The deadline for NFL teams to place a franchise tag on their players was Tuesday at 4 pm ET. It’s been long speculated that if the Indianapolis Colts weren’t able to agree with their star wide receiver, they would tag him. That speculation came to fruition when Michael Pittman Jr. was given the non-exclusive franchise tag from the only NFL team he’s ever played for.
So, what does this mean for both, the Colts and Pittman? For the team, it’s the first time in 11 years that they placed a tag on a player. The last player to receive the tag was punter, and sports media personality, Pat McAfee in 2013 for $2.9 million.
The following year, he would sign a five-year $14.5 million contract in which he would only play three years, as he retired after the 2016 season. Before McAfee, the team tagged Robert Mathis and Peyton Manning in the two preceding years. This also marks the first time in the Chris Ballard era of being unable to negotiate an extension with a payer and needing to use the tag.
Now, there are three types of franchise tags, transition, exclusive, and non-exclusive. And they all come with their little specificities. The most common tag applied is the non-exclusive and that is exactly what Pittman received. What this means is he can hit the free-agent market to try and land a deal with another team. However, the Colts can match any offer that Pittman receives or the team that signs him has to give the Colts two first-round picks.
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What placing the NFL franchise tag on Michael Pittman Jr. means for the Indianapolis Colts
Considering that many NFL scouts and experts are claiming this year’s class of wide receivers prospects is the best, it’s very unlikely that another team will extend an offer sheet to Pittman. So, fans can rest easy knowing that the likelihood of Pittman playing for another team is remotely slim.
For this upcoming season, if Pittman plays on the franchise tag, he will be making $21.8 million. It’s also worth noting that other players begrudge the tag as they are disgruntled with the team or how contract negotiations are going. This is not the case with Pittman, who in January referred to the tag as a “tag of respect”. It’s logical to think that why he has a different view on the tag and the NFL as a business, is because his father is also a former player.
As for now, both the Colts and Pittman have until mid-July to work out a contract extension. And from all reports, it appears that both sides are willing to agree on said extension. A presumed sticking point in the negotiations is how good of an NFL wide receiver is he.
In his first two seasons, Pittman averaged over 12 yards per reception. Subsequently, over his last two seasons, he’s averaged 104 catches. So, is he more of a deep threat/big play guy or more of a possession receiver? The truth is of course somewhere in the middle and his production last season is a perfect example, where he caught a career 109 passes and averaged 10.6 yards per reception.
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During his four seasons with the horseshoe, he’s caught passes from six different quarterbacks and has had four different Week 1 starters. And most of the quarterbacks he’s played with didn’t have the ability or arm strength to consistently throw deep to him. Now, that the Colts have big-armed Anthony Richardson on the team they are more likely to be better at pushing the ball downfield.
For now, both the Colts and Pittman will continue to work on an extension that is beneficial to both. If for some reason they are not successful, he will be playing this upcoming season on a consecutive contract year.