We are actually in 12 months 34 of the franchise tag, a retention tool that got here about in the course of the same offseason wherein full-fledged free agency spawned. The NFL salary cap is rising at a rate allowing teams to hammer out more extensions than in previous periods. That has helped dilute free agency talent pools. This led to a 2025 landscape wherein only two players — Tee Higgins and Trey Smith — received the franchise tag. The cap, which stood at $279.2MM in 2025, is predicted to rise beyond $301MM this 12 months.
This 12 months’s free agent class looks to feature just one tag lock, but a handful of players make sense as candidates to be kept off the market. An antiquated NFL system regarding positional classifications also affects this 12 months’s free agency crop, as a few high-end UFAs-to-be (Tyler Linderbaum, Devin Lloyd) would likely be kept off the market if the league modernized the way it sorted positions as regards to tag prices.
Teams who use the franchise or transition tag have until July 15 to finish an extension; otherwise, negotiations cannot restart until after the 2026 season. The transition tag doesn’t bring any compensation back for an unmatched offer sheet, however the two-first-rounder component related to a franchise tag has not been especially relevant in ages. Although offer sheets have come out in previous eras (Sean Gilbert and Dan Wilkinson signed unmatched offers within the Nineteen Nineties), clubs avoid these in fear of an unmatched proposal requiring two first-round picks to be sent to the tagging team.
The tag window opens at 3pm CT today. With clubs having until 3pm CT on March 3 to use tags, here is who could also be cuffed:
Likely tag recipients
George Pickens, WR (Cowboys)
Projected tag cost: $28.82MM
The Cowboys have repeatedly turned to the tag over the past decade. They cuffed DeMarcus Lawrence in 2018 and ’19 before locking down Dak Prescott in 2020 and ’21. The latter Prescott tag was procedural, because the quarterback used the specter of a lofty second tag number hitting Dallas’ cap sheet as leverage toward a player-friendly extension — one which laid the groundwork for his 2024 player-friendly extension. The Cowboys then kept Dalton Schultz (2022) and Tony Pollard (’23) off the market. After two years without unholstering their tag, the Cowboys appear all set to stop Pickens from reaching free agency.
Acquiring Pickens in a May 2025 trade with the Steelers — which featured a 2026 third-round pick as the highest asset going back to Pittsburgh –Dallas reaped immediate advantages from that swap. Pickens, 24, smashed his career-high receiving mark with 1,429 yards and nine touchdowns. That booked the previous second-round pick his first Pro Bowl honor; more impressively, Pickens was named a second-team All-Pro. The mercurial ex-Steeler WR1 was greater than 300 receiving yards clear of CeeDee Lamb for the Cowboys’ receiving lead; despite the fact that Lamb missed three games, Pickens’ per-game average (84.1) higher Lamb’s (76.9).
A tag surfaced on the radar here in mid-November, and momentum has steadily built for Pickens to follow in Dez Bryant‘s footsteps as a Cowboy wideout being kept off the market. It can take a near-Saints-level odyssey for the Cowboys to create sufficient cap space for a Pickens tag and reasonable spending room; they’re projected to be greater than $30MM (per OverTheCap) north of the 2026 salary ceiling, but enough smoke has emerged here — after Pickens fit the tag profile upon arrival — to make it secure to expect this final result.
The Steelers shipped out Pickens partially due to reliability concerns, however the 6-foot-3 playmaker outperformed — with a substantial QB upgrade in Prescott — his previous work. With Lamb tied to a $34MM-per-year deal and Prescott on an NFL-record $60MM-AAV extension, the Cowboys are removed from certain to increase Pickens. A tag-and-trade play has surfaced as a possibility, but with negotiations not having begun as of early February, expect the Cowboys to make use of the tag to no less than buy themselves more time on their ultra-talented WR2.
On tag radar:
Breece Hall, RB (Jets)
Projected tag cost: $14.54MM
The Chiefs offered a fourth-round pick for Hall on the deadline, however the Jets held onto their starting running back after having asked for no less than a third-rounder. Hall denied a report he was looking for a Latest York exit — after the blockbuster deals involving Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams — but he could have a probability to explore his value on the open market soon. The Jets, nonetheless, have spoken highly of the 1,000-yard rusher. The tag has surfaced as a possibility.
Hall, 24, is greater than two years younger than Etienne. He’ll thus command more in free agency. The previous second-round pick can be greater than three years faraway from the ACL tear that sidetracked his rookie season. The Jets waited on a Hall extension, keeping him on his rookie contract while giving Gardner and Garrett Wilson big-ticket deals, but Aaron Glenn has spoken highly of the Iowa State alum.
Gang Green desires to retain Hall. The easiest method for that to occur can be to increase his negotiating window via the tag. A $12MM-per-year offer could await the fifth-year player, making a tag logical. If the Jets were to position the transition tag on Hall, it might cost them a projected $11.73MM. They’d receive no compensation within the event of an unmatched offer sheet, thus allowing one other team to dictate the contract structure a la the Packers’ Kyle Fuller offer sheet in 2018.
The Jets saw Hall sidekick Braelon Allen miss much of the season, but the previous Joe Douglas-era fourth-round pick stays signed through 2027. Allen gives the Jets some protection against a Hall exit, with a mid-round 2027 compensatory pick possible as well. But Hall is a dynamic RB that shall be a lovely FA commodity if unattached come March 9. The Jets have a giant decision to make over the subsequent two weeks.
Trey Hendrickson, DE (Bengals)
Projected tag cost: $34.8MM
The defensive end tag is projected to are available at $27.32MM, but because Hendrickson was attached to a $29MM salary (following a late-summer raise), he’s the rare tag candidate to whom the 120% rule would apply. As PFR’s glossary indicates, “the quantity of the one-year offer is set by a formula that features the salary cap figures and the non-exclusive franchise salaries on the player’s position for the previous five years. Alternately, the quantity of the one-year offer will be 120% of the player’s previous salary, if that quantity is larger.” In Hendrickson’s case, it might be.
Cincinnati has been here with a veteran contract not too way back. The team tagged A.J. Green in 2020, doing so after he had played out a five-year extension. That call, which paired the previous Pro Bowl mainstay with Joe Burrow‘s rookie contact, backfired after Green couldn’t reprise his prime form after missing 2019 on account of injury.
Hendrickson, 31, is more prone to resemble prime form than Green was at 32 six years ago. However the All-Pro edge rusher is coming off an injury-shortened season, playing in just seven games. Hendrickson also underwent core muscle surgery in December.
Also adding Hendrickson to pair with Burrow’s rookie deal (in 2021), the Bengals saw their four-year, $60MM pact with the Saints draftee change into a bargain. Hendrickson anchored Cincy’s Super Bowl LVI defense and went on to register 17.5 sacks in back-to-back seasons (2023, ’24). The Bengals gave Hendrickson a one-year, $21MM extension in 2023 — a deal the D-end signed in fear the team would tag him in 2025. However the Higgins process dragged out to a degree that will have been moot.
Hendrickson then angled for an extension in the course of the 2025 offseason but saw the Bengals — who almost all the time draw a tough line on post-12 months 1 salary guarantees — dig in and only offer him a backloaded deal without future guaranteed salary. The one-year, $29MM offer (which didn’t contain a no-tag clause) turned out to be a pleasant reward for the productive pass rusher, nevertheless it drained a 12 months from his prime. The Bengals are planning to make use of the Mix to gauge Hendrickson’s value, which might give serious thought to a tag-and-trade scenario.
This won’t go over well with Hendrickson’s camp, but when the Bengals — who’ve two first-round DEs (Myles Murphy, Shemar Stewart) contracted — consider they’ll land something of consequence, they’ll use the tag. If Hendrickson doesn’t sign the tender, Cincy can rescind the tag down the road.
Kyle Pitts, TE (Falcons)
Projected tag cost: $16.32MM
Pitts gives off buyer-beware vibes on account of inconsistency, however the tag has repeatedly served as an avenue for this genre of player to be retained for further evaluation. As PFR’s Connor Byrne noted in his Falcons Offseason Outlook, the team is in an awfully rare position of seeing a former quarterback (Matt Ryan) make a franchise tag call on one in all his former weapons. Atlanta’s recent personnel chief peppered Pitts with targets as a rookie, making him the NFL’s second tight end (after Mike Ditka) to eclipse 1,000 receiving yards as a rookie.
The previous No. 4 overall pick, nonetheless, regressed and didn’t eclipse 675 yards in a season from 2022-24. The Falcons’ issues replacing Ryan, with neither Marcus Mariota nor Desmond Ridder impressing, hindered Pitts and Drake London.
A declining Kirk Cousins didn’t save the day, but he sure helped Pitts in a contract 12 months. The Cousins-Pitts connection humming in Tampa (11 catches, 166 yards, three touchdowns) put him on the tag radar and launched him to second-team All-Pro honors (with injuries to George Kittle and Brock Bowers helping clear a path). More buzz has since circulated about Pitts being tagged; the 6-foot-6 pass catcher has spoken highly of Kevin Stefanski, who helped David Njoku and Harold Fannin to productive seasons.
Though, Pitts only finished with five touchdowns last season; he has not been a prolific end zone threat (15 TDs in five years) and one 100-yard game. His 928-yard season impressed, and receiving tight ends usually are not really easy to exchange. It is a situation to watch. The Falcons’ previous regime showed little interest in extending the 25-year-old pass catcher, but this one is perhaps more amenable to keeping the TE beyond his rookie deal.
Strong markets await otherwise:
Travis Etienne, RB (Jaguars)
Projected tag cost: $14.54MM
Jacksonville’s previous front offices turned to the tag repeatedly this decade. Edge rusher Yannick Ngakoue became a tag-and-trade player in 2020, while left tackle Cam Robinson was cuffed in 2021 and ’22. The team tagged Evan Engram over Jawaan Taylor in 2023. Second-year GM James Gladstone reshaped the team’s skill-position corps last 12 months, moving on from the likes of Engram, Christian Kirk, Gabe Davis, Devin Duvernay and Tank Bigsby. Although the Jags drafted two running backs (Bhayshul Tuten, LeQuint Allen), Etienne returned to his RB1 role and produced 1,107 rushing yards and a career-high 13 total touchdowns.
Chosen in Urban Meyer‘s lone draft on the helm, Etienne lost work to Bigsby in 2024 but regained his grip on the Jags’ RB job after the team traded Bigsby to the Eagles before Week 2. The faculty Trevor Lawrence teammate turned 27 last month, making this a main window for him to money in before concerns about his mileage (897 profession carries) add up.
Fortunately for Etienne, this Jaguars front office just isn’t expected to make use of the tag here. The team is projected to be greater than $13MM over the cap as of Tuesday, and despite the fact that the cap is predicted to rise by no less than $22MM in 2026, the Jags will look to make use of $14.5MM toward one other area of the roster. This might allow Etienne to buy around for a multiyear guarantee, no sure thing on the RB market. Absent a tag, the Jags could have until 3pm CT on March 9 to maintain him out of free agency.
Odafe Oweh, OLB (Chargers)
Projected tag cost: $28.2MM
That is more of a cap space-based idea. The Bolts are projected to carry greater than $82MM in cap room, with some cost-cutting options at play as well. Additionally they have each Oweh and Khalil Mack unsigned for 2026. Although top edge rusher Tuli Tuipulotu has one season left on his rookie deal, the Chargers might want to make moves on the position on account of the statuses of Mack and Oweh. With Mack going into an age-35 season, he just isn’t a tag candidate. At 27, Oweh makes a bit more sense.
Oweh’s sack production doesn’t rival Hendrickson’s, but he played well after a deadline trade with the Ravens. All 7.5 of Oweh’s sacks last season got here as a Charger, and he racked up 10 in 2024 after Baltimore picked up his fifth-year option. The previous first-rounder, who joined Kwity Paye and Jaelan Phillips as 2021 first-round edges to play out option years, shall be one in all the highest free agents available if the Chargers let him reach the legal tampering period unattached.
The Bolts usually are not viewed as prone to tag Oweh; they may work out a separate take care of him before March 9. By not using the tag, Los Angeles would risk losing a main talent. Oweh didn’t eclipse five sacks until his fourth season, so a $28MM tag number — the linebacker rate, as Oweh is a profession 3-4 OLB — doesn’t quite align together with his production.
Tagging him at that number would make for an interesting negotiation, because the Bolts have a Tuipulotu extension to hammer out this 12 months. But Oweh also may very well be used as a rental because the Chargers prepare to battle the Broncos and Chiefs for AFC West supremacy in 2026.
Jaelan Phillips, OLB (Eagles)
Projected tag cost: $28.2MM
Philadelphia let Josh Sweat walk in free agency last 12 months, and GM Howie Roseman has not used his franchise tag since keeping DeSean Jackson off the market in 2012. That was Andy Reid‘s last Philly 12 months. With Roseman because the clear lead decision-maker, the Eagles have taken their probabilities with in-house free agents.
Phillips, 26, played well for the team despite low sack numbers. And he’s a former Vic Fangio Dolphins piece. Phillips’ 35 pressures last season ranked twelfth within the NFL. The Eagles struggled to exchange Sweat before their Phillips deadline deal, seeing Za’Darius Smith retire and Nolan Smith undergo an IR stint. Brandon Graham unretired, but he can be going into an age-38 season if he got here back again. Expected to be Philly’s lead edge rusher, Smith only tallied three sacks last season.
A $28MM tag wouldn’t quite align with Phillips’ value, nonetheless. Unlike the Chargers, the Eagles are projected to carry barely $18MM in cap space. That makes Phillips — who has ACL and Achilles tears on his NFL medical sheet — less prone to see the tag. However the Eagles would then be five days away from competing with other teams to sign him.
Kenneth Walker, RB (Seahawks)
Projected tag cost: $14.54MM
Zach Charbonnet‘s divisional-round ACL tear unleashed Walker. Held in a full-on timeshare with Charbonnet last season, Walker broke through for 116 yards and three touchdowns on 19 carries against the 49ers. He then gashed the Patriots for 161 scrimmage yards in a Super Bowl LX MVP performance. Walker, 25, has encountered some trouble staying healthy. But he made it through his contract 12 months — a second 1,000-yard season — unscathed for a team which will have Charbonnet certain for the reserve/PUP list come September.
The Seahawks wish to retain Walker, and he desires to stay. The team has a history of paying running backs without using the tag, re-signing the likes of Marshawn Lynch, Chris Carson and Rashaad Penny under GM John Schneider. The latter two RBs weren’t tag-level players, and each bumped into injury trouble on second contracts. A Tuesday report also noted the Seahawks are leaning against tagging Walker.
A transition tag is projected to be nearly $3MM cheaper; that would even be an option for Walker, who upped his free agency price with the Super Bowl performance. Running back value has been difficult to peg in recent times, but as mid-20-somethings coming off 1,000-yard seasons, Walker and Breece Hall figure to do quite well. The Seahawks will run the chance of losing him, as hometown discounts usually are not smart at a position without many bites on the apple, in the event that they don’t apply the tag.
The Colts’ call
Daniel Jones, QB/Alec Pierce, WR
Projected tag costs: $47.32MM, $28.82MM
Each have come up as tag candidates, with one being much easier to cuff. Quarterback tags are relatively rare, but six passers have been cuffed since 2011. The Colts tagged Peyton Manning before the lockout (and before the consequences of a career-threatening neck injury were known), while the Eagles kept Michael Vick off that 2011 market. The Saints tagged Drew Brees in 2012, while each Kirk Cousins and Dak Prescott were tagged twice. Lamar Jackson requested a trade while on the 2023 tag. Vick’s profession didn’t live as much as expectations, nevertheless it is secure to say Jones can be the worst quarterback tagged in the course of the rookie-scale era.
This case looks quite familiar; Giants fans can recall the same setup playing out in 2023. Latest York had each Jones and Saquon Barkley unsigned that 12 months. While Barkley was widely acknowledged because the far superior player, positional value led the Giants to prioritize Jones by extending him just before the March ’23 tag deadline and using the tag to retain Barkley. That backfired, with Jones underwhelming before a November 2023 ACL tear. Barkley joined the Eagles a 12 months later and ripped off one in all the good running back seasons in NFL history.
By some means, Jones has managed to achieve leverage again despite a nasty 2024 season and an injury-plagued 2025. Jones suffered an Achilles tear after playing through a fibula fracture. He also has two bouts of neck trouble in his Latest York past. However the Colts have made no secret of their intent to maintain going with Jones, who was playing well before his Achilles setback.
Jones, 28, averaged greater than seven yards per attempt for the primary time (8.1) and had the Colts at 8-2. His injury led to the Philip Rivers comeback, but with that within the rearview mirror, Indianapolis’ decision-makers have Jones as a key component in job preservation.
Carlie Irsay-Gordon retained each Chris Ballard and Shane Steichen, however the duo has yet to search out quarterback stability. Ballard bears more responsibility for this on account of his status as a Tenth-year GM, with a string of passers coming through post-Andrew Luck. Jones’ one-year, $14MM deal panned out for some time, but even after he underwhelmed on his $40MM-AAV Giants payday and bumped into more injury trouble, the Colts’ QB issues and having traded their 2026 and ’27 first-round picks for Gardner equips the QB with negotiating ammo. He played his hand well in 2023, and the Colts might have to overpay soon.
That QB tag number would hinder the Colts in free agency, forcing cost-cutting maneuvers for a team projected to carry lower than $36MM in cap space. A Pierce tag — also floated as a possibility — can be more reasonable. The Colts went between 2013 and 2024 without using the tag, but Ballard’s first such move took a large receiver (Michael Pittman Jr.) off the market.
Pittman has not quite justified his three-year, $72MM deal, and Pierce passed him as Indy’s top goal last season (1,003 yards). A scenario wherein the Colts pay Pierce and Jones while bidding farewell to Pittman in the ultimate 12 months of his contract needs to be considered in play.
A situation wherein the Colts extend Jones and leave the tag open for Pierce (25) is a route to watch, though it might limit Ballard’s ability to do much else in free agency. But QB dependability has eluded the franchise since Luck’s 2019 retirement, and Pierce has led the NFL in yards per catch in back-to-back seasons. Seeing the previous second-round pick walk would hurt the Colts’ ability to construct a top quality passing attack around Jones.