When the deadline finally hits for teams to apply the franchise tag on Monday, the Indianapolis Colts are most likely not going to be one of the organizations that use the one-year deal. But they will still be impacted by it.
Every year, the elite free agents set to hit the market usually get the franchise tag in some way. Teams would rather have leverage over the rest of the league by keeping a stud player from hitting the market.
The Colts are already being impacted by the franchise tag as four teams have made it clear they will be applying the tender to some of the bigger names on the market.
So far, there have been four players to receive the franchise tag before the deadline with more to go. That list could be bigger by the time of reading:
- DE Yannick Ngakoue | Jacksonville Jaguars
- DE Matthew Judon | Baltimore Ravens
- TE Hunter Henry | Los Angeles Chargers
- S Justin Simmons | Denver Broncos
The Kansas City Chiefs are also expected to tag defensive tackle Chris Jones while the Dallas Cowboys are expected to tag quarterback Dak Prescott. There are a few other names like A.J. Green and Bud Dupree who could also be tagged.
What this means for the Colts is they will have fewer top-end players to pursue in free agency. Typically, the Colts like to let the dust settle before really going after it in the market, but Chris Ballard did mention he is open to bringing in a bigger named player.
A few names will be added to this list over the weekend, and it means the Colts will have a smaller crop of free agents to pursue when the market officially opens.
The deadline for the franchise tag is Monday, March 16 at 11:59 a.m. ET, which is one minute before the legal tampering period opens for the NFL.