The NFL’s annual deadline for franchise-tagged players to sign long-term contract extensions expired at 4 p.m. ET on Monday. While three of these standouts had already reeled in new deals, New York Giants RB Saquon Barkley, Las Vegas Raiders RB Josh Jacobs and Dallas Cowboys RB Tony Pollard are now ineligible for multiyear arrangements until the completion of the 2023 regular season – effectively signaling all three are almost certainly headed for free agency in 2024.
With the four-month franchise tag process now complete, who came out on top? And who didn’t? The winners and losers extend a bit more broadly than you might think:
LOSERS
Daniel Jones: After taking a significant step forward in 2022, the Giants quarterback avoided a tag in March, instead landing a four-year, $160 million contract a year after New York declined the fifth-year option on his rookie contract … while relegating Barkley to franchise player status. But coming off a wild-card run under first-year head coach Brian Daboll, Jones and Co. can’t be sure when Barkley – clearly this offense’s most effective weapon after leading it with 1,650 yards from scrimmage and 57 receptions last season – will show up or what his state of mind will be after failing to secure a commitment from the organization. Given Barkley accounted for nearly 30% of Big Blue’s offense a year ago, despite missing a game, legitimate concerns here.
Raiders: They’re in a similar boat as the Giants with Jacobs – he led the NFL in rushing yards (1,653) and yards from scrimmage (2,053) in 2022 – nowhere to be seen since the end of last season. And with All-Pro WR Davante Adams expressing misgivings about the Silver and Black’s direction during the offseason and newly signed QB Jimmy Garoppolo unable to practice during the spring following foot surgery, a team already in transition seems to be in danger of an early burial in the loaded AFC.
Fantasy football owners: With Barkley and Jacobs, probably top-five fantasy picks in most leagues, unhappy and under no obligation to report for training camp – neither has signed his one-year tag tender – fantasy owners, especially those drafting in early to mid-August, will be faced with quite the conundrum. Heck, even the three-year contract Jacksonville Jaguars TE Evan Engram struck over the weekend muddies the outlook for Jags wideouts, given there are plenty of mouths to feed in Duval County when factoring in Christian Kirk, Zay Jones and Calvin Ridley, who returns from his 2022 gambling suspension, to say nothing of multi-threat RB Travis Etienne.
Running backs: Financially, just a terrible time to play this position unless you’re the rare hybrid who could also star as a slot receiver (read: Christian McCaffrey and Alvin Kamara, the only two backs with contracts that average more than $13 million). Barkley, Jacobs and Pollard, all slated to make $10.1 million in 2023, are tied for seventh in average annual compensation among runners, behind the likes of the Green Bay Packers’ Aaron Jones and Cincinnati Bengals’ Joe Mixon, who just had a pay cut forced on him. Oh, by the way, none of this bodes well for free agents like Dalvin Cook, Ezekiel Elliott or Leonard Fournette.
WINNERS
Defensive linemen: The backs may score the touchdowns, but it’s the big boys in the trenches who have been getting paid. It started with Washington Commanders DT Daron Payne, who raked in a four-year, $90 million payday in March, shortly after he was tagged. He was at the vanguard for his peers, DL Javon Hargrave (49ers), Dexter Lawrence (Giants), Jeffery Simmons (Titans) and Quinnen Williams (Jets) all minted with new mega pacts averaging at least $21 million annually. That’s good news for Kansas City Chiefs All-Pro Chris Jones, who should soon vault ahead of Williams to become the richest interior D-lineman in the league not named Aaron Donald.
Dalvin Cook suitors: He’s easily the most prominent free agent on the market after the Minnesota Vikings cut ties with the four-time Pro Bowl back in June for financial reasons. Per reports, Cook has an offer in hand from the Miami Dolphins with the Jets, among other teams, purportedly interested in his services. He’ll doubtless be a valuable commodity for some contender – and apparently in a buyer’s market that doesn’t seem likely to reward him significantly after the Vikes terminated a contract extension that was supposed to average $12.6 million.
Lamar Jackson: And the Baltimore Ravens superstar and 2019 unanimous league MVP is the big winner among the players who received a franchise tag in March. Yes, it can still be argued that Jackson would have been better served to sign an extension two years ago – like 2018 draft mate Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills – and let his riches start accruing interest while working toward contract No. 3. But give Jackson, who does not have an agent, credit for finding the deal he wanted – a five-year, $260 million windfall that confers the league’s largest average annual salary ($52 million) and a $185 million guarantee that ain’t too shabby. Now, here’s hoping the sublimely talented dual threat can stay healthy in 2023 while thriving in Baltimore’s revamped offense.
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Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Nate Davis on Twitter @ByNateDavis.
