The franchise tag designations are rolling in at a startling rate as the 2019 NFL Scouting Combine comes to a close. The Miami Dolphins aren’t going to be a part of the tags this year, but they’ll still feel the impact in the tag’s usage on the open market.
With elite talents like Grady Jarrett, Frank Clark, Jadeveon Clowney and others off the market, the salary demands of a player like Trey Flowers will shoot through the roof. It’s a simply lesson in supply and demand.
So with no franchise tag players available to designate, it would be appropriate to look back at the times in which Miami has used the tag.
Here are the occurrences in which the Dolphins has used the franchise tag since the turn of the millennium.
2000 – Offensive Tackle Richmond Webb
Webb received the tag for the second consecutive off-season in 2000, keeping him in place for his final season in Miami before playing two years in Cincinnati.
2001 – Defensive End Jason Taylor
Taylor was a 26-year old defensive end, coming off a 14.5 sacks season when Miami slapped him with the tag. Taylor would go on to play eleven more seasons (nine in Miami) en route to becoming a first ballot Hall of Famer.
2011 – Defensive Tackle Paul Soliai
A decade drought with the tag ended with a nose tackle, of all positions. Soliai’s tenure with the Dolphins didn’t end after his tagged season, but within three years Soliai was off the team.
2013 – Defensive Tackle Randy Starks
Starks enjoyed a career revival in Miami after starting his pro career in Tennessee. Starks became a fixture of the Dolphins defensive line during the early portions of this decade and the tag aided in extending his time in South Florida by two seasons.
2018 – Wide Receiver Jarvis Landry
Landry is the only player to be given the franchise tag by Miami whose time with the team ended that same off-season. Landry’s tag figure ( >$16M for 2018) was a big catalyst in him being dealt to Cleveland for 2018 4th and 7th-round picks.
