Feb. 25 is the first day NFL teams can designate franchise or transition players.
The Atlanta Falcons have seldom used the franchise tag to retain players. The team has only used the tag — which allows the team negotiating rights to a potential unrestricted free agent — three times, all during Thomas Dimitroff's tenure as general manager.
The team first applied the franchise tag on punter Michael Koenen in 2009. Koenen was tagged at $2.4 million. He played two seasons in Atlanta before signing a long-term deal with Tampa Bay in 2011.
The team next used the franchise tag on cornerback Brent Grimes in 2012 for $10.28 million after they failed to reach a long-term deal. Grimes missed the season after he tore his Achilles in the season’s first game. He signed a free-agent contract with Miami the following year.
Last season, defensive tackle Grady Jarrett was signed to a $15.2 million franchise tag — the average of the top five paid players at the position — after his rookie deal expired. The Falcons continued negotiations with Jarrett and reached a deal before the July signing deadline. Garrett's four-year deal is worth $68 million.
The Atlanta Falcons have decisions to make on more than two dozen unrestricted free agents this offseason.
The team has already opted to allow defensive end Vic Beasley to become a free agent. The team has to make personnel decisions on tight end Austin Hooper and linebacker De'Vondre Campbell before the new NFL business year begins March 18.
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