NFL Franchise Tag Recipients Since 2013

The franchise tag is now past the 30-year mark. Implemented in 1993 to protect teams against losing top free agents, the tag brings key chapters each offseason. Over the past 10 years, 31 of the 32 teams have used it to keep a player off the market. This strategy peaked in 2020, with 14 teams bringing out the franchise tag and one using the lesser-deployed transition tag amid the market uncertainty the COVID-19 pandemic caused.

Some teams have used the tag as a bridge to an extension by the July deadline; others have cuffed players to effectively rent them for a year. Tag-and-trade sequences have become more prevalent as of late; the 2019 Chiefs were on both ends of tag-and-trade maneuvers. And a handful of teams have tagged the same player twice in recent years. The Steelers tagged Le’Veon Bell twice; in the second year (2018), the All-Pro running back became the first player in 21 years to sit out a season after being tagged.

Early in the tag’s fourth decade, here is how teams proceeded with it over the past 10 years.

2013

2014

2015

Given transition tag: TE Charles Clay; Dolphins did not match Billsfive-year, $38MM offer sheet

2016

Given transition tag: DE Olivier Vernon; Dolphins rescinded tag, leading to five-year, $85MM Giants deal

2017

2018

Given transition tag: CB Kyle Fuller (Bears); Chicago matched four-year, $56MM Packers offer sheet

2019

2020

Given transition tag: RB Kenyan Drake (Cardinals); signed with Raiders in 2021

2021

2022

2023

2024

Given transition tag: S Kyle Dugger (Patriots)

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