NFL franchise tag 2021: Dak Prescott, Allen Robinson headline 7 candidates

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Hunter Henry, NFL franchise tag. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /

The NFL franchise tag deadline is on Tuesday, March 9 with Dak Prescott and Allen Robinson headlining the most likely candidates to be tagged.

One week before NFL free agency kicks off, all 32 teams will have the opportunity to slap the franchise tag on one player who is a pending free agent this offseason. The NFL franchise tag deadline takes place on Tuesday, March 9 and we could see several big names getting tagged in the 2021 offseason.

If tagged, the player will be locked into that team for the 2021 season but will have until July 15 to work out a long-term contract. Should a contract not be agreed to, that player can sign the tag and play out the season on a one-year deal with the value calculated according to a complex average of salaries at the player’s position.

For the 2021 season, according to Pro Football Focus and the $180.5 million salary cap projection, the NFL franchise tag values will be as follows:

QB: $24.829 million
RB: $8.561 million
WR: $15.808 million
TE: $9.495 million
OL: $13.602 million
DE: $15.893 million
DT: $13.736 million
LB: $14.630 million
CB: $14.894 million
S: $10.496 million
P/K: $4.433 million

We’ve already seen one player, Broncos safety Justin Simmons, be hit with the tag as Denver has done so for the second straight year. So who else could be tagged? With the number of players expected to drop from the 15 we saw last year, let’s take a look at the seven best candidates to receive the NFL franchise tag in 2021.

NFL Franchise Tag candidate No. 7: Hunter Henry, TE, Los Angeles Chargers

Since coming into the league, Hunter Henry has been a quality tight end when he’s been able to stay on the field. Yet, he’s never played a full 16-game campaign to this point. That makes his 21 touchdowns and over 2,300 yards over his 55 career games played impressive but it does rightfully make the Chargers wary of signing him long term.

Thus, it would simply make a lot of sense that the franchise tag would be slapped on the tight end yet again. Los Angeles has said nothing but good things about him and they clearly would love for him to be an option for many years. He just has to prove he can stay healthy and be that for the Bolts.

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