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The 2016 NFL free agency period will officially beginning next Monday.
But before that happens, the deadline to use the franchise tag comes on Tuesday, March 1 at 4:00 p.m. EST. The NFLPA has now confirmed what the numbers will be for each position if a team uses the tag. It's now more costly than ever to use the tag with nine of the 11 positions costing over $10 million.
The 2016 NFL Salary Cap is set at a record $155.27 million, and with the league-wide cap number in place, official franchise and transition tag values have been announced by the NFLPA.
To no surprise, quarterback leads the way with a $19.95 million cap hit for anyone choosing to tag their franchise signal-caller. The lowest tag cap hit comes at punter/kicker, but even that commands a sizable $4.5 million. The Ravens placed the tag on Justin Tucker last week, so he will take on that price tag for the 2016 season.
As for the Bengals, it looks like safety George Iloka is the only viable candidate for the tag, but that would cost $10.8 million to use the tag on him. In other words, don't expect the Bengals to use the tag on anyone before the deadline passes tomorrow afternoon.
Here are the full 2016 franchise tag numbers:
|
Cornerback |
$13,952,000 |
|
Defensive End |
$15,701,000 |
|
Defensive Tackle |
$13,615,000 |
|
Linebacker |
$14,129,000 |
|
Offensive Lineman |
13,706,000 |
|
Punter/Kicker |
$4,572,000 |
|
Quarterback |
$19,953,000 |
|
Running Back |
$11,789,000 |
|
Safety |
$10,806,000 |
|
Tight End |
$9,118,000 |
|
Wide Receiver |
$14,599,000 |
And here are the 2016 transition tag numbers:
|
Cornerback |
$11,913,000 |
|
Defensive End |
$12,734,000 |
|
Defensive Tackle |
$10,875,000 |
|
Linebacker |
$11,925,000 |
|
Offensive Lineman |
$11,902,000 |
|
Punter/Kicker |
$4,123,000 |
|
Quarterback |
$17,696,000 |
|
Running Back |
$9,647,000 |
|
Safety |
$9,116,000 |
|
Tight End |
$7,713,000 |
|
Wide Receiver |
$12,268,000 |