By Matt Stuart | Published | No Comments
Eight players received the franchise tag by their respective teams, while one player received a “transitional tag.” Here is a quick look at the players that have been tagged.
Michael Pittman Jr. – WR | Indianapolis Colts
Pittman would have been a hot commodity on the free agency market, as several teams including the New England Patriots, Carolina Panthers and Denver Broncos could have been interested in his services. Pittman staying put, at least for one more season in Indy, is a big win for the Colts.
Kyle Duggar – S | New England Patriots
The Patriots elected to use the lesser applied “transitional tag” to safety Kyle Duggar. This means that another team could still offer Duggar a better or above the average market base salary for his position and the Patriots would not have the ability to match the offer nor would they receive any from of future draft compensation if Duggar was to be poached by another team. It’s a bit risky move by the Patriots, but will save them some cap space.
Antione Winfield Jr. – S | Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Bucs had a tough decision to make here between tagging wide receiver Mike Evans, Winfield Jr., or quarterback Baker Mayfield. They made the right decision, but it still stings to watch a player like Mike Evans walk out the door. As for Mayfield status with the team, the Bucs could sign him to a short term contract, but given Mayfield’s age (he is 29 years old) it’s likely that Mayfield will test the waters of the open market for a longer term deal.
Jaylon Johnson – CB | Chicago Bears
Johnson had a career year for the Bears in 2023. He earned second-team All Pro honors and there was simply no way that the Bears were going to allow him to become a free agent. The Bears likely will focus their free agency time on improving their offensive line and protecting whomever their quarterback is next season. This move allows them more room to do just that.
Josh Allen – LB | Jacksonville Jaguars
Allen is seen as one of the top linebackers and sack “specialists” in the NFL. He is coming off a monster year where he recorded 16.5 sacks, which was good enough for second best in the NFL last season. This was a no-brainer for the Jags. Still though this means that wide receiver Calvin Ridley is likely gone. That will be a bitter pill for Jags fans to swallow after the terrific season and strong chemistry he developed with quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
Justin Madubuike – DT | Baltimore Ravens
Another no-brainer as the Ravens have been in talks to extend Madubuike contract for much of the off-season. Madubuike recorded 13 sacks last season for the Ravens, a career best and is a huge presence in stoping the run game. This also allows the Ravens to free up some extra cap space should they pursue a top RB in a loaded free agency class.
Brian Burns – OLB | Carolina Panthers
In what continues to be a strange sort of odyssey for the Panthers as it relates to star defensive back Brian Burns. Burns is without question a top pass rusher in the NFL, but the Panthers have been unable or unwilling to sign him to a long term deal over the past two seasons. The Panthers reportedly turned down two first round draft picks in a possible trade with the Rams two seasons ago. The question becomes when do the Panthers go all in on Burns. If not now, then when.
L’Jarius Sneed – CB | Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs were another team that had a difficult decision to make as to which player they were going to tag. They could have tagged defensive end Chris Jones, for what would have been the second year in a row or they could tag their young rising and talented star corner Sneed. It’s worth noting that Jones sat out all of training camps last season when the Chiefs tagged him and he also missed the first game of the season before the two parties agreed to a one-year extension. It’s possible that the Chiefs and Jones are simply too far apart and that the Chiefs wanted to avoid a similar situation this season.
Tee Higgins – WR | Cincinnati Bengals
Part of what is one of the Leagues best receiving core duo, along with Ja’Marr Chase, the Bengals had a lot of motivation to make sure that Higgins did not simply walk in free agency. Look for the Bengals to try and reach a long term deal with Higgins at some point in the off-season.
