FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Wednesday marks the first day that NFL teams can assign the franchise or transition tag on players, and the primary question with the New England Patriots is if the team does so with linebacker Dont'a Hightower.
A few key points:
The window to tag players extends from Feb. 15 to March 1
Teams can use only one tag each offseason
There are two types of franchise tags: non-exclusive (most common) and exclusive
The transition tag is a lesser option that is the average of the top 10 salaries at the position and allows the team right of first refusal on any offer a free agent might receive
What will the Patriots do with Hightower?