The NFL’s franchise tag deadline has come and gone. Here’s everything you need to know.
Which players have received the franchise tag?
Kansas City Chiefs OL Trey Smith
Cincinnati Bengals WR Tee Higgins
This marks the fewest players tagged in a year since 1994, per ESPN.
What does that mean for their futures?
“We want Tee around here not just next year but in the future,” Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said at the NFL combine. “Tee’s been a big part of all the wins we’ve had and keeping defenses accountable.”
Whether or not the Bengals will keep him together with MVP-caliber quarterback Joe Burrow and triple crown-winning receiver Ja’Marr Chase, however, is very much in question, mostly thanks to the team itself. Cincinnati failed to reach a contract extension agreement with Chase last summer, and the price has only gone up. Higgins has now received the franchise tag two years in a row, and while reports suggest the Bengals plan to negotiate a longer-term deal with him this time, they also are notorious for tightening purse strings relative to other franchises.
Smith’s future, meanwhile, still seems to be in Kansas City, with multiple reports indicating the Chiefs want him long-term, especially given their offensive line issues. He received the non-exclusive tag, which means he’s free to negotiate with other teams, but the Chiefs also have the right to match any offer sheet he receives. So it might just have been a way of gauging his market in negotiations.
Which players realistically *could* have received the franchise tag?
The Dallas Cowboys worked out a four-year, $80 million deal with defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa, who reportedly would have been place on the tag if a deal couldn’t be reached.
Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold, meanwhile, seemed like a straightforward candidate for the tag, so that he and the Vikings could buy more time in trying to work out a longer-term deal. But the $40.2 million number for QBs on the tag (see below) was reportedly too high for the Vikings, and would have limited their ability to build out the rest of the roster.
What is the NFL franchise tag?
The franchise tag is a designation NFL teams may use to retain one player set to be an unrestricted free agent and sign them to a set contract for another year. There are exclusive and non-exclusive tags, as well as transition tags.
Exclusive tags mean the contract must be no less than either the average of the top five salaries at that player’s position or 120% of the player’s salary the previous season, whichever is greater. It also means the player is not allowed to negotiate with other teams and may not sign with another team should they reject the offer.
Non-exclusive tags mean the contract must be no less than either the average of the top five cap hits at that player’s position or 120% of the player’s salary the previous season, whichever is greater. Unlike the exclusive tag, however, the player is allowed to negotiate with other teams, and if he receives an offer, his current team has the chance to match. If the team chooses not to match, it’s entitled to receive draft compensation equivalent to two first-round draft picks from the signing team.
Transition tags are another designation NFL teams may use to retain one player set to be an unrestricted free agent and sign him to a set contract for another year. The contract must be no less than the average of the top 10 salaries at the player’s position, and there is no guaranteed compensation. Also, players are allowed to negotiate with other teams.
What are the NFL franchise tag positional values for 2024?
Quarterback: $40.242 million
Running back: $13.64 million
Wide receiver: $23.959 million
Tight end: $13.826 million
Offensive line: $23.4 million
Defensive end: $22.0625 million
Defensive tackle: $25.12 million
Linebacker: $25.45 million
Cornerback: $20.187 million
Safety: $18.601 million
Punter/kicker: $6.313 million
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Deebo Samuel says there’s “no bad blood” after trade from 49ers
This weekend, the San Francisco 49ers granted Deebo Samuel’s trade request, sending the receiver to the Washington Commanders.
On Monday, Samuel clarified that there was was “no bad blood” between him and organization, even with the request. Samuel said that he was leaving on good terms with general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan.
“49ers know where I stand with them and it’s nothing but love. Love John and Kyle to death,” Samuel wrote in a post on X. “They know I’m more than appreciative of everything they done for me as a player and a man.”
49ers know where I stand with them and it’s nothing but love. Love John and Kyle to death no bad blood no way shape or form. They know I’m more than appreciative of everything they done for me as a player and a man nothing but love ❤️.
— Deebo (@19problemz) March 3, 2025
San Francisco reportedly received a fifth-round pick from the Commanders in return. It’s a somewhat low return for the Pro Bowl receiver, but the trade helps the 49ers with their salary cap situation.
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Longtime OC Scott Linehan reportedly joining Saints’ staff
The New Orleans Saints are reportedly bringing veteran coach Scott Linehan onto their staff, per Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football.
The Saints are hiring Scott Linehan to their staff, according to a source.
Linehan has a ton of experience. He was the HC of the Rams. An OC for Minnesota, Miami, Detroit, Dallas. Pass game coordinator for LSU. Most recently worked as an offensive analyst for Montana.
— Nick Underhill (@nick_underhill) March 3, 2025
Linehan — whose long résumé includes a head coaching stint with the then-St. Louis Rams and offensive coordinator roles with the Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings, Miami Dolphins and Dallas Cowboys — will bring an offense boost to the Saints.
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Sean McVay says trading Cooper Kupp is the “hardest decision” he’s had to make as a coach
When speaking with reporters on Monday, Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay addressed one of the elephants in the room: receiver Cooper Kupp, who the team is looking to trade.
Last month, Kupp, who has spent his entire NFL career with the Rams, announced that the team was looking to “immediately” trade him. “I don’t agree with the decision and always believed it was going to begin and end in LA,” Kupp wrote as part of a statement thanking Rams fans.
McVay told reporters on Monday that deciding to trade Kupp was the “hardest decision” he’s made as a head coach.
“We just felt like that was the best direction for our football team … in terms of putting together the whole puzzle. There’s obviously a lot of layers to that,” McVay said.
Sean McVay on Rams making Cooper Kupp available via trade: “We just felt like that was the best direction for our football team … in terms of putting together the whole puzzle. There’s obviously a lot of layers to that.”
— Adam Grosbard (@AdamGrosbard) March 3, 2025
As for whether McVay will bring Kupp back if the Rams can’t find someone to trade him to: “I would never speak in absolutes,” McVay told reporters.
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Matthew Stafford will stay with Rams under adjusted version of current deal, per Sean McVay
Matthew Stafford is staying with the Los Angeles Rams for the near future, with the team announcing Friday that the veteran QB sticking around on a restructured deal. Although the terms of the deal were unknown at the time, Rams head coach Sean McVay provided a few more details during a press conference on Monday.
McVay told reporters that Stafford’s restructured deal would be part of his existing extension, which he signed in 2022. Stafford’s current deal runs through 2026, holding salary cap hits of $49.7 million and $53.7 million, respectively, over the next two seasons; most likely, those amounts are what the team will work to adjust.
The Rams coach added that he expects to have a similar conversation with Stafford next season, but that it hopefully won’t take as long.
Sean McVay: Rams will adjust Matthew Stafford’s financial terms under existing extension – operating on a year-to-year basis. He expects this conversation again next year (reiterating he wants Stafford as long as Stafford wants to play). He hopes it takes even less time in 2026.
— Jourdan Rodrigue (@JourdanRodrigue) March 3, 2025
McVay told reporters that he’d “been sleeping better these last couple of days” since Stafford agreed to stay.
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