The NFL franchise tag is a one-year contract tender a team can use on a player who is approaching free agency. It sets a salary and limits the player’s immediate freedom to negotiate elsewhere: a non-exclusive tag allows outside offers subject to the club’s matching right, while an exclusive tag blocks outside negotiation. The figures below are the historical 2024 non-exclusive franchise and transition tenders—not current prices.
What is the NFL franchise tag?
A franchise tag is a one-year tender that a club can use to retain negotiating rights over a player who would otherwise become an unrestricted free agent. Each club may designate one franchise or transition player in a league year. A tender is not the same as a long-term extension: the player and team can continue negotiating a multiyear contract after the designation.
The tender amount is determined by league rules and the player’s position and salary history. The type of tag determines whether the player can negotiate with other clubs and what rights or compensation the original team retains.
How do the franchise and transition tags differ?
| Tender | Can negotiate with another club? | Original club’s rights | Draft compensation if the club does not match |
|---|---|---|---|
| Non-exclusive franchise | Yes | Five days to match an outside offer sheet | Two first-round picks from the signing club |
| Exclusive franchise | No | Exclusive negotiating rights; no outside offer sheet | No outside offer sheet while the tag is in effect |
| Transition | Yes | Five days to match an outside offer sheet | None |
The non-exclusive tag is the standard franchise tender many fans mean when they say “franchise tag.” A player may negotiate with another club, but the original club can match the offer. If it declines, the signing club owes two first-round draft picks. The transition tag also permits outside negotiation and a five-day matching window, but does not carry that draft-pick penalty. These terms are described by NFL Football Operations and NFL.com.
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An exclusive-tagged player cannot negotiate with another team. The exclusive tender is the greater of the current league-year average of the top five salaries at the player’s position or the non-exclusive franchise tender. Its amount is established after the restricted-free-agent signing period, so the 2024 non-exclusive table below does not provide an exclusive-tag value.
How much was the NFL franchise tag by position in 2024?
The following are reported 2024 non-exclusive franchise and transition tender values. They are historical figures, not estimates for another season. Sporting News reported the amounts in its 2024 position-value table.
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| Position | Non-exclusive franchise tender | Transition tender |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterback | $38.300 million | $34.367 million |
| Running back | $11.951 million | $9.765 million |
| Wide receiver | $21.816 million | $19.766 million |
| Tight end | $12.693 million | $10.878 million |
| Offensive line | $20.985 million | $19.040 million |
| Defensive end | $21.324 million | $19.076 million |
| Defensive tackle | $22.102 million | $18.491 million |
| Linebacker | $24.007 million | $19.971 million |
| Cornerback | $19.802 million | $17.215 million |
| Safety | $17.123 million | $13.815 million |
| Kicker/punter | $5.984 million | $5.433 million |
The NFL set the 2024 salary cap at $255.4 million per club, according to the Tennessee Titans. The Associated Press reported that the cap increased $30.6 million from 2023 to 2024, citing full repayment of club advances and deferred player amounts during the pandemic as well as higher media revenue (Associated Press).
How is a non-exclusive tag amount calculated?
The non-exclusive franchise tender is the greater of a position-based amount and 120% of the player’s Prior Year Salary. The position-based amount uses the average of franchise-tag figures for that position over the prior five seasons, expressed as a share of the salary cap over those seasons, and applies that percentage to the upcoming season’s cap. The NFL outlines the calculation and definition of Prior Year Salary in its free-agency questions and answers.
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Prior Year Salary includes base salary, roster and reporting bonuses, prorated signing bonus, and other payments for playing in the previous league year, while excluding certain performance bonuses. As a result, the 120% floor can make an individual’s tender higher than the published position amount.
Position classification also matters: under the collective bargaining agreement, the relevant position is generally the one at which the player participated in the most plays during the prior league year. The table therefore offers a reference for the 2024 season, not a promise that every player commonly described by a position label would receive precisely that amount.
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What were the 2024 deadlines, and how did the tags play out?
For the 2024 league year, clubs had until March 5 at 4 p.m. ET to designate a franchise or transition player. A club and tagged player could negotiate a multiyear extension through July 15; after that date, an agreement for that season was limited to a one-year contract. These were 2024 dates, not recurring calendar deadlines.
The NFL’s current operations page lists a separate 2026 schedule: the designation window runs from February 17 through 4 p.m. ET on March 3, and the extension deadline is July 15. The dates change by league year, so the 2024 deadline should not be used as a current-season calendar.
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Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →In 2024, Cincinnati applied the non-exclusive tag to wide receiver Tee Higgins, with a reported tender of $21.8 million. New York did not tag running back Saquon Barkley. Other tagged players included Josh Allen, Brian Burns, Kyle Dugger (transition), Jaylon Johnson, Justin Madubuike, Michael Pittman, L’Jarius Sneed, and Antoine Winfield Jr., as reported by NFL.com. A tag designation does not itself mean the team and player have stopped pursuing a long-term deal.
What happens after a player is tagged?
The tender preserves the club’s rights for the season, but the player must sign it to play under that one-year contract. Under the NFL’s current rules, a team may withdraw an unsigned tender; once signed, it is guaranteed for skill, cap, and injury. A tagged player must sign the tender before being traded. See the NFL’s current rules and procedures for the applicable league-year details.
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