The NFL franchise tag is more expensive this season
The franchise tag season is getting underway on Tuesday. This is a chance for teams to hold onto a player for another season when the team, and usually an elite player, cannot come to an agreement on a long-term contract. The prices have gone up in 2023 after the inflated salary cap.
There are two types of franchise tags. Exclusive and non-exclusive. Charlotte Edmonds with NBC Sports does a great breakdown of the difference between the franchise tags:
“Exclusive: Teams must offer the selected player a one-year contract no less than either the average of the top-five salaries at that player’s position based on April of the current year or 120% of the player’s previous year’s salary, whichever is greater.
Non-exclusive: Teams must offer the selected player a one-year contract no less than the average of the top-five cap hits of that player’s positions or 120% of the player’s previous year’s salary, whichever is greater.”
What the franchise tag costs at each position
According to Field Yates with ESPN, the quarterback position will be the highest-paid position for the tag:
- Quarterback: $32.416M
- Running Back: $10.091M
- Wide Receiver: $19.743M
- Tight End: $11.345M
- Offensive Line: $18.244M
- Defensive End: $19.727M
- Defensive Tackle: $18.937M
- Linebacker: $20.926M
- Cornerback: $18.14M
- Safety: $14.46M
- Punter/Kicker: $5.393M
Below are the positional values for the franchise tag this year.
As always, a QB tag tops the list. https://t.co/6LJf2hIKYa pic.twitter.com/J0H0UCJNrJ
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) February 21, 2023
The franchise tag was $29.704 million in 2022 for the quarterback position. So the tag rose by nearly $2.7 million for 2023.
Who might get the franchise tag in 2023?
According to Adam Schefter with ESPN, Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson is a big name that leads the list of players who could be tagged for the 2023 season.
Starting today, NFL teams can designate their Franchise or Transition Players.
Franchise tag candidates include Lamar Jackson, Daniel Jones, Saquon Barkley, Geno Smith, Tony Pollard, Dalton Schultz, Orlando Brown Jr., Jessie Bates, Daron Payne and Josh Jacobs.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 21, 2023
Many insiders thought the New York Giants would be able to sign Daniel Jones to a long-term deal. If so, they could use the tag on running back Saquon Barkley. Because Jones is reportedly wanting nearly $45 million per annum, the Giants could tag Jones instead and let Barkley walk into free agency. (An NFL team can only apply the franchise tag for one player.) It’ll be a fun few weeks to see what teams decide to do with important pieces of their roster.
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