What is an NFL franchise tag?
It is one of the strangest contracts in sport.
For some players, receiving it could be a sense of achievement. For others, it is seen as a disappointment against securing a long-term deal with a team.
A franchise tag in the NFL is a one-year contract that every NFL team is allowed to issue once per offseason. It allows a franchise to retain a player on a guaranteed deal with a non-negotiated salary, with the player otherwise headed for free agency.
They can do so both exclusively and non-exclusively, which means the tags allow the player to either the average of the top-five salaries at their position or 120% of the player’s previous salary, whichever amount winds up being more. The player, who is tagged cannot negotiate with any other team with this designation.
Non-exclusive tags mean the player is allowed the right to negotiate with other teams. If they find an offer they like, their current team can match it, but the current team has another option. They can let the player leave while recouping two first-round draft picks from the other party. This is the most common applied franchise tag.
2023 sees the 30th anniversary of the franchise tag, which was initially referred to as the “Elway Rule,” as the concept came about after Broncos owner Pat Bowlen refused to sign the CBA due to fears of losing his star quarterback to free agency. Having started out to just be for quarterbacks, players from all positions have been tagged over the years.
It has its benefits and negatives, but ahead of the 2023 season opening on February 21 (which runs until March 7), we take a look at what happens with the franchise tag, and what could happen over the coming days:
Pros and cons of the franchise tag
The tag is a very useful tool for team owners and general managers. It means they don’t have to risk long-term contracts for team builders and allows them to keep desired player on a one-year deal. If the player gets injured or their performance falters, the team can let them walk or re-sign them at a lower rate. On the flip side, it could mean a team signs a player long-term after a year of progress on the tag.
The latter scenario does mean a team could pay more a year later for tagging a player, another risk to the tag.
Some players have fought back against being franchise tagged and have resorted to holding out during training camp and even extending that into the season in some cases.
Running back Le’Veon Bell famously did this in 2018. After looking for a big deal from the Steelers in 2018, Pittsburgh placed Bell on the franchise tag but he refused to play without long-term assurance. Bell sat out the entire season and then got the four-year contract he was looking for from the Jets in 2019. Four years on, Bell is out of the league.
More recently, wide receiver Davante Adams was tagged in 2022, and threatened a similar boycott to Bell if he didn’t receive an extension. He was subsequently traded to the Las Vegas Raiders, where he received a five-year contract worth record-breaking money.
2023 franchise tag values
Here are the values for the non-exclusive franchise tag, by far the most common tag:
- Quarterback: $32.416 million
- Running back: $10.091 million
- Wide receiver: $19.743 million
- Tight end: $11.345 million
- Offensive line: $18.244 million
- Defensive end: $19.727 million
- Defensive tackle: $18.937 million
- Linebacker: $20.926 million
- Cornerback: $18.14 million
- Safety: $14.46 million
- Kicker/punter: $5.393 million
What could happen in 2023?
The most high-profile name looking for a new contract this offseason is Baltimore Ravens superstar Lamar Jackson. The Ravens will tag Jackson at $32.416 million if they can’t reach a long-term deal, which surely seems possible considering the sides have negotiated for two years without a resolution. It is rumoured Baltimore could tag him with an exclusive option, so he cannot negotiate with other teams.
It will also be interested to see what happens at the New York Giants, with running back Saquon Barkley and quarterback Daniel Jones both looking for new deals. This time last season, both were almost expected to be released in 2023, but after playing crucial roles in NY’s surge into the playoffs last year, they will be commanding big, long-term deals.
Like Jones, Seahawks QB Geno Smith is coming off a career year in Seattle, who must now weigh up the cost of extending the player against the risk of taking a new QB. The Seahawks are in a decent position to select one of top-three QB prospects available in the NFL Draft – Alabama’s Bryce Young, Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud or Kentucky’s Will Levis – which could, albeit risky, prove to be a cheaper option.
It is also the same in Las Vegas, with the Raiders looking to keep running back Josh Jacobs in town. Jacobs led the NFL last season with 1,653 rushing yards and 2,053 yards from scrimmage, and the Raiders must be regretting not tying down their star runner in 2022, as a long-term deal is going to be much more expensive than previously thought.
Other notable names that could get franchise tagged are Dallas Cowboys running back Tony Pollard, Kansas City Chiefs offensive lineman Orlando Brown, Buffalo Bills linebacker Tremaine Edmunds, Washington Commanders defensive tackle Daron Payne and Cincinnati Bengals safety Jessie Bates.
Bates played on the tag last season, and a $17.352 million price in 2023 feels unlikely. That’d be the fourth-highest number at the position in average annual value.
So there are plenty of big names to watch out for. In the first big of the offseason frenzy, we could be in for a circus of players surprisingly heading for free agency.
