Report: NFL Is Evaluating the Franchise and Transition Tag Deadline

As players wait to vote on the proposed collective bargaining agreement between the NFL's owners and the NFL Players Association, the league will evaluate the franchise and transition tag deadline according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.

With players now voting on the proposed CBA through 11:59 p.m. Saturday, the NFL is evaluating the franchise/transition tag deadline, per source. Currently, the tag deadline is 4 p.m. Thursday, March 12. Different rules with/without new CBA.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 9, 2020

With the Jacksonville Jaguars set to be one of the several teams poised to use the franchise or transition tag this offseason, any change in the tag's deadline is worth paying attention to. It was reported last week by Adam Schefter of ESPN that the Jaguars would franchise tag defensive end Yannick Ngakoue, but continued labor talks could put this off for a few more days.

A few weeks ago, the NFLPA and NFL Management Council decided to delay the start of the franchise tag period from Tuesday, Feb. 25, to Thursday, Feb. 27. This pushed back the deadline of the period to Mar. 12 instead of Mar. 10.

Now with the deadline for players to vote on the presently proposed CBA being extended by two days, there appears to be a chance the deadline to place a franchise or transition tag on players such as Ngakoue could shift yet again.

"By a vote of our Board of Player representatives, we have extended the voting deadline on the proposed new collective bargaining agreement to Saturday, March 14th at 11:59 p.m. EDT," the NFLPA said in a statement. "Every vote matters, and we encourage all players to review the materials sent via email in order to make an informed decision."

How could this news impact the Jaguars? First and foremost, the Jaguars are likely tracking the CBA negotiations closely because they, and every other team, need to know what the CBA entails for when they sign players. This same logic applies to the franchise tag.

With the Jaguars poised to place the franchise tag on Ngakoue, who is an impending free agent and has announced he doesn't want to sign a long-term deal in Jacksonville, then any changed deadline will have to factor into their plans and actions before free agency begins on Mar. 18.

A changed deadline to tag players could mean the Jaguars could put off tagging Ngakoue for a few days, instead opting to continue to look at their other options with the 24-year old pass-rusher. The tag for a defensive end carries a $19.3 mi

The Jaguars aren't expected to use each tag like the Tennessee Titans or Dallas Cowboys are, but a change to the deadline would still impact them because it would change their offseason schedule ahead of the free agency opening period, and the tampering period that begins on Mar. 16.

The most logical conclusion to Ngakoue's saga with the Jaguars is for him to be traded at a period after the team places the franchise tag on him. This would compare to past tag and trade situations in the NFL, including deals that saw Frank Clark, Dee Ford, and Jadeveon Clowney traded after being tagged in 2019.

For the Jaguars to finalize any trade involving Ngakoue, he would at first have to be tagged since he is set to not be under any contract when the new league year begins. Because of this, a change in the franchise tag deadline could potentially impact the timeline of an Ngakoue trade.

While any change in deadline would unlikely change the Jaguars' decision to franchise tag Ngakoue, it would still impact a timeline that continues to change due to the ongoing CBA negotiations and the lengthy voting process.

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