JACKSONVILLE – The Jaguars did not tag Allen Robinson.Robinson, a fourth-year veteran wide receiver scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent on March 14, was informed by the Jaguars Tuesday morning that the team did not plan to use the franchise or transition tag on him.
The NFL's deadline to apply franchise and transition tags passed Tuesday at 4 p.m. with the team not applying the tag.
Robinson, a second-round selection in the 2014 NFL Draft and a 2015 Pro Bowl selection, is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent on the March 14 start of the 2018 NFL League Year.
The franchise tag for Robinson was considered a possibility because it is a mechanism by which teams can limit players' ability to sign elsewhere as free agents. Tagged players may sign a one-year offer to play for the tagging team for a one-year salary based on the average of the league's top-paid players at his position, or they can choose not to sign the tag and not play that season.
The decision to not tag Robinson does not ensure Robinson will become a free agent. The sides have until March 14 at 4 p.m. to reach a deal before that officially happens.
The Jaguars have exclusive negotiating rights with Robinson until March 12 at 4 p.m. That's when the NFL's pre-free agency negotiating window opens, at which point other teams may negotiate with Robinson's representation.
Robinson, considered perhaps the NFL's top free-agent wide receiver this offseason, would cost just over $16 million to franchise.
"It's a lot of money that would prohibit us from doing some things to help the team around him," Jaguars General Manager David Caldwell said of the $16 million tag last week during the 2018 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, Ind.
