When is the deadline for teams to use the franchise tag?

The NFL offseason is anything but quiet. Although fans miss out on the excitement of weekly games, it's a critical point of recalibration for every NFL franchise. This is when coaches envision the future of their rosters, and general managers do the challenging work of making it all happen under the salary cap. It's a busy time on the calendar when teams conduct their own version of spring cleaning. Players are being heavily evaluated and considered for the roster, whether it's through the free agency process, trade process, or draft process.

While the 2024 NFL Draft will headline the offseason on April 25-27, other NFL roster transactions are hardly televised. As teams begin to negotiate with their pending unrestricted free agents, they have one particular trump card to prevent a superstar player from hitting the open free agency market: the franchise tag.

If negotiations for a long-term contract extension break down, teams have the option to use the franchise tag designation, which binds the player to a one-year, fully guaranteed contract. Teams can only use the designation once per offseason.

When is the franchise tag deadline in the NFL?

The deadline for teams to use the franchise tag designation is on March 5 at 4 p.m. ET.

While some teams use the designation to retain a player without any long-term commitment, others use the franchise tag for more time to negotiate a long-term contract extension. Without the tag, the player would be able to explore other options in free agency after March 13. Teams can sign multi-year extensions with their franchise-tagged players until July 17. If there is no extension in place by that date, the player must play out the 2024 NFL season on a one-year contract.

There are two main types of franchise tags: the exclusive franchise tag and the non-exclusive franchise tag. The non-exclusive tag allows a player to negotiate a deal with another team. If the player finds a deal with another team, the original team can match the contract or refuse it and receive two first-round picks as compensation for the player. The exclusive tag prohibits a player from negotiating with any other team, but it usually comes with a higher salary.

Teams typically prefer using the non-exclusive designation due to its cheaper salary and the steep price of two first-round picks often being too high for other teams to pay. The salary for the non-exclusive tag is determined by the average of the top five salaries at the player's position from the previous five years or 120 percent of the player's previous salary — whichever number is higher.

A player can be franchise-tagged multiple times, but the salary gets more expensive with each tag. On the second tag, a player is guaranteed at least 120 percent of their previous year’s salary. On the third consecutive tag, the player's salary is either 144 percent of his previous year’s salary or the average of the top five salaries for the highest-paid position in the league, which has typically been quarterbacks.

The Kansas City Chiefs are one notable team to watch, as they can use the franchise tag designation to retain either defensive tackle Chris Jones or cornerback L’Jarius Sneed. The Baltimore Ravens have made it clear that they intend to use the franchise tag on defensive tackle Justin Madubuike, while the Cincinnati Bengals have used the designation on wide receiver Tee Higgins.

The franchise tag receives little fanfare, but retaining a key player with the franchise tag can be one of the most important decisions a general manager can make in the offseason. After all, the Chiefs won Super Bowl LVIII in large part due to Chris Jones, who played the 2023 NFL season on a franchise tag.