Steelers' Cam Heyward not a fan of NFL's 'stupid' franchise tag - ESPN

PITTSBURGH — As the self-imposed regular-season deadline for the Pittsburgh Steelers to extend cornerback Joey Porter Jr. gets closer, the possibility of using a franchise tag on their 2023 second-round pick is becoming more realistic.

That's not necessarily a good thing.

Steelers defensive leader and NFLPA executive committee member Cameron Heyward blasted the franchise tag when asked about it Wednesday.

«Stupid,» he said when asked for his thoughts on it. «It hampers players. Why should any team be able to take advantage of a player for one year? It's used in negotiations, and I think between the player options, the franchise tags, the way they control rookies, I think it's kind of backwards.»

In the current system, teams can use the tag to keep their best players from hitting free agency. Teams can use one of three options — nonexclusive tag, exclusive tag or transition tag — to give players a one-year tender as their current deal expires. With the tag, the two sides have until mid-July to work out a long-term deal, otherwise the player will play on the one-year tag unless he holds out.

The value varies based on the position and type of tag. The franchise tag figures are based on the top five salaries at each position, while the transition tag figure is determined by the top 10. In 2026, the franchise tag for cornerbacks was valued at $21.16 million, while the transition tag was worth $18.12 million.

Earlier this week, Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez became the highest-paid cornerback with an average annual salary of $33.75 million, meaning there's a significant difference in the pay of a franchise-tagged player and a player at the top of the market.

Heyward took issue with that.

«If a player is at the top of