The NFL and NFL Players Association are still in the middle of negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement, but in the meantime, they’ve agreed to a new timeline for teams using franchise and transition tags ahead of 2020 free agency.
As ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Saturday, the NFLPA and NFL Management Council have jointly decided to delay the start of the franchise designation period from Tuesday, Feb. 25, to Thursday, Feb. 27, and the period will now end on March 12 instead of March 10.
Regardless of whether a new CBA is finalized before the start of the 2020 league year on March 18, all 32 teams will still be eligible to use a franchise and/or transition tag, per Schefter. The start and end of the tag period has simply been pushed back, giving teams an additional two days to decide whether or not to utilize the tags. March 12, it should be noted, falls just four days before the start of the NFL’s legal tampering period, when teams are permitted to begin talks with free agents prior to March 18.
More than a dozen big names could be targeted for tags this offseason, as CBS Sports contributor Joel Corry explained in December. Among the potential candidates, who would receive one-year fully-guaranteed deals in lieu of long-term extensions: Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry, Cowboys wide receiver Amari Cooper and Jacksonville Jaguars pass rusher Yannick Ngakoue.