The Bucks have five unrestricted free agents hoping to re-sign this offseason, but they only really have the means to retain one of them via the franchise tag.
Tampa Bay will not use the franchise tag on kicker Chase McLaughlin, and the team will not use it on 34-year-old linebacker Lavonte David either.
This leaves the choice between All-Pro safety Antoine Winfield Jr., Pro Bowl quarterback Baker Mayfield, and Pro Bowl wide receiver Mike Evans in terms of who receives the franchise tag. . Winfield is the most logical choice for one big reason: his safety tag number is the cheapest of his three.
Winfield, who played in the final year of his rookie contract in 2023, will receive a one-year franchise tender of $16.224 million if he is tagged as expected. If the 25-year-old playmaker becomes a free agent, the safety market will likely reset and he will be given a contract worth $20 million per year.
Bucks FS Antwon Winfield Jr. – Photo by Cliff Welch/PR
Therefore, by using Winfield’s franchise tag, the Bucks could save more than $3.7 million in salary cap value in 2024 rather than signing the former second-round pick to a long-term deal now.
If the cost of the franchise tag is less than the player’s market value, it may be a good idea to keep that player available for an additional year at a “bargain” price. $16.224 million doesn’t seem like a bargain, but that’s the reality in Winfield’s case. And the fact that Winfield received a significant raise due to the franchise affiliation means it’s a win for him as well. Winfield earned a total of $8,693,747 in four seasons with Tampa Bay. If he acquires the franchise tag, he could earn nearly double that amount in 2024.
But the longer the Bucks wait, the higher Winfield’s price will likely be. It wouldn’t be cheaper for Tampa Bay to wait until 2025 to extend Winfield’s contract unless his play really regresses, and the Bucs don’t want that.
Why the Bucks won’t use the franchise tag on Baker Mayfield or Mike Evans
Safety Antwon Winfield Jr. is a rising player in the early stages of his NFL career, but that’s not the case for quarterback Baker Mayfield, who turns 29 in April, and wide receivers. mike evans A person who will turn 31 in August. Some might argue that this fact might actually make the franchise tag the best fit for Mayfield, who spent his first season in Tampa Bay after a volatile career with Cleveland, Carolina, and Los Angeles. do not have. Why not give Mayfield another year to prove 2023 wasn’t a fluke?
Bucs WR Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, QB Baker Mayfield – Photo by Cliff Welch/PR
The only problem is that the quarterback’s franchise tag amount is $36.293 million. This will be a static number that the Bucks will have to maintain under the salary cap throughout the season.
This is such a huge number that it could actually limit Tampa Bay’s ability to spend in free agency. Even if Mayfield were able to sign a multi-year deal worth $36 million per year on the open market, the Bucks would have a 2024 cap number of $36 million to give the team cap flexibility in free agency. There is a possibility that it will fall significantly below the dollar.
Same situation as Evans. franchise tag He would cost the Bucks $28,438,200. That’s more than the wide receiver’s actual 2024 franchise tag number of $20.672 million. This is because Evans’ cap value last year exceeded his franchise tag. Evans’ cap value with Tampa Bay last year was $23,698,500. Therefore, his tag number for his own specific franchise would be his 120% of that number, or his $28,438,200.
there is Huge difference Between $20,672,000 and $28,438,200. It actually costs closer to $8 million.
The franchise tag amount of $20.672 million would be a bargain considering Evans could fetch more than $25 million on the open market. The Bucks would save over $4 million in cap value for the same reason they would use the tag on Winfield.
And in fact, it would be even more cautious to use this tag on an older player like Evans than on a young player like Winfield who is just entering his prime.
But $28,438,200 means the Bucks will pay about $3.5 million. that’s all market price With Evans’ tag. And the figure of over $28 million is fixed. That would leave the Bucks with even less cap flexibility than if the team used the tag on Winfield. $12 million few Just over $16 million.
Bucs’ previous franchise tag usage.
The Bucks have used the franchise tag eight times in franchise history. Most notably, Tampa Bay placed the tag on outside linebacker Shaq Barrett after he signed a one-year, $5 million contract with Tampa Bay in 2019 and exploded with a league-leading 19.5 sacks. That’s what I used. The Bucs wanted to see if he was a one-year wonder, but Barrett helped Tampa Bay win Super Bowl LV in 2020 and was subsequently signed to a long-term contract.
Bucks WR Chris Godwin – Photo courtesy of USA Today
Wide receiver Chris Godwin played on the franchise tag in 2021 and re-teamed in 2022 before signing a multi-year contract extension due to a torn ACL. Tampa Bay did not use the franchise tag last year.
Former Bucs offensive tackle Paul Gruber was the first to earn the franchise tag in 1993, followed by defensive end Chidi Ahanotu in 1999. Wide receiver Antonio Bryant earned the tag in 2009 and kicker Connor Barth earned the tag in 2012.
There are two types of franchise tags: exclusive and non-exclusive. Exclusive tags come with a hefty price tag, but the tagged player is no longer able to negotiate with other teams. Players who receive a non-exclusive tag can negotiate with other teams. However, if the player signs an offer sheet from another team, the former team has the option of matching that offer or receiving two first-round draft picks as compensation.
Just because a player receives the franchise tag doesn’t mean he has to play up to that offer. Some players do not want to receive the franchise tag and decide to skip training camp in protest. However, teams and franchised players have until July 17 to negotiate long-term contract extensions. The player must then play on the franchise tag for one year.
