“Franchise tag season” is approaching.
The annual period of the NFL offseason, when teams can place the tag on a player with an expiring contract, will be open from Feb. 22 until March 8.
Various players around the league will receive the tag. And if the team doesn’t eventually sign that player to a long-term deal or just simply rescind the tag, he will need to sign it ahead of the 2022 regular season.
These chosen players won’t be ecstatic; the tag will prevent them from testing the free-agent market and keep their 2022 salary at a fixed, position-based value.