NFL releases its official salary cap, franchise tag, and transition tag amounts for the upcoming 2024 season

We are creeping closer and closer to the start of the 2024 season and everyone took another step forward after the NFL released its official salary cap, franchise tag, transition tag, and tender amounts for the upcoming season.Officially, the salary cap is set at $255.4 million for this year. It's way above the projected $242 […]

Evan Winter — NFL Managing Editor
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We are creeping closer and closer to the start of the 2024 season and everyone took another step forward after the NFL released its official salary cap, franchise tag, transition tag, and tender amounts for the upcoming season.

Officially, the salary cap is set at $255.4 million for this year. It's way above the projected $242 million, obviously, and it's a historical rise – a $30 million increase compared to last year's cap.

Non-exclusive/exclusive franchise tag tender amounts

  • Quarterback: $38,301,000
  • Running back: $11,951,000
  • Wide receiver: $21,816,000
  • Tight end: $12,693,000
  • Offensive lineman: $20,985,000
  • Defensive end: $21,324,000
  • Defensive tackle: $22,102,000
  • Linebacker: $24,007,000
  • Cornerback: $19,802,000
  • Safety: $17,123,000
  • Kicker/Punter: $5,984,000

Transition tag tender amounts

  • Quarterback: $34,367,000
  • Running back $9,765,000
  • Wide receiver: $19,766,000
  • Tight end: $10,878,000
  • Offensive lineman: $19,040,000
  • Defensive end: $19,076,000
  • Defensive tackle: $18,491,000
  • Linebacker: $19,971,000
  • Cornerback: $17,215,000
  • Safety: $13,815,000
  • Kicker/Punter: $5,433,000

Per the NFL, each club will also receive an "additional $74 million per club payment for player benefits, which includes Performance Based Pay and benefits for retired players. Total 2024 player costs will be $329.4 million per club, or more than $10.5 billion league-wide. The unprecedented increase… is the result of the full repayment of all amounts advanced by the clubs and defferred by the players during the Covid pandemic as well as an extraordinary increase in media revenue for the 2024 season."

What is the difference between the tag amounts?

The difference between the franchise tag and transition tag is not only price difference: Teams have the option to apply the transition tag to the player of their choosing and if another team presents an offer sheet, the original team has the opportunity to match it or decline to match. If the latter arises, the player will sign with his new team, except the original team won't receive two first-round picks in return like they would if they applied the non-exclusive tag. That's why it's a cheaper tag.

And, the exclusive tag prevents the player from negotiating with other teams.

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