NFL Franchise Tag 2018: Full List of Players

NFL-altering decisions will occur between now and March 6 at 4 p.m. ET. 

The two-week window allowing teams to place franchise or transition tags on players is an annual affair in nail-biting drama. It serves as a case study when it comes to roster building—which players are worth a large lump of cash on a one-year deal based on the salary cap and average salaries of their positions? 

As the league evolves, the numbers keep getting higher and things such as actual positional classification could start coming into question. Don't forget the high-stakes maneuver that is attempting a tag-and-trade, where the team that fails to find a trade partner gets stuck with the gigantic salary. 

With the quality of players on offer during free agency hanging in the balance, here's a look at who has received a tag and who might still. 

2018 Franchise Tag List 

Team	Player Tagged
Arizona Cardinals	None
Atlanta Falcons	None
Baltimore Ravens	None
Buffalo Bills	None
Carolina Panthers	None
Chicago Bears	None
Cincinnati Bengals	None
Cleveland Browns	None
Dallas Cowboys	None
Denver Broncos	None
Detroit Lions	None
Green Bay Packers	None
Houston Texans	None
Indianapolis Colts	None
Jacksonville Jaguars	None
Kansas City Chiefs	None
Los Angeles Rams	None
Miami Dolphins	WR Jarvis Landry
Minnesota Vikings	None
New England Patriots	None
New Orleans Saints	None
New York Giants	None
New York Jets	None
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	None

Franchise Tag Projections By Position

Position	Tag
QB	$23.29 million
DE	$17.22 million
WR	$16.05 million
LB	$15.03 million
CB	$15.04 million
OL	$14.14 million
DT	$14.00 million
RB	$11.90 million
S	$11.34 million
TE	$9.90 million
K/P	$4.96 million

Based on projections from Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer. Final numbers will coincide with official 2018 salary cap.

Miami Tags Landry

Wilfredo Lee/Associated Press

This one wasn't too hard to see coming, as the Miami Dolphins weren't going to necessarily agree with how much wide receiver Jarvis Landry should make on a long-term deal. 

As such, the Dolphins didn't hesitate to put the franchise tag on the 25-year-old wideout the day the two-week window opened: 

Problems abound for both parties. Landry is looking to cash in and will, at least for now, on a one-year deal worth about $16 million. His camp wasn't going to settle after a year in which he caught 112 passes for 987 yards and nine touchdowns. 

But the Dolphins are one of those teams flirting with serious cap danger this offseason in large part thanks to huge contracts doled out to guys like Ndamukong Suh. And while Landry's production sounds great, he averaged all of 8.8 yards per catch. 

Landry is a target monster underneath who doesn't stretch the field much. In the right offense, he's the type of reliable player who can essentially act as the running game on high-percentage throws. But should that skill set make more cash than an A.J. Green or Julio Jones? 

It's hard to say, though Landry might be a tag-and-trade target, so his getting a tag in the first place might be far from the last time we hear his name come up this offseason. 

Kirk Cousins Drama Continues

Arguably the biggest name to watch over the two-week window is Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins, the man who has now been tagged twice by the team. 

While the money gained has been huge, the non-committal approach by the Redskins seemed odd. This turned into an issue, at least for Cousins' camp, when the Redskins agreed to a trade with the Kansas City Chiefs, acquiring new starting quarterback Alex Smith. 

Despite this, the Redskins could still slap a tag on Cousins to make sure they get back some sort of asset for his departure. 

According to the Washington Post's Kimberley A. Martin, Cousins' camp would fight back by filing a grievance. 

A third consecutive tag would give Cousins something around a $34 million contract, a number only a few teams would likely have an interest in inheriting while also throwing out assets via trade. 

It's an interesting tug-of-war to watch, as Cousins continues to head for a major payday either way. He'll be 30 years old just before the season and remains a mid-tier starter (throwing 27 touchdowns and 13 interceptions last year) for the foreseeable future. 

Tag Candidates to Keep in Mind

Don Wright/Associated Press

Besides Cousins, there are a few other major names to watch on the tag market. 

The Dallas Cowboys, for example, would love to keep a tight grip on defensive end Demarcus Lawrence. The 2014 second-round pick erupted in the final year of his rookie contract with 15 sacks. Dallas has to walk a tightrope, though, because paying him a gigantic tag number at the age of 25 sets the table for possible brutal long-term negotiations. 

Sheldon Richardson and the Seattle Seahawks could be heading for an interesting dance as well. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported the team doesn't want to throw down the cash on a one-year salary, but if long-term negotiations fall through, it's hard to imagine the defense could withstand losing the boost he provided after coming over via a trade with the New York Jets. 

Keep an eye on the Minnesota Vikings as well. Technically speaking, the Vikings have three quarterbacks headed to free agency. We don't know if Teddy Bridgewater will qualify for the open market yet, but Sam Bradford and Case Keenum certainly do. The former is a high-percentage thrower when actually on the field and the latter stepped into the strong system in place and led the team to the playoffs. If the Vikings feel backed into a corner and out of options, they might find it worth the huge asking price to keep one of the guys in town. 

Then there's Le'Veon Bell and the Pittsburgh Steelers, though it seems like one of the most anticlimactic situations of the whole ordeal. According to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler (h/t Dianna Russini of ESPN), both sides want to work out a long-term deal, and if a tag gets used, it's to buy more negotiating time. 

Stats courtesy of NFL.com.