NFL Free Agency: Is It Time to Change the Name of the Franchise Tag?

March 7, 2012   ·   Bryan Manning   ·   Jump to comments

By the close of NFL business on Monday, a record 21 players received the franchise tag from their teams. The previous high for franchise tags being applied in one offseason was 14 (2009, 2011).
 
The higher amount of franchise tags being given out is due in large part to an agreement in the new CBA (Collective Bargaining Agreement). Previously, if a team placed the franchise tag on a player, the player was guaranteed a salary commensurate with the five highest-paid players at his position in the previous year.
 
However, the new CBA calculates a five-year average of the five highest-paid players at each position. Therefore, the five-year average is much lower than the previous year’s franchise salaries. The cost to franchise a player at any position dropped considerably this year and more teams felt inclined to use the tag.
 
The new rules regarding the franchise tag made its use more conducive to notoriously thrifty franchises such as...

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