7 players Colts will miss out on due to franchise tag
Not one, not two, but three tight ends out of reach
Apparently, getting pass catchers in free agency could be more difficult than imagined. The Dolphins, Cowboys, and Browns tagged their tight ends this off-season, taking three of them off the market.
Mike Gesicki finished with a career-high in receiving in 2021 and was set to make $11 million per year on a new contract. Instead, the Dolphins will bring him back in hopes to work on a deal that works for both sides.
In a not-so-shocking move, the Cowboys chose to place the franchise tag on Dalton Schultz so they can work out a long-term deal. Schultz sat behind Blake Jarwin for two seasons before taking over as the starter in 2020.
The Cowboys are going to be looking to extend Schultz into the future and will likely cut Amari Cooper and Demarcus Lawrence in the process. He will draw $10.9 million on the tag but is looking for a deal in the four-year, $50.76 million range in 2022.
David Njoku also was tagged by Cleveland, which preserves at least one pass-catcher for Baker Mayfield. Njoku hasn’t been having a great time on the Browns, but he has still been a force on the offense.
The tag on Njoku is likely just a placeholder so that the two sides can work out a long-term deal before the July 15th deadline. This move does make the water murky on whether the Browns will cut Austin Hooper and save $2 million by doing so.
Njoku is set to receive a four-year, $27 million deal, which is less per year than his $10.9 million tag.
Indianapolis won’t be able to land any of these players but there are many more big names that will be available when free agency starts.
