NFL Franchise Tag season is Open!

How does the NFL's Tag system work?

It all starts today.

The future of many NFL franchises, like Minnesota and Cincinnati, comes to a crossroads, beginning with Tag Day and ending at the Tag Deadline on March 4 at 4 pm.

NFL teams have strategic tools to retain key players approaching free agency: the Franchise Tag and the Transition Tag. These tools allow teams to keep top talent while navigating salary cap constraints. Let's delve into how each tag operates, their financial implications, and the critical dates for 2025.

Franchise Tag Has Two Flavors

The Franchise Tag binds a player to their team for one year, offering a salary based on the average of the top players at their position. There are two types:

1. Exclusive Franchise Tag: This tag prevents the player from negotiating with other teams. The salary is the greater of the average of the top five salaries at the player's position for the current year or 120% of the player's previous salary.

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2. Non-Exclusive Franchise Tag: More commonly used, this tag allows the player to negotiate with other teams. However, if they sign an offer sheet elsewhere, the original team can match the offer or receive two first-round draft picks as compensation if they choose not to match. The salary is the greater of the average of the top five cap hits at the player's position over the past five years or 120% of the player's previous salary.

Little Brother: The Transition Tag

The Transition Tag offers a one-year contract at the average of the top ten salaries at the player's position.