8 yards per play — 23rd-best in the NFL — even with Ford’s 13 sacks and league-leading seven forced fumbles. It’s possible the powerful pass rusher may not be in the franchise’s long term plans as they address the other holes in their defense.
Landon Collins, S, New York Giants
Collins has starred in New York’s disheveled secondary, emerging as a rare bright spot in an otherwise regrettable stretch for the Giants. He could be a building block for the future, but he won’t come cheaply. Pat Shurmur’s team isn’t flush with cash this offseason, and the club’s rolling rebuild could put Collins’ north Jersey residency in question.
Grady Jarrett, DT, Atlanta Falcons
Jarrett is a big, blocker-absorbing presence in the middle of the Atlanta defensive line, and he showed off a little extra pass rushing punch with six sacks in 14 games last fall. He’ll have his share of suitors this spring. Locking him into the franchise tag could ensure some stability up front for a defense that needs all the help it can get in the NFC South.
Frank Clark, DE, Seattle Seahawks
2018 was supposed to be a rebuilding year in Seattle after the dismantling of the Legion of Boom defense. Clark’s career high 13 sacks and 27 quarterback hits helped lead the Seahawks into the postseason instead. With plenty of cap space available, tagging Clark could be the franchise’s first step in working out a long term deal with the budding star.
Who got the franchise tag in 2018?
Five players received the franchise tag and one, Bears cornerback Kyle Fuller, was given the transition tag. One, Jarvis Landry, was traded from Miami to Cleveland after being tagged. Another, Le’Veon Bell, opted to sit out the year and shoot for a long term contract in 2019 instead. The other three players to be tagged were Lawrence, Rams safety Lamarcus Joyner, and Lions defensive end Ezekiel Ansah.