In all likelihood, the Patriots won’t place a franchise tag on any of their free agents this offseason. Jakobi Meyers is their top player set to hit the open market, but he probably isn’t worth the one-year salary that would come with a tag.
But what if New England goes against the grain and slaps a franchise tag or transition tag on one of its impending free agents?
The window for applying tags opens Tuesday with the deadline set for March 7, a week before the start of free agency. However, it’s important to note that there are three different kinds of tags that come into play: non-exclusive franchise tags, exclusive franchise tags and transition tags. Of the three, the non-exclusive tag is the most common, with the transition tag (last applied in 2020 to Kenyan Drake) the least common.
Teams can use one tag per offseason. There are multiple differences between all three, but we’ll focus on the key aspects of each.
Non-exclusive franchise tag: Based upon the top five salaries at the player’s respective position. A player who receives this tag can negotiate with other teams, but the original team has the first right to refuse or match the contract. If the original franchise refuses to match, they receive two first-round draft picks from the team that signs the player.
Exclusive franchise tag: Based upon the top five salaries at the player’s respective position. A player who receives the tag can’t negotiate with other teams.
Transition tag: Based upon the top 10 salaries at the player’s respective position. Other teams can negotiate with the player, and the original team would not receive draft-pick compensation if the player signs elsewhere.
Players who receive tags have until July to either sign the one-year tag contract or agree to a new deal. Some players decide to hold out of offseason workouts and/or training camps due to a desire for a bigger contract.
With that out of the way, let’s look at the projected franchise-tag salaries for each position, as well as Patriots free agents at those positions. All salary figures are provided by Over The Cap.
(Note: Restricted free agents, like cornerback Myles Bryant, are not eligible for franchise tags.)
QB
Franchise tag: $32,416,000
Transition tag: $29,504,000
Patriots free agents: None
LB
Franchise tag: $20,926,000
Transition tag: $17,478,000
Patriots free agents: Mack Wilson, Raekwon McMillan
WR
Franchise tag: $19,743,000
Transition tag: $17,991,000
Patriots free agents: Jakobi Meyers, Nelson Agholor
DE
Franchise tag: $19,727,000
Transition tag: $17,452,000
Patriots free agents: None
RB
Franchise tag: $10,091,000
Transition tag: $8,429,000
Patriots free agents: Damien Harris
DT
Franchise tag: $18,937,000
Transition tag: $16,068,000
Patriots free agents: Carl Davis, Daniel Ekuale
OL
Franchise tag: $18,244,000
Transition tag: $16,660,000
Patriots free agents: Marcus Cannon, Isaiah Wynn, James Ferentz, Yodny Cajuste
CB
Franchise tag: $18,140,000
Transition tag: $15,791,000
Patriots free agents: Jonathan Jones, Joejuan Williams
S
Franchise tag: $14,460,000
Transition tag: $11,867,000
Patriots free agents: Devin McCourty, Jabrill Peppers, Cody Davis
TE
Franchise tag: $11,345,000
Transition tag: $9,716,000
Patriots free agents: None
ST
Franchise tag: $5,393,000
Transition tag: $4,869,000
Patriots free agents: Joe Cardona, Michael Palardy
As you can see, there really aren’t any players listed who warrant top-five — or even top-10 — salaries at their positions. Meyers is the closest, but it’s hard to imagine the Patriots paying that much for a player who isn’t a true No. 1 receiver. For what it’s worth, Spotrac currently projects Meyers to land a four-year, $50 million deal with an average salary of $12.5 million.
Nevertheless, the Patriots have thrown curveballs with franchise tags in the past, including tagging guard Joe Thuney in 2020 and kicker Stephen Gostkowski in 2015. Overall, New England has used the franchise tag 10 times since Bill Belichick took over as head coach in 2000.
Reminder: NFL free agency is scheduled to start March 15, with the legal tampering period opening two days prior.
