Today is the last day that teams can use the franchise tag. The Colts have not used their tag yet. Will they before the day is over?
The Colts have plenty of free agents they have to make decisions on. Some of those decisions involve the use of a potential franchise tag. Today is the last day they can slap someone with that tag. Is it something they end up using, or do they let the deadline pass?
First, let’s look at the potential candidates to get the tag. Clayton Geathers is one of those guys. The Colts have said they want to try to re-sign him. But if they don’t is the franchise tag an option? At safety, he would be paid over $12 million this season. That is a big time overpay for a guy with injury problems.
Margus Hunt could also be a candidate. The big defensive lineman has been a big part of what the Colts have been doing the last couple of years. If they tagged him, he’d be playing for $15.5 million in 2019. Again, seems like a little much to pay him.
Perhaps the biggest candidate would be Pierre Desir. He is a rangy corner with long arms who has played well in a few big games. If they tagged Desir, he would be paid $15.9 million. That’s not a horrible price for a top shelf corner, but is Desir considered top shelf?
Odds are, the Colts let this deadline pass without any use of their tag. It would be surprising to see them use it on anyone this year. Expect most of these guys to be negotiated with once free agency does hit though. They don’t want to lose any of these guys to other teams.