Tag days get underway

February 23, 2021

Tag days get underway … Starting today, NFL teams can tag veteran free agents with either the franchise or transition dags. Teams have until March 9th to designate tagged players. The whole tag process is somewhat complicated by the fact that teams still don’t know exactly what the salary cap will be when the new NFL year begins on March 17th. The league and the players’ association have agreed that the cap will be at least $180M million, but it is not expected to be more than $185M. Either way it represents a big drop from the cap of $198 million last year. Players designated with a franchise tag are guaranteed the average of the top five salaries at their respective position over the past five years, while transition tag salaries are based on the average of the top 10 salaries at the position and offer players the chance to sign an offer sheet with other clubs. ESPN has a piece on the top candidates to be tagged including Dallas QB Dak Prescott, Detroit WR Kenny Golladay and Giants’ DE Leonard Williams.