Giants Apply a Rarely Used Tag on EDGE Markus Golden

Explaining what the UFA Tender is and how much it's going to cost the Giants.

Giants general manager Dave Gettleman insisted to reporters that while the coaching staff believes the pass rush can come through defensive coordinator Patrick Graham's schemes, the roster is still a work in progress as far as personnel is concerned.

So with edge rusher Markus Golden still unsigned, the Giants whipped out a seldom-used tag called the "UFA tender" in which if Golden is unsigned by July 22 or the first scheduled day of the first NFL training camp, whichever is later, he can return to the Giants for the coming season.

The UFA tender, as described in Article 9, Section 1b of the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, would give Golden a 110% raise if he remains unsigned, his rights reverting to the Giants. 

Last year, Golden played on a one-year "prove it deal worth $3.75 million, which grew to $4.75 million when Golden reached a sack incentive clause in the contract (10 or more sacks).

That means if he were to sign with the Giants, he'd be due a $1.1 million raise off that $3.75 million total (since his $1 million performance bonus does not factor into the calculation), his new one-year cap hit is estimated to be $4.125 million. 

With the Giants applying this tender, they not only set the market value for Golden, but they also fix it to where Golden would factor into the 2021 compensatory formula that has ended.