There would be a lot more players on this list but Tom Brady, Drew Brees, and Jadeveon Clowney all can’t be franchise tagged this offseason. The players below definitely can be tagged, and it’s more plausible than not that they will end up at least being franchised for a little bit before some of them sign a long term deal. The list is filled with some young quarterbacks, defensive linemen who can wreck gameplans, a veteran, and an offensive lineman.
Dak Prescott
The only way Jerry Jones lets Prescott go anywhere is if he plans on signing Tom Brady to sell some tickets. Even if that happens, Prescott may still end up with the tag before Dallas can offer a free agent like Brady a contract. The Cowboys have a ton of cap space. Prescott wants a long-term deal and he’s going to get near-close to the top of the market money. If the Cowboys have any concern about Prescott’s long-term viability or Dak plays hardball negotiating his contract, he could play this year under the tag.
Ryan Tannehill
Yes, Ryan Tannehill is a true option for the franchise tag. He led the Titans to the AFC title game. In fact, the change to Tannehill resurrected Tennessee’s season. The hope should be that the Titans tag Tannehill and he tries to trade in the tag for a cheaper average annual value but more years. Unless the Titans know they can get someone like Brady or Drew Brees, then Tannehill could be the only option. He also just might be a better option than the two aging legends.
Jameis Winston
Maybe the Bucs don’t want to give Winston a long-term contract if he throws 30 interceptions again. Maybe Tampa Bay does want to take the chance and see if Winston can improve his ball security in his second year in Bruce Arians’ and Byron Leftwich’s offense. Either way, someone will throw money at Winston and that team will convince themselves that they can fix what’s wrong with Winston. The Bucs may run this thing back.
Chris Jones
There’s a case to be made that Chris Jones deserved to be Super Bowl LIV MVP. Now we expect Kansas City to let one of its best and most disruptive defensive players just walk? That’s not happening.
Now, Kansas City is going to have to do some creative work with their roster. They don’t have a ton of projected space under the cap. They probably want to lock up actual Super Bowl MVP up for the foreseeable future. Jones is primed to end up with the tag as long as Mahomes doesn’t have his extension set.
Shaq Barrett
Obviously, the Bucs can’t use two franchise tags. That could mean Barrett ends up with the transition tag. The other option is that the Bucs make a run at a free agent quarterback — maybe someone like Philip Rivers — and use their tag on Barrett instead. There’s a slight risk that Barrett only put up these inflated numbers in a contract year, but finding edge rushers isn’t easy.
A.J. Green
A.J. Green probably shouldn’t get franchise tagged. He’s been injured a lot. He’s getting up there in age and he relies on his physical ability to dominate in the passing game. He’s a question mark until proven otherwise. But, we are dealing with the Bengals here. They will want to keep Green around because they never go outside of their system to sign free agents or make trades. They see Green as a lifetime Bengal and will show loyalty to Green with a new contract — or with the franchise tag. Joe Burrow is going to need someone to throw to.
Brandon Scherff
No one knows what’s going to happen with Trent Williams and the Redskins can’t let their offensive line disintegrate any further. Scherff has had a few injuries in his career and that may cause the new regime to want to wait things out a year rather than give him a longer-term deal. If Scherff did hit the market, more than a few teams would be interested in his services.
