How is the NFL franchise tag calculated? All you need to know about the numbers involved

There are two types of franchise tags in the National Football League. They are the exclusive franchise tag and the non-exclusive franchise tag. This is how both tags are calculated:

A. The average of the five most significant prior year pay for players at the position at which the franchise-tagged player participated in the most snaps during the prior league year, which average shall be calculated by:

1. Summing the total of the said tags for players at that selected position for the five earlier years
2. Dividing the total amount by the sum of salary caps for the five earlier league years
3. Multiplying the resulting percentage by the salary cap for the upcoming league year

Or

B. 120 per cent of his prior year's salary, whichever is greater.

The exclusive tag means that the tagged player can only play for a different team the following season if his current team trades him. His team owns such a player's rights, which can only be revoked if the team gets an offer they consider worthy of making the trade.

However, the non-exclusive tag allows other teams to snag the tagged player so far as they can provide two first-round picks in exchange for the player. This tag cost is determined by 120% of the tagged player's cap number from the previous season or the average of the five most significant prior year salaries at the player's position.

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How many times can a team franchise tag a player?

A player can be franchise-tagged a maximum of three times; before such, a player must be offered a new contract. This rule ensures that the player is not forced to endure under market deals for too long.

Furthermore, for each season a player is hit with the franchise tag, such a player's contract will increase. For instance, if a player is hit with the tag for the second consecutive season, his salary automatically increases by 20%. If that happens for a third time, the player's salary will increase by 44% from the previous year. As such, it is more cost-effective for an NFL team to offer the player a new contract at this stage and use their tag on another player with a pressing need.

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The NFL Franchise Tag numbers for positions

These are the tags for each position in the National Football League:

• Quarterback: $32,416,000.
• Running back: $10,091,000.
• Receiver: $19,743,000.
• Tight end: $11,345,000.
• Offensive line: $18,244,000.
• Defensive end: $19,727,000.
• Defensive tackle: $18,937,000.
• Linebacker: $20,926,000.
• Cornerback: $18,140,000.
• Safety: $14,460,000.
• Kicker/punter: $5,393,000.