The NFL’s 2026 salary cap will be $301.2MM, a figure will have a significant impact on a number of other contract situations around the NFL.
Chief among them are the franchise and transition tags. Teams can use one of the two tags on one player per year, which ties them to a one-year contract at the top of their positional market. The value of the franchise tag is determined by the top five salaries at each position, while the transition tag is based on the top 10, but the calculation of the final figures factors in the salary cap.
Teams have internal projections for the next round of tag numbers and most have already made their decisions on players who could be tagged. However, any figures that differ significantly from those predictions could make them reconsider.
Here are 2025 non-exclusive franchise tag figures, courtesy of NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero:
- Quarterback: $43.895MM
- Running back: $14.293MM
- Wide receiver: $28.298MM
- Tight end: $15.045MM
- Offensive line: $25.773MM
- Defensive end: $24.434MM
- Defensive tackle: $27.127MM
- Linebacker: $26.865MM
- Cornerback: $21.161MM
- Safety: $20.149MM
- Kicker/punter: $6.649MM
The exclusive tag is often seen as prohibitively expensive, since the team must account for the entire amount on their salary cap that year. Instead, ‘franchise tag’ typically refers to the non-exclusive tag, which allows tagged players to negotiate with other teams. If they agree to an offer sheet, the original team gets a chance to match. If they decline, the player signs with a new team, who must send the original team two first-round picks.
That required compensation often makes negotiating with non-exclusive franchise-tagged players a non-starter. Instead, players on the non-exclusive tag often sign extensions with their original teams with the tag number serving as a key point of reference on a long-term AAV.
Here are the numbers for this year’s transition tag:
- Quarterback: $37.833MM
- Running back: $11.323MM
- Wide receiver: $23.852MM
- Tight end: $12.687MM
- Offensive line: $23.392MM
- Defensive end: $21.512MM
- Defensive tackle: $22.521MM
- Linebacker: $21.925MM
- Cornerback: $18.119MM
- Safety: $16.012MM
- Kicker/punter: $6.005MM
The Cowboys have already placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on wide receiver George Pickens, as have the Falcons on tight end Kyle Pitts. Other candidates for a tag – either franchise or transition – include Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker, Jets running back Breece Hall, and Colts quarterback Daniel Jones and wide receiver Alec Pierce.
One player who is unlikely to be tagged is Ravens center Tyler Linderbaum, as all offensive linemen are grouped together when calculating tag figures. That makes the OL tag representative of the offensive tackle market, which is much too expensive for a center. The NFL uses the same designations to calculate fifth-year options, which is why the Ravens did not pick up Linderbaum’s last offseason. The same issue pops up for inside linebackers, who are grouped together with outside linebackers who typically earn far more money for their pass-rushing abilities.