Tag: NFL franchise tag

The history of the Miami Dolphins and the franchise tag

Who have they placed it on in the past?

The NFL introduced the franchise and transition tags back in 1993 when their collective bargaining agreement went into effect, and since then, teams have been able to keep players on one-year deals who were expected to become unrestricted free agents at the start of the league year.

A team could decide to have the player play on their tag, sign them to an extension, or trade them.

The Miami Dolphins have a couple of candidates that they could use either the franchise tag or transition tag this year, but what does history tell us they’re going to do?

These are the eight players the Dolphins have used one of the tags on since 1993.

Don’t expect the Commanders to use the franchise tag in 2022

Don’t expect anything from the Washington Commanders to use the franchise tag in 2022.

The window to franchise tag players opens at 4:00 p.m. ET Tuesday. Unlike the past two years, don’t expect any action from the Washington Commanders.

Washington tagged Pro Bowl right guard Brandon Scherff in each of the past two years with the hopes of reaching a long-term contract extension. However, the two sides couldn’t agree to a contract despite the team’s best efforts. General manager Martin Mayhew said month the team offered Scherff a contract which would’ve made him the highest-paid guard in NFL history.

While Washington would certainly still like to keep the 30-year-old Scherff, using a third franchise tag is not an option. Yes, the Commanders could afford the cap hit of over $25 million it would cost to tag Scherff for a third consecutive year, but the team will let the guard hit free agency, and the expectation is he’s played his last down in Washington.

A long-term deal made sense for Scherff in the last two years. However, Scherff will be 31 in 2022 and hasn’t played every game in a season since 2016. He missed six games in 2021. Yes, Scherff is a fantastic player, but he’s already injury-prone and combined with his age and contract demands, which is not ideal for the Commanders.

Scherff earned $15 and $18 million on the last two franchise tags. For a third tag, which is extremely rare as it’s cost-prohibitive, the team must pay the player 120% of the player’s previous salary.

Washington has no other contenders for the franchise tag. Running back J.D. McKissic and safety Bobby McCain are free agents the team would prefer to keep, but they are not receiving the franchise tag.

The franchise tag hasn’t been good to Washington over the last several years as Scherff and Kirk Cousins saw two franchise tags. Cousins left after the 2017 season.

2022 franchise tag window open, who, if anyone, should the Dolphins use it on

There are two options, but should they use it at all?

One of the first steps of any NFL offseason is finally upon us, as the league’s window for franchise tags has opened.

Teams have now until March 8 to use the franchise or transition tags on any player that has an expiring contract. Teams may sign the player to the tag, use the tag and then agree to a long-term deal, or use the tag to trade the player.

The Miami Dolphins have two very clear candidates for the tags this year in tight end Mike Gesicki and defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah.

According to Over the Cap, the franchise tag number for a tight end in 2022 would be $10.8 million, and for a defensive end, it would be $20.2 million.

Ogbah has seemed to turn a corner in his two seasons with Miami. He’s played in all 33 games, recording 83 tackles, 24 quarterback hits, 18 sacks, 17 passes defended, four forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries. However, while he’s impacting most games he’s playing in, $20.2 million is a lot to commit to one player.

The 28-year-old would have the 10th-largest cap hit of any edge rusher in the league, just above San Francisco’s Arik Armstead and Los Angeles’ Leonard Floyd who both have cap hits of $20 million.

Gesicki, on the other hand, would cost roughly half of that, but his impact in this offense might not be what it’s been in the past.

The tight end had arguably the best season of his career in 2021, recording 780 yards and two touchdowns on 73 receptions. However, now with Mike McDaniel coming in and likely instituting a new offensive gameplan and scheme that keys in on blocking from tight ends and full backs, Gesicki might not be the most useful tight end to spend all that money on.

At the same time, McDaniel could come up with another role to use Gesicki in to fit the offense a little better, but things in his offense would have to change to maximize Gesicki’s impact. Maybe it would be beneficial for Miami to use the tag on him for the year and see how he fits.

There’s always a chance that the Dolphins don’t use the tag at all, which is a real possibility this year. Miami may be able to get either guy to sign to a long-term deal, or they could opt not to re-sign either and let them walk. The latter seems less likely, but there’s a real good chance that general manager Chris Grier doesn’t use the tags this offseason.

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Chargers’ decision with WR Mike Williams looms

All eyes are on the Chargers to see what they will do with Mike Williams.

The Chargers’ decision on wide receiver Mike Williams looms.

Williams heads into the offseason as one of the top pending unrestricted free agents, and Los Angeles has the opportunity to ensure he doesn’t go anywhere starting on Tuesday.

The two-week window for franchise tagging players begins, which means it would guarantee Williams a one-year deal worth and give both sides more time to potentially iron out a long-term extension if they decide to take this route.

The cost to tag Williams would be $19 million. L.A. is set to have the third-most cap space in the league, per Over The Cap.

If the Chargers don’t tag Williams, they could also negotiate a long-term deal when free agency opens on March 14. However, he would also be free to negotiate with any team then.

In a new role under Joe Lombardi, Williams is coming off arguably his most productive seasons to date, setting career highs with 76 receptions and 1,146 receiving yards. In addition, he added nine touchdown catches in 2021.

Williams made a strong case in the season finale against the Raiders, as he came through in the clutch and made big plays along the way, most notably when he caught a 12-yard touchdown pass as time expired to send the game into overtime.

The 27-year old was inconsistent in the middle of the season, dealt with dropped passes, and may still draw injury concerns, but keeping Williams is vital for continuity between him and Justin Herbert, and his big-play ability doesn’t come around often with other players at the position.

The Touchdown Wire free-agency podcast with Doug Farrar and Mark Schofield

It’s time for NFL free agency, which means it’s time for Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar and Mark Schofield to break it all down!

It’s nearly time for NFL free agency, which means it’s time for Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar and Mark Schofield to return to their podcasting ways, and break it all down!

Among the topics discussed:

  • The J.J. Watt deal, and how the Cardinals might use him in their multiple fronts;
  • The Dak Prescott mega-contract, and the things Dak needs to improve to take his position in the NFL’s top five at his position;
  • How the Bucs won big by re-signing Lavonte David;
  • The eight franchise tag candidates: Were there any surprises there, and were there players who should have been franchised that weren’t?
  • The top 51 players left in free agency;
  • The most underrated players and best bargains on the open market; and…
  • The players who have serious red flags, and might get more money than the tape shows is appropriate.

Doug and Mark cover a ton in this one, so check it out and get ready for the biggest spending spree of the 2021 league year!

(Also, Mark wore the “All-Juice Team” t-shirt in memory of the late, great Terez Paylor, and you can buy one here. All proceeds support the Terez A. Paylor Scholarship at Howard University, Terez’s alma mater. The scholarship will be  awarded to students majoring in sports journalism who carry a 3.0 GPA requirement).

Check out the podcast on BlogTalkRadio:

Which potential Jets targets were franchise tagged? Which were not?

Jets Wire takes a look at potential Jets free agents targets who were/weren’t franchise tagged during Tuesday’s deadline.

The franchise tag deadline came and went on Tuesday with nine players receiving the tag ahead of the new league year.

The Jets placed the tag on Marcus Maye, while ex-Jet Leonard Williams received it from the Giants. Maye, Williams and all the other tagged players now have until July 15 to work out a long-term deal with their respective teams.

While could-have-been Jets targets like Allen Robinson and Chris Godwin received the tag on Tuesday, New York will still have plenty of talent to court when free agency begins on March 17. Let’s take a look at potential Jets targets who were and weren’t franchise tagged on Tuesday.

Ravens don’t use franchise tag on Matthew Judon or Yannick Ngakoue, letting deadline pass

The Baltimore Ravens didn’t use the franchise tag this offseason, seemingly letting Yannick Ngakoue and Matthew Judon hit free agency

The NFL’s franchise-tag deadline has come and gone and while nine players received the one-year tender, the Baltimore Ravens weren’t among the teams handing one out. However, that creates some pretty big questions about Baltimore’s offseason plans as it appears outside linebacker Matthew Judon and defensive end Yannick Ngakoue will be headed to free agency next week.

With limited salary-cap space, the Ravens were never really expected to use the franchise tag this offseason. Though the NFL and NFLPA have agreed to a cap floor of $180 million in 2021, the salary cap hasn’t been formally set which means the cost of the franchise tag hasn’t been set either. However, with the salary cap expected to go down for the first time in over a decade, Over The Cap projects the Ravens will have around $18 million available. Tagging Judon for the second consecutive year would have cost Baltimore around $20 million with the franchise tag for Ngakoue projected to be around $17.75 million, ultimately meaning neither was a viable tag target financially.

Unfortunately, this creates an interesting dilemma for the Ravens. Both Ngakoue and Judon are among the league’s top pending free agents and could receive quite a bit of interest despite both having lackluster production in 2020. With outside linebackers Pernell McPhee and Tyus Bowser also set to hit free agency, Baltimore could very well see their four top EDGE defenders leave in the coming weeks.

However, that doesn’t mean Judon and Ngakoue are definitely leaving either. The Ravens have often allowed pending free agents to test the market to determine their actual value. With the uncertainty surrounding the salary cap and several big names hitting free agency, that might just be Baltimore’s philosophy once again this offseason.

Regardless, the Ravens should be in the market for a pass rusher when free agency begins. We’ll just have to wait and see whether they’re able to re-sign any of their own players or if they decide to go in a different direction entirely.

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NFL franchise tag: Tracking every player and grading every deal

It’s franchise tag day in the NFL! We’re tracking and analyzing every decision.

Deadlines spur action and today we have our first big deadline on the NFL offseason: Tuesday is the last day for teams to place the franchise tag on players before they get to free agency.

For the Win will be tracking every franchise tag decision and offering analysis on every move.

Here are the 2021 franchise tag values for each position, via Over The Cap:

Quarterback: $24.1 million
Running back: $11.1 million
Wide receiver: $16.4 million
Tight end: $10.2 million
Offensive line: $14.5 million
Defensive end: $17.8 million
Defensive tackle: $14.2 million
Linebacker: $15.7 million
Cornerback: $15.3 million
Safety: $11.2 million
Kicker/punter: $4.8 million

The values change if a player is being tagged for a second or third time and there are different versions of the tag that could also affect the values. We’ll be sure to specify which tag each player is being hit with and how much it’ll cost their teams in 2021.

We’ll be updating this as moves are announced, so stay tuned!

Marcus Maye’s agent rips Jets for refusing to ‘take care of their best player’

Marcus Maye’s agent is unhappy with the way contract talks are going with the Jets.

Uh-oh. Another Jets safety is not thrilled with the way contract negotiations are going.

That’s assuming Marcus Maye and his agent, Erik Burkhardt, are on the same page. Burkhardt took to Twitter Tuesday night to express his displeasure for what he perceives to be the Jets’ unwillingness to get a long-term deal done with his client.

 

Tuesday marked a week remaining before the deadline for teams to designate franchise or transition tags on their pending free agents. Maye hinted at that on his Twitter account on Tuesday.

Jets GM Joe Douglas claimed after the 2020 regular season that re-signing Maye would be a “priority” for Gang Green this offseason. The Jets have until March 9 to place the franchise or transition tag on Maye. Tagging Maye would cost New York around $11.196 million, according to Over The Cap.

The tag would buy New York time to work out a long-term deal, as Maye would hit the open market at the start of the new league year on March 17 without a tag. From there, the Jets have a hard deadline of 4 p.m. on July 15 to work out a contract extension. If the two sides cannot agree by then, Maye would have to play out the 2021 season on the tag.

Maye is coming off a career year. In coverage, the veteran safety allowed 22 receptions on 36 targets for 229 yards with four touchdowns and two interceptions. He also added 88 total tackles, 11 passes defended and two sacks. As his agent noted, Maye was a captain, was voted team MVP, and experimented with his versatility in the secondary after Jamal Adams forced his way out of town last summer.

While a resolution could be coming sooner than later, the Jets shouldn’t risk alienating yet another safety. We’ll see if Burkhardt’s critical comments move the needle one way or another.

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NFL teams can now use franchise tag but should the Ravens?

The Baltimore Ravens can officially use the franchise tag now but should they do it for either Matthew Judon or Yannick Ngakoue?

The window for using the franchise and transition tags is finally open as of today. Starting February 23 and running through March 9, NFL teams can designate a franchise or transition tag player. But that now begs the question . . . Should the Baltimore Ravens use the franchise tag this year?

While the Ravens have quite a few pending free agents this offseason, Matthew Judon and Yannick Ngakoue are the only two that would make any sense as franchise-tag options. Both players are considered to be among the top free agents this offseason, making them attractive options for plenty of teams if they were to hit free agency. But between the cost of the franchise tag, the available options in free agency, and both players’ production in 2020, there’s reason to take a closer look at all sides before making any decision.