The Cincinnati Bengals are one of the major teams that could use the franchise tag this offseason.
Tuesday marks the opening of the window for applying franchise and transition tags to players. The window remains open from Tuesday, February 17th to March 3rd.
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For the Bengals, the big name is obvious: Trae Hendrickson.
Here’s a quick overview of the Bengals during their franchise tag window.
NFL franchise tag contract predictions (via Over The Cap)
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QB: $47.3 million franchise; $40.8 million transition
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RB: $14.5 million franchise tag; $11.7 million transition
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WR: $28.8 million franchise; $25 million transition
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TE: $16.3 million franchise; $13.9 million transition
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OL: $27.9 million franchise; $25.3 million transition
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DE: $27.3 million franchise; $22.9 million transition
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DT: $26.3 million franchise; $21.6 million transition
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LB: $28.2 million franchise; $23.6 million transition
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CB: $21.4 million franchise; $18 million transition
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S: $20.9 million franchise; $16.5 million transition
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K/P: $6.9 million franchise; $6.2 million transition
Related: 6 Bengals veterans who won’t be on Zac Taylor’s roster next year
Bengals’ Trae Hendrickson franchise tag decision
As documented when Hendrickson was “re-doing” with the Bengals before last season, the Bengals could tag Hendrickson, which would cost roughly $30.2 million.
Whether the team wants to bother is an entirely different discussion.
Some reports have the Bengals potentially targeting Hendrickson. If nothing else, it would give them leverage, more time to get a deal done, and maybe even a tag trade.
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But many other reports say the relationship between Hendrickson and the Bengals was sour and all but over.
Putting an All-Pro player on the field who had the most sacks in the NFL in his last healthy season is a tough one to consider. But the ongoing contract drama with Hendrickson over the past few years has created its own problems.
For the Bengals, they would choose to spend the $30 million or so on a much-needed defense. But retaining control of players is a Bengals specialty. Tag trade? Very no Bengal tiger thing.
Obviously, there are no easy answers. Like most tag drama around the league, onlookers likely won’t hear anything about it until the March 3 deadline.
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Related: Bengals NFL free agency, draft and other key offseason dates
This article originally appeared on Bengals Wire: Bengals franchise tag candidates, contract details and dates