The current NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement was approved in March 2020 and will stay in place through the 2030 season. So technically, there is no rush to hammer out a new deal. However, that has not stopped a two-time Super Bowl champion from firing off two bold demands that could shake the next round of negotiations. Those comments quickly sparked a heated exchange involving Richard Sherman and a former offensive lineman, and suddenly, the CBA became a trending topic again.

“When the NFL players negotiate the next CBA, they need to eliminate the franchise tag and the 5th-year option for rookies,” Torrey Smith wrote on X. “Top players get punished for doing what they are supposed to do. If you want your guy, pay them.”

Soon after, Geoff Schwartz pushed back, posting, “Good luck on that. They will probably ask for fewer spring days and trade something of value for it. Good work, guys.”

That reaction clearly did not sit well with Sherman.

“Geoff would love for you to sit in on those meetings with the owners and attempt to negotiate on behalf of players,” Sherman replied to the former OL. “Then you can speak from an informed perspective.”

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This entire conversation carried weight, especially since the franchise tag and the fifth-year option have remained sore spots for players in recent years. So, first, let’s understand how the franchise tag actually works.

Typically, when a player’s contract expires, and he has enough service time, he expects to test free agency and learn his true market value. However, the franchise tag can block that opportunity for select players each offseason.

There is also a specific timeline involved. Teams get a 15-day window that opens on the 22nd day before the new league year to apply the tag. Moreover, the designation can be either exclusive or non-exclusive.

Unlike the NFL, leagues such as MLB and the NBA do not use this kind of restriction in the same way. Interestingly, Aaron Rodgers once made his stance clear on the rule.

“I think I would not allow the franchise tags,” he said back in 2019. “Because I think that gives the team a lot of power over your future, and they can tag you a couple of times. That, obviously, restricts player movement.”

Before the 2011 agreement, the non-exclusive tag equaled the average of the five highest salaries at a position from the previous year or 120 percent of the player’s prior salary, whichever was higher. For tag purposes, salary refers to the cap number and excludes workout bonuses and most performance incentives.

Meanwhile, the exclusive tag works differently. A player receives a one-year tender worth either the average of the current top five cap numbers at his position after restricted free agency ends on April 17 for 2026 or 120 percent of his previous salary, whichever is greater. The non-exclusive figure serves as a placeholder and rises if the exclusive formula demands it. In no case can the exclusive tag fall below the non-exclusive number.

Finally, the non-exclusive tag allows a player to negotiate with other teams once free agency opens on March 11. If he signs an offer sheet, his original team gets five days to match it, and if it declines, it receives two first-round picks as compensation. In contrast, the exclusive tag shuts the door on outside talks entirely.

And that is exactly why Smith’s demand from the CBA has triggered such powerful reactions across the league. But now, let’s look at the 5th-year option for rookies.

The fifth-year option is also a big question for the CBA

Every May, front offices across the league face the same call on first-round picks from three years earlier. If they pick up the fifth-year option, they push that player’s trip to free agency back another season. Meanwhile, players drafted after the first round do not face that delay at all.

Yes, teams can still use the franchise tag, and they can even tag a player after exercising the fifth year. As a result, a true shot at market value can get postponed for six years, or even seven if a second tag comes into play.

Naturally, this setup impacts the top performers the most. Some argue the fifth-year salary already pays them well, and in many cases, it does. However, it still falls short of what they might command on the open market after four seasons. More importantly, it often trails the kind of long-term extension they could secure if negotiations moved faster.

Back in 2011, the rookie wage scale aimed to prevent high draft picks from landing massive deals before proving themselves. The league sold that idea to the NFL Players Association by pointing out that every big bust drains money from the system. That logic made sense at the time. Still, many clubs now lean on the fifth-year option to delay rewarding first-rounders who have already delivered three strong seasons.

Some teams act quickly. For example, the Texans moved fast in 2024-25 and locked up Derek Stingley Jr. soon after his third year ended. On the other hand, the Cowboys took a slower route with CeeDee Lamb and Micah Parsons, asking them to shoulder injury risk in year four while holding the safety net of a fifth year.

To be fair, the option has improved since 2011. The cost can rise based on early achievements, and it becomes fully guaranteed once exercised. Even so, many believe it still needs to go. And that fight will not be simple.