Unless something totally unforeseen happens, the Vikings franchise tag will go unused in 2023. Some of that is due to the snug salary cap and some of that is due to who Minnesota may lose in free agency.
If, for instance, Minnesota was staring down potentially losing Justin Jefferson, then Kwesi Adofo-Mensah would seriously consider the franchise tag (instead, look for a Jefferson extension). This year’s batch of internal free agents – led by Patrick Peterson, Duke Shelley, Dalvin Tomlinson, Garrett Bradbury, Andrew DePaola, and Khyiris Tonga – don’t ascend to Jefferson’s level.
In the end, it’s hard to see a scenario where Adofo-Mensah will lean on the tag.