The Toughest Franchise-Tag Decisions Heading into 2023 NFL Free Agency

One of the first milestones of the NFL offseason arrived Tuesday when the window to use the franchise tag officially opened. Teams now have until 4 p.m. ET on March 7 to slap impending free agents with tags in order to essentially reserve them for 2023, typically with the hope of signing them to long-term deals ahead of the annual July 15 deadline to do so.

In the event a player is hit with the non-exclusive franchise tag for the first time, here's what they'll be slated to make in 2023 without a long-term deal in place.

Quarterback: $32,416,000

Running back: $10,091,000

Receiver: $19,743,000

Tight end: $11,345,000

Offensive line: $18,244,000

Defensive end: $19,727,000

Defensive tackle: $18,937,000

Linebacker: $20,926,000

Cornerback: $18,140,000

Safety: $14,460,000

Kicker/Punter: $5,393,000

While most tags won't be handed out until the eleventh hour, let's take a look at some of the more intriguing and difficult tag-related decisions throughout the league.

All Eyes on Lamar in Baltimore

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BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - DECEMBER 04: Quarterback Lamar Jackson #8 of the Baltimore Ravens drops back to pass against the Denver Broncos at M&T Bank Stadium on December 04, 2022 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)

You'd think the Baltimore Ravens tagging Lamar Jackson would be inevitable. After all, we're talking about a 26-year-old quarterback with an MVP on his resume. And while the team is still extremely likely to tag Jackson for now, the water's a little murky here.

Jackson has failed to complete each of the last two seasons because of injuries. There was speculation he played his sprained PCL extra safe with his financial future in limbo down the stretch in 2022, but GM Eric DeCosta denied those rumors during his end-of-season press conference.

Nonetheless, contract negotiations between the Ravens and Jackson, who does not have a traditional agent, have seemingly gone nowhere, and it's unclear how he'll react to being slapped with the tag.

But the only way the Ravens can really get anything out of Jackson in a trade is by tagging him. The big question now is whether they'll use the non-exclusive tag worth $32.4 million or the exclusive tag, which could be valued above $40 million.

The former would enable opponents to sign Jackson to an offer sheet that could, in theory, be hard for Baltimore to match in order to keep him. Otherwise, they could lose him for the price of two first-round picks. The latter would remove him from the market entirely but would obviously be more costly and would almost definitely make negotiations tougher on the team.

Regardless, we're in for some drama.

A Giant Conundrum: Daniel Jones vs. Saquon Barkley

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MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - DECEMBER 24: Daniel Jones #8 and Saquon Barkley #26 of the New York Giants speak on the field during the first half of the game against the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium on December 24, 2022 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)

The New York Giants are trying to build off of a breakout playoff season in 2022, but now they're left trying to determine what to do with two key offensive pieces that played instrumental roles in getting them there.

Quarterback Daniel Jones had the best season of his career thus far but is now on track to hit free agency at age 25. Running back Saquon Barkley also has an expiring contract after a Pro Bowl age-25 season.

Barkley's tag would obviously cost the team a hell of a lot less money, but running back shelf lives are often pretty short, and Barkley has had injury issues. Meanwhile, can the team really afford to expose Jones to the market? He's not a star yet, but the ability is there, and he's flashed enough to merit tag consideration but arguably not enough for a massive long-term deal.

So this is quite a worthy debate, and it'll likely play out based on which set of negotiations goes better. For what it's worth, ESPN's Jordan Raanan reported Jones is changing agents ahead of the frenzy. Will he drive a hard bargain with or without the tag?

The Giants rank near the top of the league with more than $43 million in salary-cap space, according to Spotrac, but keeping both players with one tag will make it difficult to operate elsewhere this offseason. However, long-term deals also come with risk in both cases, so I don't envy general manager Joe Schoen.

Tony Pollard over Dalton Schultz in Dallas?

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ARLINGTON, TEXAS - DECEMBER 20: Dalton Schultz #86 of the Dallas Cowboys celebrates with running back Tony Pollard (20) during an NFL game against the San Francisco 49ers on December 20, 2020 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images)

The Tony Pollard-Dalton Schultz debate the Dallas Cowboys may or may not be having isn't quite as high-profile as the aforementioned situation in New York, mainly because it doesn't involve a quarterback. Still, there's an interesting dynamic at play for "America's Team."

Schultz seems like a fairly obvious candidate until you consider that he'd be owed about $13 million because he was tagged last year. That's a lot of green for a tight end with no Pro Bowls or All-Pro nods on his resume.

And then there's the fact the team could wind up parting ways with veteran running back Ezekiel Elliott because it'd save them about $5 million now (or nearly $11 million with a post-June 1 designation), and Pollard outperformed Elliott by a significant margin in 2022.

Could that force them to tag Pollard at a significantly cheaper rate than Schultz? How much does it benefit Schultz that the Cowboys likely believe they can't afford to lose both backs but have a stronger chance of keeping one or both if they sign Schultz to a long-term deal with short-term relief?

Let the games begin.

The Bills Have Some Thinking to Do

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ORCHARD PARK, NEW YORK - JANUARY 22: Jordan Poyer #21 of the Buffalo Bills looks on against the Cincinnati Bengals during the second half in the AFC Divisional Playoff game at Highmark Stadium on January 22, 2023 in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Bryan M. Bennett/Getty Images)

The Buffalo Bills have used the franchise tag just five times ever, and their salary-cap situation—they're $18.7 million over the cap right now, per Spotrac—could make that difficult again in 2023.

That said, they're trying to avoid regression after another playoff disappointment, and not one but two of their best defensive players are on the verge of hitting the open market.

Buffalo may have to decide between safety Jordan Poyer and linebacker Tremaine Edmunds, especially if they have to endure the short-term pain of using the tag on one.

You'd think that'd be off the table with Edmunds. The two-time Pro Bowler is still just 24 and has five triple-digit-tackle seasons under his belt, but edge-rushers at the outside linebacker position have inflated the linebacker tag value. That $20.9 million price tag is hefty for an off-ball 'backer, which could help Edmunds in long-term contract negotiations.

It also makes Poyer the stronger tag candidate, but the Bills will likely do everything in their power to retain both standouts on long-term deals in order to remain as competitive as possible while saving some short-term money in the process.

Several Key Defenders Are Candidates for the Eagles

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PHILADELPHIA, PA - JANUARY 29: General manager Howie Roseman of the Philadelphia Eagles walks on the field prior to the NFC Championship NFL football game against the San Francisco 49ers at Lincoln Financial Field on January 29, 2023 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)

Meanwhile, another contender coming off a disappointing postseason result and left with tag-related decisions to make is the defending NFC champion. And in the Philadelphia Eagles' case, three key defenders—safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson, cornerback James Bradberry and defensive lineman Javon Hargrave—are strong candidates.

Those guys lead a massive list of impending Eagles free agents, with general manager Howie Roseman trying to again work his magic under tight salary-cap circumstances in order to get back to the Super Bowl.

Guaranteed salaries north of $18 million might scare the team away from going with Hargrave or Bradberry, whereas Gardner-Johnson is coming off an awesome six-interception season and would be a lot cheaper as a safety.

At 25, he's also a lot younger than the other two (both of whom are entering their age-30 seasons), and the Eagles might want to make him prove his career year in 2022 wasn't a fluke.

On the other hand, do they really want to risk losing their second-team All-Pro corner or an interior defensive lineman who just recorded a career-high 11 sacks? Roseman has a lot of work to do in the coming days and weeks.