In February 2023, every running back under the sun was tagged with the franchise tag. But here he is, a year later, and the exact opposite is happening. In 2024, the running back tag will be gone.
According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, whose phones must have been vibrating violently Monday afternoon, New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley and Las Vegas Raiders running back Josh Jacobs will not be tagged by their teams. . They will become free agents instead of being forced to stay with their current teams.
The Raiders will try to re-sign running back Josh Jacobs, a potential free agent, but league officials say he is not expected to be tagged and his franchise tag price is not $14,149,200. . pic.twitter.com/bBSHXtzg7i
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 26, 2024
Franchise tag is also not expected These include Tony Pollard of the Dallas Cowboys, Derrick Henry of the Tennessee Titans, and Austin Ekeler of the Los Angeles Chargers.
Last season was a controversial one for running backs. The offseason started with a lot of tags, including Barkley, Jacobs, and Pollard, and the discussion about running backs being underrated grew louder. While running back is an important position that can produce many explosive plays, it is also one of the positions on the field that is most prone to injury. Teams don't want to pay them high salaries because of the risk, which is why running backs want higher salaries to reflect their value while recognizing the risks.
In the wake of these tags, several running backs began organizing before and during the season, as some felt their salaries were being artificially suppressed. Running backs from different teams held video calls to update each other and discuss strategies to improve the situation going forward. However, it appears that nothing came of those calls, as the players had little influence over the owners on that particular issue.
The deadline for teams to apply the franchise or transition tag is March 5th.
