[Elvis]

http://espn.go.com/blog/nflnation/post/ ... chise-tags

Everything you have ever wanted to know about NFL franchise tags

We've laughed. We've cried. We've argued. And now it's time to end the comedown from Super Bowl 50. The NFL will turn its full attention this week to 2016 roster building, after all, so we might as well go along with it.

First up: On Tuesday, teams can begin applying the franchise or transition tags. (They will have until 4 p.m. ET on March 9 to make that decision, but a guy can dream, right?)

Below is everything a reasonably well-adjusted person could possibly want to know about the NFL tag system and how tags might affect the 2016 offseason, from projected numbers to likely candidates to historic background data researched at great length by Matt Willis of ESPN Stats & Information. (Great for prop bets!).

There are actually three tags, right?

Ah, yes.

There is an exclusive-rights franchise tag that completely binds the player to his team. His agent is prohibited from seeking an offer sheet.

There is a nonexclusive franchise tag that allows the player to sign an offer sheet with another team. The original team has the right to match the offer or receive two first-round draft picks in compensation if the player leaves.

The transition tag works like the nonexclusive franchise tag, except it only provides the original team the right to match the other team's offer. If the original team decides not to offer a matching bid, it gets no compensation when the player leaves.

Remind me how the tag values are calculated, please and thank you.

The franchise tag value is the average of the top five salaries at a player's position, or 120 percent of a player's previous salary, whichever is greater. The transition tag is worth the average of the top 10 salaries at the player's position.

Why haven't I seen the official tag values yet?

Because the NFL hasn't completed them.

Part of the calculations include the value of the annual salary cap, which has not yet been determined. So any team considering a tag must look at recent history and make an educated guess what the salary cap will be.

2016 Franchise Tag Projections*
POSITION TAG
Cornerback $14.8M
Defensive End $15.5M
Defensive Tackle $13.4M
Linebacker $14.1M
Offensive Line $13.7M
Punter/Kicker $4.5M
Quarterback $19.8M
Running Back $11.8M
Safety $10.7M
Tight End $9.1M
Wide Receiver $14.5M
* Based on a $154 million salary cap

The chart is a version of one estimate making the rounds among NFL teams, which projects the cap at $154 million for 2016. It aligns with a set of projections published in November by former agent Joel Corry for CBSSports.com

Who are the likely candidates?

Some teams are more likely to use the tag system than others, as we'll see in a moment. But with another big cap rise expected this spring, teams know there is a real chance their stars will be pursued by rivals with tens of millions of dollars in cap space to burn.

Remember, it was only a year ago that the Miami Dolphins pounced on defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh after the Detroit Lions failed to tag him, signing Suh to a six-year deal worth $114 million.

This year, the most attractive pending free agents -- and thus the likeliest tag candidates -- include:

Denver Broncos linebacker Von Miller

Carolina Panthers cornerback Josh Norman

New York Jets defensive tackle Muhammad Wilkerson

Chicago Bears receiver Alshon Jeffery

Buffalo Bills offensive lineman Cordy Glenn

Kansas City Chiefs safety Eric Berry

Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Sam Bradford

Cincinnati Bengals offensive lineman Andre Smith

Baltimore Ravens place-kicker Justin Tucker

There is usually a surprise or two in there every year. And if the Broncos sign Miller to a long-term deal before the tag deadline, they might consider a tag on quarterback Brock Osweiler.

What happens next?

Once a player is tagged, the sides have until July 15 to sign a long-term contract or, by NFL rule, the player must go through the 2016 regular season on a one-year deal. Then the sides are back where they started, unless part of the one-year agreement is to not use the tag in 2017.

What usually happens in these situations?

Franchise Tag History, 2012-15
YEAR TEAM PLAYER SIGNED BY DEADLINE?
2015 Cowboys Dez Bryant Yes
2015 Broncos Demaryius Thomas Yes
2015 Chiefs Justin Houston Yes
2015 Patriots Stephen Gostkowski Yes
2015 Giants Jason Pierre-Paul No
2014 Panthers Greg Hardy No
2014 Redskins Brian Orakpo No
2014 Saints Jimmy Graham Yes
2014 Jets Nick Folk Yes
2013 Chiefs Branden Albert No
2013 Bengals Michael Johnson No
2013 Dolphins Randy Starks No
2013 Bears Henry Melton No
2013 Cowboys Anthony Spencer No
2013 Broncos Ryan Clady Yes
2013 Colts Pat McAfee No
2013 Bills Jairus Byrd No
2012 Falcons Brent Grimes No
2012 Colts Robert Mathis Yes
2012 Lions Cliff Avril No
2012 Cardinals Calais Campbell Yes
2012 Buccaneers Connor Barth Yes
2012 Jaguars Josh Scobee Yes
2012 Broncos Matt Prater Yes
2012 Browns Phil Dawson No
2012 Bengals Mike Nugent No
2012 Cowboys Anthony Spencer No
2012 Giants Steve Weatherford Yes
2012 Saints Drew Brees Yes
2012 Bears Matt Forte Yes
2012 Ravens Ray Rice Yes
2012 Titans Michael Griffin Yes
2012 49ers Dashon Goldson No
2012 Raiders Tyvon Branch Yes
2012 Redskins Fred Davis No
2012 Patriots Wes Welker No
2012 Chiefs Dwayne Bowe No
2012 Eagles DeSean Jackson Yes
The tag was first instituted in 1993 and has survived many different markets and operating philosophies. The chart shows its history over the last four years.

Half of the 38 players tagged since 2012 have signed long-term deals by the July 15 deadline. The rest either played out the season on the franchise tag or -- as in the case last year of New York Giants defensive Jason Pierre-Paul -- experienced unusual circumstances.

You were saying that some teams use tags more often?

I was. But that could be the result of skill level more than philosophy.

The Indianapolis Colts have used the franchise tag an NFL-high 11 times since 1993, followed by the Seattle Seahawks (10). The New England Patriots, Arizona Cardinals and Kansas City Chiefs have used it nine times apiece.

On the other hand, the Houston Texans -- who began play in 2002 -- have used it only once. The Atlanta Falcons (two) used it fewer times than any team that was in business in 1993.

How has the rising cap affected franchise tag use?

Between 1993-2013, NFL teams used the tag an average of 9.25 times per offseason. In 2012 alone, it was used 21 times.

But amid quickly rising cap numbers in 2014 and 2015, teams were flush with cap space and were more aggressive in their pursuit of long-term deals, so they were less likely to use the franchise tag to lock players up for just one year. The tag has been used nine times in the past two seasons combined.

Do certain positions get tagged more often?

Why, yes.

Generally speaking, teams tag players with the skill sets that would be most attractive on the open market.

Setting aside quarterbacks, who don't often reach this point in the process, we have seen more offensive linemen (especially pass-protecting tackles) tagged than any other position. Of the 29 offensive linemen tagged since 1993, 23 are tackles.

Next are defensive ends and linebackers, usually pass-rushers, at 25.

There have been only eight quarterbacks tagged in the history of the system, fewer than all positions except punter (four).

Anything else?

Not for today. The quick onset of the offseason can be rough for everyone. We'll get through this together.

[Elvis]

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/p ... ornerbacks

Rams might use tag to keep one of their cornerbacks

Feb 11, 2016

Nick Wagoner

EARTH CITY, Mo. -- The offseason is here for the Los Angeles Rams and now that we know where they'll be playing their home games for the long term, things have settled down enough to spend our weekends answering a few of your Twitter questions.

As always, you can find me on Twitter @nwagoner and fire away with any Rams-related questions you might have. Please use hashtag #RamsMail so I can see them.

On to your questions.




@nwagoner: I'd say it's unlikely (though not out of the question) that the Rams would use the franchise tag on any of their pending free agents. If they did, Jenkins would be the better bet of the two to get it, but it's worth noting that they could be interested in using the transition tag to ensure control over one of the two starting corners. The Rams would be playing with fire if both corners hit the open market because they would then expose themselves to the possibility that they could lose both. I don't expect it to come to that and I still think the Rams would like to keep both Jenkins and Johnson, and there's zero doubt that they want to bring at least one of them back. How it all plays out will be fascinating, though, because both players performed well enough in 2015 to get a nice payday this offseason.



@nwagoner: For those that missed it, Todd Gurley appeared on SportsCenter during Super Bowl week and made a mostly joking reference to taking the mantle from Kobe Bryant as Los Angeles' preeminent superstar athlete. But trust me when I say that Gurley isn't preoccupied by such thoughts or ideas and he isn't going to let his fame in the nation's second-largest market change how he prepares. I've only been around Gurley for a year, but he's a humble young man who understands what it takes to succeed. One needs only to see how hard he worked to come back from his ACL injury and how emotional he was when he won the offensive rookie of the year award to understand that. If Gurley can ascend to L.A. superstar, it will come only as a result of his effort and production and not because he made some joking reference to it on television.

[Neil039]

IMO better on Tru or JJ than on our "idiot kicker". Sorry channeling Manning, not his balls in the face side but his keen observation of Kickers.

[Elvis]

http://www.fieldgulls.com/2016/2/15/110 ... r-position

Projected NFL Franchise Tag numbers per position

By Danny Kelly  @FieldGulls on Feb 15, 2016, 2:30p 21

The NFL Salary Cap has yet to be set for 2016 (though per one report today, it could climb to as high as $155 million), so we do not yet know the figures for franchise and transition tags per position. However, there are a few projections out there that can give you an idea of what kind of money it will cost a team to place a franchise tag on a star player.

This likely won't affect the Seahawks -- they're very unlikely to tag Russell Okung or Jeremy Lane -- and in fact, the only guy that I could see it happening with is punter Jon Ryan, who'd cost upwards of $4.5-$5.0 million. This seems really unlikely too.

But for reference, here you go:

Projection based on $153 million cap:

Per Kevin Patra of NFL.com, taking the estimated cap number of $153 million in 2016, this is an approximation of what the numbers for each position would be:

Quarterback: $19.6 million ($17.5 million)
Defensive end: $15.4 million ($12.5 million)
Wide Receiver: $14.4 million ($12.0 million)
Linebacker: $14.0 million ($11.7 million)
Cornerback: $13.7 million ($11.7 million)
Offensive line: $13.5 million ($11.7 million)
Defensive tackle: $13.4 million ($10.7 million)
Running back: $11.5 million ($9.5 million)
Safety: $10.6 million ($9.0 million)
Tight End: $9.0 million ($7.6 million)
Kicker/Punter: $4.5 million ($4.0 million)

However, obviously, with the report today that it could climb to "at least" $155 million, perhaps we should estimate a little bit higher.

Projection based on a $154 million cap

Per Joel Corry of CBSSports, this is a projection of what the franchise tag numbers would look like with a $154 million cap. He also added some really handy percentage-changes for each position as well.

PROJECTED FRANCHISE TAG NUMBERS, 2016
POSITION CURRENT SALARY CAP PERCENTAGE PROJECTED CHANGE
Cornerback $13,075,000 8.985% $13,838,000 5.83%
Defensive End $14,813,000 10.061% $15,494,000 4.6%
Defensive Tackle $11,193,000 8.68% $13,368,000 19.43%
Linebacker $13,195,000 9.176% $14,131,000 7.09%
Offensive Line $12,943,000 8.882% $13,678,000 5.68%
Punter/Kicker $4,126,000 2.944% $4,534,000 9.89%
Quarterback $18,544,000 12.823% $19,748,000 6.49%
Running Back $10,951,000 7.708% $11,871,000 8.4%
Safety $9,618,000 6.959% $10,717,000 11.43%
Tight End $8,347,000 5.879% $9,053,000 8.46%
Wide Receiver $12,823,000 9.434% $14,527,000 13.29%
-------

So, as you can see, franchise tags are extremely expensive, and there's a reason they should only be reserved for foundational, "franchise" players. The Seahawks won't use theirs this year (almost surely), but it's still worth keeping an eye on the numbers for once free agency hits.

[Hacksaw]

Good info Elvis.

Doest look like the Rams use the tag to often lately (or ever). Could be that not many players on our recent rosters (last 10 years) were worth it.

[Hacksaw]

We have concerns for our secondary.
Cornerback: $13.7 million ($11.7 million)

TruJo
_Yr______Age___Base Salary_______Bonus______Cap Hit_____Dead Cap
2015_____25____$1,542,000_____$167,794____$1,709,794 ___$167,794

JJ
2015_____26_____$660,000______$517,337____$1,587,829___$517,331

Either guy would be happy with that raise...

[Elvis]