NFL franchise tag deadline: Rumors, tracker, latest updates on players

Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz, USA TODAY Tue, March 3, 2026 at 1:47 PM UTC

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Decision day is here for several NFL teams.

Ahead of the start of free agency next week, the deadline for organizations to issue the franchise tag has arrived. By 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday, teams must make up their minds on whether to use the expensive tool to protect their negotiating rights with top players. Using the tag can ensure that teams at least have a stopgap solution in contract talks, though it also provides an additional hurdle as organizations try to get under the salary cap in advance of the new year.

USA TODAY Sports will have live updates throughout the day on all the latest franchise tag news, so check back for updates:

Will Jets give Breece Hall the franchise tag?

The New York Jets are one of the few teams that might have something at stake today.

Thus far, the Jets have not struck a deal with impending free agent Breece Hall. General manager Darren Mougey said at the NFL scouting combine last week that the team would use either the franchise or transition tag on Hall if no agreement could be reached.

"We'll find a way to keep Breece here if we can't get a deal done," Mougey told reporters. "The tags are an option. Ideally, we'd find a way to get a deal done and keep Breece around. I think I've said that for the last year since I've got here. Breece is a good player. We want to find a way to keep him around. We've been going through that process and are still doing so. We have a week to find out if we can't get to an agreement which way we'll go with that tag."

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While previous reports indicated the team was favoring using the transition tag, multiple reports on Tuesday indicated that the franchise tag was now the more likely option for New York.

Utilizing that designation would come at a price of $14.3 million for one year if a multiyear contract can't be reached.

Which NFL players have already received the franchise tag?

Dallas Cowboys WR George Pickens: The Cowboys officially placed the non-exclusive tag on Pickens last Friday. The receiver had ranked as the No. 1 player on USA TODAY Sports' top 100 rankings, but he will not hit the open market. Instead, he's been provided a tender of $27.298 million - a relative one-year bargain amid a booming market for receivers.

Atlanta Falcons TE Kyle Pitts Sr.: The No. 4 overall pick in 2021 had a tumultuous five-year run to start off his career in Atlanta, but the new regime made it a priority to not let him depart. "We're not in the business of letting go (of) really good players," first-year general manager Ian Cunningham told 92.9 The Game last week. Pitts is coming off a season in which he posted career highs of 88 receptions and five touchdown catches, and he could play a vital role in helping third-year signal-caller Michael Penix Jr. find his comfort zone in new coach Kevin Stefanski's offense.

What is a franchise tag?

The franchise tag is a mechanism by which teams can prevent one impending free agent per offseason from hitting the open market. The degrees of protection and potential compensation for the team vary by designation:

Non-exclusive franchise tag: By far the most popular category for teams, this serves as a deterrent for other teams but still provides a window for a potential exit. Players who receive this may still negotiate and sign an offer sheet with outside teams. The organization that issues the tag, however, has the right to match the terms of any agreement, and it would receive two first-round picks from the team that signed the player if it lets him depart. Given that cost, it's rare for players to receive this designation and still exit in that manner, though sometimes tag-and-trade scenarios are executed at a lower cost for the acquiring organization.

Exclusive franchise tag: This provides the assigning team with absolute protection, as any player receiving this cannot negotiate or sign an offer sheet with a competitor. Yet it comes at a heightened cost, which can be prohibitive for any franchise considering utilizing it.

Transition tag: Like the nonexclusive franchise tag, it still allows for players to negotiate with other teams while providing the issuing franchise the opportunity to match any offer sheet. Refusal to do so, however, will not yield any draft compensation.

When is the NFL's franchise tag deadline?

NFL teams have until 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday to decide whether to issue a franchise or transition tag on one player. If they do, they may continue negotiating toward a long-term contract, or the player can sign his one-year tender. A multiyear deal must be reached by July 15, or the player only has the option of playing the upcoming season on a one-year deal.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NFL franchise tag deadline: Rumors, tracker, live updates on players

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