The deadline for NFL teams to use the franchise tag was 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday. That deadline passed with only two players (Kansas City Chiefs guard Trey Smith and Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins) having the tag placed on them.
Let’s take a look at some of the winners and losers from those decisions (and non-decisions) around the league.
Winners
Unrestricted free agents
Only two players getting the tag is a huge win for almost all of the NFL’s free agency class, because it opens the door for just about all of them to hit the open market and sell their talents and services to the highest bidders.
It is a staggeringly low number, considering there were eight players tagged a year ago and the NFL had routinely averaged around nine tagged players per offseason. This is the first time since 1994 only two or fewer players were tagged.
If you want an exciting free agent signing period, this is good news for you.
J.J. McCarthy, QB, Minnesota Vikings
McCarthy is not a free agent, but he is in some ways a big winner here in terms of what Tuesday might mean for his career. The Vikings elected not to use the franchise tag on veteran quarterback Sam Darnold, setting the stage for him to hit the open market next week.
That should open the door for McCarthy, the Vikings’ first-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, to take his place as the team’s starting quarterback.
That was supposed to be the plan for the 2024 season until McCarthy suffered a season-ending injury in training camp. Darnold ended up taking over and put together a career year while playing on a loaded Minnesota offense.
Now McCarthy will have the opportunity to play with those playmakers.
Osa Odighizuwa, DT, Dallas Cowboys
With Odighizuwa set to become a free agent this offseason, there was a belief the Cowboys might elect to use the franchise tag to keep him from hitting the open market.
Instead, they just signed him to a long-term deal.
Odighizuwa signed a four-year, $80M contract that includes $58M in guarantees and a $20M signing bonus. The 26-year-old defensive lineman has become a staple in the middle of their defense, and is the latest homegrown player to get a major deal from the Cowboys.
It is a nice contract for a third-round pick from the 2021 NFL Draft, and he avoids the frustration of having to deal with the franchise tag.
Losers
Tee Higgins, WR, Cincinnati Bengals
Higgins gets the franchise tag for the second year in a row, and while that could result in a $26.2M salary if he signs that tender it is clearly not what he wanted.
Higgins would have likely been the top free agent on the market had he not been tagged and could have picked whatever team he wanted and been entering free agency with a blank check.
Now he has to deal with the chaos that is another series of contract negotiations with the Bengals and the potential for going another year into his career without getting a big-money deal.
Sam Darnold
Some might call Darnold a winner for not getting the tag and being able to test the open market, but is he? Is he going to get a contract that pays him more than the $40M he would have received this season on the tag? Given his career to this point, that is unlikely.
Even worse, is he going to find a situation as good as the one he had in Minnesota in terms of the talent around him? Also unlikely. Minnesota was the perfect spot for him.
Philadelphia Eagles defense
The Eagles were unlikely to use the tag, and they still have a great yount defense, but Milton Williams, Josh Sweat and Zack Baun are all set to become unrestricted agents and, perhaps, find greener pastures financially.
