Decision to Franchise Tag Golladay May Not Occur Quickly

Read more on when the deadline is to franchise tag Detroit Lions wideout Kenny Golladay.

The decision to franchise tag Detroit Lions wideout Kenny Golladay may not occur for at least a couple of weeks. 

Prior to the 2020 season, Detroit reportedly attempted to secure the talented wideout's services over the long term, but Golladay and his representatives could not come to an agreement with the Lions' front office. 

In 2020, Golladay struggled to help his cause, due to missing 11 games with various injuries. 

At 28, he still is considered one of this year's top impending free agents, but it is not expected that Detroit will allow him to reach the open market.

Despite NFL teams now being able to designate a player with a franchise tag, those decisions may not occur too quickly. 

According to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, "I wouldn’t expect a ton of news before the March 9 deadline (Tuesday is simply when the window opens) to tag guys. The reason teams wait? It allows some to hold the tag over two guys (Tampa would be an example, with Godwin and Shaq Barrett set to be free agents), and keeps open the chance to tag a second guy if the guy that was earmarked for the tag initially gets a deal." 

He added, "The caveat this year is that with the cap likely to go down, it’ll be much harder for cap-strapped teams (like Pittsburgh with Bud Dupree) to swallow the single-year lump-sum number that comes with franchising a player."

The Lions' other likely candidate to receive the franchise tag is defensive end Romeo Okwara, who was among the bright spots on a defense that will be remembered for its inability to stop the opposition.  

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