NFL Franchise Tag Decisions Power Rankings: Who’s The Best Tag?
The deadline has passed for NFL teams to apply the franchise tag, and eight players got the tag. There were some repeat tags, some new ones, and some that make a lot of sense. Here, I will be ranking the franchise tag decisions, these rankings will be based on a few factors such as: How good I feel the player is, the opportunity cost of the tag, the price of the tag, and other factors that I deem necessary and will explain.
8: Cam Robinson. $16.6 Million
Cam Robinson comes in at the bottom because I just like this move the least. This is the second year he’s been tagged, and while it is worth something to keep a consistent offensive line, I just feel this money could be used better elsewhere. Like going after Armstead in free agency, or drafting a left tackle in the draft at number one overall. I just feel the Jaguars had better options available.
7: Dalton Schultz. $10.93 Million
The tight end franchise tag is so cheap, I just don’t love Schultz as a player, I think he’s the worst of the three tight ends who were tagged. The only reason he’s this high is that the salary is so cheap.
6: Chris Godwin. $19.18 Million
I love Chris Godwin as a player, the reason this ranks so low is back to the opportunity cost. The Buccaneers need all the salary cap flexibility they can get and having Godwin count for nearly 20 million in a single year does not help. Carlton Davis was another tag candidate if a deal for Godwin was worked out, and it is fairly likely that Davis walks now. Ryan Jenson and Alex Cappa are scheduled to hit free agency. This move hamstrings the Buccaneers, and all Buccaneer fans have to hope a long-term deal is agreed upon.
5: Davante Adams. $20.12 Million
This again is due to the salary cap pressure this move puts on the Packers. According to overthecap.com, the Packers are $45.8 million over the salary cap. They have a lot of work to do. To be fair, with Rodgers returning, I don’t think the Packers had any choice but to keep Adams around. Hopefully, a long-term deal can be reached to make the cap hit more manageable.
4: David Njoku. $10.93 Million
The Browns need to keep whatever weapons they have, and the franchise tag for tight ends is hilariously cheap so I like this move to keep Njoku around. The Browns still have room to work with.
3: Mike Gesicki. $10.93 Million
Gesicki might be the second-best player on the Dolphins’ offense. They used him like a slot wide receiver last year, so he may argue that he is a wide receiver. This doesn’t concern me because Mike McDaniel can easily say “In my offense, he’s a tight end.”
2: Jesse Bates III. $12.91 Million
The NFL safety market is hilarious. There’s this line somewhere, if you’re above it you get top dollar, if you’re below it, you’re getting near minimum. Bates would be making market-setting money, so it makes sense for the Bengals to say “Whoa, not so fast” and keep him around. He didn’t play great in the regular season but he really turned it on in the playoffs. The Bengals probably want to see him be able to maintain that top-tier play over a full season.
1: Orlando Brown Jr. $16.66 Million
I like this tag the most because it makes the most sense in my opinion. The Chiefs traded a first-round pick for Orlando Brown Jr. So obviously they won’t let him walk away for nothing, but they’re skeptical about something. This tag keeps him around and leaves the door open for negotiation.
