Packers have only one realistic franchise tag option, but using it wouldn't be worth the cost
The franchise and transition tag window opened up on Tuesday, and now teams have through March 4 to apply the tags on players slated to hit free agency. Amongst the players with expiring deals with the Green Bay Packers, kicker Brandon McManus is the only realistic candidate. And even so, it's hard to imagine general […]
The franchise and transition tag window opened up on Tuesday, and now teams have through March 4 to apply the tags on players slated to hit free agency. Amongst the players with expiring deals with the Green Bay Packers, kicker Brandon McManus is the only realistic candidate. And even so, it's hard to imagine general manager Brian Gutekunst ultimately pulling the trigger.
Defensive tackle TJ Slaton is a good rotation player, but he isn't close to the $23.468 million franchise tag value for his position. The same applies to center Josh Myers, especially because it's only one tag number for all offensive linemen, driving the price up to left tackle levels.
Specialist tag
Over The Cap projects that the franchise tag for kickers and punters is $6.459 million. This is wild, because that would make McManus the highest-paid kicker in the entire NFL—right now, Kansas City Chiefs' Harrison Butker is making $6.4 million a year.
A more intelligent and realistic option would be the transition tag. In this case, the Packers would still have the option to match any outside offer, but wouldn't receive any type of compensation if they didn't match it. The transition tag projection is $5.83 million, which would put McManus only behind Butker, Baltimore Ravens' Justin Tucker, and Philadelphia Eagles' Jake Elliott amongst the highest-paid kickers.
Final verdict
Even though Brandon McManus is a veteran kicker who established the position for the Packers after struggles for two years, the tags are not worth it for Green Bay. First, because the entire value hits at once.
Also, because the market dictates a lower salary—and a team-friendlier structure, where the Packers could offer a longer-term deal, with similar yearly average, and a lower cap hit in the first couple of seasons.
Brandon McManus is the most important free agent the Packers will have this offseason. But the franchise or transition tag is not a necessary measure to keep him around.
Packers have a clear path to keep their best free agent around for 2025 and beyond
What a Brandon McManus extension would look like based on the kicker market
