The window for the Jacksonville Jaguars to utilize the franchise tag is now open. It runs from Feb. 17th through March 3rd, but are the Jaguars candidates to use the tag?
How does the franchise tag work?
Each team has the ability to use the franchise tag on one of their pending free agents each offseason.
If applied, a franchise tag is essentially a one-year deal. The contract amount is predetermined and takes into account which position the tagged player plays.
According to Over the Cap, "franchise tag figures are based upon the top five salaries at each respective position." So these deals come with large cap hits.
Which players could the Jaguars use the franchise tag on?
Devin Lloyd and Travis Etienne are two free agents who could receive the franchise tag. However, Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports reported that his sources "do not expect" the Jaguars to use the tag on either player.
In short, the reason that the Jaguars won't use the tag comes down to the cost to do so.
The projected franchise tag number for a linebacker is close to $28 million. That's a lot to pay for a defender who doesn't rush the quarterback.
The running back's franchise tag amount is projected to be around $14 million, which is more than Etienne is expected to earn on a per year basis on his next contract.
Jacksonville also prepared for Etienne's possible departure by drafting Bhayshul Tuten and LeQuint Allen last offseason.
What are the 2026 franchise tag amounts?
With help from Over the Cap, here is a positional breakdown of the 2026 franchise tag figures:
- QB: $47.32M
- WR: $28.82M
- LB: $28.19M
- OL: $27.92M
- DE: $27.32M
- DT: $26.31M
- CB: $21.41M
- S: $20.87M
- TE: $16.31M
- RB: $14.5M
- ST: $6.9M
This article originally appeared on Jaguars Wire: Jaguars' Devin Lloyd, Travis Etienne franchise tag candidates