NFL teams can start using the franchise or transition tags on one member of their upcoming class of unrestricted free agents today, and the New England Patriots have plenty of players to choose from: a total of 18 Patriots are scheduled to hit the market when it opens on March 13. Not all of them are realistic options to be tagged by the club, however, as only Trey Flowers, Trent Brown and Stephen Gostkowski appear to be realistic options.
The question is whether or not the team would be willing to tag one of the three men, and judged by its recent history it appears unlikely: the Patriots used the franchise tag only once in the last six years after applying it eight times between 2002 and 2012.