The 2024 NFL Free Agency period will soon mark its exciting arrival. Before then, the two-week NFL franchise tag window officially opened on Tuesday (2/20) and runs until 4 p.m. ET on March 5. There are various impending free-agents-to-be that will receive the dreaded franchise tag before reaching the market.
Tagging a player extends a franchise’s window to sign that player to a long-term extension, or the team and player could choose to play out the 2024 campaign on a one-year, fully guaranteed contract determined by the top five annual salaries at that respective position. We've identified five potential candidates to receive the franchise tag.
TEE HIGGINS, WR, CINCINNATI BENGALS
The Bengals would love to re-sign wide receiver Tee Higgins to a long-term deal, but it doesn't qualify as realistic. Duke Tobin has already given quarterback Joe Burrow a $300 million extension and a record-breaking deal for Ja'Marr Chase will soon follow suit.
Tobin negotiated Burrow's extension with Higgins' situation at the forefront of his thought process. The scheduled 2024 cap hit for the franchise quarterback is $29.7 million, according to Spotrac. Burrow's 2025 figure is scheduled to increase to $46.2 million. The difference ($16.5 million) is the approximate wiggle room required for the Bengals to tag Higgins and keep their core offense together in pursuit of next season's Super Bowl.
JOSH ALLEN, OLB, JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS
The Jaguars can't possibly consider letting Josh Allen reach free agency. Allen couldn't have chosen a better season to record a career-best (and franchise-record) 17.5 sacks. Allen now finds himself in a position to command $25-plus million annually.
General manager Trent Baalke will likely utilize the franchise tag on Allen to extend the window to July to get Allen signed to a long-term extension. There are always complicated manners when negotiating a contract that will exceed $100 million in total value. Expect Baalke to sign Allen to the franchise tag before eventually agreeing to a four or five-year extension later this summer.
ANTOINE WINFIELD JR., SAF, TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS
Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht can take his franchise tag in several directions. Quarterback Baker Mayfield and wide receiver Mike Evans played out the 2023 campaign on expiring contracts. The issue? Franchise-tagging Mayfield would result in the Buccaneers swallowing up nearly $37 million in a guaranteed cap charge. Tagging Evans would be done in poor practice since he's established himself as a future Hall of Famer.
No, applying the tag to safety Antoine Winfield Jr. makes considerably more sense. Seeing that safety is somewhat of a lesser-paid position, tagging Winfield Jr. at $17.22 million qualifies as a victory since deals are now approaching $20 million annually (Derwin James earns $19.1 million per season). I could see Winfield Jr. playing out the 2024 season on the one-year tag.
BRIAN BURNS, EDGE, CAROLINA PANTHERS
The Brian Burns contract promises to be a confusing and difficult one to sort through this offseason. The Panthers and Burns couldn't reach an agreement last year, and former general manager Scott Fitterer had previously rejected multiple first-round selections in trade conversations. Burns wants to earn upward of $25 million annually, a figure that would establish him alongside the league's premium-paid edge rushers.
The Panthers could tag Burns at an estimated $23 million, a lower number than he's seeking annually. Burns would likely respond by initially refusing the tag while maybe even sitting out the Panthers' offseason program. Of course, a long-term extension would give the Panthers flexibility to lower his immediate cap charge. The Panthers should ultimately sign Burns to a lucrative long-term extension, but this long-lasting standoff could contain more twists and turns.
KYLE DUGGER, SAF, NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS
The Patriots could also tag offensive lineman Michael Onwenu, but safety Kyle Dugger is the likelier candidate. The aforementioned team-friendly cap number at safety makes Dugger a logical choice.
Dugger is a team-first defender who's extremely productive when playing near the line of scrimmage. New head coach Jerod Mayo has long been a fan of Dugger's reliability and durability. Without an expensive quarterback on the books, the Patriots possess the financial flexibility necessary to sign Dugger to a long-term deal following the application of the tag.
