NFL Franchise Tags: Which players did and did not receive the franchise tag?

NFL Franchise Tag: Which players were tagged in 2022?

The NFL offseason is gathering pace and the latest milestone came late on Tuesday with the deadline for teams to place the franchise tag on players.

We are now just a week away from the start of free agency, and the franchise tag gives teams the chance to stop players they desperately want to keep from hitting the open market.

Which players received the franchise tag?

The 2022 deadline came and passed at 2100 UK on Tuesday (1600 Eastern Time in the U.S.). The following players were tagged by their teams:

Jessie Bates (S, Cincinnati Bengals): Bates gets “rewarded” for his stellar play in 2021 by landing the franchise tag. He was terrific as the Bengals reached Super Bowl LVI and graded out as the top-rated safety in the NFL playoffs.

David Njoku (TE, Cleveland Browns): Slightly strange one this, given that Njoku’s productivity has been waning of late, not increasing. That could be linked to Baker Mayfield’s struggles in 2021 of course, when Njoku caught just 36 passes for 475 yards and four scores.

Dalton Schultz (TE, Dallas Cowboys): Nice player but it is slightly surprising the Cowboys have decided to sink almost $11million into him with the franchise tag in 2022. Especially given the salary cap issues which reportedly will see them release WR Amari Cooper and DE DeMarcus Lawrence in the coming days.

Davante Adams (WR, Green Bay Packers): The biggest name out there in the countdown to free agency, and arguably the best WR in the NFL. Doing that monster deal with Aaron Rodgers on Tuesday allowed the Pack to place the tag on Adams. He will not be happy about it of course, but Green Bay will hope to get a long-term deal done by July 15.

Cam Robinson (OL, Jacksonville Jaguars): Good news for Jags QB Trevor Lawrence this one, less so for Robinson - who gets tagged for the second consecutive season. Top left tackles rarely hit the market and Cam follows that trend once again.

Orlando Brown (OL, Kansas City Chiefs): The Chiefs traded a first-round pick and more to Baltimore last year to pick up Brown, so no way were they allowing him to roam free on the open market. You have to believe they’ll come to an accord by July 15.

Mike Gesicki (TE, Miami Dolphins): Bad luck for Gesicki this and a smart move by the Dolphins, who designate him as a TE for tag purposes when you could argue he’s a WR. The former gets under $11million under the tag, the latter more than $18million. Ouch.

Chris Godwin (WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers): Godwin’s 2021 was a miserable one as he ended it on IR after tearing his ACL during a Week 15 loss to New Orleans. And now he gets tagged for the second consecutive season. Things have to get better soon…

Which players didn’t get the tag?

There were a few notable cases here, and for different reasons.

Los Angeles Chargers WR Mike Williams managed to avoid the dreaded tag when he agreed a new long-term deal with his team before the deadline on Tuesday. The pact is worth $60million over three years with $40million guaranteed.

Another player who will stay with his current team is Tennessee pass rusher Harold Landry. The 25-year-old had a career year in 2021 with 12 sacks, and he agreed an $87.5million five-year deal to return to the Titans late on Tuesday.

New England Patriots CB J.C. Jackson meanwhile will likely hit the open market next week. He is one of the best cover corners in the league, but Bill Belichick has decided to take the risk that he will likely leave in free agency.

How does the franchise tag work?

Pretty simple in some ways, complicated in others. Basically each team can place the tag on one player each season. That player cannot leave in free agency and gets a fully guaranteed one-year contract with his current team.

Even when a player has been tagged, he can avoid playing through the season on that tag if he can agree a long-term deal by July 15. After that, the tag it is.

The salary for the franchise tag differs by position, and is always calculated in one of two ways:

● The average of the top 5 salaries in the league at that particular position

● 120% of a the player’s current salary

Basically, each player gets whichever is higher in their specific case.

Why do teams love the franchise tag?

One word - control. Like we said, if you have a player you love but you can’t agree a deal with him, you can guarantee keeping him for a predetermined cost.

As long as you are managing your salary cap well, this means you should never really lose THE one player you really want to keep.

Why do players hate the franchise tag?

One word - security. While the tag offers a fully guaranteed salary, it’s for one year only.

The NFL is a brutal business and a career can be over through injury in the blink of an eye. That is why players want long-term deals with up-front guaranteed money to give them some longer-term security. They really dislike the tag, and for good reason.