EAGAN, Minn. — The NFL's two-week franchise tag window opened Tuesday, allowing teams the option of placing the franchise tag or transition tag on a player who is scheduled to become a free agent. Teams are limited to the use of one each year.

The window for 2026 will close on March 3, the day after the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine closes.

As a guide to options for the Vikings and other teams during this window, here is a refresher.

What's the difference between a (non-exclusive or exclusive) franchise tag or transition tag?

The non-exclusive franchise tag is a one-year tender of the average of the top five salaries at the player's position over the past five years, or 120% of the player's previous salary. The player can negotiate with other teams, but the current team has the right to match any offer. If the player signs elsewhere, the team receives two first-round picks.

The exclusive franchise tag protects a team's rights to negotiate with the player, but it raises the pay to the current average of the top five salaries instead of averaging the previous five years. If 120% of the player's previous salary is higher than that number, then that would be the amount. Positions that are extremely hard to fill (and increase the likelihood of another team giving up two first-round picks) are more likely to receive this tag.

The transition tag is a one-year offer for the average of the top 10 salaries at the position, so it costs less than either franchise tag option. The original club has the first refusal right to match any offer from another club, but the prior team is not awarded any compensation if a player signs elsewhere.

What is a team's motivation?

Teams are essentially buying time, either to extend the negotiation window with its own player (you'll see that happened quite a bit in 2024), to work out a deal with a trade partner or to retain the services of a player for one more season.

How often is the method used?

It depends on the offseason.

In 2025, the franchise tag was utilized by only two teams.

Cincinnati applied the non-exclusive tag to receiver Tee Higgins, and Kansas City applied the non-exclusive tag to guard Trey Smith before both teams reached new four-year deals with the players.

In 2024, there were eight uses of a franchise tag and one usage of a transition tag. The breakdown of what happened follows:

Bengals franchise tagged Higgins (re-signed by Cincinnati to one-year deal in June 2024)

Chiefs franchise tagged CB L'Jarius Sneed (traded to Titans and signed four-year deal with Tennessee in April)

Patriots transition tagged S Kyle Dugger (re-signed by New England to a four-year contract extension in April)

Buccaneers franchise tagged S Antoine Winfield, Jr. (re-signed by Tampa Bay to a four-year contract extension in May)

Bears franchise tagged CB Jaylon Johnson (re-signed by Chicago to a four-year contract extension in March)

Jaguars franchise tagged EDGE Josh Hines-Allen (re-signed by Jacksonville to a five-year contract extension in April)

Ravens franchise tagged DT Justin Madubuike (re-signed by Baltimore to a four-year contract extension in March)

Panthers franchise tagged EDGE Brian Burns (traded to the New York Giants in March and signed a five-year extension)

Colts franchise tagged WR Michael Pittman, Jr. (re-signed by Indianapolis to a three-year contract extension)

In two 2024 cases, the franchise tag was used to retain a player as the prior team worked out a trade with another team. In six instances, it enabled the original team to work out a contract extension to retain the player for multiple years. The terms of each of those six deals replaced the franchise tag agreement. This year's deadline for a team and player who has been tagged to reach a multi-year contract extension will be July 15.

Players can choose to play or not play on the franchise tag.

Former Vikings QB Kirk Cousins was able to successfully play on franchise tags in 2016 and 2017 (at an even higher rate because of going back-to-back seasons on the tag) with Washington before signing with Minnesota in 2018.

What about the Vikings usage of a tag?

The Vikings have rarely used the franchise tag, last doing so in 2020 for safety Anthony Harris, which wound up being his final Vikings season.

Prior to that, the tag was used in 2011 while working out a contract extension with linebacker Chad Greenway.

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