Kyle Pitts, George Pickens franchise tag impact: Top remaining free agents

Ayrton Ostly, USA TODAYMon, February 23, 2026 at 11:15 PM UTC

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Free agency is weeks away but two major players might not be at the negotiating table.

Tight end Kyle Pitts and wide receiver George Pickens are the major prizes of free agency on offense. Teams besides the Atlanta Falcons and Dallas Cowboys, respectively, could be out of luck for negotiating with them.

Atlanta is reportedly using the franchise tag on Pitts and Cowboys co-owner Stephen Jones inferred that was likely for Pickens as well.

“I wouldn’t put any timeframe (on a contract),” Jones told reporters. “Once you have a tag, you have a tag. We know George is going to be here.”

The franchise tag is a tool teams can use to prevent one player per year from reaching free agency. The tag is a one-year, fully guaranteed contract calculated using other salaries at the position.

It prevents the player from securing a longer-term deal from another team at the cost of a fully guaranteed salary.

Non-quarterbacks rarely play a season with the franchise tag. Instead, it's often used as a tool to keep the player at the negotiating table for their original team for longer. Jones' quote points to the Cowboys using the franchise tag to keep Pickens in the building to iron out a contract before the start of 2026. If not, he'll play the season on that one-year deal.

Here's what it means for the rest of free agency at their positions if Pickens and Pitts aren't free to negotiate league-wide:

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WR free agency without George Pickens

Pickens is by far the top wide receiver available in this free-agent class. Second-team All-Pro wide receivers rarely are available - especially ones who haven't hit their second contract yet. That's why the Cowboys are motivated to keep him in-house.

If Pickens stays with Dallas, that moves all of the other free agents up a spot in the rankings and with it likely a bump in pay.

Fellow 2022 draftees Alec Pierce and Rashid Shaheed will become the top free agents at wide receiver. Both offer excellent speed on the outside and Shaheed's a dynamic threat in the return game. Jauan Jennings offers a more possession-based skillset but could get a bump in salary with Pickens off the market as well.

Here's the top 10 free agent wide receivers by projected average annual value (AAV) of their future contracts after Pickens, per Spotrac:

Jauan Jennings, San Francisco 49ers: $22.61 million

Alec Pierce, Indianapolis Colts: $20.24 million

Wan'dale Robinson, New York Giants: $17.64 million

Deebo Samuel, Washington Commanders: $15.77 million

Tyreek Hill, Miami Dolphins: $15.07 million

Rashid Shaheed, Seattle Seahawks: $14.12 million

Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: $13.31 million

Romeo Doubs, Green Bay Packers: $12.00 million

Keenan Allen, Los Angeles Chargers: $6.81 million

Hollywood Brown, Kansas City Chiefs: $5.5 million

TE free agency without Kyle Pitts

Pitts has draft pedigree as the No. 4 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, as well as recent production with his second-team All-Pro award in 2025.

Like Pickens, there's a mix of options beyond him at the position, either veterans or second-contract players. Teams will have to decide if they value more youth or production at the position with handing out money in this free-agent cycle. Without Pitts, there's a chance the other players have a chance to make more money but the overall tight end market isn't on the same level as wide receiver. Teams aren't as willing to spend big on the position in the same way.

Here's a look at the top 10 free agents at the position without Pitts, per Spotrac projected AAV:

Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs: $10.77 million

David Njoku, Cleveland Browns: $9.99 million

Isaiah Likely, Baltimore Ravens: $8.81 million

Chig Okonkwo, Tennessee Titans: $7.96 million

Cade Otton, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: $7.91 million

Dallas Goedert, Philadelphia Eagles: $6.00 million

Tyler Higbee, Los Angeles Rams: $5.35 million

Tyler Conklin, Los Angeles Chargers: $3.33 million

Noah Fant, Cincinnati Bengals: $3.22 million

Darren Waller, Miami Dolphins: $3.21 million

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Pitts, Pickens franchise tags' impact on NFL free agency at WR and TE

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