Cardinals Only Have Two True Suitors for Franchise Tag

The Arizona Cardinals have 30 players set to hit free agency, yet only two may be worth the price that comes with a franchise tag.

Today marks the first day NFL teams can utilize either the franchise tag or the transition tag on players set to hit free agency. It's possible you'll see names such as Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson hit with one of the tags with other big names to follow. 

The Arizona Cardinals haven't utilized either tag often, recently doing so with Kenyan Drake (transition tag) in 2020 and Chandler Jones (franchise tag) in 2017. 

The Cardinals are set to have 30 players enter the free agency pool, but only two appear to make sense for either tag: 

CB Byron Murphy

Murphy (25-years-old) showed what he could do when on the field this year, helping limit top receivers such as Cooper Kupp, Davante Adams and others. Murphy played in just nine games last season and was placed on injured reserve due to a back injury. 

A franchise tag for cornerbacks in 2023 will cost $18.14 million, with a transition tag costing $15.791 million. 

Is Murphy expected to reach either cost on an annual basis? 

The Cardinals would be able to try and work out a long-term deal with Murphy until early July (when tags become official on the salary cap) but those negotiations can be hit or miss depending on the situation. 

After Marco Wilson, Arizona's CB depth takes a drastic drop. Arizona may feel like they could keep Murphy around for the long run with a tag-and-negotiate approach, though that's risky with the market likely not paying high compensation for him. 

DE Zach Allen

Allen (25-years-old) really came on this season and showed what type of force he could be in Arizona's front seven moving forward. Especially with losing J.J. Watt, there might be more incentive to keep Allen around at any cost. 

A franchise tag for defensive ends would be $19.727 million while a transition tag would cost $17.452 million. 

Allen's estimated market value on Spotrac is an average of $9.3 million per season. 

Again, there's a massive overpay on both tags here, but that's to protect the players on their sides of negotiations. 

Arizona are favorites to land a strong defensive prospect in the upcoming draft, but would the Cardinals want to pay the price of not wanting to risk a potential pairing of Allen and whoever is chosen with the third overall pick to wreck havoc upfront? 

Will Either Byron Murphy/Zach Allen Receive the Tag?

The franchise tag is designed to reward players handsomely for sticking around with their current team. While Murphy and Allen both played well and are sure to receive pay upgrades in free agency, are the Cardinals willing to risk the huge cap hit on either side if they can't get a deal worked out? 

When you look at potential names that will receive the tag in Jackson, Daron Payne, Orlando Brown, etc., it's clear that those guys are just a few steps above either Cardinals candidate. 

Neither Allen/Murphy are considered to be top ten at their positions, though they both could contribute to a potential turnaround for the Cardinals moving forward. There's hope you'll get either Allen or Murphy back to the desert. Asking for both may be a bit of a stretch. 

At this point, it feels more unlikely than likely either tag is applied. 

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