THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – For the second consecutive offseason, the Rams have elected not to use the franchise tag. The deadline to do so was 8:59:59 a.m. pacific time today.
Speaking with local beat writers at the end of the 2019 season, Rams GM Les Snead discussed the pros and cons to using the franchise tag, noting the potential of the short-term solution negatively impacting the player and consequently the locker room. It also has large implications on a team's salary cap space as well, considering the franchise tag's value is quantified by taking the average of the top five players' cap percentage at the position for the current season, or 120% of the player's previous year salary -- whichever is greater.
"The thing that happens when you do utilize a tag, depending on what kind of cap space you have, that does take up a big chunk of cap and it didn't necessarily solve a long-term problem," Snead said during his March 4 appearance on the Rams Revealed podcast. "It's more of a short-term solution. Short-term solutions can be beneficial sometimes because ultimately, the 2020 season will count for sure."
Teams may now begin negotiating with unrestricted free agents. Free agency and the new league year officially begin Wednesday at 1 p.m. pacific time.
