In 2022, the Buffalo Bills are not going to use the franchise tag. It make little sense for the team to do so.
Not only are the Bills slightly over the 2022 salary cap, they don’t really have any candidates for it.
Defensive tackle Harrison Phillips and cornerback Levi Wallace might be Buffalo’s top pending free agents. However, the franchise tag in 2022 is worth upward of $17-18M depending on position. Sorry, guys. Not happening.
Not only that, the Bills are a team that have sparely used the tag since its introduction in 1993. During the tenure of Buffalo general manager Brandon Beane, he has used it zero times as well.
But for curious, here are the five times the Bills used the franchise tag in team history:
OL John Fina (1996)
John Fina #70 of the Buffalo Bills. Credit: Rick Stewart /Allsport
John Fina was the first player franchise tagged by the Bills in 1996. The two sides worked out a long-term extension and he played six more seasons in Buffalo.
WR Peerless Price (2003)
Bills…