For three straight years from 2016-2018, the Rams used the franchise tag each offseason. They tagged Trumaine Johnson twice and then used the tag on Lamarcus Joyner, opting not to sign either player to a long-term extension after they played on the tag.
Since then, the Rams haven’t used the franchise tag once. It’s a way to keep an important player around for one more year, but oftentimes, it results in the player either being traded or leaving in free agency the following offseason.
Looking at the Rams’ group of pending free agents in 2023, it’s hard to find anyone who’s worth using the franchise tag on. There’s no real headliner like Von Miller or Odell Beckham Jr., as it’s more a collection of fringe starters who could be replaced this year.
The Rams’ biggest free agents this offseason are A’Shawn Robinson, Taylor Rapp, Greg Gaines, Troy Hill, Nick Scott and David Edwards. It’s hard to imagine any of those players landing a lucrative deal from the Rams or another team, certainly not in the range of what the franchise tag would pay them.
If there’s one pending free agent who could get tagged by the Rams, it’s kicker Matt Gay. Any kicker who gets the franchise tag this year will make $5.393 million guaranteed in 2023. The transition tag will pay special teams players $4.869 million for one year.
Justin Tucker is the highest-paid kicker in the NFL at $6 million per year, with Jason Myers and Chris Boswell being the only other two earning at least $5 million annually. It wouldn’t be outrageous for the Rams to tag Gay and pay him as one of the best kickers in the league because, well, he’s among them.
Obviously, they’d be better off signing him to a long-term deal worth less than $5.4 million annually, but the two sides would need to agree to such a deal. If Gay is insistent on testing the market, he could turn down the Rams’ offers.
The franchise and transition tags are reasonable backup plans.
