Today is decision day for several NFL teams. The choice: Tag or let them be free.
The franchise tag window is set to close Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET, giving teams hours to decide whether to use the tender or not.
If you need a primer on how the franchise tag can be utilized, we’ve got you covered right here.
Thus far, two clubs have used the franchise tag. The Atlanta Falcons tagged tight end Kyle Pitts for $15.045 million. And the Dallas Cowboys tagged receiver George Pickens for $27.298 million. Both tags were the non-exclusive franchise tag variety.
While the tag window opened two weeks ago, teams generally wait until the final day to officially use their tender options. Waiting provides more opportunities to get a long-term deal done in advance and allows teams to better assess all options. In the NFL, much like life, deadlines spur action. Today is a deadline day.
There could be several additional tags handed out today. The Jets have said they'd tag Breece Hall if a deal can't come to fruition. Cincinnati refused to rule out tagging Trey Hendrickson (possibly to trade him).
The most intriguing options sit in Indianapolis. General manager Chris Ballard said he'd like to refrain from 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 tag window in 2023 inked a long-term contract with the New York Giants, which allowed Big Blue to tag Saquon Barkley. Could the QB again ink a contract as the franchise tender window inches closed, allowing Indy to also squat on Pierce's rights? Could they sign both? Could both head to the market and possibly new homes?
Any player not tagged today has a free sprint toward free agency, but clubs can still hand out extensions to their own players in the meantime.
With the trade market already heating up, it's a full-on gallop to the new league year on March 11, when free agency officially kicks off. Giddy-up.
