NFL To Delay Franchise Tag Deadline?
March 8th, 2021 at 9:55am CST by Zach Links
As of this writing, NFL teams have until Tuesday to assign the franchise tag to players. Now, there’s word that the deadline could be pushed up, as Dan Graziano of ESPN.com
tweets.
The NFL and NFLPA are still working to set the salary cap number for 2021, which may complicate the decision for teams. The players’ union is hoping to wait until the league’s broadcast deals with TV partners are finalized — the larger the TV deals, the higher the salary cap can go. As a result, they’re pushing the NFL to pump the breaks on the deadline.
The league rearranged the calendar last year in the midst of the pandemic, so there is precedent for this type of last-minute shuffling. That included the franchise tag deadline, which went from 3/10 t0 3/12 to 3/16. The extra time allowed the two sides to hammer out the new collective bargaining agreement and set the salary cap beforehand.
Teams have been bracing for this possibility, though some clubs have made their calls already. The Broncos, for example, decided to
franchise tag standout safety Justin Simmons late last week.
