No Franchise Tag for Cardinals; Zach Allen, Byron Murphy to Test Free Agency
The NFL's deadline to place a franchise tag on a player has officially come and gone, and the Arizona Cardinals were one of many clubs not to utilize it.
Players such as Lamar Jackson, Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs, Tony Pollard, Daron Payne and Evan Engram received the tag prior to the start of next week's free agency.
Arizona had the opportunity to keep either of their top free agents in CB Byron Murphy or DE Zach Allen around with the tag. Now, both are set to hit the open market.
The Cardinals could have used the tag on either player in hopes of reaching an extension to keep them around for the long term. Both Allen and Murphy are 25-years-old.
A franchise tag for cornerbacks in 2023 will cost $18.14 million, with a transition tag costing $15.791 million. Many believe Murphy (despite his versatility) doesn't quite fit that price range.
A franchise tag for defensive ends would be $19.727 million while a transition tag would cost $17.452 million. Allen's estimated market value on Spotrac is an average of $9.3 million per season.
Arizona currently owns the No. 3 pick and could take a handful of defensive playmakers to make up for the absence left by J.J. Watt and potentially Allen as well.
The Cardinals are scheduled to have 30 players hit the open market. The expected release of WR Chosen Anderson will give Arizona roughly $27.8 million in cap space, according to OverTheCap.
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