NFL franchise tag deadline: Which players got tagged?

A critical decision day came and went for several NFL teams.

Ahead of the start of free agency next week, the deadline for organizations to issue the franchise tag Tuesday. Teams were forced to make up their minds on whether to use the expensive tool to protect their negotiating rights with top players. Using the tag can ensure that teams at least have a stopgap solution in contract talks, though it also provides an additional hurdle as organizations try to get under the salary cap in advance of the new year.

Here’s a look back at how it all went down:

Transition tag for Colts’ Daniel Jones

The Indianapolis Colts are hedging their bets with Daniel Jones, applying the transition tag to last year’s QB1. That means at least a $37.8 million placeholder as he and the team continue working toward an expected reunion − though the Colts would get nothing in return of another team signs Jones to an offer sheet they’re unwilling to match.

Tagging Jones, who ranks fifth on Nate Davis’ top 100 free agent rankings for USA TODAY Sports, also means Indianapolis WR Alec Pierce, who led the NFL in yards per catch the past two seasons and is coming off his first 1,000-yard campaign, will hit the market − unless he and the team can reach a new accord by March 11.

Trey Hendrickson in the clear

Trey Hendrickson is finally set for his long-awaited shot at a sizable multiyear contract.

Both ESPN’s Adam Schefter and NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport said Tuesday that the Cincinnati Bengals will not use the franchise tag on the four-time Pro Bowler.

Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin said at the NFL scouting combine that he wouldn’t rule out the maneuver, but he also acknowledged that he didn’t want to tip his hand to other teams.

‘And in terms of the tag, we’re still moving through that,’ Tobin said. ‘I don’t have a definite answer there. We have resources, and how we deploy them are things that will come out.’

Hendrickson, 31, figures to be one of the most sought-after defensive players on the market after he failed to reach a long-term deal with the Bengals last season, which led to a stalemate between the two sides that ended early in training camp.

No franchise tag for Seahawks RB Kenneth Walker III

Kenneth Walker III is about to go from Super Bowl MVP to hitting the open market.

The Seattle Seahawks will not use the franchise tag on the running back, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported, setting him up to potentially cash in elsewhere on his title-winning run.

Walker, who ranks 17th on Nate Davis’ top 100 free agents, now could be the most attractive veteran free agent ball carrier after the New York Jets used the franchise tag on Breece Hall earlier on Tuesday. The four-year veteran logged a career high 1,309 yards from scrimmage last season.

If Walker departs, Seattle could have a significant need in the backfield. Backup Zach Charbonnet suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in a divisional-round playoff win over the San Francisco 49ers, leaving his availability for the start of the season in question.

Jets give franchise tag to Breece Hall

The New York Jets aren’t taking it down to the eleventh hour to make their plans known with running back Breece Hall.

The Jets have placed the franchise tag on Hall, according to multiple reports, keeping arguably the top potential free agent running back from hitting the open market.

Jets general manager Darren Mougey revealed last week at the NFL scouting combine that the team would look to retain Hall, who came in at No. 10 on Nate Davis’ top 100 free agent rankings, by using either the franchise or transition tag designation, if needed.

‘We’ll find a way to keep Breece here if we can’t get a deal done,’ Mougey told reporters. ‘The tags are an option. Ideally, we’d find a way to get a deal done and keep Breece around. I think I’ve said that for the last year since I’ve got here. Breece is a good player. We want to find a way to keep him around. We’ve been going through that process and are still doing so. We have a week to find out if we can’t get to an agreement which way we’ll go with that tag.’

Utilizing the franchise tag designation would come at a price of $14.3 million for one year if a multiyear contract can’t be reached.

Which NFL players have already received the franchise tag?

Dallas Cowboys WR George Pickens: The Cowboys officially placed the non-exclusive tag on Pickens last Friday. The receiver had ranked as the No. 1 player on USA TODAY Sports’ top 100 rankings, but he will not hit the open market. Instead, he’s been provided a tender of $27.298 million – a relative one-year bargain amid a booming market for receivers.

Atlanta Falcons TE Kyle Pitts Sr.: The No. 4 overall pick in 2021 had a tumultuous five-year run to start off his career in Atlanta, but the new regime made it a priority to not let him depart. ‘We’re not in the business of letting go (of) really good players,’ first-year general manager Ian Cunningham told 92.9 The Game last week. Pitts is coming off a season in which he posted career highs of 88 receptions and five touchdown catches, and he could play a vital role in helping third-year signal-caller Michael Penix Jr. find his comfort zone in new coach Kevin Stefanski’s offense.

New York Jets RB Breece Hall: Gang Green could be in for plenty of changes this offseason, but losing Hall doesn’t appear to be one of them. The Jets on Tuesday placed the franchise tag on the running back, giving him a one-year tender of $14.293 million if he can’t come to terms on a multiyear contract with New York by the July 15 deadline.

What is a franchise tag?

The franchise tag is a mechanism by which teams can prevent one impending free agent per offseason from hitting the open market. The degrees of protection and potential compensation for the team vary by designation:

• Non-exclusive franchise tag: By far the most popular category for teams, this serves as a deterrent for other teams but still provides a window for a potential exit. Players who receive this may still negotiate and sign an offer sheet with outside teams. The organization that issues the tag, however, has the right to match the terms of any agreement, and it would receive two first-round picks from the team that signed the player if it lets him depart. Given that cost, it’s rare for players to receive this designation and still exit in that manner, though sometimes tag-and-trade scenarios are executed at a lower cost for the acquiring organization.
• Exclusive franchise tag: This provides the assigning team with absolute protection, as any player receiving this cannot negotiate or sign an offer sheet with a competitor. Yet it comes at a heightened cost, which can be prohibitive for any franchise considering utilizing it.
• Transition tag: Like the nonexclusive franchise tag, it still allows for players to negotiate with other teams while providing the issuing franchise the opportunity to match any offer sheet. Refusal to do so, however, will not yield any draft compensation.

When is the NFL’s franchise tag deadline?

NFL teams have until 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday to decide whether to issue a franchise or transition tag on one player. If they do, they may continue negotiating toward a long-term contract, or the player can sign his one-year tender. A multiyear deal must be reached by July 15, or the player only has the option of playing the upcoming season on a one-year deal.