The deadline to use the franchise tag for the 2020 season has passed. Things were a bit different at the deadline this year because the NFL and the NFLPA approved a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) Sunday. As part of the new CBA, teams cannot use both the franchise tag and the transition tag in the same season.
This means that only 32 players could have been given the tag at the deadline. Far fewer were.
The hefty guaranteed salary the tag ensures could be seen as a win. Likewise, the teams that essentually guaranteed their stars wouldn't hit the open market could also be viewed as winners.