Trey Smith, Kansas City Chiefs
Tee Higgins, Cincinnati Bengals
This is the second consecutive year of being tagged for Tee Higgins.
The cost of those tags:
Trey Smith
$23,402,000
Tee Higgins
$26,179,200
The Dallas Cowboys dodged having to use the franchise tag when they signed defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa to a four-year contract extension. Odighizuwa took the relative security of a long-term deal over the rich reward of a single year on the franchise tag. The average annual value of his new deal is about $5 million less than that of the defensive tackle franchise tag.
It felt like the biggest news of franchise tag deadline day wasn’t about the players that got tagged or the player that dodged the tag with a long-term deal. No, the biggest news of franchise tag deadline day was the Minnesota Vikings not tagging quarterback Sam Darnold. It’s always about the quarterback. Why? Darnold had a terrific season as he helped guide the Vikings to a 14-3 regular season record and an early playoff exit. I get that. I also get that he earned a decent quarterback contract. A decent contract for a starting quarterback is in excess of $30 million. The franchise tag for a quarterback is in excess of $40 million. The Vikings would be idiots to pay either amount for a security blanket. Bringing back Darnold would be done for the possibility that J.J. McCarthy isn’t healthy enough or ready enough to be the team’s quarterback. Why pay starting quarterback money for a player that’s likely to be a backup? General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and head coach Kevin O’Connell came to Minnesota in 2022 with this day in mind. A day in which they can build a team around a promising quarterback on a rookie contract. Why waste a year of it? It’s J.J, McCarthy’s time.
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