Stay up to date with which players have received the franchise tag so far this offseason.
With the start of NFL free agency just over a week away, teams have started to position themselves for what’s shaping up to be an active offseason. That includes doling out franchise tags, which will remove some of the most notable players from the open market.
The Browns kicked off a fairly quiet tagging period thus far, using the designation on tight end David Njoku on Monday.
NFL teams have until Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET to use their franchise tags on prospective free agents, but will have until July 15 to ink long-term deal with players that have received the tag. Stay up to date with the latest franchise-tag news below:
The Chiefs have placed the franchise tag on offensive tackle Orlando Brown Jr. (Team announcement). Kansas City is reportedly “pretty confident” that it will be able to sign the three-time Pro Bowl to a long-term deal this offseason, per NFL Network’s James Palmer.
The Bengals utilized their franchise tag on safety Jessie Bates III (Team announcement). The 2020 second-team All-Pro was a key contributor to Cincinnati’s run to the Super Bowl last season.
Cleveland officially used the franchise tag on tight end David Njoku (Team announcement). The former first-round pick would make $10.931 million on the tag in his sixth-year in Cleveland.
The Patriots will reportedly not use their franchise tag on cornerback J.C. Jackson (Ian Rapoport, NFL Network). The 2021 Pro Bowler is expected to hit free agency next week.
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