It’s Tagging Time

The two-week NFL franchise tag window opens today and runs through 4pm ET on March 4. During the window, each team is allowed to tag one player that is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent. It would keep the player with the franchise for the 2025 season. 

Franchise tag numbers are based on the top five annual salaries at each position. 

QB:  $41,325,000

LB:  $27,050,000

WR: $25,693,000

OL:  $25,156,000

DE:  $24,727,000

DT:  $23,468,000

CB:  $20,357,000

   S: $19,626,000

TE:  $14,241,000

RB: $13,629,000

ST:  $6,459,000

A few things about the process of coming up with those numbers. It’s ridiculous for the league to have separate numbers for defensive tackles and defensive ends yet group all of the offensive linemen together. It would also be better to group pass-rushing linebackers with the defensive ends. The off-the-ball linebackers certainly benefit from the top salaries of their pass-rushing brethren. There’s no way a team will tag their inside linebacker at $27,050,000 when the going rate is probably half that number. 

It was a long time ago but I remember the days when running backs were some of the highest paid players in the league. They trailed only the quarterbacks. The relative importance of the running back might be the game’s greatest change of the last 30 years. 

So, who’s going to get tagged? Each year, the number of tagged players seems to drop. Last year, nine players were slapped with the franchise tag. Two of those were eventually traded. The Carolina Panthers traded defensive end Brian Burns to the New York Giants a week after tagging him. The Kansas City Chiefs sent cornerback L’Jarius Sneed to the Tennessee Titans a few weeks later. 

Some of the leading franchise tag candidates:

Tee Higgins, WR, Cincinnati Bengals

Jevon Holland, S, Miami Dolphins

Zack Baun, LB, Philadelphia Eagles

Trey Smith, G, Kansas City Chiefs

Osa Odighizuwa, DT, Dallas Cowboys

Short list. Of those, Tee Higgins and Zack Baun feel like the most likely. One player that won’t be tagged is quarterback Sam Darnold. Many talking heads have said that the Minnesota Vikings should tag their 2024 starter. In my book, it’d be a stupid thing to do. Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has spent the last three years working for this moment. Building a competitive roster with a young, franchise quarterback on a rookie deal has been the purpose of his “competitive rebuild.” Why would the Vikings throw all that away with an another giant deal for a quarterback? It’d be a stupid move and I’d be stunned if they made it. 

It’s tagging time.