Dallas Cowboys | The Franchise Tag Deadline! There Can Be Only One!!!

Beginning Feb. 27 and ending March 16 is a period in which NFL teams can place franchise or transition tags on players who are set to become free agents in 2020. The meaning of the franchise tag (and the transition tag) is just that: It's a mechanism teams are allowed to use to keep "franchise" designated players off the unrestricted or restricted free-agency markets. Because the franchise tag is a tool used by teams to lock players into one-year deals, players generally don't like being tagged. The positive for the players who are tagged is that the one-year deals are guaranteed, and the salaries represent the average of the top five highest-paid players at their positions (if not more). The player's guaranteed salary for that one season is attractive, but such a tag provides the player no long-term security. A franchise tag, of course, still leaves room for negotiation on a long-term contract. The NFL's deadline in 2020 for teams and tagged players to agree upon and sign a multi-year extension is July 15. Yet over the last five years, roughly half of the franchise tagged players have received such deals. The trend for NFL teams over the last few years has been to hold off on the use of tags. But there are a handful of players in 2020 who are interesting tag candidates. Plus, the question mark that is the ongoing CBA negation will impact teams' decisions on long-term contracts and their use of tags. There are three types of tags teams can use between Feb. 27 and March 16 — non-exclusive franchise tags, exclusive franchise tags and transition tags. Below are the definitions and rules for all three. (All definitions and rules are from Article 10 of the current NFL/NFLPA collective bargaining agreement.) What is a franchise tag in the NFL? Non-exclusive franchise tag Definition and rules: The non-exclusive franchise tender shall be a one-year NFL player contract for ... — (A), The average of the five largest prior year salaries for players at the position at which the franchise player participated in the most plays during the prior league year, which average shall be calculated by: Summing the amounts of the franchise tags for players at that position for the five preceding league years Dividing the resulting amount by the sum of the salary caps for the five preceding league years Multiplying the resulting percentage by the salary cap for the upcoming league year — or (B), 120 percent of his prior year salary, whichever is greater. If the team extends the tender pursuant to this subsection, the player shall be permitted to negotiate a player contract with any club, except that draft choice compensation of two first round draft selections shall be made with respect to such player in the event he signs with the new club. Meaning: Non-exclusive tags are most commonly used. It means a team will pay the tagged player no less than the average of the five highest salaries at the player’s position over the last five years, or 120 percent of the player’s cap number from the previous season, whichever is greater. The player is allowed to negotiate with other teams, but his current team can match any offer sheet. If a player's current team declines to match another team's offer, it will be awarded two first-round draft picks as compensation.