As we inch closer to free agency, NFL teams can begin using the franchise tag on Feb. 18. Just don’t expect the New Orleans Saints to be one of those teams. New Orleans hasn’t used the franchise tag since tagging Marcus Williams in 2021, and the Saints have only used it six times since it was introduced in 1993.
The franchise tag is meant to be used to hold on to your top free agent for at least a year. It is often used to give both sides time to agree on a deal while maintaining the security of not having to compete with other teams in free agency.
The tag typically pays the player the average of the top-five salaries at the position, but it can also be 120% of the player’s previous season’s salary if that is higher.
Who on the Saints list of free agents fits that build? No one. The top free agents are Chase Young, Paulson Adebo and Juwan Johnson. All of those are players you would let walk before making them one of the top-five paid players at their position. Maybe Adebo would have an argument, but a season-ending injury wiped that away.
So, don’t expect the Saints to join the list of teams who used the franchise tag in 2025.