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The 2021 NFL offseason is beginning in earnest as teams start applying the franchise or transition tag to players entering free agency. The tag can be applied from now until 4 p.m. ET, Tuesday.
The franchise tag binds the player to the team for one season. Franchise tag figures are based on the top five salaries at each position. The NFL and NFL Players Association agreed to raise the salary-cap floor from $175 million to $180 million. The salary cap could settle between $180 million and $185 million, a sizable drop from the 2020 cap of $198.2 million, according to ESPN’s Dan Graziano.
The 2021 league year begins March 17.
Here’s a look at those who have been tagged, why and the tag figure:
Franchise tag salary: Expected to be about $13.729 million (salary cap pending)
Season: Sixth
Career highlights: Over the past two seasons Simmons has been selected as a second-team All-Pro (2019) and to the Pro Bowl (2020). He has 12 interceptions over the past three seasons combined and topped 90 tackles in each. Simmons has also played every defensive snap in each of the past three seasons and has not played fewer than 74% of the defensive snaps since his rookie year in 2016. Broncos coach Vic Fangio has simply said: “Justin is a great player … we love him.”
Why he was tagged: Simmons played on the franchise player tag last season, which he called “betting on myself.” His representatives have been trying to hammer out a long-term deal with the Broncos. While Simmons has made it clear he would not be all that thrilled playing on the tag for a second consecutive year, Broncos general manager George Paton said as recently as Thursday he is trying to work out that long-term deal. The tag gives the Broncos the ability to negotiate with Simmons without the worry of him leaving to another team without at least the chance to match any offer. The Broncos have tagged, and then signed, players to long-term deals in the weeks that followed the tag in the past, including Demaryius Thomas and Von Miller.
What he brings: In short, everything. Simmons has the athleticism, anticipation and awareness to play the deep safety and he is also a physical player along the line of scrimmage. Simmons even lined up at cornerback when needed earlier in his career when the defense was hit by injuries. Off the field he is one of the team’s most consistent and most active players in the community. — Jeff Legwold