The franchise tag, tyrannical tool of the team. The enemy of the player.
Just ask Le’Veon Bell and DeMarcus Lawrence.
Bell never did sign his franchise-tag tender last year from the Pittsburgh Steelers. He skipped the entire 2018 season and forfeited $14.5 million guaranteed. The Steelers gave up and this week did not franchise their star running back for a third consecutive year, so Bell is now a free agent.
Lawrence got a franchise tag from Dallas for the second straight year on Monday, a day before the NFL deadline to designate franchise and transition tags for 2019.