The deadline for teams to utilize the franchise tag for a player has come and gone, and there are officially just two players who were designated.
Kansas City Chiefs Pro Bowl guard Trey Smith — was set to hit free agency this offseason...until he wasn’t. According to Fox Sports reporter Jordan Schultz, the Chiefs are using the franchise tag on Smith.
One of the very first moves from 2022 NFL free agency featured the Cincinnati Bengals breaking precedent by signing Alex Cappa to a four-year, $35 million contract. The timing and value of the deal sent a clear message from an organization that never showed any aggression in attacking the guard position outside of rare moments in the NFL Draft.
In this tier alone, there is Bolton, who has been an excellent blitzer and tackler for the Chiefs over the past four years, albeit with a few more missed tackles in 2024 than in previous seasons. David is the quintessential “Hall of Very Good” linebacker.
For the second straight year, the franchise tag has been placed on Tee Higgins. The Cincinnati Bengals are placing the $26.2 million tender on the 26-year old wide receiver, as first reported by none other than Higgins himself.
The Cincinnati Bengals released starting right guard Alex Cappa, clearing about $8 million in salary cap space, the team said Monday.