On March 2 at 4 p.m. EST, NFL teams will no longer be able to use their franchise tag on a player. While many will decide to avoid the tag because no pending free agent is worth the guaranteed money, others will apply it in the final seconds.
Across the league, no player has been officially tagged heading into Monday morning. While rumors have been swirling around certain players for weeks if not months, the only legitimate report we have is that the Dallas Cowboys will tag wide receiver Dez Bryant, locking in a $13 million guaranteed salary unless the parties work out a long-term deal before July 15.
For a quick refresher, the tag rules are simple. Each team has one and can use it on any pending free agent, provided they have not been slapped with it twice already. The franchise tag financial figure is the average of the top five paid players at a given position, or 120 percent of your previous year’s salary; whichever is more lucrative.
So what is to be expected on this hectic day?
The AFC West is going to be busy. The Kansas City Chiefs have a pair of highly-touted free agents in center Rodney Hudson and outside linebacker Justin Houston. Houston, who is coming off a league-leading 22 sacks in 2014, is going to get the tag unless he can come to terms on a contract. Should the Chiefs tag Houston, he will also command roughly $13 million.
If general manager John Dorsey can ink Houston, don’t expect Hudson to be tagged. Although Hudson is a center, he falls under the offensive lineman designation, meaning he will come at a $12 million price. Hudson is a quality player, but not worth near that money.
UPDATE: Houston has been given the franchise tag by Kansas City, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.
The Denver Broncos also will be using the tag. Denver has a bevy of free agents, but the only player that makes sense in terms of the tag is star receiver Demaryius Thomas. No player has more receiving yards over the last three years than Thomas, making him a player the Broncos must have back. The problem for Denver is by tagging Thomas instead of signing him long-term with a low cap figure in the first year, it loses flexibility. Should Thomas be tagged, the Broncos are likely waving goodbye to Julius Thomas, Orlando Franklin and Terrance Knighton.
UPDATE: Thomas will be given the tag by the deadline, per Schefter.
One unique situation presents itself with defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh and the Detroit Lions. If Detroit wants to tag Suh, it would need to pay an outrageous $26.9 million, something at least Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press believes is the right move. Suh’s number is higher than most because under current rules, he would get a number at 120 percent of his 2014 salary. Would Detroit actually commit this much cash?
UPDATE: No it will not. The Lions have announced they will not use their tag on Suh, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
Other players who could be tagged around the league include Jerry Hughes (Buffalo Bills), Jeremy Maclin (Philadelphia Eagles), Devin McCourty (New England Patriots) and Jason Pierre-Paul (New York Giants).
