Mike Florio

It's a way for the teams to keep the guy around at a number that the team is happy to pay because it's less than and it's less of a commitment than it would be if they had to compete with whoever out there is willing to try to sign the player on the open market.

This year, look, last year there was only two.

This year it remains to be seen what's gonna happen.

The big name is George Pickens.

He had a career year in his only season with Dallas, traded by the Steelers last May to the Cowboys.

1400 plus receiving yards, second team All-Pro, Pro Bowler.

And the Cowboys clearly want him, but they don't want to pay him market value.

And he's in a position where if he was available the first day of free agency, maybe somebody would offer him a Jamar Chase contract.

We don't know, because if they block him from the market with the franchise tag, he won't get it.

And I know that the natural reaction for fans, they're going to hear $28 million in 2026 for George Pickens, boo-hoo.

But when you get that one shot, and for plenty of players, it's one shot at free agency and the multi-year, life-changing generational wealth.

To have that taken away from you, to have that delayed for a year, and there's no guarantee you're going to get it next year, to have that taken away...

that that's a disparity in bargaining power between teams and players and it's been baked into the collective bargaining agreement for more than 30 years so he's the one that i think we all should be watching there are other names that possibly will get tagged but again last year there were only two and both of those players ended up signing long-term deals to stay with their teams

I think a lot of it just depends upon whether or not a team allows a player to get to that point.

And most teams...

that have a player who is highly skilled and highly valued, I think they've learned that the longer you wait, the more expensive it's going to get.

Like Caleb Williams will never have the franchise tag applied to him.

The Bears will sign him well before they're on the brink of that decision.

Some teams have made a mistake.

Tuatango Bailoa is going to be in the headlines very soon for what the Dolphins do with him.