NFL Free Agency 2018: Players Who Could Get Last-Minute Franchise Tags

Teams from around the NFL have already begun using the franchise tag, a tool provided to keep one player out of unrestricted free agency with a lucrative, one-year deal.  

The Miami Dolphins used the tag on receiver Jarvis Landry, while the Detroit Lions slapped it on defensive end Ezekiel Ansah. 

The period for using the franchise tag runs through Tuesday, March 6, so teams with big decisions on the tag are coming up to the deadline. And nothing spurs action like a good deadline. 

Here are several players who can expect to get the franchise tag unless significant progress is made on a new contract over the next few days.

RB Le'Veon Bell, Pittsburgh Steelers

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The Pittsburgh Steelers using the franchise tag on Le'Veon Bell for the second straight year looks like a foregone conclusion, but there's increasing optimism about the two sides completing a long-term deal at some point this offseason. 

General manager Kevin Colbert said at the NFL Scouting Combine this week that he's "optimistic" about finding "common ground" on a new deal for Bell, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN. At the very least, it appears contract talks are proceeding at a healthier pace now than last year around this time. 

Tagging Bell for the 2018 season would cost the Steelers about $14.5 million. But it would also buy the team extra time to hammer out a multiyear deal, which remains the ultimate goal for both sides. The deadline for extending a player given the tag is July 16. 

Bell, 26, has produced 3,830 yards from scrimmage and 20 total touchdowns over the last two seasons. He averaged 141.9 yards from scrimmage over 27 games since 2016, far and away the highest average in the NFL.

Ideally, Bell and the Steelers would get a deal done before Tuesday. Colbert said it remains possible. But if it doesn't happen, the Steelers won't hesitate to use the tag to extend negotiations on a long-term deal with the best running back in football.

WR Allen Robinson, Jacksonville Jaguars

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Both Allen Robinson and the Jacksonville Jaguars might want a long-term deal, but the one-year franchise tag looks like the better option on the team's side and the far more likely avenue for keeping the talented young receiver out of unrestricted free agency. 

Applying the tag, which will cost $16 million for receivers in 2018, would provide the Jaguars with a full year to figure out if Robinson is the same player after coming back from ACL surgery. 

Coach Doug Marrone is convinced the team will do what it takes to keep Robinson in Jacksonville. 

"He's a very good player for us," Marrone said at the combine, according to Hays Carlyon of 1010 XL radio in Jacksonville. "We have options with the tag that's out there."

Still only 24, Robinson produced 1,400 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns during a breakout sophomore season in 2015. His numbers dipped sharply in 2016 (883 yards, six touchdowns), and he missed all but three snaps in 2017 after injuring his knee on the first drive of Week 1. 

Still, the Jaguars have the cap space to absorb the $16 million cap hit of tagging Robinson. It'd be a worthwhile investment for a team that was one quarter away from playing in the Super Bowl. 

DE DeMarcus Lawrence, Dallas Cowboys

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No player looks more likely to receive the franchise tag than DeMarcus Lawrence, who is ready to cash in after a Pro Bowl season in 2017. Talented pass-rushers with his combination of production (14.5 sacks) and youth (turns 26 in April) rarely get to free agency, and the Dallas Cowboys have no intention of letting one of their top defensive players reach the open market. 

Executive vice president Stephen Jones confirmed the Cowboys would use the franchise tag on Lawrence if no deal is hammered out before Tuesday.

"We won't let D-Law not be a Dallas Cowboy next year," Jones said, according to the team's official site. "We'll do everything we can to try to make something work, and if we don't get it done then we'll franchise him. Then we'll go back to work."

The tag would cost the Cowboys $17.5 million on the cap next season, but it would also provide much-needed time for what could be a tricky long-term contract negotiation. While Lawrence was a dominant pass-rusher last season, he has otherwise dealt with major health issues, including two back surgeries, over his first four NFL seasons. 

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is OK with using the tag, and he understands the tag can be a force for good when it comes to long-term contract talks. 

"There are advantages that the franchise tag gives you," Jones said, according to Kate Hairopoulos of the Dallas Morning News. "It creates some leverage to get a long-term deal done. ... I'm satisfied. I'm satisfied at where the numbers are, both Lawrence and the Cowboys are getting value here. I see it both ways. But it's an acceptable value for the Cowboys as well to be able to do a one-year deal."

Expect the Cowboys to buy themselves several extra months of negotiating by using the tag on Lawrence, who finished second in the NFL in sacks in 2017, before Tuesday's deadline. 

CB Kyle Fuller, Chicago Bears

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Franchise-tagging Kyle Fuller would be a tough blow for Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Pace, who declined Fuller's fifth-year option last spring and then watched the former first-round pick bounce back with a career year in 2017. 

The 14th overall selection in the 2014 draft produced two interceptions and 22 pass breakups, which tied for second-most in the NFL. Fuller is now entering free agency with the leverage of being a young (26), talented cornerback in a league starved for legitimate difference-makers at the position. 

Having leverage at a premium position generally results in a big paycheck. 

It will be interesting to see if the Bears decide to use the tag to buy time for contract talks or allow Fuller to reach free agency and let the market determine his value. 

According to Adam Hoge of WGN Radio, the franchise tag remains a "real possibility" as Pace and the Bears continue "aggressive" negotiations with their young cornerback. 

It's possible a strong class of free-agent cornerbacks could keep Fuller's price reasonable on the open market. It's equally possible the Bears could have serious interest in using the one-year franchise tag and making Fuller prove his 2017 wasn't a fluke. The answer will become clear by Tuesday.

WR Sammy Watkins, Los Angeles Rams

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The Los Angeles Rams traded veteran edge-rusher Robert Quinn to the Miami Dolphins on Friday, creating almost $11.5 million in cap space in 2018. That money looks earmarked for Sammy Watkins and safety Lamarcus Joyner, who are both about to hit the open market. 

It's certainly possible the Rams will use the franchise tag on Joyner and then work toward completing a new deal for Watkins. 

But it sounds like Joyner might be the team's biggest free-agent priority. And if that's the case, the Rams could tag Watkins—delaying that negotiation—while focusing most of the team's energy on getting a long-term deal done with Joyner.  

"He kind of represents a lot of the things that are right about your locker room and what you want guys to embody from a football character standpoint, the way they attack every single day," Rams coach Sean McVay said, according to Rich Hammond of the Orange County Register. "Lamarcus is someone who is very important and we'd like to get him re-signed, for sure."

The Rams traded a valuable cornerback (E.J. Gaines) and a second-round pick to the Buffalo Bills for Watkins, who caught only 39 passes but produced eight touchdowns for Los Angeles in 2018. The team won't want to lose the field-stretching receiver after just a one-year rental. Using the franchise tag on Watkins and finishing a long-term deal with Joyner would ensure the Rams keep both playmakers next season. 

Unlikely to Get the Tag

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These players are reportedly unlikely to receive the tag by Tuesday:

QB Case Keenum, Minnesota Vikings

Despite leading the Vikings to the NFC Championship Game, Keenum is not expected to receive the franchise tag, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. Minnesota appears to be gearing up for a run at Kirk Cousins in free agency.

DL Sheldon Richardson, Seattle Seahawks

Not only did Rapoport report the Seahawks are unlikely to tag Richardson last month, but general manager John Schneider said at the combine that Seattle doesn't plan to use the tag on Richardson, according to Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times. The Seahawks traded for Richardson last season. 

OL Andrew Norwell, Carolina Panthers

Neither Rapoport nor Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer expects the Panthers to use the franchise tag on Norwell, who emerged as a top interior offensive lineman in 2017. 

QB Kirk Cousins, Washington Redskins

Vice president of player personnel Doug Williams confirmed the Redskins are not planning to use the franchise tag on Cousins, according to Kimberly A. Martin of the Washington Post. Rumors had surfaced about the possibility of the Redskins tagging Cousins to trade him.