Definition of Non-Exclusive Franchise Tag

What does the term "non-exclusive franchise tag" mean in the world of the NFL? What is meant by a "non-exclusive franchise tag"?

Teams have three options for keeping valuable players when they are unable (or unwilling) to negotiate a longer term deal with the player - the non-exclusive franchise tag, the exclusive franchise tag and the transition tag.

These three tags give teams the possibility of keeping a player under contract for an additional year in the absence of a longer term deal.





When you hear the term "franchise tag", people are usually referring to the "non-exclusive franchise tag", which is the most common of the three tags.

When teams decide to use the "non-exclusive franchise tag" on a player, they are agreeing to pay the player for a one-year contract at an amount that is the higher of:

a) Average of the top five salaries at the player's position for the past five years

b) 120% of the player's previous salary

Players who receive the non-exclusive franchise tag can still negotiate with other teams, though the team that tags the player has the right to match any offer.

If the team decides not to match the offer, the organization will receive two first-round picks from the team that signs the player as compensation.

This is a very high price to pay, which is why it is quite unusual to see another team sign a player away that is on a franchise tag.

The "franchise tag" is not popular with players, as they want long-term deals with large amounts of guaranteed money.

While players on a franchise tag will do very well monetarily for the season that they are playing under the tag, they crave long-term deals with guaranteed money. If players get "tagged", there is a good chance that they will not be happy about it.