What Is the Franchise Tag in the NFL?

The franchise tag is a designation given by the NFL to a player that restricts the player’s ability to sign with another team.

Introduction

In the National Football League (NFL), the franchise tag is a designation a team may apply to a player scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent. The tag binds the player to the team for one year if certain conditions are not met.

What is the Franchise Tag?

In the National Football League (NFL), the franchise tag is a designation a team may apply to a player that restricts the player’s ability to become a free agent. When a team designates a player with the franchise tag, the player is given a one-year contract that pays him the average of the top five salaries at his position, or 120 percent of his previous salary, whichever is greater. The team can also keep the player on the tag for up to four years.

How is the Franchise Tag Used?

In order to understand the franchise tag, it is important to know how it is used in the NFL. The franchise tag is a tool that NFL teams can use to retain potential free agents. When a player is tagged, they are given a one-year contract worth the average salary of the top five players at their position. While this may seem like a lot of money, it is important to remember that the franchise tag is only meant to be used as a stop-gap measure. It gives teams more time to negotiate a long-term contract with the player, without having to worry about them leaving in free agency.

There are two types of franchise tags: the exclusive rights franchise tag and the non-exclusive rights franchise tag. The exclusive rights franchise tag is the more common of the two and it essentially ties the player to the team for one year. The non-exclusive rights franchise tag allows the player to negotiate with other teams, but if they do sign an offer sheet with another team, the original team has the right to match it and keep the player.

The franchise tag can be used on any player who is set to become a free agent, but it is most commonly used on players who are considered to be “impact” players. These are usually players who are considered to be among the best at their position and who have been with their team for several years. Franchise tagging an impact player gives a team time to figure out how they can keep them around long-term, without having to worry about them leaving in free agency.

Pros and Cons of the Franchise Tag

The Pros and Cons of the Franchise Tag:

Each year, a handful of NFL teams must make the difficult decision of whether or not to use the franchise tag on one of their impending free agents. The tag is designed to keep top players with their respective teams, but it also comes with a few drawbacks. Let’s take a closer look at the pros and cons of the franchise tag.

Pros:

1. The franchise tag gives teams a way to keep their best players off the open market.

2. The tag can be used as a tool to negotiate a long-term contract extension with a player.

3. The franchise tag ensures that a team will receive compensation if it loses a tagged player in free agency.

Cons:

1. The franchise tag prevents players from testing their worth on the open market. Players often feel undervalued when they are tagged, which can lead to resentment and a lack of motivation.

2. The franchise tag can limit a team’s salary cap flexibility. When a team uses the tag, it must allocate a large portion of its salary cap space to that player for the upcoming season. This can make it difficult to sign other quality players in free agency.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the franchise tag is a tool that allows NFL teams to retain a key player for one more season. It is a one-year contract worth the average of the top five salaries at the player’s position, or 120% of the player’s previous salary (whichever is greater). The franchise tag can be used on players who are about to become free agents, and it gives the team an exclusive negotiating window with that player.