We are a week into the tag window and only one player — Robbie Gould who is a kicker — has been tagged. Demarcus Lawrence hasn’t been tagged. Dee Ford hasn’t been tagged. Jadeveon Clowney who is almost definitely getting tagged hasn’t been tagged. What’s up with this lack of tags? We need more tags. What else are we supposed to talk about during this NFL dead time?
Teams are going to use these tags, but maybe they are showing some restraint. After all, players hate getting tagged. It makes it feel like the team they are negotiating with isn’t doing so in good faith. Since there’s no reason to create this type of drama with a player that is for all intents and purposes still under team control, there’s no reason to rush these things. It just makes the atmosphere better.
The tag is always there, waiting and watching. If Ford and the Chiefs can’t come to a deal, the tag is happening. If Grady Jarrett thinks there is a market out there for interior linemen — and there is — he better not get too comfortable with the idea of testing it because the Falcons are tagging him. It’s funny that a kicker is the only current tag, but Stephen Gostkowski will probably join him.
Mike Florio’s idea is probably best when it comes to tags. There’s no reason to make this window long other than extending the news cycle on franchise tags. Make the tag a single day event. It’s turning into that anyway. We know everyone who is going to get tagged. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that a week from now almost every player named here will be saddled with the tag and severely limited in their quest to get a long term contract.
The deadline to sign someone to a long term deal before the tag is one day. Just make the deadline to tag someone one day. It’s one weird song and dance right now.
Unless teams are suddenly getting wise to the franchise tag and realizing how limiting it can be when trying to build a roster. Maybe we won’t get a ton of franchise tags this year. Maybe there will be true free agency in the NFL like there is in the NBA. Nah, nevermind. That isn’t happening.
