Not understanding Franchise Tag

[extremeskins04]

I mean I think I understand the concept. Teams that only want to keep a player around for 1 more year without signing them to a longer term deal will use the Franchise Tag.

Right?

The issue I have is, why? Normally franchise tagging a player takes a big chunk out of your cap room that you need to sign your players in the offseason whether it's resigning players that are on your current roster, signing FA's or even your top draft picks.

So can explain to me why I would even want to franchise tag a player where it costs a lot to do it? Why not just sign that player to a 2-3 year shorter term deal and save some money?

Maybe I'm not understanding the significance right. Can someone help?

[baller7345]

Re: Not understanding Franchise Tag

I mean I think I understand the concept. Teams that only want to keep a player around for 1 more year without signing them to a longer term deal will use the Franchise Tag.

Right?

The issue I have is, why? Normally franchise tagging a player takes a big chunk out of your cap room that you need to sign your players in the offseason whether it's resigning players that are on your current roster, signing FA's or even your top draft picks.

So can explain to me why I would even want to franchise tag a player where it costs a lot to do it? Why not just sign that player to a 2-3 year shorter term deal and save some money?

Maybe I'm not understanding the significance right. Can someone help?

One aspect is that it gives teams more time to work out a long term deal with said player. As long as it is an exclusive tag they can't negotiate with other teams and they have until July 15th to negotiate a new deal. Also if you use a non exclusive tag on a player you do let him negotiate with a new team but if he signs with a new team then you get two first round draft picks.

Finally, if the tagged player doesn't sign a long term deal or find a new team then the team that tagged him doesn't lose him to the market. They get to keep him for another year, even if it is a a fairly steep price. If the player is a top player at his position it also may be cheaper in the short run.

[woodjer]

Re: Not understanding Franchise Tag

I'm far from an expert on this but, IRL, teams will apply the tag with the hope of continuing negotiations over the course of the year. Players don't typically like it because it keeps them from free agency and a potentially big contract. Plus, if they have a down year or are injured, it can take away that option altogether down the road. The tag itself essentially forces a 1-year contract but it doesn't mean that the player is automatically gone afterward.

In the game world, it doesn't make as much sense but the concept is generally the same. Franchise a player (at a big cost, of course) and see if you can get a longer term deal worked out. Or you can use it to get one more decent year out of a good but aging player without having to commit to a longer term deal. The cost aspect is why you typically see it for the higher-end players that are about to leave for free agency. I really don't use it myself but I guess you could hang onto a player that had a breakout contract year just in case they do it again. If not, you're out that money for the year but at least you're not stuck in a long-term contract that is based on a single good season. If they repeat, you can always sign a longer deal, too.

[extremeskins04]

Re: Not understanding Franchise Tag

Great explanations guys, both of you. I really appreciate it!

[tripwired]

Re: Not understanding Franchise Tag

The tag does have some occasional relevance in Madden. Not sure how accurate it is to the NFL though. I think a player can be tagged two times in reality, but not sure for Madden. The nfl rules that the tag amount be the average of the top five salaries at the players position. So, the tag amount will vary for each position. Rbs & safeties are usually the cheapest to tag. Also, as mentioned above, the non exclusive tag or"transition tag" is usually about a million dollars less than the exclusive tag, but other teams can still try to sign the player. Compensation will be given as mentioned above if the player gets a bigger contact, & the team losing the player will be off the hook for the tag money they offered.That's my basic understanding of it. For Madden I only use it if I don't have the funds available to pay out the bonus money for a long deal, & I feel like I can win in the next year.

[Senator Palmer]

Re: Not understanding Franchise Tag

And on another note, I wonder how far we are away from seeing the Non-Exclusive, and Transitional-Tag in Madden? Man, just thinking of the level of strategy that would add to managing your franchise, as well as layer more personality into the players.

I remember back in the day in franchise when players would hold out during training camp to force your hand.

[rws591]

Re: Not understanding Franchise Tag

Great for keeping TEs and Gs around. Also a good tool if you want to sign and a trade a guy.

[NFCastle]

Re: Not understanding Franchise Tag

I didn't read through previous responses but usually the tag is applied when a team and a star player can't agree to terms on a deal

Rather than letting them walk and go to another team, you pay them a high salary for one year, usually with hopes to get a contract done.

[tylerhix]

Re: Not understanding Franchise Tag

The tag does have some benefits in the game. In my 3rd offseason, I franchised Eddie Lacy for $7.72m when I couldn't get him to take less than $11m/yr on a 5-6 year deal. Basically if one of your top free agents is asking for far greater than the franchise price, I would recommend franchising him. The drawbacks are if the player has as good or greater year than the last, he will be asking for even more the next year, plus the franchise price will have probably also increased. Also I'm not sure if it affects the player's willingness to resign in the game or not, but it could.

[oneamongthefence]

Re: Not understanding Franchise Tag

I use it when a player I want to keep refuses to sign with me. But as a general rule I use it on a younger player. I try to find a replacement in the draft using scouting points for the franchise tagged year since he's gonna want mega money and it's pretty easy to build layers up any way.

[Executor]

Re: Not understanding Franchise Tag

This might not exactly be topic-related post, but I would certainly appreciate some help regarding how cap penalties work in Madden 15.

During 2014 season, I resigned Randall Cobb to 6 years / 35,4 mil. contract with 12 mil. signing bonus. But now that IRL Cobb may actually leave, I will be wanting to trade him, since I hate having guys playing for my team when IRL they are not.

In 2015, he is scheduled to earn 3,83 mil.
In 2016, it's 4,38 mil.
(The rest doesn't really matter.)

I am in Week 1 of 2014 offseason right now.

The question is: if I cut him now, I will be hit with 8,17 mil. cap penalty (12 mil. bonus - 3,83 mil. which I would have paid him anyway) in 2015 but come 2016, he's definitely off my books, right?

Or if I cut him in 2015 preseason, he will cost me 2 mil. in 2015 (his prorated signing bonus, but not 3,83 that he was scheduled to earn) but I will be hit with penalty of 5,62 mil. (10 mil. remaining bonus - 4,38 his original cap figure for the year) in 2016. Come 2017, he's off.

Is that right?

[LordHorc]

Re: Not understanding Franchise Tag

I use the Franchise tag when a player in the Resign Players Phases is no longer interested (sometimes if you offer the contract that they ask for, they still say no), so then I'll franchise them if they're essential to my team.

Other times, I will have the #1 player in that position (Calvin Johnson), and when he asks for $22m/year for 6 years, I'd rather franchise him for only $12-$16m.

[ggsimmonds]

Re: Not understanding Franchise Tag

Only speaking in Madden terms, I use the franchise tag for these two scenarios:

1. A guy I want to keep refuses to resign

2. A player's contract has expired and I don't want to sign him long term, yet for various reasons I want to keep him one more year.

The most recent example for me came in my Ravens CFM. Ngata's contract expired. He was 30 or 31 and asking for a 5 year deal. Not happening Haloti. But I did not have his replacement, and he is still a damn good player. So I kept him that one year before age really started to cause regression.

The next year I let him enter FA. Some team overpaid for him and he started to regress. And I was able to draft his immediate replacement.

[purplerat]

Re: Not understanding Franchise Tag

Only speaking in Madden terms, I use the franchise tag for these two scenarios:

1. A guy I want to keep refuses to resign

2. A player's contract has expired and I don't want to sign him long term, yet for various reasons I want to keep him one more year.

The most recent example for me came in my Ravens CFM. Ngata's contract expired. He was 30 or 31 and asking for a 5 year deal. Not happening Haloti. But I did not have his replacement, and he is still a damn good player. So I kept him that one year before age really started to cause regression.

The next year I let him enter FA. Some team overpaid for him and he started to regress. And I was able to draft his immediate replacement.

Regarding #2, you can get guys, especially vets to sign one year deals even if they are asking for longer deals if you offer a high enough bonus. If you're going to tag a guy in that situation I would first offer him a one year deal with most of the money in bonus but still with the overall less than the tag price. That way you can save some money as well as save the tag for another player.

[ggsimmonds]

Re: Not understanding Franchise Tag

Regarding #2, you can get guys, especially vets to sign one year deals even if they are asking for longer deals if you offer a high enough bonus. If you're going to tag a guy in that situation I would first offer him a one year deal with most of the money in bonus but still with the overall less than the tag price. That way you can save some money as well as save the tag for another player.

I know, but I don't like doing that. It is too gamey for me.