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Ben Solak
The franchise tag deadline has come and gone. Two players have been tagged: Chiefs guard Trey Smith, due $23.4 million next season, and Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins, due a whopping $26.2 million in his second year under the tag. There was one player extended just before he was tagged: Cowboys defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa, who signed a four-year, $80 million extension Tuesday afternoon. And there were a few players who could have, but did not receive the tag. Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold, Buccaneers receiver Chris Godwin and Dolphins safety Jevon Holland will now join unrestricted free agency, which begins with the legal tampering period at noon ET on March 10.
Tag day is far from a hard-and-fast conclusion on all these players. Each can still return to their incumbent teams with big extensions; even those on the tag can still be traded. But the franchise tag deadline does set some dominoes in motion for the free agent period.
Here are my winners and losers from Tuesday’s franchise-tag news, and what each can gain — or lose — from the fallout. Let’s start with both quarterbacks in Minnesota.
coverage:
Grading biggest deals | Best available free agents
Offense free agent tiers | Defense free agent tiers
