When was the last time an NFL game had serious personal impact on a player? The last time a superstar had to go into the visiting locker room of a stadium he once called his? Can't really remember? Neither can I. This isn't to say that some players do manage to get out of rough situations and move on but, in large, the franchise tag has ruined that.
The tag itself, which was created in the '90s, gives teams the right to essentially stop any player from leaving their organization. Once the tag is applied, there are two options. The tag could either be exclusive, where there is zero discussion with other teams, or non-exclusive, where there can be a discussion but the current team can match any offer made. All in all, if you are a fantastic player, you are almost guaranteed to play in the same uniform for your entire career.
Now, while the idea of the franchise tag is to keep all teams competitive and to make sure not everybody signs with the Patriots, this has not proven to be the case in other leagues. Who have the Lakers signed in the last few years? Nobody. The Yankees? Nobody, at least not in free agency. The failure of these teams goes to show that there is no real purpose for the franchise tag. Players should have the ability to come and go essentially as they please. If there is a great example of why the NFL should embrace player movement, it's the NBA.
Look at professional basketball right now. The association is at an all-time high in popularity and one of the main reasons is the constant movement of not just solid players, but great ones. One of the games of the year so far was the Cavaliers and the Celtics. If the Cavs had an opportunity to franchise tag Kyrie two years from now, maybe this game would've meant nothing. But, they had no way of forcing Kyrie Irving to stay, so they traded him. This lead to one of the most intriguing storylines of the NBA season, and one that has only made the league better.
Now with the NFL, one player really stands out when you think "maybe this guy should be playing somewhere else." It's Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers has had to carry an awful Packers team for years now and with his greatness, he's managed to make them a very good team. But they're not winning the Super Bowl anytime soon.
Now, Rodgers is a smart guy. He knows that if he ever tried to leave Green Bay they would franchise tag him in less than a second. So, he accepts contract extensions and says how much he loves it there. But, if Rodgers really wanted to show that he's the greatest quarterback to ever play he should do it elsewhere. Imagine if Rodgers had signed with the Cardinals a few years ago and played with Bruce Arians.
That team could've won multiple Super Bowls. What if Rodgers decided to sign with the Jaguars and their excellent defense? They'd challenge for titles every year. But, we'll never see that. Never will we see a stadium of fans rain down boos for a player they had once cheered for. Never will we get a good revenge storyline or a villain storyline. And until the NFL eliminates the franchise tag, the league will continue to fall behind the likes of the NBA and MLB.
