Today is decision day for several NFL teams. Choice: Mark or leave them free.
The franchise tag window is set to close on Tuesday at 4pm ET, giving teams time to decide whether or not to use the offer.
If you need a primer on how to leverage the franchise tag, we’ve got you covered.
To date, two clubs have used the franchise logo. The Atlanta Falcons tagged Kyle Pitts for $15.045 million. And the Dallas Cowboys tagged receiver George Pickens for $27.298 million. Both brands were the non-exclusive variety.
While the tag window opened two weeks ago, teams generally wait until the deadline to exercise their public tender options. Waiting provides more opportunities to make a long-term deal upfront and allows teams to better evaluate all options. In the NFL, like life, deadlines inspire action. Today is the return day.
There may be a few more signals delivered today. The Jets have said they would tag Breece Hall if a deal doesn’t go through. Cincinnati refused to rule out tagging Trey Hendrickson (possibly to trade him).
The most intriguing options are in Indianapolis. General manager Chris Ballard said he wants to avoid using the tag, but he has two players to use it on: QB Daniel Jones and WR Alec Pierce.
It could be déjà vu for Jones, who on the final day of the 2023 signing window signed a long-term deal with the New York Giants, allowing Big Blue to sign Saquon Barkley. Could the QB re-sign as the tender window closes, allowing Indy to hook Pierce’s rights? Could they sign both? Could both go on the market and possibly new homes?
All unsigned players today have a free sprint toward free agency, but clubs can still give their own players extensions in the meantime.
With the trade market already heating up, the new league year gets a full jump on March 11, when free agency officially begins. Devil.