The NFL franchise tag deadline came and went earlier this offseason and the league saw a total of six players get hit with the tag. Since then, we have seen a few of those players — including quarterback Lamar Jackson — sign long-term extensions with their teams to remain in town not just for the 2023 season but beyond as well.
Then, there are other situations — particularly in various backfields across the league — where players are simply playing on the one-year tender now that they deadline for long-term deals has come and gone.
Here’s a rundown of everyone who had the franchise tag placed on them and the situation that unfolded since then.
2023 franchise tag rundown
Ravens tag Lamar Jackson (agreed to contract extension)
Baltimore placed the non-exclusive tag on Jackson — allowing him to negotiate with other teams, which did put a Ravens exit in play especially after the former league MVP requested a trade. However, cooler heads prevailed and the Ravens agreed to a five-year, $260 million contract with Jackson, which made him the highest-paid player in NFL history.
The Ravens are 45-16 in Jackson’s 61 starts since he entered the league in 2018. They average 28.0 points per game when Jackson is on the field compared to 20.0 when Jackson misses games. Jackson is one of six players in NFL history to reach 100-plus passing touchdowns and 4,000-plus rushing yards in a career, and the fastest to reach the mark by 31 games. The Ravens are averaging 184.8 rushing yards per game with Jackson as a starter in his career — the most by any starting quarterback since the 1970 merger.
The Giants were able to reach a long-term deal with Daniel Jones, allowing them to place the franchise tag on Barkley for the 2023 season. Barkley and the Giants did not come to an agreement on a long-term deal prior to the deadline. Just before 4 p.m. ET, Barkley tweeted, “It is what it is.”
Barkley would make $10.091 million fully guaranteed this season under the tag, but the star back has yet to sign his tender. There have been reports that note his availability for Week 1 could be in “serious question” without a long-term agreement, and that’s now the situation we are in.
Barkley set a career high in rushing yards (1,312) in a Pro Bowl season in 2022, and was one of the focal points of the Giants’ offense. New York added a bit more weaponry this offseason in the form of Darren Waller, Parris Campbell, and Jalin Hyatt, but Barkley likely remains the most explosive playmaker on the team.
The Cowboys placed their franchise tag on the running back, which will pay him $10.09 million for the 2023 season. As expected, the two sides did not reach agreement on an extension prior to the July 17 deadline.
Of the three tagged running backs, Pollard is the only one who has signed his tender, and after already participating in minicamp and OTAs, he is expected to be at training camp as well.
Pollard could be looking to have a full season as the lead back in Dallas before attempting to lock down an extension, while the Cowboys may want a breather after just getting out from under Ezekiel Elliott’s monster contract earlier this offseason, so this path does make sense for both sides.
The 25-year-old recorded a career-high 1,378 scrimmage yards with nine touchdowns on the ground and 12 in total touchdowns. His first 1,000 rushing yards season also ended with his first Pro Bowl selection.
The Raiders tagged Jacobs back in March, paying the back $10.091 million for the 2023 season.
However, this situation has soured since and Jacobs has not signed his tender in a similar fashion to Barkley. Jacobs did not partake in the offseason program and it was reported that he would not show up to training camp unless he comes to an agreement on an extension. According to NFL Media, no agreement was reached between the sides before the deadline. It could be a while before he reports to camp, per The Athletic.
Jacobs had a career year in the final year of his rookie contract with the Raiders, as he was the first player in franchise history to win rushing the title since Marcus Allen in 1985.
Jacobs led the league with 1,653 rushing yards, and his 2,053 total yards from scrimmage also led the league. He has three 1,000-yard campaigns in his four seasons. in the NFL and was a First Team All-Pro selection.
Payne was the first player to receive the franchise tag this offseason, but that maneuver by Washington was merely a placeholder. The two sides have since agreed to a four-year, $90 million contract with a $28 million signing bonus and up to $60 million in total guarantees. Payne was projected to make roughly $18.9 million fully guaranteed on the tag.
Payne didn’t make the Pro Bowl despite notching a career-high 11.5 sacks this year, along with 49 pressures and 20 quarterback hits (9.6% pressure rate).
Jaguars tag Evan Engram (agreed to contract extension)
The Jaguars tagged Evan Engram before the deadline, but it came almost in lockstep with reporting that the two sides were going to work on a long-term extension. They’ve since completed that extension as Engram agreed to a three-year, $41.25 million contract with Jacksonville that includes $24 million fully guaranteed. The tight end would have made $11.345 million in 2023 under the tag.
Engram had a career year in Jacksonville, arguably the greatest season for a tight end in Jaguars franchise history. He finished with a career-high 73 catches for 766 yards, both franchise records for Jaguars tight ends in a season.
How do the tags work?
- Franchise tags are essentially one-year contract offers that come in two forms: exclusive and non-exclusive.
- Exclusive tags restrict negotiating rights to the tagging team and pay out an average of the top five salaries at the player’s position in the current year, or 120% of the player’s previous year’s salary, whichever is greater.
- Non-exclusive tags, which are more common, pay out an average of the top five tag amounts at the player’s position from the previous five years (applied to the current cap), or 120% of the player’s previous year’s salary, whichever is greater. Players who receive this tag can negotiate with other teams, but the tagging team has the right to match any offer — and would also receive two first-round draft picks in the event the player signs elsewhere.
- Transition tags are also one-year contract offers. They pay out an average of the top 10 salaries at the player’s position. Players who receive this tag can negotiate with other teams, but the tagging team has the right to match any offer. If the tagging team declines to match, it would not receive any compensation in return.
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Author: Jeff Kerr
July 17, 2023 | 4:12 pm
