As today’s franchise tag deadline approaches, there’s one impending free agent who definitely will not be tagged by his team.
Scattered reports emerged on Monday regarding the financial realities that will make it extremely unlikely for the Bucs to tag receiver Chris Godwin. The easier explanation is they can’t do it.
They can’t do it because Godwin’s contract voids after the deadline for applying the tag.
Previously, the void was due to happen before the tag deadline. That would have permitted a tag. Moving the deadline until after the tag deadline prevents the Bucs from doing it.
It’s a term that has been added to new contracts in the past. Four years ago, the original extension signed by Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott included a void date after the 2025 tag deadline. Even though it would have been ridiculously expensive for the Cowboys to tag Dak a third time, the terms of the 2021 contract blocked a tag by adding a void date after the closing of the tag window.
The Bucs surely knew the implications of delaying the void date until March 12. It didn’t matter, because there’s no way they would have tagged him a third time.
For the third tag (Godwin was tagged in 2021 and 2022), the player gets the greater of 144 percent of his cap number the prior year OR the average of the five highest cap numbers from the prior year at the highest-paid position. Which is always the quarterback position.
For Godwin, 144 percent of $27.534 million would have become $39.64 million under the 2025 franchise tag. And the five highest quarterback cap numbers from 2024 (Kyler Murray at $49.518 million, Matthew Stafford at $46.166 million, Dak Prescott at $44.615 million, Patrick Mahomes at $37 million, and Lamar Jackson at $32.4 million) result in an average of $41.94 million.
So, no, Godwin wouldn’t have been tagged. More importantly, he can’t be tagged due to the delayed void date in his deal.
That’s the thing to remember going forward. Any player whose contract voids after the tag deadline cannot be tagged.
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