The NFL's franchise tag window closed on Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET, and only two players—Tee Higgins and Trey Smith—from the league's 32 teams had the franchise tag placed on them. This is the lowest amount of players given the franchise tag in an offseason since 2006 when just one player, Buffalo Bills cornerback Nate Clements, was tagged, per Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer.
This year's number is a big drop from last offseason when eight players were tagged. The average over the past five years is 9.2 players tagged per year.
A franchise tag is a one-year deal that keeps a player from entering free agency, which begins on March 12 at 4 p.m. ET. The two sides can continue working on a longer term deal until July 15 at 4 p.m. ET. If extensions aren't agreed upon by then, the player will compete one year under the franchise tag.
Final tally for 2024 franchise tags ...
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) March 4, 2025
• Bengals WR Tee Higgins.
• Chiefs G Trey Smith.
... Fewest tags since 2006, when then-Bills CB Nate Clements was the only player franchised.
Smith, the Kansas City Chiefs guard, was tagged first on Feb. 27, which came as a surprising move for the Chiefs since guards are priced the same as tackles on the franchise tag. This decision made Smith the highest-paid guard in the league.
The Cincinnati Bengals placed the franchise tag on Higgins on Monday for the second year in a row as the two sides continue to figure out a long-term deal. Higgins, and Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, has made it known he wants a bigger deal to remain in Cincinnati, so we'll see what the two sides can come up with.
The 30 other teams opted to not franchise tag any players, including the Minnesota Vikings deciding not to tag quarterback Sam Darnold on Tuesday.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as NFL's Franchise Tag Sees Lowest Utilization in Nearly 20 Years.
