Monday was the start of a two-week window for teams to franchise tag impending free agents. Below are franchise tag estimations by position collected by NFL Media’s Albert Breer.
The two-week window to tag a player ends March 2 with free agency itself starting eight days after that.
Quarterbacks: $18.51 million
Defensive ends: $14.78 million
Linebacker: $13.17 million
Cornerback: $13.05 million
Offensive line: $12.92 million
Wide Receivers: $12.8 million
Defensive Tackle: $11.17 million
Running Backs: $10. 93 million
Safety: $9.6 million
Tight ends: $8.33 million
Kicker/Punter: $4.12 million
One thing to note. If the cap figure is 120 percent of player’s cap figure from 2014, then it becomes the figure that will be used should said player get tagged. As an example, Detroit Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh would cost the Lions $26.9 million if he’s tagged. That’s a dramatic increase from the $11.2 million tag for defensive tackles this year.
Over the past two NFL seasons, only 12 players have received franchise tags and just three of them received long-term contracts after being tagged. The most notable of that group is New Orleans saints tight end Jimmy Graham.
We could see a few more names added to the list of players who have received the franchise tag. The Denver Broncos have made it known that they are prepared to use a franchise tag on wide receiver Demaryius Thomas who is due for a major contract extension moving forward. The Dallas Cowboys have also indicated that they plan on doing the same with Dez Bryant.
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