Fans throughout the NFL are likely familiar with the franchise tag, but they might not be familiar with the seldom-used “transition tag.” However, this week it came into play for a rather high-profile quarterback.
After six up-and-down, inconsistent seasons with the New York Giants, former first-round pick Daniel Jones was released from the team midway through the 2024 season and picked up by the Minnesota Vikings, spending the rest of the season as a backup and receiving no playing time.
Following the season, Jones signed with the Indianapolis Colts, where he beat out Anthony Richardson for the starting job. He went on to have a dominant season where he emerged as one of the league’s top quarterbacks before suffering a season-ending injury.
Though Jones had signed just a one-year contract with the team before last season, the Colts obviously want to work out a deal to bring him back. So, to make sure they have the best chance at securing that deal, they hit Jones with a rarely used “transition tag” this week.
What is a transition Tag?
A transition tag guarantees the Colts the right of first refusal for Jones, which allows them to match any competing offer sheet he might sign with a different team.
If Jones does not sign a competing offer sheet, he would earn a one-year guaranteed salary of $37.833 million.
While this is similar to a non-exclusive franchise tag, which is also seldom used, there is one key difference. With a non-exclusive franchise tag, teams receive draft pick compensation equivalent to two first-round picks if the player ultimately chooses to sign with a different team. A transition tag, meanwhile, is cheaper, but no such compensation exists.
“The transition tag is a cheaper alternative to the franchise tag. However, should his former team decide not to match, there is no draft-pick compensation tied to the transition tag,” the NFL explains on its website.
Why did the Colts do this?
A team might offer a player a transition tag instead of a franchise tag when they are confident in their ability to sign the player to a long-term deal. In this case, the Colts want to bring Jones back and sign him to a longer contract and seem confident that will ultimately happen.
Colts general manager Chris Ballard said last week that a franchise tag – and presumably a transition tag – “is a tool we have. It’s not what we want to do, though.”
“When both sides are driven to get it done, it usually works out in the right way,” he added, via ESPN.
In this case, the Colts do not seem that worried about losing Jones to another team.
How rare is a transition tag?
Unlike the franchise tag, which is used throughout the league multiple times every year, the transition tag is used sparingly. In fact, only 20 players have been given the transition tag since 2000. Safety Kyle Dugger was the most recent in 2024.
No quarterback has been tagged with the transition tag since ESPN Research began tracking such moves in 2000.
It’s also worth noting that players usually reach a deal with their team after being tagged. According to ESPN, only four players have played an entire season under the transition tag since 2000, with running back Kenyan Drake being the latest in 2020.
About Dave Kelsey
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