With NFL free agency getting underway on Wednesday, March 13, the 32 organizations around the league had to face a burning question and decision all wrapped into one, whether to pay a premium in order to keep one of their own players off the open market.
The deadline for using the franchise tag officially closed at 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday. By the end of the day, eight players, Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins, Kansas City Chiefs cornerback L’Jarius Sneed, Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety Antoine Winfield Jr., Jacksonville Jaguars outside linebacker Josh Allen, Carolina Panthers outside linebacker Brian Burns, Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr., Baltimore Ravens defensive tackle Justin Madubuike and Chicago Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson, all had been hit with the designation. And New England Patriots safety Kyle Dugger was given the transition tag.
Here is a rundown of the players who had the franchise tag placed on them.
Embed from Getty Images• Tee Higgins – The Bengals officially placed the franchise tag on their No. 2 receiver Higgins, as they will have until the middle of July to come to an agreement on a long-term deal. Higgins will still have a nice payday, earning $21,816,000 this season under the tag. Higgins had a down year production-wise with career lows in receptions (42), receiving yards (656) and receiving touchdowns (five) last season, but played just 12 games. He put together back-to-back 1,000-yard receiving seasons in 2021 and 2022, respectively.
• L’Jarius Sneed – This is a complex set of circumstances, as the two-time defending champion Chiefs and Sneed are open to a trade if the two sides cannot come to terms on a long-term contract. This gives Sneed an opportunity to be courted by other teams while also continuing to work something out with the Chiefs. The 27-year-old defensive back has been one of the key cogs and extremely consistent during his four years with the Chiefs. Over that period of time, he has been a jack of all trades, with 10 interceptions, 40 pass breakups, four forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, 6.5 sacks and has over 300 career tackles.
• Antoine Winfield Jr. – The Buccaneers placed the franchise tag on Winfield and he is set to make $17,123,000 in 2024. Winfield earned All-Pro honors for the first time in his career this past season, totaling 122 tackles, getting to the quarterback six times, 12 pass breakups and three picks. Winfield’s six forced fumbles were also tied for the league lead. He gave up just a single passing touchdown as opposing signal callers had a miniscule 46.1 passer rating when targeting him.
• Josh Allen – The Jaguars are placing the franchise tag on the Pro Bowl edge rusher, according to NFL Media. The seventh overall pick of the 2019 NFL Draft out of the University of Kentucky set the Jaguars’ single-season sacks record with 17.5 in 2023, tied for the second-most in the entire league last season with Bengals Pro Bowler Trey Hendrickson. Only Steelers All-Pro T.J. Watt had more sacks (19.0) than Allen in 2023.
• Brian Burns – Burns was tagged by the Panthers early Tuesday morning prior to the franchise tag window expiring. Burns and the Panthers are currently at a stalemate in contract negotiations this past season as he was looking for a deal with an average annual value of $30 million. The Panthers were reportedly willing to go up to $27 million per season on a five-year deal, which would have been $135 million in total value. Only the 49ers’ Nick Bosa ($34 million) and Steelers’ T.J. Watt ($28 million) would have been paid more on an average annual salary than Burns. Burns would receive a guaranteed salary of $22.3 million, coming off a season which he finished with 40 pressures, eight sacks, 18 quarterback hits and a 11.1% pressure rate. Burns, who was a standout at the defensive end position in previous seasons, lined up as an outside linebacker for the majority of snaps last season, making him eligible for a linebacker’s salary if tagged.
• Michael Pittman Jr. – The Colts are retaining Pittman for the 2024 campaign. Pittman had a coming out party of sorts, hauling in 100 balls for the first time in his career in the 2023 season at age 26, during his contract year. The 109 receptions that he came down with were fifth-most in the NFL this past season and rank in the top four in a single season in Colts history.
• Justin Madubuike – The Ravens have decided to hold on to the impressive defensive tackle, who is coming off of a career year in which he accumulated 56 combined tackles, 13 sacks, 33 QB hits and 12 tackles for loss. He was named second-team All-Pro and was selected to his first Pro Bowl after demolishing his previous career highs. His 13 sacks and 33 QB hits ranked first among all defensive tackles. His franchise tag salary comes in at $22.102 million.
• Jaylon Johnson – The ‘Monsters of the Midway’, Chicago Bears utilized the franchise tag on the Pro Bowl cornerback. His one-year, fully guaranteed contract for 2024 will be $19.8 million in the event the two sides cannot come to terms on a multiyear extension, something the Bears are committed to working toward with Johnson. He had a career-high four interceptions including one house call to the end zone, 10 passes defended, one forced fumble and 36 tackles in 2023 and allowed a total of 195 yards and a 31.0 passer rating when targeted.
• Kyle Dugger – The Patriots have placed the transition tag on safety Kyle Dugger. The transition tag will cost the Patriots $13.8 million. Another franchise could offer Dugger long-term security, in which case the Patriots would not get any compensation, which is the risk they are willing to take. A franchise tag would have been $16.258 million for the team.
