As the NFL offseason hits, all 32 teams will be seeking to retain their top free agents — and one option to do so, the franchise tag, has become one of the most intriguing ways for teams to bring star players back.
Every offseason, NFL squads can keep their high-end talent from hitting the open market by tagging up to one player, something that's happened often in years past. A franchise tag allows a club to own either exclusive negotiating rights or matching rights over its players. With a high-salary, one-year deal for players, teams get the benefit of retaining their talent for an additional season in the hopes of maximizing a championship window or buying more time to work on a long-term extension.
The franchise tag window is one of the first key portions of the NFL offseason, as teams will soon decide if they're willing to pay a significant price to bring top players back for one season. There are three different types of tags — exclusive, non-exclusive, and transition — that teams can use, but they can only use one per offseason.
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What is a franchise tag in the NFL?
Non-exclusive franchise tag
Definition and rules: The non-exclusive franchise tender shall be a one-year NFL player contract for ...
— (A), The average of the five largest prior year salaries for players at the position at which the franchise player participated in the most plays during the prior league year, which average shall be calculated by:
Summing the amounts of the franchise tags for players at that position for the five preceding league years
Dividing the resulting amount by the sum of the salary caps for the five preceding league years
Multiplying the resulting percentage by the salary cap for the upcoming league year
— or (B), 120 percent of his prior year salary, whichever is greater.
If the team extends the tender pursuant to this subsection, the player shall be permitted to negotiate a player contract with any club, except that draft choice compensation of two first round draft selections shall be made with respect to such player in the event he signs with the new club.
Meaning: Historically, this has been the most common tag applied to NFL players. Teams applying the non-exclusive franchise tag have the ability to match any offer given by another team, but it also costs them less if no other team puts in an offer for the player. The non-exclusive franchise tag cost is 120 percent of the player's cap number from the previous season (which is 2024 for the 2025 offseason), or the average of the five largest prior year salaries at the player's position.
The squad that puts the non-exclusive tag on a player can match an offer sheet extended by any of the other 31 teams. If the team declines to match the offer, the team that tagged the player will receive two first-round picks from the team that signed the player.
Exclusive franchise tag
Definition and rules: The exclusive franchise tender shall be a one-year NFL player contract for ...
— (A) the average of the five largest salaries in player contracts for that league year as of the end of the restricted free-agent signing period that league year
— or (B) the amount of the required tender under the subsection above, whichever is greater.
Meaning: Under the exclusive franchise tag, a player will not hit the open market. The tag completely binds the player to the team, as they're prohibited from seeking an offer sheet. Their price tag will be limited to either the average of the five largest salaries in player contracts for that active league year or the amount of the non-exclusive tag only if the non-exclusive number is larger (which rarely, if ever, happens). The only way a player can play the following season for a different team is if he is traded.
The exclusive franchise tag is rarely used. There have been just four players that it's been used on since 2012: Drew Brees (2012), Von Miller (2016), Kirk Cousins (2017), and Le'Veon Bell (2017). Teams using the exclusive franchise tag are essentially acknowledging that they know a player would have a massive market and they don't want to lose them, but they also don't want to sign them to a longer-term extension.
Transition tag
Definition and rules: Each club shall be permitted to designate one player who would otherwise be an unrestricted free agent as a transition player ... during the same designation period as the franchise player designation period.
Any club that designates a transition player shall receive the rights of first refusal specified in this article notwithstanding the number of his accrued seasons. Any transition player shall be completely free to negotiate and sign a player contract with any club during the period from the first day of the league year following the expiration of his last player contract to July 22, and any club shall be completely free to negotiate and sign a player contract with such player, without penalty or restriction, including, but not limited to, draft choice compensation between clubs of any kind, subject only to the prior club’s right of first refusal.
Any club that designates a transition player shall be deemed on the first day of the league year following the expiration of the player’s last contract to have automatically tendered the player a one-year NFL player contract for ...
— (A) the cap percentage average of the ten largest prior year salaries for players at the position
— or (B) 120 percent of his prior year salary, whichever is greater.
The tender may be withdrawn at any time, but if such tender is withdrawn, the player immediately becomes an unrestricted free agent. For purposes of this subsection, the "transition tag" for any league year is the average of the ten largest prior year salaries for players at that position.
Meaning: The transition tag isn't used very often. It operates in a similar fashion to the non-exclusive tag, but with a few key differences; the price tag is determined by the cap percentage average of the 10 largest prior year salaries at a player's position or 120 percent of his previous season's salary, whichever is higher.
A player on the transition tag can negotiate with other teams like those on the non-exclusive tag and can be extended an offer sheet. However, if the player's current team can't match the offer of the other team, that player can sign with the other team, which would not have to provide any form of compensation (like the first-round picks) to his previous team.
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NFL franchise tag deadline 2026
Date: Tuesday, March 3
Teams have until Tuesday, March 3 at 4 p.m. ET to place a franchise tag on a player.
If a team tags a player, they can still sign that player to a long-term extension. That happened in 2023 when the Ravens placed the franchise tag on QB Lamar Jackson but later negotiated a massive extension.
However, if a new deal is not made between a tagged player and his team by July 15, the player will be forced to play out the year on the tag. If they choose not to sign the tag, they will be ineligible to play for any other team for the entirety of the season.
How many times can a team franchise tag a player in the NFL?
Teams can use the franchise tag three times on a player. However, the financial logistics of tagging a player three times often reduce the incentives for the team, as it only grows more expensive.
A player tagged for a second consecutive season would be owed 120 percent of their previous season's salary. A third straight year would net a player at least 144 percent of the previous year's salary. The more a team tags a player, the more expensive they become.
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NFL projected franchise tag values for 2026
The franchise tag's value is based on the average of the top five salaries at a given position over the past five years, and adjusted for the salary cap figure for a given season.
This season’s official franchise and tender numbers: pic.twitter.com/hLti6XbLtn
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 27, 2026