All the poor guys who got slapped with the franchise tag yesterday

The franchise tag deadline was yesterday and, without languishing too much over the fact that it’s an unfair practice that is designed strictly for the benefit of the team and not for the player, let’s get into what transpired yesterday.

Generally speaking, NFL franchises know how much money they’re going to have to work with each year before needing to make these decisions, but the league had yet to announce the final salary cap number before the deadline. There were talks that the deadline could be extended, but at the 4:00 PM EST deadline approached, there was no word of an extension.

Here are the players across the league that were tagged:

Honestly, this shouldn’t have surprised anyone. Godwin is an elite young talent coming off a Super Bowl championship. There were concerns that Tampa wouldn’t be able to keep Godwin and star linebacker Lavonte David, but they were able to reach an agreement on an extension on the same day that they tagged Godwin. It was a good day in Tampa Bay.

Maye was one of three players in the NFL last year with at least 60 tackles, 2 interceptions, and 2 forced fumbles. The two sides will continue to work on an extension, but this keeps him in New York and allows them more time to get the new contract done.

This was a procedural move coming off the massive contract that the Cowboys just gave Prescott. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero notes that this will make it highly unlikely Prescott is tagged again in his career as it would then count as his third career tag, one that comes with a much more cost-prohibitive figure.

Many fans across the league want to #FreeARob from the perpetual cycle of terrible quarterbacks that he’s had in his career. At this point, he’s still in Chicago. Taking a look at his liked tweets, Robinson doesn’t appear too happy with how it unfolded.

Robinson seems to have the confidence of new head coach Urban Meyer, who said “[Robinson] has a great future. His ceiling is very high.” With the presumptive first overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft being Trevor Lawrence, making sure he’s protected is a smart move.

Scherff has been tagged for the second straight year, which will earn him $18M in 2021, fully guaranteed. That’s big money. He’ll be in line for a big extension soon, or will be highly coveted in free agency next year.

According to PFF, Simmons is the highest graded safety in the NFL since 2019, and is tied for the most regular season interceptions by a safety since 2018 with 12. This is the second time that Simmons has been tagged.

Williams was tagged as the two sides continue to work towards a long-term deal. He’s a disruptive presence on the defensive line and logged 11.5 sacks last year. The Giants have a lot of needs, but the defensive front is in good shape heading into 2021.

I have no idea how the Saints had any money to tag Williams, considering they have the worst cap situation in the league. The Saints are $47M over the cap, which is un-good. Williams has been a dynamic safety that also excels in the run game. Williams could be a tag-and-trade candidate.

Notable players not tagged, who will test free agency:

Aaron Jones, RB, Green Bay Packers

Kenny Golladay, WR, Detroit Lions

Chris Carson, RB, Seattle Seahawks

Shaquil Griffin, CB, Seattle Seahawks

Kenyan Drake, RB, Arizona Cardinals

Hunter Henry, TE, Los Angeles Chargers

Jonnu Smith, TE, Tennessee Titans