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Franchise Tag Roundup: Barkley, Jacobs, Pollard, Engram Join Jackson On List
Six players were given the non-exclusive franchise tag for 2023. No one, not even Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, received an exclusive tag.

The franchise tag deadline passed Tuesday.

While Jackson is obviously the big story here -- and I covered his status in an article dedicated to him -- there were four other skill players franchised.

The sixth player was Commanders defensive tackle Daron Payne.

So let's take a closer look at the remaining four players of interest to fantasy managers -- not named Jackson -- who drew the tag this week.

In New York. ... The Giants got a deal done with quarterback Daniel Jones just before the deadline to free up their franchise tag to use on running back Saquon Barkley.

And that’s exactly what they did: The Giants franchised Barkley after Jones agreed to his extension.

That means the Barkley could sign his franchise tender and have a guaranteed salary of $10.091 million for the 2023 season. Barkley and the Giants can also negotiate a long-term deal, although that would have to get done before July 15, after which Barkley could only play 2023 on a one-year deal.

Another team could sign Barkley to an offer sheet and then send the Giants two first-round picks to acquire Barkley, although that’s extraordinarily unlikely.

As NFL.com's Nick Shook reminded readers, Barkley began his NFL career with a statement of a rookie season in which he rushed for 1,307 yards and 11 touchdowns, the first of two consecutive 1,000-yard campaigns. Health issues struck in year three, though, and struggles in the ensuing season left many wondering if Barkley would ever reclaim his first-round abilities.

In 2022, Barkley proved he could.

The 26-year-old rushed for a career-high 1,312 yards, scored 10 touchdowns on the ground and added 338 yards through the air, powering a Giants offense that helped New York return to the playoffs in their first season under new coach Brian Daboll.

"Instead of serving as a swan song of a season, 2022 was Barkley's comeback campaign," Shook wrote, "prompting the Giants to find a way to keep him for at least 2023."

The NFL hasn't been eager to invest in most running backs in recent seasons, and New York could follow suit by keeping Barkley on the tag in 2023 and seeing if he can replicate his 2022 production before working toward a multi-year deal.

If they desire, the Giants can also work on a long-term contract with the Penn State product before the July 15 deadline arrives for Barkley to sign his tag.

Either way, Barkley isn't heading to free agency with total freedom next week. Barring an unexpected trade or offer outside of the Giants' expectations -- an unlikely event considering the value of running backs in today's NFL -- Barkley will spend 2023 with Big Blue.

With Jones locked in at QB, it's fair to expect this offense to continue improving under head coach Brian Daboll. It's also fair to believe -- even assuming the team finds some help at wideout, that Barkley, who averaged 22 touches per game last season, will continue to be the tip of the offensive spear here. ...

In Las Vegas. ... As AL.com's Mark Inabinett noted, Josh Jacobs wanted to work out a new contract with the Raiders. He didn’t want the NFL team to use its franchise tag on him.

But with the deadline for applying the franchise tag closing in and no contract agreement with the NFL’s 2022 rushing leader, the Raiders applied the tag on Monday – with no public announcement; just a line on the league’s transactions report for the day.

Jacobs still could get the long-term contract that he wants from the Raiders. But when asked at the Pro Bowl Games how he would feel about being kept out of free agency by the franchise tag, the star halfback told the Athletic’s Tashan Reed: “Ooh, hero turned villain. Hero turned villain, man.”

Jacobs signed a four-year, $11.933 million contract after the Raiders made him the 24th selection in the 2019 NFL Draft.

Like the others here, Jacobs still can talk to other teams, but if he reaches a contract agreement with one, the Raiders have the option to match the offer and keep the running back or receive two first-round draft picks from Jacobs’ new team for losing him. That’s a deterrent that is all but certain to prevent Jacobs from entertaining contract proposals from other teams.

The tag also obligates the Raiders to paying Jacobs $10.91 million for the 2023 season. For what it's worth, the franchise-tag value for running backs is the lowest for any non-specialist position.

On the open market, Jacobs could expect a four-year, $51.41 million contract, the sports-financial website spotrac.com estimated. Jacobs still could get a contract like that from the Raiders. By applying the franchise tag, Las Vegas extended its time to work out a new deal with the running back from nine days to 133.

If Jacobs and the Raiders don’t have a contract extension in place by July 17, he will play the 2023 season on the one-year franchise-tag deal or he won’t play at all.

Jacobs led the NFL in rushing yards and yards from scrimmage during the 2022 season, when he ran for 1,653 yards and 12 touchdowns on 340 carries and caught 53 passes for 400 yards.

For his performance, Jacobs was the first-team All-Pro running back and earned his second Pro Bowl recognition.

Jacobs has reached 1,000 rushing yards in three of his four seasons. He has 4,740 yards and 40 touchdowns on 1,072 rushing attempts and 160 receptions for 1,152 yards during his four NFL seasons.

Jacobs is the 12th player in NFL history to reach those three rushing statistics in his first four seasons. Of the previous 11, eight are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame and two are not eligible for consideration yet.

Only eight other players in NFL history have had as many rushing attempts and receptions in their first four seasons as Jacobs has had.

The good news?

There's no reason to believe the Raiders, who essentially put Jacobs in the one-year rental category last spring when they declined to pick up his fifth-year option, did the same again with the tag.

And that means they were willing to run the wheels off him.

Jacobs finished with 340 carries, second only to Derrick Henry's 349 totes.

Jacobs added 53 catches (on 64 targets), giving him an average of 23.1 touches per game (also second to Henry's 24.3 touches per game).

Given the team's uncertain situation at quarterback, the default forecast for fantasy managers should be continued heavy usage in 2023. ...

In Dallas. ... To no surprise, the Cowboys are using the franchise tag once again. And as expected, it was place on running back Tony Pollard.

Pollard is coming off a breakout season in which he had a career-high 1,007 rushing yards to go along with 12 total touchdowns and his first Pro Bowl appearance.

Although he is known for his speed, Pollard also showed an ability after contact, leading the league with 3.82 yards per rush after the initial hit. Pollard averaged 5.22 yards per carry in 2022, which was third best among running backs.

Like Barkley and Jacobs, Pollard gets a one-year, guaranteed deal of $10.09 million with the two sides expected to continue negotiating on a possible long-term deal.

But at least for now, the tag is in place.

Last Friday night while attending the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, owner/GM Jerry Jones hinted strongly that this was the likely outcome.

"That franchise [tag] is there and should be used judiciously used for the right spot," he said. "I really don't want to say it's a done thing because as these things come and go, you don't know where you are until the deadline comes and goes but right now, certainly Tony is a big part of our plans."

Pollard, who is coming off surgery on his ankle, also suffered a broken leg on the same play in the 49ers loss.

After his injury, the Cowboys' offense struggled, only scoring two field goals in the second half.

Meanwhile, as ESPN.com's Todd Archer note, the decision on Pollard is likely to affect Ezekiel Elliott, who is slated to make $10.9 million and count $16.72 million against the cap in 2023. The Cowboys could approach Elliott regarding a significant pay cut or save $4.8 million with his release.

If they designate him as a post-June 1 cut, the Cowboys would save $10.9 million against the cap but Elliott would count roughly $6 million against the 2024 cap.

There was a changing of the guard at running back in 2022 even though Elliott started 14 of the 15 games he played. Pollard also had career highs in carries (193) and touchdowns (12), while his 5.94 yards per touch was the highest among NFL running backs with a minimum of 150 touches. Christian McCaffrey came in second at 5.71 yards per touch. Elliott had a career-low 876 yards rushing, missing two games because of a knee injury, but scored 12 rushing touchdowns.

In 2019, Elliott signed a six-year extension worth $90 million that included $50 million guaranteed. This is the first year he is not due any guaranteed money in the contract. If the Cowboys decide to move on from Elliott, they have Malik Davis on the roster but will look to add another running back in the draft or free agency.

Still, there should not be concern over too much work for Pollard.

In four seasons, he has 510 carries for 2,616 yards and 121 receptions for 1,008 yards. Elliott had 564 carries in the first two years of his career.

This is the sixth straight year the Cowboys have used the franchise tag, starting with DeMarcus Lawrence in 2018. They used it again on Lawrence in 2019 but were able to reach an agreement on a five-year deal before the July deadline.

Dak Prescott played under the tag in 2020, and he got tagged again in 2021 before agreeing to a four-year, $160 million deal. Last year, tight end Dalton Schultz played on the tag, earning $10.9 million.

With Pollard under the tag in 2023, Schultz will likely hit the open market and find a contract higher than the Cowboys are willing to pay. The Cowboys have also used the tag on Flozell Adams (2002), Ken Hamlin (2008), Anthony Spencer (2012, 2013) and Dez Bryant (2015). The team was able to reach long-term deals with Hamlin and Bryant. ...

In Jacksonville. ... As expected, tight end Evan Engram will not hit the open market.

The Jaguars placed their franchise tag Engram, the team announced Monday.

Like all tagged players, Jacksonville and Engram will now have until July 15 to work out a long-term deal. If they don’t, then Engram will play under the franchise tender, which is a one-year deal worth $11.345 million.

A Giants first-round pick in 2017, Engram had his best season in 2022 with the Jaguars.

Working with talented young signal caller Trevor Lawrence in Doug Pederson's pass-heavy offense led Engram a fantasy TE5 finish last season. But from Weeks 12 through 18, Engram was fantasy's TE2.

He appeared in all 17 regular season games with 14 starts. He totaled career-highs in receptions (73) and receiving yards (766) and posted four touchdowns. The catch and yardage totals both marked single season franchise records by a tight end.

In six seasons in the NFL, Engram has posted 335 career receptions, 3,594 receiving yards and 20 touchdowns.

In 82 games with 65 starts, Engram has caught 335 passes for 3,594 yards with 20 touchdowns.

With newly-reinstated Calvin Ridley joining Christian Kirk and Zay Jones in Jacksonville's receiving corps, there will be another high-end talent in the mix. While that could be a limiting factor on all involved, it's also possible Ridley's arrival opens things up for Engram (and the others).

Stay tuned. We'll keep tag on the negotiations for these four -- and Jackson -- in the coming weeks.