NFL franchise tag 2020: 10 players most likely to be tagged

ARLINGTON, TEXAS - DECEMBER 29: Dak Prescott #4 of the Dallas Cowboys throws a pass while being pressured by Shaun Dion Hamilton #51 of the Washington Redskins in the third quarter in the game at AT&T Stadium on December 29, 2019 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /

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TAMPA, FLORIDA – DECEMBER 29: Jameis Winston #3 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers scrambles with the ball against the Atlanta Falcons during the second half at Raymond James Stadium on December 29, 2019 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /

3. Jameis Winston

There may not be a more fascinating free-agent quarterback situation in the NFL than the one Jameis Winston offers. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers should theoretically be all over the tag to retain Winston, but there are questions about how they plan to proceed.

The top overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, Winston led the NFL in passing yardage and tossed 30 touchdown passes in 2019. The problem is that Winston also led the league in interceptions, adding 30 of those to his totals.

The turnover problems were a major issue for Buccaneers’ head coach Bruce Arians, who was non-committal about Winston’s future at the end of the season. The going rate for quarterbacks only gets more expensive as time goes by, so Tampa Bay would have to pay up to keep Winston long term.

The interesting thing is that there aren’t many places for the Buccaneers to go to improve on Winston. Tampa picks 14th in the draft, so the odds are high they won’t get a pick of the top young signal-callers, and free agency doesn’t offer much besides a declining Philip Rivers or Teddy Bridgewater.

The smart play for Tampa Bay is to use the franchise tag on Winston, buying them time to either ink an extension or control his trade rights. Winston isn’t perfect, but it’s hard to find a better path forward for Tampa Bay at the position given the circumstances.

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