Today marks the beginning of the two week window where NFL teams can apply the franchise tag to one of their potential free agents this offseason. The franchise tag, on paper, is supposed to be used as a place holder for the two sides, player and management, to work out a long term deal, and if the two sides cannot, then at the very least, the player is guaranteed a one year salary equal to the average of the top five at his position.
The reality is that many teams use the tag as leverage against a player, and in some cases, as a way to trade them to another team rather than let them walk in free agency for nothing. There are other, secondary rules that come with the franchise tag, such as a player can refuse to sign their tender and just hold out, if they don’t like being tagged. Also, there is a July deadline for tagged players to agree to a long term deal. However, for purposes of the next two weeks, we only care about two things:
1. Will the Texans give any of their free agents the franchise tag? If so, who?
2. What players from other teams are the Texans targeting in free agency, and which of those players might get tagged?
Before we answer both questions, here are the amounts the franchise tag is worth at each position group for this offseason:
Position Franchise Tag
QB $35,952,000
DE $23,348,000
LB $22,092,000
OL $21,720,000
WR $21,665,000
DT $19,753,000
CB $18,421,000
S $17,220,000
RB $12,419,000
TE $12,371,000
ST $5,827,000
With that said, let’s attack both questions about the franchise tag from a Texans angle:
1. Do we expect any Houston Texans free agents to get hit with the franchise tag?
First off, it’s nice to have a few players on the team that feel franchise tag worthy. That hasn’t been the case the last few seasons. The Texans have only used the franchise tag twice in franchise history, in 2009 with CB Dunta Robinson and in 2019 with DE Jadeveon Clowney. This offseason, I think there are three players where it’s worth a discussion — DE Jon Greenard, TE Dalton Schultz and P Cam Johnston.
Greenard had 12.5 sacks last season, but tailed off at the end of the year, mostly due to injuries. $23 million is a steep franchise tag, and it would indicate the Texans have no plans of shopping in the expensive aisle for defensive ends in free agency. Schultz established some really nice chemistry with C.J. Stroud, and bringing him back for one year at $12 million might be the best option, given the weakness in the tight end market and draft. Johnson is a wild card in this conversation, as specialists are rarely tagged. However, $5.8 million for one year might make sense if the two sides can’t arrive at a long term deal.
2. What potential Texans free agency targets are most likely to get tagged?
If the Texans are going to go shopping in the expensive aisles during free agency, I think it will be at one of three positions — defensive end, defensive tackle, and running back. My contention as to “why” on the first two positions is based on DeMeco Ryans’ stated desire to build through the defensive line. My contention as to “why” on running back is because the Texans’ running back room needs a major overhaul. That said, these are names that I would keep an eye on over the next two weeks, and hope they don’t get tagged:
DEFENSIVE END: Brian Burns, CAR; Josh Allen, JAC; Chase Young, SF
DEFENSIVE TACKLE: Justin Madubuike, BAL; Chris Jones, KC; Christian Wilkins, MIA
RUNNING BACK: Josh Jacobs, LVG; Saquon Barkley, NYG
I list these names because I think their chances of getting tagged are among the highest at their respective positions. Obviously, other names are in play for the Texans in free agency.
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This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2024.
