The franchise tag deadline has come and gone with only two players getting tagged in 2025. This is a significantly lower amount than last season, as nine players earned the franchise and transition tag designation. With the rising salary cap, six players reached extensions, two players were traded and signed extensions with new teams, and one played the whole year on the tag.
This was a unusual franchise tag deadline, as 17 players received the franchise or transition tag prior to the deadline over the last two years — making the lack of activity around the league so puzzling.
This ended up being the fewest players tagged at the franchise tag deadline since the 1994 season — one year after the NFL created the franchise tag (and it was initially created for quarterbacks). Only two players ended up getting the franchise tag ahead of the deadline, Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins and Kansas City Chiefs right guard Trey Smith.
As Higgins and Smith were the only players tagged, this franchise tag deadline was uneventful compared to previous years around the league. And this was with the rising salary cap.
Regardless of the lack of activity regarding the tag, here were the winners and losers from the franchise tag deadline.
Winner: Tee Higgins
The Cincinnati Bengals couldn’t reach a long-term deal with Higgins, so he was tagged again for the second consecutive year. Higgins won’t get the opportunity to get a long-term deal on the open market, but he is getting a 120% pay raise from the Bengals.
Higgins’ salary goes up from $21.8 million to $26.2 million for 2025, as he’ll be paid amongst the top-10 wideouts in the game. This also gives Higgins more time to actually reach a long-term deal with the Bengals, where his salary could balloon even higher.
Since the Bengals failed to get a long-term deal done with Higgins again, his salary for 2025 may be a minimum of…
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