Franchise Tag?

[pensan04]

What is the point of applying the Franchise Tag? Does it allow you to resign a free agent for 1 year only? Does it affect anything else?

[Herky]

From answers.com

Each team is allowed to designate one of their players who is going to become a unrestricted free agent with the 'franchise tag'. An unrestricted free agent is a player whose contract has expired and is free to negotiate with any team without his present team having the opportunity to match the contract negotiated between the player and the other team. There are two types of franchise tag ... exclusive and non-exclusive:
Exclusive: The player must be offered a one year contract 1) at a salary of the average of the top five salaried players at his position, or 2) at a salary at least 120% of his previous year's salary, whichever of the two is the higher amount. The player may not negotiate with any other teams even though he is a free agent.
Non-exclusive. Same as the Exclusive player except the player is allowed to neogtiate with other teams. Should the player agree in principle to a contract with another team, his present team is allowed to match the contract and keep his services. If his present team does not match the contract, the player becomes a member of the other team and the other team must 'pay' two first round draft choices as compensation to the player's now former team.
The exclusive tag is a way for the owners to get around free agency. The exclusive tag does not allow the player to negotiate with other teams and the non-exclusive tag states the team will be compensated if the player signs with another team.

[maademperor]

what he said^ but madden only has the exclusive franchise tag.

also in real life, if a team franchises someone and then signs them to a long term deal, you effectively remove the tag and are allowed to apply it to anonther player but this is something else you cannot do in madden. once you franchise a player you cannot franchise anyone else until the next offseason

In madden franchising is a good way to either user a player as trade collateral and not have a cap penalty for trading him or if the player does not want to re-sign with you, you can franchise him and then successfully sign him to a long term deal after the resigning period is over