Three NFL running backs were franchise-tagged this offseason, but only one — the Dallas Cowboys’ Tony Pollard — has signed his franchise tender. The New York Giants‘ Saquon Barkley and the Las Vegas Raiders‘ Josh Jacobs have refused to ink their tags and, after failing to reach long-term deals by the July 17 franchise tag extension deadline, have threatened to hold out of regular-season action.
We’ve already explored why it wouldn’t make much sense for Barkley or Jacobs to sit out games once the regular season arrives. But how does the ongoing franchise tag saga look from the teams’ perspective? Would either the Giants or Raiders consider rescinding the tag?
Giants, Raiders Have the Option To Rescind Franchise Tags for Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs
Because neither Barkley nor Jacobs has signed their $10.1 million franchise tags, they can’t be fined for skipping training camp — which both backs are fully expected to do. Jacobs was spotted boarding a flight out of Las Vegas on Monday morning and “has told people close to him that he doesn’t plan to return anytime soon,” according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
If Barkley or Jacobs follows through on their threat to hold out into the regular season, they could conceivably do so until Week 10. If they don’t report by the Tuesday following Week 10, neither player would be able to play during the 2023 NFL season. The Giants and Raiders would still have the option to tag them again in 2024.
But New York or Las Vegas could also take a more drastic approach to rescind their franchise tenders on Barkley and Jacobs. Both clubs are currently carrying the RBs on their salary cap (even though they haven’t signed their contracts), so withdrawing the tag would create $10.1 million in savings for each team.
The idea is probably better as a threat than as an actual tactic. If Barkley and Jacobs still haven’t reported once the preseason ends, the Giants and Raiders could threaten to rescind their tags and wish them good luck on the open market.
This offseason has proven that free agency is not a hospitable venue for running backs, and no team may be willing to meet a $10.1 million salary with Week 1 on the immediate horizon.
The Giants or Raiders could probably find a replacement in free agency if they parted ways with Barkley or Jacobs. Dalvin Cook, Ezekiel Elliott, Leonard Fournette, and Kareem Hunt are still available in free agency.
Las Vegas was already planning to give more work to 2022 rookies Zamir White and Brittain Brown, while New York recently added James Robinson to a backfield that includes Matt Breida and rookie fifth-rounder Eric Gray.
A tag withdrawal is probably unlikely, however. The Giants organization values Barkley and reportedly almost came to an extension agreement before the deadline. Meanwhile, Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal recently suggested he’d be “shocked” if the Raiders pulled Jacobs’ tag.
Could New York or Vegas rescind their tags and then sign them to an extension? Not only would that require all parties to reach an agreement after they just failed to do so, but the NFL would be unlikely to allow such a transaction.
Although the league’s collective bargaining agreement doesn’t specifically bar a team from withdrawing a tag and then extending a player, that is how the NFL would interpret Article 10, Section 2(k), per Pro Football Talk.
“After [July 15], the player may sign only a one-year Player Contract with his Prior Club for that season, and such Player Contract may not be extended until after the Club’s last regular season game of that League Year,” reads the CBA.
