Will Buffalo use franchise tag for first time in Brandon Beane era?

All 32 NFL teams will be able to start franchise tagging one player on their rosters come Tuesday. The lingering question in Orchard Park is whether the Buffalo Bills will take advantage of that tag option this offseason.

On Monday, ESPN released an article with 32 NFL team beat writers sharing candidates for the franchise tag. Alaina Getzenberg was the only writer who did not suggest a player for the team she covers with the belief that the Bills will again decline to use the franchise tag.

“An impact of the Bills signing players to extensions ahead of them being up for free agency is that the franchise tag hasn't really come into play, while the team has been able to continue to draft, develop and extend players over the years. The franchise tag has not been used in the past seven offseasons under general manager Brandon Beane, and while there are some big decisions for the Bills in the months ahead when it comes to navigating the cap and the draft, using the tag isn't one of them," said Getzenberg.

Entering free agency, the Bills have 13 players who will hit the open market. Amari Cooper and Rasul Douglas are the most prominent names that will be free to sign elsewhere.

Cooper and Douglas are the two players who make most sense for the Bills to tag, if they felt the need. Douglas has been Buffalo’s top corner over the last two seasons and has already been projected as one of the top available free-agent prizes. Cooper joined the Bills in a midseason trade, with fans hoping the veteran could produce WR1 numbers.

Beane has had a keen eye for knowing when to let players walk or sign them. He has been more prone to signing a player to an outright contract extension rather than using the tag to keep the player in town.

Afterall, the tag may not be a realistic option for the Bills considering they are near the bottom of the league in salary cap as they are at about $-14 million, which is 30th in the NFL. Buffalo might be better off clearing cap space and signing key role players for less than a franchise tag would require for the position.

Dec 29, 2024; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills wide receiver Amari Cooper (18). | Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

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