The 2021 NFL offseason won’t officially start until March 17, but as of this week all 32 teams are allowed to start using franchise tags in anticipation of free agency. From February 23 to March 9, each club can nominate a player with a franchise or transition label, essentially securing their rights for the season ahead – and setting the stage for a possible long-term deal or trade.
Jason La Canfora, a CBS Sports NFL insider, predicts a record number of players could be scored in 2021 as teams navigate a salary cap affected by a pandemic, especially as “more progressive front offices” Potentially use the label to orchestrate other movements.
Below you’ll find a brief reminder of tags and what they do, along with a running tracker of each player tagged this offseason:
How do beacons work?
- Franchise Tags are essentially one-year contractual offers that come in two forms: exclusive and non-exclusive.
- Exclusive tags restrict bargaining rights to the scoring team and pay an average of the top five salaries in the player’s position in the current year, or 120% of the player’s salary in the previous year, whichever is greater of them.
- Non-exclusive tags, which are more common, on average pay the first five tag amounts to the player’s position from the previous five years (applied to the current cap), or 120% of the player’s salary from the previous year, whichever is greater. Players who receive this tag can negotiate with other teams, but the scoring team has the right to match any offer – and would also receive two first-round draft picks if the player signs elsewhere.
- Transition tags are also one year contract offers. They pay the top 10 player salaries on average. Players who receive this tag can negotiate with other teams, but the scoring team has the right to match any offer. If the marking team refuses to match, they will not receive any compensation in return.
2021 Tag Tracking
Note: Players will be listed alphabetically by team.
