As expected, the Denver Broncos will not use a franchise tag in 2024.
The deadline passed on Tuesday without the Broncos using the one-year tag. In the past, Denver has used a franchise tag eight times, most recently on safety Justin Simmons in 2020 and 2021 (before an extension).
Eight teams used the tag this year and a ninth team used a transition tag.
Denver had no obvious candidates for the tag this year due to its price. The team’s most notable in-house free agents this offseason are center Lloyd Cushenberry, linebacker Josey Jewell, safety P.J. Locke, kicker Wil Lutz and tight end Adam Trautman.
The cost of tagging a linebacker ($22,748,000), safety ($16,224,000), tight end ($12,027,000), offensive lineman ($19,885,000) or even a kicker ($5,670,000) would be much higher than what it would cost to give those players extensions.
So the Broncos are set to go into free agency with 16 in-house free agents scheduled to hit the open market. Denver needs to give those players extension by Monday if they don’t want them to negotiate with other teams.
See the NFL players that were tagged below.
2024 FRANCHISE PLAYERS
| Club | Player | Position |
| Baltimore Ravens | Justin Madubuike | DT |
| Carolina Panthers | Brian Burns | LB |
| Chicago Bears | Jaylon Johnson | CB |
| Cincinnati Bengals | Tee Higgins | WR |
| Indianapolis Colts | Michael Pittman | WR |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | Josh Allen | LB |
| Kansas City Chiefs | L’Jarius Sneed | CB |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Antoine Winfield | S |
2024 TRANSITION PLAYERS
| Club | Player | Position |
| New England Patriots | Kyle Dugger | S |
The NFL’s negotiating window will open on March 11. The new league year (and official start of NFL free agency) begins on March 13.
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