As the NFL approaches free agency, teams are facing the reality of parting ways with some of their players who are seeking opportunities elsewhere next season. The franchise tag presents a solution for teams looking to retain their key players and prevent them from becoming free agents.
The franchise tag offers three options – non-exclusive, exclusive, and transition – allowing organizations to retain control over their star players and potentially negotiate long-term contracts or trades. The deadline to apply the franchise tag falls between February 18 and March 4, providing teams with a two-week window to make their decisions.
While the 2025 free agency market may lack big names, some players are likely to be tagged by their respective teams. Here are the potential candidates for the franchise tag in 2025 and the associated costs:
**NFL 2025 Franchise Tag Candidates**
– **Tee Higgins, Cincinnati Bengals**
– Franchise tag cost: $26,179,200
– Higgins, facing his second potential franchise tag, is a valuable asset for the Bengals. The team must decide whether to retain him to maintain a strong roster and support quarterback Joe Burrow.
– **Trey Smith, Kansas City Chiefs**
– Franchise tag cost: $25,156,000
– The Chiefs must assess their financial situation to determine if they can afford to apply the franchise tag to Smith and retain his services.
As free agency approaches, teams will need to strategize their roster management to secure key players and ensure competitiveness in the upcoming season.
We have some time to work through this situation. Working with a projected -$0.9 million in cap space, we’ll need to make some strategic moves to pull it off. The Kansas City team is in for a season of change, and it remains uncertain if Smith fits into their plans. The team’s offensive line struggled in crucial moments, as seen in the Super Bowl against the Philadelphia Eagles and in Super Bowl 55 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. This led Kansas City to prioritize protecting Patrick Mahomes, but Smith is likely eyeing a significant payday in free agency. Spending over $25 million on a guard tag could be too expensive, especially with $71.9 million already committed to the line, primarily with high-value players like Jawaan Taylor, Joe Thuney, and Creed Humphrey. This puts Kansas City’s offensive line as the fourth most expensive in the league, according to Spotrac. If they can create more cap space through restructuring, cuts, and possibly a retirement from Travis Kelce, Smith could potentially be tagged. Otherwise, General Manager Brett Veach’s job becomes even more challenging as he aims to keep the Chiefs competitive. Moving on to Sam Darnold of the Minnesota Vikings, the franchise tag cost stands at $41,325,000. In a relatively uneventful year in the open market, Darnold emerges as one of the most intriguing quarterback names this offseason. Initially viewed as insurance for J.J. McCarthy, Darnold had to step up after the rookie’s preseason knee injury. While he showed promise at times, Darnold faltered in crucial moments during the season’s most significant games. The decision on Darnold’s future poses a considerable dilemma for the Vikings in 2025. Despite the possibility of Darnold returning, the hefty price tag would eat up a significant portion of Minnesota’s projected $58 million cap space. Considering they drafted McCarthy last year with the No. 10 pick, it seems logical to assess his potential before committing further to Darnold. Utilizing a capable quarterback on a rookie contract provides a considerable advantage for teams in the NFL salary cap landscape. Keeping Darnold on the franchise tag instead of giving McCarthy a chance may not be the most sensible move, even if financially feasible. The franchise tag costs mentioned are sourced from ESPN, although the league has yet to confirm the 2025 salaries. This article was originally published on USA TODAY, focusing on potential NFL franchise tag candidates for 2025, including Tee Higgins and Sam Darnold.
