Projected 2026 NFL Franchise Tag Values by Position starts with a quarterback number that feels less like a tender and more like a dare. In that moment, $46,073,000 becomes the price of one year of “we still do not know,” the kind of money that can rescue a season or wreck a cap sheet. Real front offices do not treat that figure like trivia. Hours later, they treat it like a deadline weapon, because once the tag lands, the player owns the calendar. However, the club still owns the rights.
At the time, teams market the franchise tag as protection. Yet still, players hear something colder: delay, control, and a long term deal pushed into a future that never arrives on time. Consequently, the negotiation stops being about whether a star deserves to get paid. The fight becomes about timing, leverage, and whether the roster can survive another round of dead money gymnastics.
Why these numbers matter more than ever
In that moment, the tag does not just set a salary. It sets tone. Because of this loss of quiet in a building, one tagged player can pull attention away from an entire draft class, a coordinator hire, and half the free agency board.
Per OverTheCap’s 2026 projected franchise and transition tenders table, the figures below represent the non exclusive franchise tag projections for 2026. That distinction matters, because the exclusive franchise tag runs higher and removes the player from the open market. However, teams rarely use the exclusive version, and the NFL even highlights how uncommon it has become in recent years.
At the time, the league explains the non exclusive tender in plain language. The tag pays the greater of a position based cap percentage calculation or 120 percent of the player’s Prior Year Salary, which means a star with a massive prior year salary can push his own tender above the listed positional number. Yet still, fans often miss that detail until a club triggers it and the number spikes overnight.
Despite the pressure, the math stays consistent. The NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement spells out the non exclusive formula as a rolling cap percentage approach built from the prior five years of tag numbers, then multiplied by the upcoming cap. Consequently, when the cap rises, the entire table floats upward.
The cap backdrop behind the projections
At the time, many conversations around Projected 2026 NFL Franchise Tag Values by Position lean on a simple phrase: “the cap keeps rising.” However, projections need an anchor.
Per OverTheCap’s current multi year cap framework, it lists a base 2026 salary cap projection of $295,500,000 on its salary cap space page, while also showing alternative cap scenarios above that number. Yet still, the key point is not whether the final cap lands at $295.5 million or lands north of $300 million. The key point is that one tag can chew through a startling percentage of a roster plan, especially at quarterback.
Because of this loss of flexibility, teams do not evaluate tags in isolation. They pair them with salary cap space forecasts, restructure capacity, and the cash budget an owner will actually approve. Consequently, a tag often signals more than commitment. It signals that a front office expects a second move next, such as a contract extension, a trade, or a cap casualty decision that clears room.
How to read this ranking
In that moment, keep the ranking simple. These entries run in ascending dollar value, fromfrom the lowest projected non exclusive franchise tender on this list to the highest.
At the time, teams also care about market scarcity, positional importance, and whether a player can hit free agency and reset the room. However, money still drives the first reaction, because the tag becomes fully guaranteed the moment a player signs it.
Before long, the list stops feeling like theory. It starts feeling like a countdown.
The projected 2026 non exclusive franchise tags by position
10. Running back $14,153,000
At the time, the running back tag still carries an identity fight. Coaches want a closer. Cap departments want replaceable touches. However, the tender forces the conversation into cash, because $14,153,000 is not a committee number.
Per OverTheCap’s 2026 table, that running back tag sits far below the premium positions, which is exactly why teams view it as a weapon. Yet still, it can sting a player, because the tag also blocks the long term deal that would finally stabilize a career built on collisions.
Despite the pressure, the cultural note never disappears. A fan base rarely rallies around “efficient rushing EPA.” It rallies around a back who drags a pile and turns a stadium loud.
9. Tight end $15,889,000
In that moment, tight end valuation becomes an argument about labels. One team sees a receiver with a blocking tax. Another team sees an extra tackle who happens to catch. However, the tag treats the position as one bucket, and that bucket can underpay the rare mismatch player.
Per OverTheCap’s projection, the tight end tag lands at $15,889,000, which can look like a bargain if the player functions as a top target. Consequently, tagging a tight end often feels less hostile than tagging a receiver, because the tender sits closer to the position’s market middle.
Yet still, the leverage can flip. If a tight end drives third down efficiency and red zone trust, the quarterback will notice his absence long before the public does.
8. Safety $20,326,000
Suddenly, the safety tag feels like an admission of fear. Modern offenses hunt space. One missed angle can turn into seven points. However, a true back end leader can erase mistakes that never show up in box scores.
Per OverTheCap, the 2026 safety tag projects at $20,326,000. Consequently, a team that uses it tells you it values communication, range, and reliability as much as splash plays.
At the time, safeties still carry a cultural burden. Fans remember the hit stick era. Yet still, coordinators build their disguises on a safety who can rotate late and keep everything clean.
7. Cornerback $20,850,000
Despite the pressure, corners live with exposure every week. Quarterbacks choose them on purpose. Offenses test them until they break. However, when a corner holds up, the entire call sheet changes.
Per OverTheCap’s projection, the cornerback tag lands at $20,850,000. Consequently, the number reflects scarcity more than hype, because even solid starters rarely reach the market without someone trying to keep them.
At the time, a tagged corner also changes team behavior. The defense can play tighter. The pass rush can take an extra beat. Yet still, the player knows the tag keeps him on a one year leash, and elite corners rarely accept that quietly.
6. Defensive tackle $25,617,000
In that moment, the defensive tackle tag tells you what the league actually hates. It hates pressure up the middle. Guards hate it too. However, interior disruption does not always earn the same public shine as edge sacks.
Per OverTheCap, the 2026 defensive tackle tag projects at $25,617,000. Consequently, a tag here usually means the player bends protections and forces quarterbacks to move off their spot, which is the fastest way to ruin timing based offenses.
Years passed, and the best defenses still built around an interior anchor. That cultural legacy looks quieter than a strip sack. Yet still, it wins games in January when the pocket shrinks.
5. Defensive end $26,602,000
At the time, teams treat pass rush as oxygen. Remove it and everything else collapses. However, the defensive end tag also lives on the edge of sticker shock, because one year money at this level can fund multiple starters.
Per OverTheCap, the 2026 defensive end tag projects at $26,602,000. Consequently, tagging an edge rusher often acts as a bridge, not a destination, because the market for elite pressure players keeps climbing.
Yet still, the tag can become a bet against injury and age. A club may prefer a one year wager to a five year guarantee, especially if it already carries heavy cap hit commitments elsewhere.
4. Offensive line $27,188,000
Because of this loss of certainty on the line market, the offensive line tag feels brutal. Good tackles rarely hit free agency. Great tackles almost never do. However, the tag can also apply to broader line categories, and that can create weird comparisons inside the math.
Per OverTheCap’s projection, the offensive line tag lands at $27,188,000. Consequently, a team that uses it often faces a simple nightmare: pay now, or watch the quarterback take shots all season.
At the time, the cultural note for offensive line money stays oddly invisible. Fans celebrate the throw. Yet still, a front office knows the block made the throw possible, and that truth shows up in how teams spend.
3. Linebacker $27,454,000
On the other hand, linebacker money still surprises people. Many fans grew up hearing that teams can “find linebackers later.” However, modern linebackers must cover space, run the defense, and survive in the box.
Per OverTheCap’s 2026 projection, the linebacker tag checks in at $27,454,000. Consequently, the number reflects how much teams pay for a player who can call the front, match a tight end, and still tackle backs in space.
Yet still, the tag can become a leadership tax. A defense without its communicator can look lost. That legacy matters, even if it never trends on a Sunday night highlight reel.
2. Wide receiver $28,064,000
In that moment, receiver tag talk turns personal, because fans can picture the name on the back of the jersey. A team might call it a “temporary solution.” The player will hear “we want you, but not enough to commit.” However, the market keeps pushing receivers into premium territory.
Per OverTheCap, the 2026 wide receiver tag projects at $28,064,000. Consequently, this becomes one of the most expensive non exclusive tenders in the league, and it can force immediate cap decisions.
At the time, this is where the 120 percent rule can bite. If a wideout already earned top tier Prior Year Salary money, the tender can jump above the positional projection, because the CBA requires the greater of the tag number or 120 percent of that prior year salary. Yet still, teams sometimes accept that spike to avoid losing a top target for nothing.
For a name level example, a player like George Pickens sits in the type of contract conversation that can end at a tag if negotiations drift too long. That is not a prediction. It is the reality of how teams behave when they want control and the clock runs out.
1. Quarterback $46,073,000
Finally, the quarterback number lands like a heavy door closing. Per OverTheCap’s projection, the 2026 quarterback non exclusive franchise tag sits at $46,073,000. Consequently, the tag becomes a franchise decision in public, even when the building tries to frame it as routine.
Yet still, quarterback tag math can get more complicated than any other position. The NFL explains that the exclusive franchise tag runs higher and blocks outside negotiation, and the CBA defines that exclusive tender using the top five salary figures in player contracts for that league year at the position, measured at a defined point in the calendar. However, this article focuses on the non exclusive tender numbers, because that is what OverTheCap’s projection table publishes in this format.
Despite the pressure, quarterback is also where the tag can turn into a true budget breaker. One year at $46 million can equal the combined first year cash of multiple starters. Because of this loss of cap breathing room, teams often pair a quarterback tag with aggressive restructures, or they use it as a hard bridge toward a long term extension that converts salary into bonus and smooths the cap.
As a real world style example, a situation like Brock Purdy becomes instructive if a team enters March without an extension and still believes it has a contender window. That is the fork. Sign long term and swallow the guarantees. Tag the player and accept the public storm.
What changes between now and the deadline
In that moment, Projected 2026 NFL Franchise Tag Values by Position reads like a static list. Hours later, it becomes a moving target, because teams manipulate timing.
At the time, a club can wait. It can negotiate quietly. It can float trade frameworks. However, once the tag window opens, leverage shifts toward the player in a subtle way. The tender becomes fully guaranteed when signed, and the player gains the ability to set terms for any extension talks that follow.
Yet still, teams hold tools of their own. They can threaten to play out the year and shop the player. They can ask a star to accept a structure that reduces early cap hits while increasing long term security. Consequently, the tag often starts a second negotiation rather than ending the first.
Because of this loss of simplicity, the cleanest way to read these projections is as opening bids, not final prices. The non exclusive numbers represent what a team must be willing to carry on its cap immediately. However, the true cost also includes the moves required to make that room, and those moves can create future problems through dead money and pushed guarantees.
The question every front office tries to dodge
In that moment, Projected 2026 NFL Franchise Tag Values by Position asks the same uncomfortable question for every contender and every rebuild. Do you pay for certainty now, or do you rent control for one season and hope the relationship survives?
At the time, a tag can look clean on a press release. Yet still, everyone inside the building understands what it really means. It means the team chose leverage over comfort. It means the player now has a reason to keep receipts. Consequently, the next negotiation becomes sharper, because neither side can pretend this was only about “process.”
Years passed, and the tag has not lost its bite. It has only gotten louder as the cap rises and star markets accelerate. Because of this loss of middle ground, the league keeps walking into the same tension: a team wants a discount for risk, and a player wants protection from the sport’s violence.
Projected 2026 NFL Franchise Tag Values by Position will not decide who wins those fights. However, it will decide the price of refusing to settle them. When the deadline nears and the numbers harden into real tenders, which teams will pay for control, and which players will force the league to learn the cost of delay all over again?
READ ALSO: How the NFL Salary Cap Is Calculated in 2026 Breakdown
FAQs
Q1: What are the projected 2026 NFL franchise tag values by position?
They are early estimates of what a non exclusive franchise tender could cost at each position in 2026. The final numbers can still move.
Q2: Why is the projected 2026 quarterback franchise tag so high?
Quarterback money drives the whole table. One tag can eat a huge share of a team’s cap room in a single season.
Q3: What does “non exclusive franchise tag” mean?
It is a one year tender that lets the player negotiate with other teams. The original team can match, and compensation rules can apply.
Q4: What is the 120 percent rule on the franchise tag?
The tender can jump if 120 percent of the player’s prior year salary is higher than the position number. That is why tags sometimes spike fast.
Q5: Why do teams use the franchise tag instead of a long term deal?
Teams use it to keep control when talks drag out. Players often see it as delay, because the tag turns the calendar into leverage.
I’m a sports and pop culture junkie who loves the buzz of a big match and the comfort of a great story on screen. When I’m not chasing highlights and hot takes, I’m planning the next trip, hunting for underrated films or debating the best clutch moments with anyone who will listen.
