Report: Jets unlikely to use franchise tag on their top free agent

The franchise tag window has opened in the NFL. Teams have the opportunity to place the franchise tag on one pending free agent between now and March 5. There are nuances to the tag, but generally speaking the franchise tag is a one year contract that pays the player the average of the top five salaries at his position.

The tag is typically a last resort. Players dislike it because they can typically get a contract with more guaranteed money on the open market. Teams dislike it because it leads to a high salary and cap number without any guarantees a player will stay long term.

When an important player hits a contract impasse with a team, however, the cap is utilized.

The Jets have a 10 sack defensive end about to hit free agency. However, Rich Cimini reports the team is unlikely to use the tag on Bryce Huff.

One major obstacle for the Jets is their lack of financial flexibility. The team has just a few million dollars in salary cap space. That is paired with urgent needs at positions like tackle and wide receiver where quality players do not come cheap.

The tag for a defensive end is projected to be over $20 million. And unlike a multi-year contract, a team cannot maneuver cap hits to be artificially low for the 2024 on the franchise tag.

Of course, the Jets have not seemed to show much interest in keeping Huff which is a prerequisite for the franchise tag.