The complete list of 2012 franchise tags | National Football Post. Twenty one teams used the franchise tag, and the Green Bay Packers were not one of them.
Part of the reason for the high usage rate was that some players might be more affordable under the franchise tag. Six of the players were kickers or punters, the one-year cost for those players is around $2.7 million, and probably less than they would have received in a long-term contract. That's less in annual salary than K Mason Crosby received for his five-year contract last July.
Three other tagged players are safeties. Their franchise tag cost is $6.2 million, which might be even less than they could have gotten on the open market. There are several teams who could use help at safety, and good luck finding safety help in the draft.
The one franchise tag that wasn't unexpected, but left me shaking my head, was Cowboys LB Anthony Spencer. Maybe he'll finally put it all together in his sixth NFL season, but I expect that he won't outperform whatever long-term contract he'll eventually sign. In my earlier post, I compared him to Erik Walden, and Spencer came out looking slightly better. Yet, he'll get the franchise tag, and Walden will probably be looking for a one-year deal from some other team.