Dallas Cowboys could resort to alternative solution to their most urgent problem of the offseason
Starting Tuesday at 4:00 p.m. ET, the NFL's window to franchise tag players will open and run through March 4th. It's an important time period for the Dallas Cowboys, who are considered strong candidates to use the tag on DT Osa Odighizuwa, whose contract is set to expire ahead of this year's free agency period, […]
Starting Tuesday at 4:00 p.m. ET, the NFL's window to franchise tag players will open and run through March 4th.
It's an important time period for the Dallas Cowboys, who are considered strong candidates to use the tag on DT Osa Odighizuwa, whose contract is set to expire ahead of this year's free agency period, making him the most urgent decision of the offseason.
The Cowboys' defensive line is in rough shape beyond Micah Parsons and Odighizuwa, which would make losing the team's top interior lineman a very tough pill to swallow. However, with long-term deals in place for Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb and a potential extension awaiting Parsons this offseason, it will be costly for Dallas to commit to Osa.
Should they want to avoid a long-term extension (or prolong negotiations with the defender until the summer), the Cowboys could resort to the franchise tag. Its projected value of $23.46 million would be a serious hit to this year's cap space but it would protect them from potentially losing Osa in free agency.
The Cowboys would likely use the non-exclusive tag, which allows other teams to negotiate with the player but it 1) gives the tagging team a choice to match any offer and 2) forces the acquiring team to give up two first-rounders for the player. The latter condition makes this an extremely unlikely situation for Odighizuwa.
With that in mind, if the Cowboys want a cheaper alternative to retain Odighizuwa, they could use the transition tag instead of the franchise tag. Over the Cap projects the transition tag to be significantly cheaper at $18.93 million. Though the Cowboys would lose the potential benefit of draft compensation, they would retain the right of first refusal should a team offer him a contract.
Per A to Z Sports' own Wendell Ferreira, the transition tag works as follows:
Transition tag: This tag isn't used very often, either. The cheapest of the three, the transition tag is a one-year deal that is either comprised of the average of the top-10 salaries at a player's position from the previous year, or, 120% of said player's own previous year salary – whichever is greater. Teams do hold right of first refusal in this instance, like the non-exclusive tag, except there is no draft compensation if a team lets a player walk. Teams also have five days to match an offer sheet, like the non-exclusive tag.
Naturally, the lack of draft compensation involved in stealing Odighizuwa away means NFL teams are likelier to shoot their shots. Ultimately, it will come down to the Cowboys weighing their options: Do they prefer to save close to $4.5 million in cap space while increasing the risk of losing Osa?
If so, the transition tag is a strong possibility here.
