February 29, 2016
Today is potentially a big day for Philadelphia Eagles fans. It may be the day that they learn who their team's starting quarterback will be in 2016, and possibly beyond.
Today at 4:00 p.m. EST is the deadline for teams to use either the franchise tag or transition tag on their players. Deadlines can often be catalysts to deals being done. As we noted yesterday, the agent for Sam Bradford, Tom Condon, expected to speak with the Eagles prior to the deadline.
Yesterday, the NFL Players' Association confirmed the franchise tag amounts for each position. They are as follows:
| Position | Franchise tag cost |
| Quarterback | $19,953,000 |
| Running back | $11,789,000 |
| Wide receiver | $14,599,000 |
| Tight end | $9,118,000 |
| Offensive line | $13,706,000 |
| Defensive end | $15,701,000 |
| Defensive tackle | $13,615,000 |
| Linebacker | $14,129,000 |
| Cornerback | $13,952,000 |
| Safety | $10,806,000 |
| Kicker/punter | $4,572,000 |
The transition tag could also be in play for the Eagles, although it is not expected. Under the transition tag, players can negotiate deals with other teams, and the player's original team would have the opportunity to match. Otherwise, they would make the following amounts in 2016:
| Position | Franchise tag cost |
| Quarterback | $17,696,000 |
| Running back | $9,647,000 |
| Wide receiver | $12,268,000 |
| Tight end | $7,713,000 |
| Offensive line | $11,902,000 |
| Defensive end | $12,734,000 |
| Defensive tackle | $10,875,000 |
| Linebacker | $11,925,000 |
| Cornerback | $11,913,000 |
| Safety | $9,116,000 |
| Kicker/punter | $4,123,000 |
In other words, if the Eagles franchise tag Sam Bradford, they are on the hook for about $19.95 million with him in 2016. If they transition tag him, it will cost approximately $17.7 million. Neither of those two options are expected, as the market doesn't appear to be developing for Bradford the way some thought it might. However, as noted, the deadline could spawn a new deal by the end of the day. Keep it with us here.
