NEWSLETTER
Today is the first day of tagging season, which means we’ll be on the look-out for teams handing out any variation of the franchise tag to notable players around the league.
Speculation is already underway on which players will be tagged, and ESPN’s crew of NFL reporters took their best educated guesses at which teams would use the tag this year.
Kyle Fuller is a noteworthy inclusion among the group, as Jeff Dickerson predicts the Chicago Bears will use the franchise tag on the only player worthy of consideration among the Bears’ 25 free agents. Dickerson joins NFL.com’s Gregg Rosenthal, who is also leaning toward the Bears extending the franchise tag on the free-agent-to-be, keeping him in Chicago for at least one more year. This comes just days after a report surfaced that suggested Fuller would not return to Chicago in 2018.
OverTheCap.com projects the franchise tag number for a cornerback in 2018 to be $14,877,000. To be clear, this is just an estimation and the number could reach (and even surpass) $15 million. While retaining Fuller should be a top priority, the Bears would be best served to come to terms on a long-term deal with Fuller after his breakout season caused his free agent stock to skyrocket.
Another big name who an ESPN analyst predicts will receive the franchise tag is Miami Dolphins wide receiver Jarvis Landry. Dan Graziano believes the decision to tag Landry could come down to how contract negotiations are going between the two sides. They haven’t gone well to this point, but it wasn’t all that long ago when the Dolphins were rumored to be quietly confident the two sides would eventually come to something of an agreement at some point. Graziano concludes if the Dolphins don’t think they can come to a long-term agreement with Landry, they’ll tag him. But if they’re close, they could hold out and not use the tag at all. In late January, Landry was reportedly not optimistic about his chances to return to Miami.
In short, handicapping the Landry derby is short of impossible. Good luck with that.
The Jaguars seem to be in a similar situation with receiver Allen Robinson. Mike DiRocco writes Robinson is the only player the Jaguars will consider using the tag on, but are hesitant to commit a long-term contract to a player coming off a torn ACL. Still, using the franchise tag (worth an estimated $16.2 million) is better than the alternative of negotiating against other teams and possibly having to dive into the free agent market for a replacement.
Other notable predictions that could impact what the Bears do in the offseason include the Minnesota Vikings (quarterback Case Keenum), Detroit Lions (defensive end Ezekiel Ansah), and Los Angeles Rams (receiver Sammy Watkins) using the franchise tag. Among the well-known names not predicted to be tagged are left tackle Nate Solder, running back Dion Lewis, and cornerback Malcolm Butler of the New England Patriots, as well as All-Pro guard Andrew Norwell of the Carolina Panthers.
Settle in, folks. The NFL hot stove will be lit shortly.
