Ladies and gentlemen, you can start your engines – but they will have a little time to warm up.
Today marks the opening of the franchise and transition tag window, which means that we are in the final stages as the teams prepare for the new year of the league and the start of the free agency on March 17th.
The tag window runs from today, February 23, to March 9.
Teams can start making franchise or transition tag offers to players starting today and can still negotiate a long-term deal with players until mid-July. If an extension is not reached by then, the player will play the 2021 season under a one-year bid.
Clubs have three different options when deciding to tag a player: 1) Non-exclusive franchise etiquette; 2) Exclusive franchise label; 3) Transition tag.
Non-exclusive franchise tag: This is the most commonly used tag. Colloquially, when most refer to the “franchise etiquette”, they usually refer to the non-exclusive version. This is a one-year proposal from the average of the five best salaries in the player’s position in the last five years, or 120% of his previous salary, whichever is greater. The player can negotiate with other teams. The player’s current team has the right to match any offer or receive two draft choices from the first round as compensation if he signs with another organization.
Exclusive franchise tag: A one-year purchase offer from the average of the top five salaries in the player’s position for the current year, or 120 percent of your previous salary, whichever is greater. The player cannot negotiate with another team. The increase in the pay scale (current average wages versus the average of the previous five years) means that only a few achieve this label. Typically, players for whom teams would give up two choices in the first round receive this version of the label – usually, defenders like Dak Prescott last season win exclusivity.
Transition tag: The transition designation is a one-year public offering for the average of the top 10 salaries for the position – as opposed to the top five for the franchise brand. It guarantees the home club the right of first refusal to match any offer the player may receive from another club. The booking team receives no compensation if it chooses not to agree on an agreement. The transition tag is usually a marker that gives the club the ability to match any contract the player negotiates with another team.
Each team can use only one franchise or transition brand each year. A rescinded bid counts as a tag – you must remember that the Carolina Panthers rescinded Josh Norman’s tag in 2016. A player can be tagged up to three times by his team, with a jump in payout on each occurrence – usually by the third etiquette, the percentage of the wage ceiling assumed at the time, makes it prohibitive.
The franchise brand numbers for each position are based on the salary cap for the 2021 season. As the limit has not been officially defined, the teams are working based on the estimates. We know that the salary cap will not be less than $ 180 million.
Although today marks the start of the franchise brand window, don’t expect a bunch of teams to use your option yet. Clubs will continue to try to work on long-term extensions until the window closes on March 9. The tags are usually implemented after it is clear that the sides need more time to negotiate.
Of those nominated for the label, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported that the Dallas Cowboys must wear a second consecutive label on Prescott if no long-term deals are reached. Likewise, Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers are expected to mark receiver Chris Godwin – they used the mark on Shaquil Barrett last year. Rapoport also added that Lions receiver Kenny Golladay is a strong candidate to be scored.
The window is open. The flood of news is unlikely to flow until near the March 9 deadline.