I'm old, so I can remember when the franchise tag was a big deal. Just 10 years ago (I picked a year at random) there were 10 players getting the franchise tag, including Von Miller and Kirk Cousins (hey those guys are still playing!) and even a kicker (Justin Tucker).
Yesterday the franchise and transition tag deadline came and went with a quiet whimper. Just four players got tags, as follows:
George Pickens, Cowboys. No mystery here, as it's basically been clear since about November they'd be tagging him. He had a great year, and it's Dallas, who tags someone basically every year. Usually they sign that player ultimately, but last year we saw them trade Micah Parsons on the eve of the season. No one wants that, so I think they will either work out a long-term deal with Pickens or trade him fairly soon. I have Pickens in dynasty, and my hope is they keep him around. Yeah he has CeeDee Lamb competing for targets. but there aren't many better investments than the Dallas passing game these days. They could trade him somewhere else that has a capable wideout, or to a worse passing game. My lean is they'll keep him in Dallas.
Kyle Pitts, Falcons. This was also reported a little while ago, and apparently the expectation is that he will play the year on the franchise tag, rather than be traded or sign a long-term deal. Not being traded makes sense (rarely these days do you see trades involving tight ends), and not getting a long-term deal makes sense (Pitts comes off a breakout season but had a really quiet previous two seasons, not surprising they would be hesitant to invest big money in that). I haven't heard any talk about Pitts holding out or anything, so sounds like he'll be in Atlanta next year, playing on the tag.
Breece Hall, Jets. This is the interesting one, in that the Jets have zero track record of doing intelligent things, so it's not clear what their plan is, or if they even have one. There's been speculation that Hall wants out, which is understandable because the Jets are a clown show organization. There's also been speculation that New York wants to keep him around as a building block, which is possible but seems odd because he's a running back, New York has two other viable running backs on the roster in Braelon Allen and Isaiah Davis, and with all the roster holes by the time this team is competitive Hall will be entering the twilight of his career, so why give him a big multi-year deal? To me, the Jets trading Hall to a competitive team like Kansas City or Denver makes some sense, but both teams may be hesitant to give up a premium pick for a running back, and when have the Jets done anything that makes sense. But my lean is Hall gets traded between now and the NFL Draft.
Daniel Jones, Colts. The Colts gave Jones the transition tag, which means if another team signs him, they can match any offer and keep him, but don't get a pick if they fail to match. This tag confuses me a little in this case. You want your quarterback, more than any other position, to want to play for you. If Jones signs a deal with say the Vikings, would you really want to match it and bring him back? And if you think he wants to play for you, seems like you could just work out a deal. I guess because of the Achilles injury, the Colts aren't willing to meet what his people are asking for, so you tag him and let him find out exactly what another team would be willing to pay, and then you either match it or if it's too much you let him walk. But doing that gets you no compensation. I don't know. I expect he'll sign a multi-year deal with the Colts, ultimately.
So those are all the tags, which leaves us with the interesting guys who apparently will at least get to test the market if they so choose.
Kenneth Walker. Seattle's willingness to let him walk is most interesting because Zach Charbonnet tore his ACL in mid-January and his surgery didn't occur until February 20th. So Seattle will be down to George Holani and other youngsters, potentially, unless they sign someone. If you're in a best-ball draft this week, Holani in a later round looks like a savvy pick.
Alec Pierce. Maybe the Colts will lock him up with a deal before the legal tampering period. If they want him back, they'll need to, because someone else will blow him out of the water if he's available.
Trey Hendrickson. Hendrickson being available also affects Maxx Crosby, who supposedly will or may be traded. Presumably there will be a lot of the same suitors, with teams perhaps trying to sign the free agent before trading for somebody. Although Crosby is three years younger.
In other news, Kyler Murray was released yesterday. Reportedly he'll have a decent market, which makes sense. I think he'll be starting somewhere, size limitations and Call of Duty distraction and all.
