Kodiak wrote:
Also, if Bell is tagged this year (for the 2nd time) it's 20% more, for a total of @ $14.5M
Non-QB's cannot be tagged for a 3rd year. He's guaranteed to be a UFA after next year if he doesn't sign an extension.
Kodiak where is your source on this statement? I have read nothing to this effect. There is actually arguments about using it a fourth time on Cousins. I have seen no language about the tag having a position segmentation. The tag is tag and the QB comes into play in the language often only because they on the whole have the biggest contract.
Per Reddit source

:
First year franchise tag:
120% of the previous year's salary, or average of the top 5 salaries of everyone else playing that position, whichever is higher. The "average" is actually a percentage of the cap. It's calculated as follows: Take the franchise tag amounts for the position for each of the previous 5 years, add them all up. Divide them by the sum of the salary cap totals for each of the previous 5 years. Multiply that by the salary cap for this year. So if the five previous franchise amounts were $10M, $11M, $12M, $13M, $14M and the salary caps were $100M, $105M, $110M, $120M, $130M, and this year's salary cap is $140M, it'd be (10+11+12+13+14)/(100+105+110+120+130) = 10.69% of $140M, or $14.86M.
Second year of the franchise tag:
Same thing. Unless the math gets really weird, the 120% increase is likely to be the higher amount.
Third year of the franchise tag:
An average of the top 5 salaries at the highest paid position (likely QB). So if a WR's tag amount is $12M, but a QB's tag amount is $20M, a WR tagged a 3rd time will get the $20M. OR 120% of the average of the 5 largest prior year salaries at his position (so 120% of the 5 biggest WR contracts from the year before, in this case). OR 144% of the player's previous year's salary. Whichever is highest.
There's nothing in the CBA saying they can't be tagged a 4th time. I would assume a 4th year would have the same rules as a 3rd, which means the cost at that point would be pretty outrageous.
Also, of minor note: The player can choose to take the 120/144% increase over the average of the salaries if he wants, even if the 120/144% increase is the lower amount. Why he would take less money I don't know, but it's an option for him. The team is required to offer the higher of the two, but the player can opt to take the lower amount.
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IMHO......no way in hell he sits out a season!