The impact goes beyond the number of players who were tagged. Several notable players were tagged, but many were not and will get a chance to test the market when the legal tampering period begins in March. A player with the tag can make a lot of money, but they can't get a long-term contract. The winner and loser of Tuesday's tag deadline are shown here.
The winner.
Saquon was a running back.
Saquon Barkley NYG is a running back.
Not being tagged will allow Barkley to sign a long-term deal with the Giants before he becomes an unrestricted free agent. Instead of going back to a 6-11 team, he can try to find a better situation in free agency. The Ravens came up just short of playing in the Super Bowl this past year.
Calvin is a receiver.
Calvin Ridley had 136 yards and a touchdown on 76 attempts.
Ridley was a candidate for a franchise tag after leading the team in receiving yards. It will be hard to find a new team that will pay him the amount he would have earned under the tag, as he will surely find a new team.
A receiver named Tee Higgins.
A picture is worth a thousand words, and that's the case with Tee Higgins, who has a tar 76 REC 42 YDs 556 RECTD 5 FL 0 View Profile
By getting the tag, he doubled his career earnings and gets another year to play with Joe and Ja'Marr Chase. After being injured for a good portion of the next few years, his market value will likely increase. The salary cap is one of the reasons why Higgins is a winner.
Baker is a quarterback.
The quarterback has a CMP% of 64.3 YDs and a touchdown rate of 4044.
The tag would have made him the highest paid player in the league, but he won't get the money until the start of free agency. It's hard to believe that he's going to get $38 million next season. The winner was kept open by the Buccaneers.
Chris Jones is a defensive player.
Jones would have played for $6 million less than his projected market value if he had been tagged. Jones will be one of the top free agents if he and the Chiefs don't come to terms on a long-term deal. Jones was an All-Pro last year and was a key part of the title defense.
The good news for Winfield is that he has until July 17 to sign a new contract. A long-term deal is what Winfield is hoping to get done after a season in which he had 122 tackles, six sacks, three interceptions and a league-best six forced turnovers.
McKinney is called S Xenia.
McKinney's situation is different from that of Winfield. McKinney has a chance to make a lot of money with Winfield not currently on the open market.
Josh Jacobs is a running back.
Josh Jacobs had a touchdown with a score of 6 FL 1 View Profile
Jacobs wanted to stay with the Raiders, but Las Vegas chose not to tag him. Jacobs is on a list of free agent running backs that also includes Saquon Barkley, Tony Pollard and Austin Ekeler.
Sneed is a CB.
Sneed will make more than his projected market value if he plays under the tag. Sneed will get a lot of money this season while getting a chance to strengthen his market value in the future.
LB Brian Burns.
Burns was forced to play under the team's fifth-year option last year because he was vocal about his desire to get a long-term deal. If he plays under the tag, Burns will be the sixth-highest-paid player at this position. The panthers can either match the offer or let Burns go and get two first-round picks.