As of 4pm this afternoon, the franchise tag window has officially closed, meaning that players without a contract are now poised to hit Free Agency.
Officially, 10 players were hit with the tag ahead of the 2021 season. They were:
- Justin Simmons
- Allen Robinson
- Cam Robinson
- Leonard Williams
- Marcus Maye
- Brandon Scherff
- Taylor Moton
- Chris Godwin
- Marcus Williams
- Dak Prescott
Of those, four have an impact on the Jets potential plans in Free Agency and the depth of the market at key positions. Let’s discuss each and the implications for Gang Green:
Marcus Maye – New York Jets:
As expected by many, the Jets slapped the $11.2M designation on the star S. Maye was second among all defensive players in snaps played in 2020 and was the 4th best Safety in football, according to PFF. Douglas and co now have a decision to make; do they try to extend Maye long term, or allow him to play under the tag?
Allen Robinson – Chicago Bears:
As I predicted in an article last week, the Chicago Bears made the decision to franchise tag their WR1 Allen Robinson. It’s bad business to let your best player walk in free agency, without receiving any value for him. Now the question is, do Chicago “tag and trade” Robinson in an attempt to recoup assets and free up cap space?
Brandon Scherff – Washington Football Team:
I was a little surprised that WTF tagged OG Brandon Scherff. While he’s an elite talent, it was the second time that Washington has used the designation on Scherff, leaving a bloated cap figure of approximately 18M. The moves really thins out the FA Guard market and will put additional pressure on Douglas to land fan favorite Joe Thuney.
Chris Godwin – Tampa Bay Buccaneers:
Godwin being tagged has a two-fold effect on the Jets. First and foremost, another star WR (a position of need) is off the market, leaving only a handful of legitimate upgrades in FA. However, the residual effect is that Shaq Barrett is now an UFA and can meet with the Jets. While this is great news, I anticipate Barrett and the Buccs are already deep in discussion and will work out an extension.
Here are the notable names that didn’t get tagged and will be an option for the New York Jets in Free Agency:
- Kenny Golladay (WR)
- Yannick Ngakuoe (DE)
- Jonnu Smith (TE)
- Shaq Barrett (EDGE)
- Joe Thuney (OG)
- Shaq Lawson (DE)
- Matt Judon (DE)
