2023 NFL franchise tag window has officially opened
On Tuesday, the 2023 NFL franchise tag window officially opened up. What more information do we know about this process and who could get tagged?
The franchise tag season opened up today and runs through March 7th, which is about a week before free agency opens. Typically, what happens is that teams try to work through long-term deals with players who may get tagged.
They usually won’t immediately get tagged unless there’s certain circumstance for that. For example, the most high-profile player that could get tagged is Lamar Jackson. The Baltimore Ravens surely won’t place the tag on Jackson until perhaps the last possible moment.
There are a few different types of tags; the non-exclusive franchise tag, which is the most common, the exclusive tag, and the transition tag.
This article from NFL.com goes into great detail as to what each one means.
Who could be some candidates to get tagged? Like every year, there are quite a few candidates.
The most obvious one as previously mentioned is Lamar Jackson. He played on his fifth year option in 2022 and apparently his own agent. If the two sides cannot get a deal done, a tag is likely, and a trade could come from that.
Both Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley are due for new contracts, but Jones’ insane demands and Barkley being an injury prone running back makes their situation tough to navigate.
Evan Engram of the Jacksonville Jaguars could be another candidate. He had a career year with over 70 catches and 750 yards.
AFC West players Josh Jacobs, Orlando Brown and Dre’Mont Jones could all get tagged. The Raiders declined Jacobs’ fifth year option, which makes their situation quite urgent. He’s still young as he came into the NFL as 21 year old.
Orlando Brown and the Chiefs’ were notable to agree on an extension last offseason and played under the tag.
Dre’Mont Jones was a mid-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, so he was not eligible for a fifth year option. He’s turned into one of the better defensive tackles in the NFL, so a potential contract extension could come in at or around $15 million per year. If not, he could also be tagged.