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2015 Franchise Tag Candidates News & Rumors

Seahawks’ Abraham Lucas Expected To Debut In Week 11

November 11th, 2024 at 8:57pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Seahawks are expecting to have right tackle Abraham Lucas back in the starting lineup for their Week 11 matchup with the 49ers.

Head coach Mike Macdonald said that it is a “realistic expectation” that Lucas would make his season debut next Sunday, according to ESPN’s Brady Henderson.

Lucas started the 2024 on the Physically Unable to Perform list while recovering from offseason knee surgery. He first injured his knee in Week 1 last year and did not play again until Week 13. Lucas then started Seattle’s next five games before leaving Week 17 with a recurrence of the same injury that required corrective surgery and a lengthy rehab process.

Seattle relied on Stone Forsythe and Jake Curhan to replace Lucas in 2023, but both players struggled in their starts. The Seahawks signed George Fant in the offseason to fill in at right tackle during Lucas’ recovery, but he could be in line for his second stint on injured reserve this season after re-injuring his knee last week, per Henderson. Fant first landed on IR in September, forcing Forsythe to step into starting duties for a second year in a row with Curhan now in Chicago.

Lucas’ extended absence has negatively impacted Geno Smith‘s pass protection this season. The Seahawks allowed 38 sacks in 2023, the 10th-fewest in the NFL, but have already allowed 28 sacks in nine games this year, the 10th-most in the league. A successful return from Lucas would help Seattle stay in contention for the NFC West crown.

Rams LB Ernest Jones An Extension Candidate?

August 11th, 2024 at 12:47pm CST by Rory Parks

There continue to be conflicting reports about Rams linebacker Ernest Jones’ status as an extension candidate. Back in March, we heard that Jones was on the club’s extension radar, but GM Les Snead said just a few days later that he would not authorize a new deal for the contract-year defender in 2024.

“We prioritized spending our resources on additions rather than re-signing from within,” Snead said at the time. When making public comments, general managers will typically discuss the value of developing and extending their own players instead of making external additions, though Snead has never been afraid to zig when others zag and to be candid in his decisions to do so. Plus, the Rams have a history — at least during the Sean McVay era — of letting off-ball linebackers and safeties secure their second contracts elsewhere.

That said, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler recently wrote that Jones is indeed a candidate for a second contract from the Rams, despite Los Angeles’ general unwillingness to pay big money to an off-ball LB (subscription required). Fowler notes that Jones is considered a “tone-setter” on the club’s defense, and given the 24-year-old defender’s performance and the growth he has shown since the Rams selected him in the third round of the 2021 draft, Snead could be willing to make an exception.

In 2023, Jones recorded 145 tackles and 4.5 sacks across 15 games (all starts) while enjoying a 93% snap share. That production is not a mere byproduct of heavy volume, as the South Carolina alum graded out as the 13th-best linebacker in the league out of 82 qualifiers, per Pro Football Focus’ metrics. Of his 145 tackles, 14 of them were behind the line of scrimmage.

Fowler did say that Jones could secure a new deal from the Rams “down the line,” so it does not sound as if anything is imminent, and it’s unclear if negotiations are even taking place. Perhaps Snead & Co. want to see him continue his ascent and replicate his 2023 performance before deviating from their modus operandi, and if Jones is successful in that regard, Los Angeles will of course have exclusive negotiating rights between the end of the 2024 season and the start of the legal tampering period in March 2025. 

Jones is due to earn $3.12MM in 2024, the last year of his rookie contract.

Chiefs, Jets Interested In WR Tyler Boyd?

March 14th, 2024 at 10:15am CST by Sam Robinson

A Tyler Boyd market has formed in the AFC. The Bengals Tee Higgins franchise tag and future Ja’Marr Chase payment, in all likelihood, makes a third Boyd contract unrealistic. But three other AFC teams are believed to be in on the veteran slot receiver.

In addition to Boyd’s hometown Steelers, The Athletic’s Mark Kaboly notes the Chiefs and Jets are believed to have interest in the eight-year wide receiver. While the Jets were not believed to be in on Boyd recently, per The Athletic’s Zack Rosenblatt, players are believed to be recruiting the former 1,000-yard receiver.

[RELATED: Mutual Interest Between Steelers, Tyler Boyd]

Each team needs receiver help. The Steelers cut Allen Robinson and traded Diontae Johnson, while the Chiefs trudged through an uneven year — despite said season ending with another Super Bowl title — at the position. They have since released Marquez Valdes-Scantling and missed out on Darnell Mooney. Kansas City was also believed to be interested in a pitch for Mike Evans, who re-signed with the Buccaneers.

The Jets’ effort to add receiving talent to complement Garrett Wilson bombed in 2023. The Mecole Hardman whiff became the Chiefs’ gain (and might bring a tampering investigation, as Joe Douglas hinted), while the Randall Cobb and Allen Lazard pickups did not move the needle, either. Lazard received $22MM guaranteed at signing, keeping the former Packer in the mix despite a disappointing Jets debut. But the team was linked to both Evans and Davante Adams recently.

Boyd is not on those stars’ level, but he did make regular contributions to the Joe Burrow-era Bengals teams after commanding an eight-figure-per-year extension while working with Andy Dalton in the 2010s. Boyd, 29, posted two 1,000-yard seasons with Dalton and cleared 750 yards from 2020-22. Last season, the big-bodied slot target totaled just 667 yards — still more than Higgins’ total — and two TDs, with Burrow’s injury contributing to the dip. With Mooney, Gabe Davis and Calvin Ridley off the board, markets like this one come into focus.

Washington Open To Trading Dwayne Haskins

November 2nd, 2020 at 8:54am CST by Zachary Links

The Washington Football Team is willing to listen on offers for Dwayne Haskins, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (on Twitter). Of course, that doesn’t come as a huge surprise following Haskins’ benching. 

Haskins, the No. 15 overall pick of the 2019 draft, was demoted from franchise quarterback to the team’s QB3, behind Kyle Allen and Alex Smith. The relationship between Haskins and head coach Ron Rivera has reportedly turned toxic and a fresh start would probably please both sides.

“What they’ll tell you in that building is that [Haskins] is a project who was drafted by the owner and his son,” according to a person familiar with the team’s thinking. “That’s the bottom line there. Allen is their guy. They think he fits their system. They didn’t really want anything to do with Haskins from the beginning.”

Haskins completed just 61% of his passes with four touchdowns against three INTs before he was benched. He had a similarly trying rookie year, with a 58.6% completion rate, seven TDs, and seven INTs across nine games (seven starts).

In Haskins’ defense, Washington’s O-Line didn’t do him any favors in 2020. He also has an affordable contract — he’s owed just $5MM for the remainder of his rookie deal. According to one report, Haskins could be had for anything above a sixth-round pick. If the asking price is really that low, Washington should be able to find a taker for the QB between now and the deadline.

Antonio Brown To Attend Combine, Wants To Meet With Teams

February 15th, 2020 at 6:25pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The NFL Scouting Combine is when the offseason truly starts to heat up, with all sorts of discussions being had by team executives. There’s a lot of wheeling and dealing going on, and Antonio Brown is hoping to use the event to jumpstart his currently derailed career.

Brown plans on attending the combine and meeting with teams there, he told TMZ Sports. He’ll “be out there ready to get things back on the right page,” the embattled receiver declared. Brown has been striking a more conciliatory tone recently, and he seems to realize that he has a lot of work to do to get back in the league. Even if he does go to the combine and is able to pitch himself to teams, he might not find that receptive of an audience. Brown had received “little or no interest” prior to being dropped by agent Drew Rosenhaus, a source told Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com.

Florio also notes that Brown has yet to hire a new agent. Even if he manages to convince a team that he has turned a corner and is ready to put the past behind him, there are still several hurdles. The league’s investigation into a lawsuit that accuses Brown of sexual assault is still ongoing, and he very well could be facing a suspension for that.

He’s also currently out on bail after an arrest for battery and burglary. There’s very real potential for league discipline stemming from that incident as well. It’s hard to ever predict what’s going to happen with Brown, but it would be a surprise if a team signed him anytime soon.

Franchise, Transition Tags Due Monday

March 2nd, 2015 at 7:46am CST by Luke Adams

NFL teams have until 3:00pm central time today to assign the franchise or transition tag to pending free agents, assuring that those players won’t reach the open market next week as unrestricted free agents. Using an exclusive franchise tag on a player ensures that he can’t negotiate with any other suitors, while opting for the non-exclusive franchise tag or the transition tag limits the ability of that player to sign elsewhere, essentially making him a restricted free agent.

Our glossary entry on the subject goes into greater detail on how franchise and transition tags work, but for now, we’re primarily focused on today’s deadline, and determining which players will be tagged by their respective teams. So far, we’ve heard that the following teams are reportedly prepared to use the tag:

  • Broncos: As expected, the Broncos will use their non-exclusive franchise tag on wideout Demaryius Thomas in advance of today’s deadline, assuming the two sides don’t unexpectedly reach a long-term deal at the last minute.
  • Cowboys: Executive VP Stephen Jones informed Dez Bryant‘s camp over the weekend that Dallas intends to use its franchise tag on the star receiver today.
  • Giants: Multiple reports since the franchise tag period opened last month have indicated that New York expects to franchise defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul if no long-term deal has been reached. The non-exclusive tag is expected to be used.

Thomas, Bryant, and Pierre-Paul were three players are identified as very viable candidates to be tagged when I looked into the issue last month. Here are a few more to keep an eye on today as the 3:00pm deadline nears:

While those aren’t the only players who could be tagged this afternoon, the other candidates – including Pernell McPhee, Jason Worilds, and a handful of others – are probably long shots.

2015 NFL Franchise Tag Candidates: Recap

February 7th, 2015 at 9:58pm CST by Luke Adams

As our list of important offseason dates shows, teams can assign their franchise or transition tag to a player beginning on February 16, and will have until March 2 to make use of one of those tags.

Franchise and transition tags are tools that allow teams to keep free-agents-to-be off the open market. Our glossary entry on the subject goes into greater detail, but essentially, a player receiving either tag can’t sign freely with a rival suitor — the exclusive franchise tag prohibits the player from even negotiating with another team, while the non-exclusive franchise and transition tags ensure that the player must sign an offer sheet, which his previous club would have the opportunity to match.

Franchising a player means tendering him a one-year contract offer — he can accept and sign that offer, or attempt to work out a longer-term arrangement with his club. The salary for the one-year offer is determined using a formula that looks at the highest-paid players at each position, and is often exorbitant. Because it can be tricky to accommodate a franchise or transition salary within the cap restraints, most teams won’t make use of the tags this offseason. Last year, for instance, only six clubs took advantage of the opportunity, with four teams using the franchise tag while two others used the transition tag.

Over the last couple weeks, we’ve been taking a closer look at players who may qualify for a tag in 2015. Here are the results of that series:

Viable candidates:

Other possible candidates:

Extreme long shots:

Candidates by division:

2015 NFL Franchise Tag Candidates: NFC West

February 7th, 2015 at 6:33pm CST by Luke Adams

The deadline for assigning a franchise or transition tag on a 2015 free-agent-to-be is less than a month away, and we’re in the process of taking a look at players who are candidates to be tagged this year. Last week, we examined all four AFC divisions, covering the East, North, South, and West. This week, we’ve shifted our focus to the NFC — we kicked things off on Tuesday with the East, tackled the North on Wednesday, and looked at the South on Friday. Today, we’ll turn to the West, breaking down the possible franchise and transition tag candidates for the Cardinals, Niners, Seahawks, and Rams:

Arizona Cardinals:

  • Candidates: Antonio Cromartie
  • Odds of being used: Unlikely
  • A handful of Cardinals regulars on the defensive side of the ball are eligible for free agency next month, including defensive tackle Dan Williams, and linebackers Sam Acho and Larry Foote. While I don’t expect all of them to bolt, it’ll be interesting to see if any follow former defensive coordinator Todd Bowles to New York, where he’ll coach the Jets. Cromartie is probably the most noteworthy free-agent-to-be on the roster, but even though he had a better year in 2014 than he did in 2013, it’s hard to imagine the cornerback’s $4MM salary jumping up to an eight-digit figure via the franchise tag.

San Francisco 49ers:

  • Candidates: Mike Iupati
  • Odds of being used: Unlikely
  • The 49ers have multiple players who may have been strong candidates to be tagged in past seasons, such as wide receiver Michael Crabtree and running back Frank Gore. Cornerbacks like Chris Culliver and Perrish Cox were also solid for San Francisco in 2014. But Iupati is the only player I can imagine the Niners tagging, and even then it’s an extreme long shot. Franchise tags for offensive lineman aren’t split up by position, so the club would have to pay Iupati, a guard, like a left tackle to tag him, which isn’t realistic — especially when the team has done such a good job building depth on its line.

Seattle Seahawks:

  • Candidates: Byron Maxwell
  • Odds of being used: Unlikely
  • A recent report suggested that Maxwell may be seeking $12-13MM per year on his next deal, and if the Seahawks felt like he could realistically land that sort of contract, the team would have to strongly consider using a tag. However, that figure seems awfully high for a cornerback who is effective, but not in the same class as teammate Richard Sherman. In any case, Seattle doesn’t have a ton of cap flexibility, and still needs to get something done with Russell Wilson as he heads into a contract year. Retaining Maxwell may be a luxury that the team can’t afford, especially at a franchise salary.

St. Louis Rams:

  • Candidates: None
  • Odds of being used: Extremely unlikely
  • Wide receiver Kenny Britt, right tackle Joe Barksdale, and quarterbacks Shaun Hill and Austin Davis are among the notable players who are nearing free agency. None are worth more than fleeting consideration for a franchise or transition tag though.

2015 NFL Franchise Tag Candidates: NFC South

February 6th, 2015 at 5:01pm CST by Luke Adams

The deadline for assigning a franchise or transition tag on a 2015 free-agent-to-be is less than a month away, and we’re in the process of taking a look at players who are candidates to be tagged this year. Last week, we examined all four AFC divisions, covering the East, North, South, and West. This week, we’ve shifted our focus to the NFC — we kicked things off on Tuesday with the East and tackled the North on Wednesday. Today, we’ll turn to the South. While there are fewer candidates to be tagged in this division than perhaps any other division in the league, here’s a breakdown of the possible franchise and transition tag candidates for the Falcons, Panthers, Saints, and Buccaneers:

Atlanta Falcons:

  • Candidates: Matt Bryant
  • Odds of being used: Possible
  • There are many Falcons regulars eligible for free agency, but the list isn’t particularly inspiring. Among a group that includes Dwight Lowery, Kroy Biermann, Osi Umenyiora, Corey Peters, Josh Wilson, Robert McClain, Antone Smith, and Jacquizz Rodgers, there are no real candidates for the franchise tag, but Bryant could qualify. He currently falls just outside of the league’s top 10 highest-paid kickers, but he has been a model of consistency for Atlanta in recent years. In his past two seasons with the team, he has missed six total field goals, and five of those came from 50+ yards. The Falcons will want him back, so tagging him could be an option if the two sides don’t work anything out before March 3.

Carolina Panthers:

  • Candidates: None
  • Odds of being used: Extremely unlikely
  • When examining other divisions and other teams, I’ve generally listed players as candidates to be tagged if their teams used a tag on them a year ago. But it’s hard to argue the case for Greg Hardy to get the franchise tag again. A domestic violence charge relegated Hardy to the exempt list all season, and the defensive end may be facing an additional suspension for the 2015 season. There’s no question he’s talented, and if he makes it to the open market, Hardy should draw interest from teams willing to look past his off-field troubles. But Carolina certainly shouldn’t need to commit to another eight-digit salary to bring him back. The club’s only other conceivable candidate is Byron Bell, but that’s only because he played an important position in 2014. Bell’s trial run at left tackle wasn’t a real success story — Pro Football Focus (subscription required) ranked him 83rd out of 84 qualified tackles.

New Orleans Saints:

  • Candidates: Shayne Graham
  • Odds of being used: Unlikely
  • Like the Falcons, the Saints’ top candidate for a tag is their kicker. In New Orleans’ case, however, it’s more of a long shot. Graham performed passably for the team in 2014, but it certainly wasn’t the sort of season that warrants paying the 37-year-old like one of the league’s best kickers. Mark Ingram is another intriguing name among the Saints’ list of free-agents-to-be, but given the cost of the franchise tag for running backs compared to what most backs are actually being paid these days, it wouldn’t make much sense to tag him.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers:

  • Candidates: None
  • Odds of being used: Extremely unlikely
  • Safety Major Wright and linebacker Mason Foster are perhaps the Buccaneers’ most notable prospective free agents, and neither player was a core player — both guys only played about half the team’s defensive snaps. There’s no viable franchise tag candidate in Tampa Bay.

2015 NFL Franchise Tag Candidates: NFC North

February 4th, 2015 at 8:51am CST by Luke Adams

The deadline for assigning a franchise or transition tag on a 2015 free-agent-to-be is less than a month away, and we’re in the process of taking a look at players who are candidates to be tagged this year. Last week, we examined all four AFC divisions, covering the East, North, South, and West. This week, we’re shifting our focus to the NFC — we kicked things off on Tuesday with the East and we’ll tackle the North today. Here’s a breakdown of the franchise and transition tag candidates for the Bears, Lions, Packers, and Vikings:

Chicago Bears:

  • Candidates: Stephen Paea
  • Odds of being used: Unlikely
  • The Bears have a ton of pending free agents, but most of them are either non-core players, or longtime contributors who are no longer realistic candidates to be tagged, such as Charles Tillman and Lance Briggs. I don’t expect Chicago to use either of its tags, but if there’s one option out there, it’s probably Paea, whose impressive 2014 campaign may have been overlooked by many due to the defense’s poor overall performance. Pro Football Focus (subscription required) graded Paea as the league’s 11th-best defensive tackle, marking him down for 47 overall quarterback pressures, a lofty total for an interior lineman — among DTs, only Ndamukong Suh (57) and Kyle Williams (49) had more. It probably won’t take a franchise tag to retain Paea, but he should be a priority for the Bears if they have a spot for him in Vic Fangio‘s new defensive scheme.

Detroit Lions:

  • Candidates: Ndamukong Suh, Matt Prater
  • Odds of being used: Possible
  • You could make a case for Suh as the league’s top free-agent-to-be this offseason, which would normally mean the franchise tag makes a ton of sense. In Suh’s case though, his 2014 salary was so high that the cost of a franchise tag would be astronomical — nearly $27MM. As such, a long-term extension will be the Lions’ preference, but tagging Suh could be a last resort. If the star defender isn’t tagged, Prater may be considered, since he made 87% of his field goals for the club after a shaky debut. Still, considering they picked him up off the scrap heap just a few months ago, the Lions likely won’t have to tag the kicker to bring him back. Nick Fairley and Rashean Mathis are other regulars who may be briefly considered, but neither appears to be a viable option.

Green Bay Packers:

  • Candidates: Randall Cobb, Bryan Bulaga
  • Odds of being used: Possible
  • Cobb and Bulaga are players Green Bay would almost certainly like to have around for the 2015 season, and the wideout is the stronger candidate for a franchise tag than the offensive lineman. Although Bulaga has developed into a reliable right tackle for the Packers, the position just isn’t one that gets big money — as Over the Cap’s data shows, the highest-paid right tackle in the NFL (Gosder Cherilus) averages just $7MM per year, and a franchise salary would be significantly higher than that. Cobb, on the other hand, is coming off a season in which he recorded 91 receptions, 1,287 receiving yards, and 12 TDs. Those are No. 1 WR numbers, and Cobb is just 24 years old, so the Packers may be willing to pay him like one of the league’s best wideouts for a year while they try to work out a longer-term deal that’s worth a little less annually. Cornerback Tramon Williams is another solid contributor who might warrant fleeting consideration for a tag.

Minnesota Vikings:

  • Candidates: None
  • Odds of being used: Very unlikely
  • Defensive regulars Jasper Brinkley and Tom Johnson are among the club’s contributors eligible for free agency this offseason, but Minnesota doesn’t have a key free agent worth an eight-digit salary for 2015.
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