Welcome to the Tuesday edition of the Pick Six newsletter!
The most exciting day of the NFL offseason is finally here: It’s franchise tag deadline day!
OK, so I might be slightly exaggerating. It’s not the most exciting day of the offseason — you could argue that it’s not even in the top five — but we’re still going to cover it.
As of noon on Tuesday, there have only been two franchise tags handed out and it’s looking like we might not see anyone else get tagged before today’s deadline at 4 p.m. ET. We’ll be covering the latest on those tags, plus we’ll take one last look at the combine and we’ll be breaking down some potential landing spots for Davante Adams.
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- Franchise tag deadline is today: Here’s everything you need to know
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The franchise tag window has been open for two weeks and during that time, only two players got tagged. If anyone else is going to get tagged, it’s going to have to happen by 4 p.m. ET today, because that’s the deadline for using the franchise tag.
If a team uses a tag on a player, the two sides will have until July 15 to work out a long-term contract. If a long-term deal can’t be hammered out, then the player will go into the 2025 season on a one-year deal that pays them at the franchise tag number for their position.
Here’s a look at the players who have been tagged so far, along with what their one-year franchise tag salary will be for 2025 if no long-term deal is worked out:
Chiefs: OL Trey Smith ($23.40 million)
Bengals: WR Tee Higgins ($26.18 million).
The Bengals had been expected to tag Higgins since mid-February and that tag finally came on Monday. The franchise tag number for receivers is $23.96 million, but Higgins gets more than that since this is his second time being tagged. Under rules of the franchise tag, Higgins gets a 120% bump over his 2024 tag number, which was $21.82 million. As for Smith, he was tagged on Feb. 28.
Although that’s only two tags, that number could get bigger today. As we get closer to 4 p.m. ET, there could be a couple more tags handed out. Here’s a look at the biggest tag question marks heading into the deadline:
Vikings: QB Sam Darnold ($40.2 million). Darnold led the Vikings to a 14-3 record last season, but apparently, that wasn’t enough to convince Minnesota to bring him back. According to multiple reports, the Vikings are unlikely to use the franchise tag on Darnold, but it seems they will try to get a deal done before the start of free agency. If the two sides can’t agree on a deal, then Darnold will be free to sign with any team on March 12. You can read more about Darnold’s situation here.
Ravens: Ronnie Stanley ($23.4 million). During an interview at the NFL combine, Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta said he was optimistic that a deal would get done with Stanley. Also, John Harbaugh said he was hopeful that the team would keep Stanley, so it seems like the Ravens want him to stick around. The problem for the Ravens is that they don’t have a ton of salary cap space and tagging Stanley would cost $23.4 million. Stanley is the team’s starting left tackle and it would definitely hurt to lose him, so it will be interesting to see what the Ravens do here. Right now, it seems unlikely that Stanley gets tagged, but things could change by 4 p.m. ET.
Finally, we have Osa Odighizuwa. He was a franchise tag candidate, but he definitely won’t be getting hit with the tag after agreeing to a long-term deal on Tuesday, just four hours before the tag deadline.
Cowboys: DL Osa Odighizuwa. The Cowboys made it clear at the combine that Odighizuwa is someone they would love to have back and if you look at the their depth on the defensive line, he’s someone they NEED to have back. The Cowboys are clearly aware of that fact because they handed out a huge contract to Odighizuwa. The defensive lineman has agreed to terms on a four-year, $80 million deal that includes $58 million in guaranteed money. If Odighizuwa had been tagged, his cap number would have been $25.1 million in 2025, but now that this deal is done, it will be something much lower for the upcoming season.
If you want to know who will end up getting tagged, then make sure to click here and bookmark our franchise tag tracker, which will list every player who’s been tagged when the deadline hits at 4 p.m. ET.
- NFL combine overreactions: Will Shedeur Sanders fall out of the top 10?
Everyone on the internet loves to overreact to things, and that’s especially true when we’re talking about the NFL. With that in mind, Josh Edwards decided to take a look at several things that happened during the NFL combine to decide if we’re all overreacting.
Statement: Shedeur Sanders will fall out of the top 10.
Overreaction or reality: Overreaction. “There is a team or two most closely linked to Sanders, but if those teams go in another direction, then a slide for the Colorado quarterback could very well happen. At this stage of the process, I am inclined to believe there is going to be a team desperate enough to turn that dream into reality.”
Statement: Jaxson Dart will surge into the first round.
Overreaction or reality: Overreaction. “There is an argument to be made that Louisville’s Tyler Shough, not Dart, was the best of the quarterback performers in Indianapolis. Age and a history of injuries is obviously a concern in regards to Shough, but if a quarterback without any flaws existed, then they would not be available outside of the top 10 overall, let alone the first round. There are reasons to like both players but the combine was not a reason to push either into the first round.”
Statement: Two running backs will be taken in the first round.
Overreaction or reality: Reality. “North Carolina’s Omarion Hampton was in a tier above all others at the position with Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty sidelined. Hampton measured 5-foot-11 6/8, 221 pounds then ran the 40-yard dash in 4.46 seconds with a 1.54 seconds 10-yard split. A team could trade back into Round 1 to secure Hampton, but Denver (20th overall), Pittsburgh (21st overall), Minnesota (24th overall), the Chargers (22nd overall) and Washington (29th overall) may also be in the market to add at the position.”
There are plenty more overreactions from the combine, and if you want to check those out, be sure to click here.
- One thing we learned about each NFC team at the combine
On Monday, we broke down one thing we learned about each AFC team at the NFL combine, so today, we’re going to flip things around by taking a look at the NFC.
Jared Dubin came up with one thing we learned about each NFC team and we’re going to cover four of those teams below:
Giants: They REALLY want a quarterback. We know the Giants tried to get in on the Matthew Stafford sweepstakes. There are already rumors that they could be interested in someone like Aaron Rodgers or Sam Darnold. And recently, reports have indicated that they are perhaps the most interested team in moving up to the No. 1 overall pick to land their choice of Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders.
Bears: They’re looking to upgrade their offensive line. Head coach Ben Johnson said the Bears are confident they’ll be able to reshape the line in free agency and the draft: “There are a number of teams that did that last year,” he said, via the team’s official website. “The Panthers come to mind; when they went out in free agency and got a couple of top guards (Robert Hunt and Damien Lewis), [it] really changed the dynamic of their offense. You saw them clicking there in the second half of the season once they really started to gel.”
Falcons: They’ll likely dump Kirk Cousins. All the buzz coming out of the combine is that the Falcons (unsurprisingly) won’t be able to find a taker for Cousins via trade and he’ll be released, at which point he would be free to sign with the team of his choice.
49ers: The receiving room is undergoing a huge change. Samuel, as mentioned, was traded to Washington. Brandon Aiyuk is also supposedly available for trade. That means things are going to change in a big way in San Francisco. Jauan Jennings and Ricky Pearsall will presumably be heavily involved in the receiver room, but still more changes could be on the way.
Dubin covered all 16 teams in the NFC, and if you want to know what he learned, you can check out his full list here.
