NFL Franchise Tag 2016: Full List of Players

The first major decisions of the 2016 NFL offseason are fast approaching, as teams have until 4 p.m. ET Tuesday to decide whether to use their franchise tag. 

The tag itself remains divisive. While it gives players a massive lump sum of cash—tagged players are paid the average of the five highest-paid at their position or 120 percent of their previous year's salary, whichever is higher—it strips long-term security in an injury-riddled sport. There is also a good point to be made about how the tag runs counter to a free-market system, but that's an argument for another day.

Franchise tagging is here to stay, so that leaves us only one discussion point: Who's getting tagged and why?

Only five teams used the franchise tag last year (the Miami Dolphins also used the transition tag), but that number is bound to be higher in 2016. This year's free-agent class is strong at the top, and with the cap continuing to balloon, teams will have a little extra room to take the short-term hit.

With that in mind, here's a look at some of the most notable names who received the tag Tuesday.

Team	Player Tagged
Arizona Cardinals	None
Atlanta Falcons	None
Baltimore Ravens	K Justin Tucker
Buffalo Bills	OT Cordy Glenn
Carolina Panthers	CB Josh Norman
Chicago Bears	WR Alshon Jeffery
Cincinnati Bengals	None
Cleveland Browns	None
Dallas Cowboys	None
Denver Broncos	LB Von Miller
Detroit Lions	None
Green Bay Packers	None
Houston Texans	None
Indianapolis Colts	None
Jacksonville Jaguars	None
Kansas City Chiefs	S Eric Berry
Los Angeles Rams	CB Trumaine Jackson
Miami Dolphins	DE Olivier Vernon
Minnesota Vikings	None
New England Patriots	None
New Orleans Saints	None
New York Giants	None
New York Jets	DE Muhammad Wilkerson
Oakland Raiders	None
Philadelphia Eagles	None
Pittsburgh Steelers	None
San Diego Chargers	None
San Francisco 49ers	None
Seattle Seahawks	None
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	None
Tennessee Titans	None
Washington	QB Kirk Cousins

Position	Tag
QB	$19.95 million
DE	$15.70 million
WR	$14.60 million
LB	$14.13 million
CB	$13.95 million
OL	$13.71 million
DT	$13.62 million
RB	$11.79 million
S	$10.81 million
TE	$9.12 million
K/P	$4.57 million

Franchise tag numbers are via NFL.com and are rounded to the nearest hundredth.  

QB Kirk Cousins, Washington

Who, exactly, is Kirk Cousins? Is he the player who showed up the first three-and-a-half years of his career, a turnover-prone mess best kept as a career backup? Or is he the player who ascended to superstardom over the final eight games of 2015, throwing for 19 touchdowns against two interceptions and setting a number of franchise records?

Washington general manager Scot McCloughan shed some light on whether Cousins is the long-term answer, per ESPN 980’s The Sports Fix (via Scott Allen of the Washington Post):

"

That’s a hard question to answer. That position is so difficult. He had a really good year. The intangibles and the physical skills are there. My plan is to surround him with 10 really good guys on offense, 11 really good guys on defense and 11 really good guys on special teams, and have depth behind them, where they all take care of each other.

"

McCloughan and Cousins' representatives appear to be at a stalemate. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported the two sides had broken off negotiations, tweeting there "will be no long-term deal now nor anytime soon."

While the franchise tag carries an onerous cap figure, this may be the best-case scenario for Washington. Locking Cousins into a long-term deal was always a risky proposition. He had an interception rate of 4.4 percent or higher in each of his first three NFL seasons. Even in the best season of his life, Cousins had nearly as many multi-interception games (four) as multitouchdown ones (five).

“There’s a few times where he do get a little anxious and a little worried about some of those defenders,” running back Pierre Thomas said, per Brian McNally of CBS Washington. “He’s going to have to learn. It’s going to take time. He’s still young. He’s going to learn how to avoid that, but I believe he’s seen what he needs to work on and I believe he’s going to be a better player next year.”

There will be some sort of regression to the mean in 2016, and how far Cousins steers into the curve will determine his NFL fate. If his interception rate winds up around 3 percent, he suddenly becomes an average or below-average quarterback. Keeping him on a one-year deal and asking him to prove himself is the smartest long-term play for Washington despite the short-term risk.

LB Von Miller, Denver Broncos

The Broncos were never allowing Von Miller to walk. He's the best player on arguably the NFL's best defense, recording double-digit sacks for the fourth time in five seasons in 2015. With Peyton Manning likely retiring and Brock Osweiler hitting the open market, there is massive uncertainty with the Broncos offense; they desperately need stability on the other side of the ball.

In this case, the franchise tag is a means to an end. Miller has the resume to be paid as much as any defensive player in history if he hits the open market. The Broncos undoubtedly recognize this and will want to spare themselves the outside competition. Tagging Miller gives them time to negotiate a fair long-term deal, something Miller seemed optimistic about in an interview with Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com:

"

I put in all the work I can possibly do. If I was with any other organization, if I was with any other team, maybe I'd be worried about everything, but I've got [executive vice president of football operations/general manager] John Elway. He's played, he's had experience with this whole process. I feel comfortable. Me and John's relationship is great: He was there when I was going through stuff and he never wavered. I feel like we won't waver now either. It will be a great experience, and it will be peaceful -- there's no reason for it not to be.

"

There hasn't been much buzz on how close the two sides are beyond Miller's public comments. It's known the two sides have been in deep negotiations for some time, but how close they actually are to getting a deal done is unclear. Broncos general manager John Elway has expressed optimism about a deal getting done.

"I think he's done a real nice job with how he's handled everything and I just think that he's a guy we're going to keep around," Elway said last Thursday, per Andrew Mason of the Broncos' official website, "so we'll get something figured out."

Either way, Denver's smart to lock in Miller and give itself some time. 

CB Josh Norman, Carolina Panthers

We could essentially write the same thing when discussing Josh Norman, who emerged as one of the game's best corners in 2015. He more than doubled his career interception total by picking off four passes, two of which he returned for touchdowns.

The Panthers ranked second in Football Outsiders' DVOA metric against the pass, and opposing quarterbacks posted the worst rating against their secondary. They can thank Norman for a lot of that. According to Pro Football Focus (via Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer), opposing quarterbacks posted a 54.0 rating when throwing in Norman's direction. Plus, it doesn't hurt that he may be the only player in football capable of stopping New York Giants wideout Odell Beckham Jr.

“I’ve used it before,” general manager Dave Gettleman told Jonathan Jones of the Charlotte Observer. “I’m not shy. I’m not afraid of it. After we evaluate everything, we’re going to do what we think is in the best interests of the Carolina Panthers.”

Franchising Norman might be the best play over the long term. Despite being only four years into his career, Norman is already 28 and will turn 29 in December. Any long-term deal will carry over into Norman's 30s, which is typically the time cornerbacks begin showing signs of decline. Darrelle Revis is two years older than Norman but has an additional five years of NFL experience under his belt. Norman's prime is probably going to be shorter than a typical player.

In that case, franchising Norman the next two years and cutting bait after his 30th birthday might be the best option.

Follow Tyler Conway (@jtylerconway) on Twitter.

All stats via Pro Football Reference unless otherwise stated. Franchise tag news comes courtesy of NFL.com.