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Dallas signed defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa before the franchise tag deadline Tuesday and Minnesota declined to give the tag to quarterback Sam Darnold, clearing the way for him to hit the open market next week.
Only two players were given the tag for 2025 before Tuesday’s deadline with Cincinnati receiver Tee Higgins getting it on Monday and Kansas City guard Trey Smith getting it last week.
This marked a significant downturn in tags handed out from eight last season and an average of more than nine a year over the previous five seasons. The previous time only two or fewer players got tagged was in 1994 when Pittsburgh tight end Eric Green and Minnesota defensive tackle Henry Thomas were the only players, according to the NFL.
Among the top players other than Darnold who can sign with any other team as free agents starting March 12 after not getting tagged are Tampa Bay receiver Chris Godwin, Miami safety Jevon Holland, Philadelphia defensive standouts Milton Williams, Zack Baun and Josh Sweat, and Baltimore left tackle Ronnie Stanley.
The Cowboys locked up Odighizuwa by agreeing to an $80 million, four-year contract with $58 million guaranteed, according to his agent. Agent Sam Leaf Ireifej confirmed the deal to The Associated Press and said it includes a $20 million signing bonus. A franchise tag would have been worth $25.1 million for 2025.
Odighizuwa, a third-round pick in 2021, is coming off his best season with career highs with 4 1/2 sacks, 47 tackles and 23 quarterback hits.
Darnold had a breakthrough season in his only year in Minnesota, throwing for 4,319 yards and 35 TDs while posting a 102.5 passer rating. Darnold was drafted third overall by the New York Jets in 2018 but struggled mightily during three seasons with the Jets and two with Carolina.
After spending the 2023 season as a backup in San Francisco, Darnold finally played to his potential for most of the season before posting back-to-back duds in his final two games: a Week 18 game against Detroit for the No. 1 seed in the NFC and a wild-card loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
His performance in those key games contributed to the decision by the Vikings to pass on the $40.2 million franchise tag number and turn the team over to J.J. McCarthy, who was drafted 10th overall last season.
McCarthy missed his rookie season with a knee injury but is expected to be the starter on coach Kevin O’Connell’s talented offense featuring star receiver Justin Jefferson.
Higgins got the tag for a second straight season with his worth $26.2 million. Higgins was tied for sixth in the league this past season with 10 touchdown catches. He also had 73 receptions for 911 yards and averaged 12.5 yards per catch.
Smith, a sixth-round pick in 2021, received a tag worth $23.402 million. He has missed just one game in four seasons and has helped the Chiefs win Super Bowls following the 2022 and 2023 seasons.
Kansas City lost the Super Bowl last month to Philadelphia thanks in part to struggles on the offense line. That contributed to the decision to give the tag to one of their more reliable linemen in hopes of giving better protection to Patrick Mahomes.
Teams can sign players on the franchise tags by July 15, otherwise they will have to play on the tag in 2025.
___AP Pro Football Writer Schuyler Dixon contributed to this report
___AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL
