From February 20 to March 5, the NFL is open for negotiations. Franchises can franchise tag their own free agents to avoid losing them. All news and rumors about the awarding of franchise tags can be found here!

Not all free agents have been confirmed yet. Teams have until March 5 to franchise tag one of their top players whose contract is expiring and tie him to the team.

Update, February 20, 11:30 p.m.: Giants probably won’t use their franchise tag on Saquon Barkley

According to Giants reporter Paul Schwartz, the New York franchise is unlikely to use their franchise tag on Saquon Barkley.

The former Offensive Rookie of the Year has played for the New York Giants since 2018 and has consistently been one of the franchise’s best offensive players. If they don’t keep him, it remains to be seen how they plan to rebuild their offense for the upcoming season.

NFL: What are franchise tags?

Franchise tags are contractual measures in the NFL that a franchise can apply to individual players. A distinction is made between three variants. Each franchise may only award one franchise tag and one transition tag per year. The team can also apply the tags without the player’s consent. If the player refuses to sign the resulting one-year contract, his only option is a so-called holdout – i.e. a strike without pay.

Variant 1: exclusive franchise tag

In this case, the free agent may not negotiate with any other team. The annual salary is calculated as the average of the five highest salaries in his position group over the past five years. Alternatively, it is 120 percent of the player’s salary from the previous season – whichever is higher.

Variant 2: non-exclusive franchise tag

These free agents are allowed to negotiate with other clubs. If the player reaches an agreement with a team, the previous employer can counter with an identical offer. Should a transfer nevertheless take place, the losing franchise receives two first-round draft picks from the bidding club in return

Variant 3: Transition Tag

As with the non-exclusive franchise tag, other teams are allowed to negotiate with the player. Here too, the previous team is given the opportunity to match any offer. However, there is no compensation if the player is lost. In contrast to the two franchise tags, the guaranteed salary here is the average salary of the ten highest-paid players in the position, making it a much more favorable option for the teams.

No matter which option the teams choose: The expected salary depends on the position group. How high the salaries are varies.
Who goes and who stays? These teams have to make decisions