NFL franchise tag 2022: 10 players most likely to be tagged

1. NFL free agents likely to receive the franchise tag – Davante Adams

The highest-profile free agent in the NFL is also the likeliest to end up with the franchise tag. Ther is no bigger star on the market than Davante Adams, who is one of the league’s top five receivers at this point.

While we can debate until the cows come home whether or not Aaron Rodgers will stay in Green Bay or demand a trade, the Adams situation is actually quite simple. The Packers will certainly use the franchise tag on Adams before the deadline to either keep him in Green Bay or control his rights to set up a trade.

Keeping Adams will require to create plenty of cap space, which could be an issue since Green Bay is nearly $50 million over the salary cap, but the Packers do appear committed to doing whatever gymnastics they need to in order to keep Rodgers happy. The latter option comes into play if Rodgers decides to move on since Adams would likely follow his quarterback to his new team.

Not using the franchise tag would cause the Packers to risk losing Adams for nothing, which is not an acceptable outcome for the organization. The franchise tag will most certainly be used on Adams in order to help Green Bay maximize his value to the team even if he never plays another down at Lambeau Field in green and gold.