NFL franchise tag candidates 2025: Tee Higgins, Sam Darnold, Trey Smith among most likely

Posted by author February 17, 2025 NFL

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Sometimes it’s just hard to let go.

As the NFL inches towards free agency, teams will soon come to terms with their former players seeking employment elsewhere next season. Not every team is fine with letting those players walk out the door.

That’s where the franchise tag comes in.

With three options – non-exclusive, exclusive and transition – organizations can ensure their stars aren’t leaving for nothing, if they even can at all.

The franchise tag is just another tool teams use to keep players from hitting the open market of free agency, where anything can happen. From that point, it’s possible to negotiate long-term extensions or work out a trade that works for everyone involved.

The window to franchise tag players opens on Feb. 18 before closing on March 4, giving teams two weeks to make their decisions.

Free agency in 2025 doesn’t feature a lot of big names this time around, but that doesn’t mean some players won’t find themselves facing that fate of the tag. Here are the candidates for 2025 and how much that move would cost their teams.

NFL franchise tag candidates 2025

It’s a relatively quiet free agency season that awaits, with no big stars promising to be on the horizon. The franchise tag could limit the list of available players even more. These are the most likely candidates to face that reality in 2025:

Tee Higgins, Cincinnati Bengals

Franchise tag cost: $26,179,200

Teams can only put the tag on a player three times, but the value increases each time. Higgins is facing his second trip around the franchise tag block – which is a place he didn’t enjoy the first time. However, this one also comes with a 120% increase over last year’s franchise tag, which was $21,816,000. Considered to be the best free agent to potentially hit the open market, the Bengals are in a difficult spot with the star receiver.

Cincinnati isn’t known to flex their financial muscle often, but letting Higgins walk for nothing puts them on the fast track to further annoy what looked like an increasingly frustrated Joe Burrow all season. The quarterback has gotten a close look at how the franchise conducts business and proceeded to send a clear message multiple times since the team’s final games.

“Whenever a great player leaves you wish you could have found a way to keep him,” Burrow said back in December. “You don’t want to make a living out of letting great players leave the building. And I think that’s why you gotta do everything you can to get those deals done early.”

Burrow also expressed a willingness to restructure his contract in an effort to keep the team together, during an appearance on Fox Sports’ “Breakfast Ball” on Feb. 6. After Higgins, the Bengals will have to turn their attention to Ja’Marr Chase, Trey Hendrickson and others. It’s no easy task and would certainly be a unique spending spree for Cincinnati.

Their best and most logical choice would seem to be tagging Higgins and figuring out the rest afterward. That would give them until July to work out a long-term extension or potentially trade the receiver to recoup some value. With $46.3 million in projected cap space, according to OverTheCap, it’s certainly feasible. The Bengals best chance to compete involves keeping their good players and acquiring more. Allowing Higgins to leave accomplishes none of that.

Trey Smith, Kansas City Chiefs

Franchise tag cost: $25,156,000

It remains to be seen if the Chiefs can even afford to franchise tag Smith, but they’ll have some time to figure it out. Currently working with a projected -$0.9 million in cap space, it will take some maneuvering to make it happen. Kansas City is heading for an offseason of change and it’s a mystery whether Smith can fit into those plans.

The team’s offensive line folded like lawn chairs in the Super Bowl against the Philadelphia Eagles, much like it did against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl 55. That forced Kansas City to prioritize the protection in front of Patrick Mahomes, but Smith figures to be in line for some big money in free agency.

Allocating over $25 million on the tag for a guard could prove to be too costly, especially when they already have $71.9 million on the books across the line, mostly tied up by some high-priced players like Jawaan Taylor, Joe Thuney and Creed Humphrey. That is currently the fourth-most expensive offensive line in the league, according to Spotrac.

If they can clear enough space through restructuring, cuts and perhaps a potential retirement from Travis Kelce, that could open the door for Smith to be tagged. Otherwise, that could make Brett Veach’s job even more difficult as he tries to keep the Chiefs’ window to contend open.

Sam Darnold, Minnesota Vikings

Franchise tag cost: $41,325,000

In a year that lacks intrigue on the open market, Darnold figures to be one of the most interesting names this offseason at quarterback. After being originally thought of as some insurance for J.J. McCarthy, the quarterback was forced into action following the rookie’s knee injury in the preseason. Darnold shined at times for Minnesota, setting up a difficult decision for 2025.

Darnold is the known quantity in this case but fell apart down the stretch in the two biggest games of his career. He looked rattled in the big moments against the Detroit Lions in Week 18 with the NFC North crown on the line and then in the wild-card game against the Los Angeles Rams. The Vikings never stood a chance in either game.

Head coach Kevin O’Connell didn’t rule out Darnold’s potential return, but the sizable cost would take a massive chunk of Minnesota’s projected $58 million in cap space. Given the fact that Minnesota just used the No. 10 pick on McCarthy last year, it would appear to make sense to see what they have in the young signal caller.

Having a capable quarterback on a rookie contract is one of the biggest advantages, from a cap perspective, for teams in the modern NFL. Relegating McCarthy to the bench to keep Darnold on the franchise tag doesn’t appear to make much sense, even if they can afford it.

Franchise tag costs are according to ESPN. However, the league has not yet confirmed these salaries for 2025.