NFL franchise tags 2026: How they work and players like George Pickens who could be tagged

Feb 17, 2026 - 15:00

LANDOVER, MARYLAND - DECEMBER 25: George Pickens #3 of the Dallas Cowboys warms up prior to a game against the Washington Commanders at Northwest Stadium on December 25, 2025 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The NFL offseason officially gets underway today, as Tuesday marks the beginning of the NFL’s franchise tag window. Starting on February 17, and running through March 3, teams can use one of the three available tags on players entering free agency, preventing a player from reaching the open market.

Teams have three potential tags to use on players: The “transition” tag, the “exclusive” tag, and the “non-exclusive” tag. Let’s break the three tags down, highlight what players received a franchise tag last season, and outline some players to watch in the days ahead as potential tag candidates.

Transition tag

The transition tag is not as common as the non-exclusive franchise tag. Under the transition tag, the player is given a one-year deal, with the salary determined by the cap percentage average of the ten largest prior year salaries at a player’s position, or 120 percent of his previous season’s salary, whichever is higher.

As you will see in a moment, using the last ten years of data this makes the transition tag cheaper than the non-exclusive, or exclusive, franchise tags.

However, there is a catch for the team. Players given the transition tag are free to negotiate with other teams, and can be extended an offer sheet. If the player’s current team cannot match the offer, that player is free to sign with the new team, and the current team does not receive any sort of compensation.

Exclusive tag

The exclusive franchise tag is also rather uncommon. Under this designation, the tagged player cannot negotiate with other teams. However, the price is higher. Under the exclusive franchise tag, the one-year salary for the player is either the average of the top five salaries of the player’s position for the current year, or 120 percent of his previous salary.

By using just the current year of salary data, that means the price tag will be higher than using the last ten years of data to generate an average — as you see under the transition tag — or the last five years of data as is done with the non-exclusive franchise tag.

A player can still end up playing for a different team during the next season, but only via a trade.

The exclusive tag is rare. Since 2012, only four players have received this tag: Drew Brees (2012), Von Miller (2016), Kirk Cousins (2017), and Le’Veon Bell (2017).

Non-exclusive tag

This is the most common tag used each offseason. Under the non-exclusive tag, the player is given a one-year deal based on an average of the top five salaries at the respective position over the last five years, or 120 percent of his previous salary, whichever is greater. So, it is cheaper than the exclusive franchise tag, but more expensive than the transition tag.

However, the player is free to negotiate with other teams. Should the player sign an offer sheet from another NFL team, the player’s current team has the right to match the offer. If they do not, they receive two first-round draft picks as compensation when the player leaves for a new team.

Can a player receive a tag two seasons in a row?

A player can receive a franchise tag up to three times, whether consecutively or non-consecutively. Each time, however, the cost skyrockets. A player that receives a franchise tag for the second time sees their salary automatically increase by 20%.

If the player receives the tag for a third time, their salary jumps by 44% from the previous year.

As we will see in a moment, one player received the tag for the second consecutive season a year ago.

Current tag values

Here are the current estimated tag values for both the franchise tag, and the transition tag, for the 2026 season. These estimates have been calculated by Over the Cap, and are not official. The NFL will confirm the tag values for the 2026 season this week.

Position	Franchise Tag	Transition Tag
QB	$47,321,000	$40,799,000
WR	$28,824,000	$25,029,000
LB	$28,197,000	$23,613,000
OL	$27,924,000	$25,305,000
DE	$27,322,000	$22,908,000
DT	$26,311,000	$21,608,000
CB	$21,414,000	$17,951,000
S	$20,876,000	$16,485,000
TE	$16,319,000	$13,869,000
RB	$14,536,000	$11,728,000
ST	$6,900,000	$6,240,000

Who received these tags last offseason?

Last season two players received the franchise tag: Cincinnati Bengals WR Tee Higgins and Kansas City Chiefs offensive lineman Trey Smith.

For Higgins, it was the second year in a row that he was tagged. But last March the team worked out long-term extensions for both Higgins and fellow WR Ja’Marr Chase, keeping that productive duo together for the foreseeable future.

The Chiefs tagged Smith and worked with him for months on an extension, which was finally reached in the hours ahead of the deadline to sign franchised players to long-term deals. Smith signed a four-year contract worth up to $94 million.

Players to watch this season?

George Pickens, WR, Dallas Cowboys

The first player to watch in this category is Dallas Cowboys WR George Pickens.

If for no other reason than the fact it keeps the Cowboys in the news cycle, as we know owner Jerry Jones loves to see. (See Parsons, Micah)

When it comes to Pickens, all involved parties from quarterback Dak Prescott, coach Brian Schottenheimer, Jones, to Pickens himself have stated that they want the WR to remain in Dallas. But using the tag might be the first step on the way to a long-term deal.

Kyle Pitts Sr., TE, Atlanta Falcons

Kyle Pitts has never quite lived up to the pre-draft expectations he faced coming out of Florida. But this past season saw him finish second among tight ends in receptions and receiving yardage, and he posted a career-best five touchdowns.

That might be a sign that Pitts is turning the corner, but the Falcons could use the tag to make sure before they commit to a long-term deal.

Breece Hall, RB, New York Jets

The New York Jets have a long way to go on both sides of the ball.

But Breece Hall and Garrett Wilson are their two cornerstone pieces on offense, and the running back is coming off a career-best 1,065 yards in 2025. At just 24 years old — Hall will turn 25 at the end of May — this might be the ideal time to work out a long-term deal for both sides.

Kenneth Walker III, RB, Seattle Seahawks

Seahawks general manager Jon Schneider has used the franchise tag twice.

Once on a kicker, the other time on a linebacker.

So it is not something the Super Bowl winner does often, but this year could be the third time he uses the tag. With Zach Charbonnet tearing his ACL in the playoffs, that means one half of Seattle’s RB tandem will be on the sideline to at least start 2026. That means the Seahawks have even more incentive to re-sign the other half of that tandem, Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker. The price for using the tag on a running back is steep, but the need might be there.

Alec Pierce, WR, Indianapolis Colts

Between Alec Pierce and Daniel Jones, the Indianapolis Colts have a pair of players they could use the tag on. The more likely of the two is Pierce, who developed into one of the NFL’s best deep threats this past season. Indianapolis could use the tag on him rather than see him walk out the door in free agency, given the interest Pierce is expected to receive.