The Las Vegas Raiders are in the midst of their most important offseason in recent memory. After Mark Davis and minority owner Tom Brady settled on a tandem of Pete Carroll and John Spytek as the team's next head coach and general manager, the two began working around the clock to fix this Raiders team.
First, they had to solidify their coaching staff, but now that everything is set, they must move to the next phase of the offseason. On Tuesday, the franchise tag period opened and Spytek may be faced with his first big decision as the Raiders' general manager.
The franchise tag is designed for teams to keep one of their best players from entering free agency by giving them a one-year deal that pays them highly for a season, but gives them no long-term commitment.
Raider Nation remembers the team's saga with Josh Jacobs when they placed the franchise tag on him after the 2022 season. Jacobs, like most players, was not happy to play under these terms, and left the following season for a long-term deal.
Players must be an unrestricted free agent to qualify for the tag, and the Raiders currently have 17 such players this offseason. Among them are Robert Spillane, Tre'Von Moehrig, Malcolm Koonce, Nate Hobbs and Adam Butler.
By comparing these players' market values with the fixed salary that the franchise tag guarantees, it is safe to say that the Raiders will not be using the franchise tag this offseason.
Both Hobbs and Butler have a predicted market value of $2.9 million per year, and the franchise tags for their positions are both worth over $20 million. Spillane is out of range for the tag as well with his market value of $10.4 million and a franchise tag that would give him $27 million.
The only two players that the Raiders have in the ballpark of a franchise tag are Moehrig and Koonce. Moehrig is predicted to make $15.7 million per year, and the safety tag is worth $19.6 million. Koonce is worth a reported $20.0 million per year, and the tag for defensive ends would give him $24.7 million.
While both of those players are in the realm, neither of them should be given the franchise tag this offseason. Both were drafted by the organization and should be able to reach a multi-year deal with the Raiders if both sides are willing. But, it would be too risky to pay these players so much for one year just to lose them next season.