The franchise tag window will indeed be opened on Thursday.
Originally set to open on Tuesday, the franchise tag window was pushed back two days this past Saturday and is set to open on the newly planned first day, NFL Network's Judy Battista reported Wednesday on NFL NOW.
The rules in the current collective bargaining agreement will apply, meaning teams are still permitted to use the franchise and transition tags. The window will open two days after the NFL Players Association board of representatives voted late Tuesday night to send the proposed CBA to the full player membership for a vote.
Hence, while a vote on ratification looms -- the hope is the vote comes in less than two weeks, Battista reported -- teams will conduct tag business according to plan.
Originally, the tag window was scheduled for Feb. 25-March 10, but on Saturday it was announced it had been moved back two days on each end, officially becoming Feb. 27-March 12.
On Friday, a seminar will be held for general managers and player personnel executives for a briefing on "all of this," Battista added.
Obviously, one large question is what would happen should a team use the franchise and transition tags and the new CBA is ratified and the rules change.
"It will be addressed at the appropriate time," a league source told Battista.
NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported that, if and when a new CBA is ratified, the NFLPA's expectation would be that any team that used both tags would have to vacate one.
As the impending vote hangs over the window, guidance was needed for GMs who are attempting to work out contracts and decide on whether to apply the tag or not, Battista reported.
"In the interim, they are sort of in limbo right now until this vote is taken up or down," Battista said. "They needed to know how to proceed. This is a critical period in the offseason. Not only are they preparing for the draft by being at the combine, they're ramping up for free agency. They're trying to get all their ducks in a row for free agency. So they had to give teams some guidance on how to proceed."
