The NFL is a deadline-driven business. And an important annual deadline arrives today.
The two-week window for applying the franchise or transition tag closes at 4:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday.
There’s really no reason for a two-week period. All that matters is the end, not the beginning. And while there’s some value in applying the tag before the Scouting Combine as a way to short-circuit tampering efforts, only two teams put the word out before things got rolling in Indianapolis that key players would be off-limits — Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts Sr. and Cowboys receiver George Pickens.
Will there be more? Obviously, if any will happen, it will happen today.
The players to watch are Colts quarterback Daniel Jones (and, if they work out a deal with him today, Colts receiver Alec Pierce), Jets running back Breece Hall, and Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson.
If no additional tags are applied, it will be the second straight year with only two. And the two applied in 2025 were the fewest since 2006.
Time will tell. And the clock is ticking. We’ll know at 4:00 p.m. ET who is, and isn’t, blocked from the open market by the franchise or transition tag.
It’s 2023 all over again for Daniel Jones.
That year, the Giants had two key impending free agents — Jones and running back Saquon Barkley. They wanted to sign Barkley to a long-term deal and to tag Jones. When talks with Barkley bogged down, they signed Jones and tagged Barkley.
During the 2024 season, after Barkley had left in free agency in lieu of a second tag, the Giants cut Jones.
This time around, the Colts apparently hope to sign Jones and tag receiver Alec Pierce. Jones and the Colts are talking; Adam Schefter of ESPN.com told Pat McAfee on Monday that the chances of the Colts and Jones getting a deal done before Tuesday’s 4:00 p.m. ET deadline are “50/50.”
They could sign Pierce to a long-term deal, or they could tag Jones and let Pierce hit free agency. Regardless, the Colts are trying to get Jones signed.
The franchise tag for Jones would cost the Colts $43.895 million. The Colts also could use the transition tag (which gives them a right to match and nothing else) at $37.833 million.
Whatever the outcome, it will be a win for Jones. He signed a one-year, $14 million deal with the Colts last year, and he’s recovering from a torn Achilles tendon.
Imagine getting booed during a job interview.
That happened to Carson Beck on Saturday in Indianapolis, when he worked out at the Scouting Combine.
As explained by Jacob Camenker of USA Today, Indiana fans strangely held a grudge against the quarterback from the Miami team that the Hoosiers beat for the national championship in January. Beck heard boos every time he was on camera, and each time it was his turn to throw.
It makes no sense, frankly. Indiana beat Miami. And it’s not some storied rivalry, with the teams playing on a regular basis. Before the CFP title game, Indiana and Miami had squared off in football only two times. Ever. (Indiana has played Miami (Ohio) far more often.)
The best way to put a button on this story comes at the end of next month. The quarterback-needy Colts could draft Beck. Here’s hoping they do.
The mutual interest between the Vikings and Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson should come as no surprise.
After the two teams played in Week 9 of the 2024 season, Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell sought out Richardson, who had been benched at the time for Joe Flacco.
“Do me a favor and remember something,” O’Connell said to Richardson. “You’re a bad dude. . . . And you’re gonna play a long time in this league. . . . Go to work every day. Good things will happen for you. I still believe in you. I know these guys do, [Colts coach] Shane [Steichen] does, too. . . . And this organization loves you.”
The fourth pick in the 2023 draft, Richardson started four games as a rookie. In 2024, he had 11 starts. In 2025, he appeared in two games before suffering a season-ending eye injury when an exercise band malfunctioned in the locker room before a Week 6 game against the Cardinals.
Richardson had lost the starting job to Daniel Jones, who had finished 2024 with the Vikings after being cut by the Giants. The Colts have granted Richardson permission to seek a trade.
Richardson is under contract through 2026, with a compensation package of $5.385 million. A fifth-year option remains available, at a guaranteed salary in 2027 of $23.5 million.
Vikings executive vice president of football operations Rob Brzezinski, who is handling the General Manager duties for now, said earlier this week that the team would explore all their options at quarterback. One of those options is Anthony Richardson.
Cameron Wolfe of NFL Media reports that the Vikings and Richardson have “mutual interest.”
The Colts have given Richardson permission to seek a trade.
The Vikings want to add competition to their quarterbacks room. J.J. McCarthy, the 10th overall pick in 2024, completed 57.6 percent of his passes for 1,632 yards with 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in his first season as a starter.
The Vikings finished 9-8 and missed the playoffs.
The Colts provided Richardson, the fourth overall pick in 2023, with competition in 2025, and Daniel Jones won the job. Richardson played only two games — 14 snaps — and threw only two passes last season. He was out much of the season with an orbital fracture.
He has 15 starts in three seasons, completing 50.6 percent of his passes for 2,400 yards with 11 touchdowns and 13 interceptions.
Jones is scheduled for free agency later this month, but all signs point to the Colts keeping him as their starter with either a tag or with a long-term deal.
