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About the Author: Mark Cook

Avatar Of Mark Cook
Mark Cook currently is the director of editorial content and Bucs beat writer and has written for PewterReport.com since 2011. Cook has followed the Buccaneers since 1977 when he first began watching football with his Dad and is fond of the 1979 Bucs team that came within 10 points of going to a Super Bowl. His favorite Bucs game is still the 1979 divisional playoff win 24-17 over the Eagles. In his spare time Cook enjoys playing guitar, fishing, the beach and family time.Cook is a native of Pinecrest in Eastern Hillsborough County and has written for numerous publications including the Tampa Tribune, In the Field and Ya'll Magazine. Cook can be reached at [email protected]

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The NFL franchise tag designation period opened on Wednesday, allowing teams to tag one player to ensure they don’t become a free agent. The two-week window ends on March 1 at 4 p.m. and free agency officially begins on March 9. 

The Buccaneers don’t have any players this year that would be franchise tagged, but below are the breakdowns of how it works, as some potential players on their radar could receive one of these three tags.

According to NFL.com the breakdown of the tagging works this way.

Exclusive franchise tag: A one-year tender offer to a player for an amount no less than the average of the top five salaries at the player’s position for the current year, or 120 percent of the player’s previous salary, whichever is greater. The player’s team has all negotiating rights to the player.

Non-exclusive franchise tag: This is the most commonly used tag. When most people refer to the “franchise tag” it’s generally the non-exclusive version to which they are discussing. It is a one-year tender offer to a player for an amount no less than the average of the top five salaries at the player’s position over the last five years, or 120 percent of the player’s previous salary, whichever is greater. The player can negotiate with other teams. The player’s current team has the right to match any offer, or receive two first-round picks as compensation. 

Transition tag: Think of this as the “you are pretty good, and we might want to keep you, but aren’t willing to put a ring on you ourselves” tag. The transition designation is a one-year tender offer to a player for an amount that is the average of the top 10 salaries at the position — as opposed to top five. It guarantees the original club the right of first refusal to match any offer the player might receive from another team, but no compensation if the team chooses not to match. 

Below are a list of what the franchise tags were for 2016, but the numbers are expected to bump up.

Quarterback: $19.953 million
Defensive end: $15.701 million 
Wide Receiver: $14.599 million
Linebacker: $14.129 million 
Cornerback: $13.952 million
Offensive line: $13.706 million
Defensive tackle: $13.615 million
Running back: $11.789 million
Safety: $10.806 million
Tight End: $9.118 million
Kicker/Punter: $4.599 million

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