NFL Announces Franchise, Transition Tag Salaries Ahead of 2022 Free Agency

NFL teams now know what it will cost them in 2022 if they want to place franchise or transition tags on players.

The league sent a memo to its teams revealing the numbers ahead of Tuesday's deadline:

Teams have until 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday to place the franchise or transition tags on players, which will prevent them from entering free agency. Teams can designate one player with a tag to essentially lock them in for the 2022 campaign and perhaps open a larger window to discuss long-term contract extensions.

There are some differences when it comes to the various tag options.

Any team using the franchise tag on a player must pay him a one-year contract that is either the average of the top-five salaries of his position or 120 percent of his salary from the prior campaign. 

An exclusive franchise tag prevents players from signing with another team, while a non-exclusive tag does not. A player's team can match any other offer that player receives, though, and would be granted two first-round draft picks if they choose not to, so the tag basically guarantees the player will not be playing elsewhere during the upcoming season.

Transition tags pay players the average of the top-10 salaries at the position and do not give teams draft picks if they choose not to match another squad's offer for said player.

Some AFC teams have already made tag moves ahead of Tuesday's deadline.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported the Kansas City Chiefs used the franchise tag on offensive tackle Orlando Brown. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported the Cincinnati Bengals and the Cleveland Browns did the same with safety Jessie Bates III and tight end David Njoku, respectively.

A number of teams will likely take advantage of the ability to use the tag prior to Tuesday's deadline, which will then set the stage for free agency and the upcoming NFL draft.