Status of seven remaining franchise-tagged NFL players

S Marcus Maye, Jets

Tagged months after the Jets traded Jamal Adams, Maye, 28, has not exactly enjoyed a smooth negotiating process. Just before the Jets tagged Maye, his agent slammed Gang Green for a lackluster effort to extend the four-year starter beforehand. The Jets have carried on negotiations since applying the tag and are believed to have been steadfast in this approach, but this has not necessarily translated to progress. These talks are expected to go down to the wire. Maye not signing an extension by July 15 would keep the Mike Maccagnan-era draft choice on the $10.6 million tag.

OT Taylor Moton, Panthers

While the Panthers’ left tackle position has been one of the toughest to fill over the past decade, Moton has locked down Carolina's right tackle post. A 2017 second-round pick, Moton has not missed a game since debuting in Carolina’s lineup in Week 1 of the 2018 season. The Panthers have a new regime in place, but the Matt Rhule–Scott Fitterer duo hopes to extend Moton.

The right tackle market moved this week, with Ryan Ramczyk agreeing to a $19.2 million-per-year extension. Moton, 26, is not a candidate to top that, but he might be primed to fill the gap between the top tier (Ramczyk and $18 million-average annual value Lane Johnson) and Jack Conklin‘s $14 million-average annual value deal. Moton is attached to a $13.8 million franchise tender.

WR Allen Robinson, Bears

Tagged at a higher price ($17.98 million) than Godwin because of his previous contract, Robinson has been the Bears’ No. 1 option on offense for the past three years. This has not translated to harmony between Chicago and him. Robinson has expressed frustration with the Bears’ tactics during his lengthy extension talks, which date back to last year, and at one point he surfaced in trade rumors.

This will be the eighth-year veteran’s age-28 season. A long-term Robinson deal would pair well with Justin Fields‘ rookie contract, with no other Bears receiver making even midlevel money, but the former third-round pick did not sound especially confident a deal will be finalized by the deadline.

OT Cam Robinson, Jaguars

This might be the closest to a “prove it” tag in this year’s lot. The former second-round pick has recovered from the ACL tear that cost him 14 games in 2018, starting 30 over the past two seasons. But Robinson, 25, has yet to show he is among the better players at the left tackle position. Without a viable replacement lined up, the Jaguars tagged the Alabama alum at $13.8 million. It would make sense for the Urban Meyer regime to gauge Robinson’s contract-year performance and reassess the matter next year. Holding the most cap space in the NFL ($38 million), the Jags can afford to carry Robinson’s tag figure this season.

G Brandon Scherff, Washington

Washington and its top offensive lineman have been at this for a while. A 2015 first-round pick, Scherff has been eligible for an extension since the 2017 season ended. Instead, Washington has seen another tag situation near the point of no return. The four-time Pro Bowl guard has played on the fifth-year option and the franchise tag, pushing this year’s tag price to $18 million. A third tag is unrealistic, as the Kirk Cousins standoff showed, and no deal this month would push Scherff toward free agency in 2022. Washington wants to extend the 29-year-old blocker, but it will almost certainly take a guard-record agreement to do so. Joe Thuney raised the position’s ceiling with a $16 million-average annual value deal in March.

S Marcus Williams, Saints

The Saints’ salary cap tightrope walk included a $10.6 million Williams tag, completing an odyssey that began with New Orleans $100 million-plus over this year’s reduced cap. With the Saints already doing the rare fifth-year option restructure with Marshon Lattimore, a Williams extension would be the easiest way to create more cap room. The Saints checked the top item off their offseason to-do list, the Ramcyzk extension, but it may well have either a Lattimore or Williams re-up in its near-future plans.

Part of New Orleans’ impact 2017 draft class, the 24-year-old safety has been a starter from Day 1. Even though Lattimore might be a higher extension priority, New Orleans coming all the way back from $100 million over the cap to use a franchise tag illustrates its view of Williams’ work.