The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have failed to use either the franchise or transition tag on Doug Martin as the deadline passed, opening the door for him to hit free agency. While the two parties are discussing a long-term contract, reports have been up-and-down on the likelihood of that getting done before the start of free agency.
That's as expected. Using the franchise tag on Martin would have cost them $11.79 million, while the transition tag, which only grants right of first refusal, would have cost them $9.65 million. The Bucs can afford those numbers, but they don't want to pay them.