The NFL’s franchise tag window opened on February 22, and teams had until 3:59 PM EST on Tuesday to assign the franchise tag to any of their free agents.
For the seventh straight season, the Buffalo Bills didn’t use the franchise tag on anyone.
After reaching terms with cornerback/special teams standout Siran Neal (three-year deal) and linebacker Tyrel Dodson (one-year deal), the Bills only had 13 unrestricted free agents eligible for the tag:
Mario Addison (DE), Ike Boettger (G), Matt Breida (RB), Vernon Butler (DT), Jerry Hughes (DE), Taiwan Jones (RB/special teams), Efe Obada (DE), Isaiah McKenzie (WR), Harrison Phillips (DT), Emmanuel Sanders (WR), Mitchell Trubisky (QB), Levi Wallace (CB), and Justin Zimmer (DT).
Using the tag allows teams like the Bills the opportunity to hold onto their would-be free agents for one additional year, with the player’s guaranteed salary averaging out to the top-five salaries at their position.
Each team can use the franchise or transition tag once each offseason. Assigning a player the franchise tag serves as a fully guaranteed, one-year contract that helps teams keep their unrestricted free agents from hitting the open market.
The Bills have turned to the franchise tag only five times since the concept was adopted in 1993.
For the record, here are the players who have received the franchise tag designation in the history of the Bills: OL John Fina (1996), WR Peerless Price (2003), CB Nate Clements (2006), S Jairus Byrd (2013), and OT Cordy Glenn (2016).
Here is the full list of players who were tagged from NFL.com:
- The Cincinnati Bengals used their franchise tag on Jessie Bates. The tag for safeties is $12.911 million.
- The Cleveland Browns used their franchise tag on David Njoku. The tag for tight ends is $10.931 million.
- The Dallas Cowboys used their franchise tag on Dalton Schultz. The tag for tight ends is $10.931 million.
- The Green Bay Packers used their franchise tag on Davante Adams. The tag for Adams is around $20.415 million.
- The Jacksonville Jaguars used their franchise tag on Cam Robinson for a second straight season. The tag for offensive linemen is $16.662 million.
- The Kansas City Chiefs used their franchise tag on Orlando Brown. The tag for offensive linemen is $16.662 million.
- The Miami Dolphins used their franchise tag on Mike Gesicki. The tag for tight ends is $10.931 million.
- The New England Patriots did not use their franchise tag on cornerback J.C. Jackson.
- The Tampa Bay Buccaneers used their franchise tag on Chris Godwin. The tag for Godwin is around $19.179 million.
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