NFL Franchise Tag 2019: Full List of Players

Free agency can be a tricky period to navigate for NFL teams, especially those with top-end pending free agents on their own rosters. These teams must find a delicate balance between retaining the player and not hamstringing themselves in the salary-cap department.

This is why the franchise tag is often the last resort in contract negotiations. Using it ensures that a player won't depart in free agency, but it comes at the cost of a hefty one-year salary.

That salary must be no less than the average of the five highest-paid players at the position. For certain positions—most notably, quarterback—this can get quite expensive.

As of Monday morning, no teams have actually used the franchise tag, but they have until March 5 to do so. Below, you'll find a full list of the players who could receive the tag and some of the latest tag-related buzz.

First, though, here's a look at this year's projected franchise tag values, courtesy of Pro Football Focus' Pat Thorman.

Franchise Tag Candidates

Atlanta Falcons: DT Grady Jarrett

Baltimore Ravens: LB C.J. Mosley

Dallas Cowboys: DE Demarcus Lawrence

Houston Texans: LB/DE Jadeveon Clowney

Kansas City Chiefs: DE/LB Dee Ford

New England Patriots: DE Trey Flowers

New York Giants: S Landon Collins

Philadelphia Eagles: QB Nick Foles

Seattle Seahawks: DE Frank Clark

Tagging and Trading Foles Wouldn't Be an Issue

If the Philadelphia Eagles do use the franchise tag on quarterback Nick Foles, it will be so they can trade him to another team. There is essentially no way the team would pay its backup quarterback more than $25 million for one year—no matter how valuable he may be in that role.

In a sense, tagging Foles in order to trade him violates the spirit of the rule. Teams are supposed to use to tag to hang on to players for their own franchise. However, it technically doesn't violate terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

"I can't speak at length but I was told flat out that's false, false," Schefter told 97.5 The Fanatic on a potential CBA violation. "If they want to use the tag with the sole intention of trading him (Foles), they can. That won't prohibit that move."

If Schefter is right, then the Eagles can tag Foles before the deadline and try getting something in return. Of course, this doesn't mean representatives of the player's union won't raise objections or try to force Foles to the open market. And if teams won't offer the Eagles anything of value in return for the former Super Bowl MVP, he'll end up there anyway.

Giants May Still Tag Collins

Chris Szagola/Associated Press

New York Giants safety Landon Collins created a bit of a buzz when he decided to clean out his locker at the team facility. Some took it as a sign that the Giants had resigned itself to losing Collins in free agency.

However, this isn't necessarily the case. According to ESPN's Jordan Raanan, the Giants are, in fact, likely to use the franchise tag on Collins:

This could create a sticky situation for both parties, as Collins is clearly not happy with the prospect of getting tagged.

"He's just upset at this point, but he's not the first guy to be upset with the franchise tag coming his way." NFL Media's Mike Garofolo said on NFL Network.

If the Giants tag Collins, he could attempt to hold out for a better deal. This isn't an unusual tactic, though these holdouts don't typically last into the season the way Le'Veon Bell's did in 2018.

Lawrence Unlikely to Play Under Tag Again

Back when he was still the quarterback of the Washington Redskins, Kirk Cousins repeatedly eschewed long-term deals in favor of playing year-to-year under the franchise tag. This is a tactic we may see other players use in order to get guaranteed money while also hitting the open market again sooner.

Don't expect Dallas Cowboys edge-rusher Demarcus Lawrence to be one of those players, though.

NFL Media's Adam Schefter reported last summer that this would be the case:

NFL Media's Tom Pelissero recently reported that Lawrence still has no interest in signing his franchise tender if he is indeed tagged again.

While this offers at least a sliver of hope to pass-rusher-needy teams that Lawrence will hit the market, those teams shouldn't hold out hope. It makes zero sense for Dallas to give in and release Collins even if he won't sign. Getting a long-term deal done either before or after March 5 has to be the priority.