Once again, the franchise tag makes NFL free agency a lot less exciting.
Teams don’t mind tagging players before they reach free agency, which cuts down the market of available players. It’s unlikely the league or union figured when it invented the franchise tag that it would become a tool to keep guards or free safeties from becoming true free agents, but that’s what it has become.
There was plenty of activity with the tags this offseason, and here are the players who got them or will get them according to reports (we’ll continue to update this list before Monday’s deadline):
Dallas Cowboys QB Dak Prescott
The Cowboys had only two options with Prescott: Sign him to a long-term extension or give him the franchise tag.