The NFL’s franchise tag window closes on March 8. As is the case most years, teams have waited until the final days to make a decision on which stars to tag, and which ones they will reach free agency. Stay up to date on the latest NFL news with our constantly updated franchise tag (and transition tag) tracker.
2022 NFL Franchise Tag Tracker
The NFL’s collective bargaining agreement stipulates that each year, every team can designate one pending unrestricted free agent as a franchise or transition player.
The designation guarantees that player a one-year salary based on the current year’s salary cap and the position he plays. It is designed to allow teams to retain their best players while also fairly compensating the athletes for one year of service.
A player can be franchise-tagged more than once, but the price increases substantially each time they do it. A second tag results in at least a 20% bump in salary. A third tag results in at least a staggering 44% bump over Year 2. So, if a player is tagged at $10 million and then twice more in the two years that followed, the team will have paid him nearly $40 million total for those three seasons.
The transition tag is the franchise tag’s far less popular and useful cousin. While the franchise tag guarantees the club doing the tagging either the player’s rights that year or compensation should they lose him, the transition tag does not. All it does is give the club the right to match any free agent contract the tagged player receives.
Players tagged in 2022
- Kansas City Chiefs offensive tackle Orlando Brown | $16.7 million
- Cleveland Browns tight end David Njoku | $10.9 million
- Cincinnati Bengals safety Jessie Bates III | $12.9 million
- Miami Dolphins tight end Mike Gesicki | $10.9 million
- Dallas Cowboys tight end Dalton Schultz | $10.9 million
- Jacksonville Jaguars offensive tackle Cam Robinson | $16.7 million
- Green Bay Packers wide receiver Davante Adams | $20.1 million
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Chris Godwin | $19.2 million
Projected franchise and transition tag compensation
The NFL in December informed teams that the estimated salary cap for 2022 would be $208.2 million. That basically locked in the non-exclusive franchise and transition tag numbers for each position. Those salaries, as announced by the NFL on March 7, are as follows:
- Quarterback
$29.7 million (Franchise)
$27.2 million (Transition) - Defensive End
$17.9 million (Franchise)
$16.0 million (Transition) - Wide Receiver
$18.4 million (Franchise)
$16.8 million (Transition) - Linebacker
$18.7 million (Franchise)
$15.8 million (Transition) - Cornerback
$17.3 million (Franchise)
$15.2 million (Transition) - Defensive Tackle
$17.4 million (Franchise)
$14.7 million (Transition) - Offensive Line
$16.7 million (Franchise)
$15.3 million (Transition) - Safety
$12.9 million (Franchise)
$10.8 million (Transition) - Running Back
$9.6 million (Franchise)
$8.0 million (Transition) - Tight End
$10.9 million (Franchise)
$9.4 million (Transition) - Special Teams
$5.2 million (Franchise)
$4.7 million (Transition)