The NFL Franchise Tag Period is Over; On to the Draft

With Tuesday’s NFL franchise tag deadline in the rearview mirror, all 32 NFL franchises will turn their heads to the 2023 NFL draft slated to take place in April. Teams are working towards building the roster to ultimately have a successful future.

With notable stars being tagged right before the 4 pm ET deadline on Tuesday, the NFL is set to have one of its most interesting off-seasons to date. This is on top of what has already happened so far. Free agency still looms and teams all over the league have a lot of work to do before the start of next season. 

Players like Baltimore Ravens’ quarterback, Lamar Jackson, and New York Giants running back, Saquon Barkley, are among the top stars that were tagged on Tuesday. While the franchise tag is bittersweet for fans, the immediate future of these players has been solidified.

So, what does this mean for them? Jackson and Barkley both had a non-exclusive franchise tag placed on them which means the team still has some control over their future. The non-exclusive franchise tag allows other NFL teams to negotiate deals with the players to try and come to terms.

If a deal seems fit for a player, the team that placed the non-exclusive tag on them will have a chance to “match” the deal and re-sign the player themselves under the current salary cap for that year. If the deal is not matched, the player will go to a different team in exchange for two first-round picks. If a deal is not agreed upon, the franchise-tagged player will remain with the same team for at least one more year. Although this may seem unfair, it is a profitable year. Teams have to pay their players a lot to franchise tag them.

This year, the non-exclusive franchise tag value for quarterbacks is $32,416,000 and for running backs it is $10,091,000. This means that NFL franchises are prepared to spend a lot of short-term money. With the draft right around the corner, the age-old question remains, should a team spend more money or draft the youth? Both have their pros and cons. 

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