The NFL’s franchise tag window opens on Tuesday and runs through March 3 at 4 p.m. ET. The New York Giants should simply forget about its existence.
The Giants have three major free agents they might — briefly — think about tagging. Those are right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor, wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson, and cornerback Cor’Dale Flott. They should quickly exorcise any thoughts of using the franchise or transition tag on any of the three.
Let’s look at each player.
Jermaine Eluemunor
Estimated OL tag values:
(Tag values are per Over The Cap and have not yet been officially announced by the NFL)
Franchise tag: $27,924,000 | Transition tag: $25,305,000
The 31-year-old Eluemunor is a good player. The Giants would be creating a hole to fill if they don’t re-sign him. There is no way, though, that the Giants should devote nearly $28 million of its 2026 cap space to Eluemunor.
Spotrac estimates Eluemunor’s market value at slightly more than $17.3 million over two years, roughly $8.7 million annually. That, honestly, seems low. Pro Football Focus estimates Eluemunor’s value at three years, $36 million ($12 million annually) with $22.5 million guaranteed. The PFF price is one that would leave the Giants with a big decision about how much they want to commit to Eluemunor.
Joe Schoen, Dawn Aponte, and John Harbaugh can’t use the tag on Eluemunor.
Wan’Dale Robinson
Estimated WR tag values:
Franchise tag: $28,824,000 | Transition tag: $25,029,000
The story is much the same with Robinson. He is a good player the Giants would be well-advised to keep, but committing the franchise tag value of nearly $29 million to him for one year is out of the question.
The contract most point to as a starting point when assessing Robinson’s market value is the four-year, $53 million deal ($13.2 million annually) Khalik Shakir received from the Buffalo Bills.
Spotrac estimates Robinson’s value at four years, $70 million ($17.6 million per year). Pro Football Focus projects a three-year, $63 million deal ($21 million annually) with $40 million guaranteed.
The tag values are well above either projection, and too rich.
Cor’Dale Flott
Estimated CB tag values:
Franchise tag: $21,414,000 | Transition tag: $17,951,000
Flott had a breakout season in 2025, his fourth in the NFL. He became a full-time starter for the first time. At 6-foot-2, 175 pounds he will never be a No. 1 shutdown cornerback or a force as a run defender, but entering his age 25 season he has a lot of good football ahead of him.
There is just no chance he is worth more than $21 million.
Spotrac projects a market value of four years, $38 million ($9.5 million annually). PFF ranks Flott No. 242 on its list of the top 250 free agents soon to be available, and has not yet assigned a market value.
(These come courtesy of our friends at SBNation.com).
Non-exclusive franchise tag
This is the most common tag used each offseason. Under the non-exclusive tag, the player is given a one-year deal based on an average of the top five salaries at the respective position over the last five years, or 120 percent of his previous salary, whichever is greater. So, it is cheaper than the exclusive franchise tag, but more expensive than the transition tag.
However, the player is free to negotiate with other teams. Should the player sign an offer sheet from another NFL team, the player’s current team has the right to match the offer. If they do not, they receive two first-round draft picks as compensation when the player leaves for a new team.
Exclusive franchise tag
The exclusive franchise tag is also rather uncommon. Under this designation, the tagged player cannot negotiate with other teams. However, the price is higher. Under the exclusive franchise tag, the one-year salary for the player is either the average of the top five salaries of the player’s position for the current year, or 120 percent of his previous salary.
By using just the current year of salary data, that means the price tag will be higher than using the last ten years of data to generate an average — as you see under the transition tag — or the last five years of data as is done with the non-exclusive franchise tag.
A player can still end up playing for a different team during the next season, but only via a trade.
The exclusive tag is rare. Since 2012, only four players have received this tag: Drew Brees (2012), Von Miller (2016), Kirk Cousins (2017), and Le’Veon Bell (2017).
Transition tag
The transition tag is not as common as the non-exclusive franchise tag. Under the transition tag, the player is given a one-year deal, with the salary determined by the cap percentage average of the ten largest prior year salaries at a player’s position, or 120 percent of his previous season’s salary, whichever is higher.
Using the last 10 years of data this makes the transition tag cheaper than the non-exclusive, or exclusive, franchise tags.
However, there is a catch for the team. Players given the transition tag are free to negotiate with other teams, and can be extended an offer sheet. If the player’s current team cannot match the offer, that player is free to sign with the new team, and the current team does not receive any sort of compensation.
See More:
