7 players Colts will miss out on due to franchise tag

The Indianapolis Colts will have to adjust their free agency plans after several players were franchise tagged. 

Tuesday, March 8, was the deadline for teams to place the franchise tag on players that could hit the open market on March 16 (the official start of free agency). Many players that the Indianapolis Colts could have eyed for contract talks were grabbed by their team before the deadline.

The Colts need a few key positions to make a run in 2022, including wide receiver, left tackle, and tight end. It’s no wonder why teams could look at the cap space Indy has and tag their players to avoid a contract battle with Indianapolis.

Even though there were some very key players that the Colts could have signed to a deal this offseason, there were some that made it through without receiving a franchise tag.

The most notable player that will hit the open market next week is Patriots cornerback J.C. Jackson. Jackson would be a huge upgrade to Indy’s secondary and would fill a hole that veteran Xavier Rhodes will leave.

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Jackson is expected to get a lot of looks from teams like the Cincinnati Bengals, San Francisco 49ers, and Miami Dolphins. Jackson could join a strong defense in Cincinnati and be an immediate Super Bowl contender.

It should be noted that the Indianapolis Colts decided not to use the franchise tag in 2022, making it nine years since they last used it on Pat McAfee in 2013.

Let’s take a look at the most notable players that Indianapolis won’t be able to recruit because they were franchise-tagged by their current team.