2022 NFL franchise tag tracker: Kansas City Chiefs' Orlando Brown Jr. first to be tagged

Before free agency kicks off for the 2022 NFL offseason, teams are allowed to apply franchise tags to players to give them a sense of what they need to do before the league year starts on March 16.

The Kansas City Chiefs became the first known team to put their franchise tag on a player, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Monday morning, when offensive lineman Orlando Brown Jr. was tagged.

The franchise tag is a designation that teams can apply to a player scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent, and it binds the player to the team for one season. Franchise tag figures are based on the top five salaries at each position.

This year, the salary cap is projected to be $208.2 million, according to Spotrac, up from $182.5 million in 2021.

Last season, 10 players were franchised, which was headlined by Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott before he went on to complete a four-year, $160 million contract extension.

Several teams face big decisions as far as rosters are concerned this offseason. Free agency decisions, along with franchise tags, will be vital for teams to piece together their rosters. Also, teams will be able to make trades, and then there's the draft (April 28-30) where teams can infuse youth.

Here's a look at Brown and the reason why he was tagged and the tag figure:

Franchise tag salary: $16.5 million (estimated, the final figure has not been set yet)

Career highlights: Brown is a three-time Pro Bowler, twice in his first three seasons with the Baltimore Ravens and then last season with the Chiefs. Brown last year requested a trade to a team that would play him at left tackle, his preferred position. He was mostly a right tackle with the Ravens. The Chiefs, after releasing long-time left tackle Eric