How NFL's Franchise-Tagged Players Could Impact Broncos Re-Signing Homegrown Free Agents

The Denver Broncos were among the first to use the franchise tag on a player, tagging Pro Bowl safety Justin Simmons for the second straight season. Since that time, eight more NFL players got the tag by Tuesday's deadline.

Will any franchise-tagged players impact what the Broncos do when it comes to extending their own players or adding others? It's possible in a couple of situations, but not as likely as others.

Let's examine the tagged players by position and see how it could shape the Broncos' decisions, if at all.

Safety: Along with Simmons, the Jets placed the franchise tag on Marcus Maye and the Saints did the same with Marcus Williams. Maye and Williams got tagged for the first time, so their tags amount to $10.6M, while Simmons' tag number is $13.7M.

It's possible each safety waits for the other two to make a move in contract negotiations, and the respective teams do the same. However, the one team who can't afford to wait on that is the Saints.

Because the Saints are still above the cap as of Wednesday, they need to get Williams extended as soon as possible. His extension will then set the bar for Simmons and Maye.

My guess is that the Saints will get a deal done before free agency starts, then Broncos general manager George Paton, along with Simmons' agent, will have a better idea about what the particulars will likely be in an extension for Simmons.

Of course, it's possible the sides will wait to see what happens with the Jets, who have plenty of cap space and don't need to rush into an extension for Maye. So the Broncos' situation could either get resolved quickly or it might take more time for both sides to come to terms.

Defensive line: Leonard Williams was the only defensive lineman to get the tag. Because it's the second time he's been tagged, his tag number came in at $19.3M.

I've written before that the tag number for Williams shouldn't have any bearing on what Shelby Harris will get. He's more likely to be pushing for the second tier should he test the market.

The better comparison would be Dalvin Tomlinson, who will be able to seek deals from other teams because the Giants tagged Williams. Therefore, while Williams' number shouldn't impact what Harris will get, a deal for Tomlinson likely could.

Offensive tackle: Cam Robinson and Taylor Moton were tagged by the Jaguars and Panthers, respectively. Though Robinson plays on the left side and Moton on the right, their tag number of $13.6M is the same, because all offensive linemen are grouped under the same tag.

Elijah Wilkinson will be an unrestricted free agent, but he's not going to come close to the top of the market. He's more likely going to be viewed as a swing tackle by most teams, though there may be somebody who takes a chance on him as a starter. Regardless, I would be surprised if Wilkinson got a big contract.

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Offensive guard: Brandon Scherff was tagged by the Washington Football Team for the second straight year. His tag number rose to a little more than $18M, which is $4M more than the average per year salary of Brandon Brooks, the highest-paid guard under a long-term contract.

Fortunately, the Broncos don't need to look for an offensive guard, but the market bears watching. Will a player such as Joe Thuney try to re-set the market because of the move with Scherff? And if so, might that impact what the Broncos do for any signings down the road?

Wide receiver: Allen Robinson and Chris Godwin were both tagged and, while the Broncos don't need to look for a wide receiver, their contract negotiations could have implications down the road.

Courtland Sutton will be a free agent in 2022 and, if he comes back from injury and plays at a high level, he could be looking for a contract that makes him among the highest-paid receivers. Therefore, while those tagged receivers won't impact the Broncos' decisions now, they could impact the team's decisions in about a year.

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