Why won't the LA Rams just tag LT Alaric Jackson and be done with it?

NFL Franchise/Transition Tags

The NFL and NFLPA have negotiated rules that bind players to NFL teams or free players to negotiate with any NFL team (free agency). The challenge is that many players who had become the focus of a roster construction with one team were free to leave that team and negotiate with a new team, leaving the former team with a custom-built roster that rapidly deflated due to one player's decision to value compensation over competition.

To limit that mass exodus, the two sides negotiated a limited but effective means of aiding teams by using one exclusive one-year-only obligation for a player known as the Franchise or Transition Tag. The window for designating a player with either a Franchise or Transition tag begins on February 18, 2025, and remains open until March 4, 2025, at 1:00 pm PT. If a player is tagged, they receive a one-year tender offer contract.

There are three different tags that can be used in the NFL annually. They are:

• NON-EXCLUSIVE TAG: The most frequently used, this tag allows the player to sign an offer sheet with another team. However, the original team has the right to match the offer or receive two first-round draft picks in compensation if the player leaves.
• EXCLUSIVE TAG: Less frequently used, this tag completely prohibits the player's agent from seeking an offer sheet, essentially forcing the player and team into exclusive contract negotiations.
• TRANSITION TAG: Much like the nonexclusive franchise tag, this tag provides the team the right to match the other team's offer. If the original team decides not to offer a matching bid, no compensation is due.

Once a player is tagged, the two sides have until July 15 to sign a long-term contract or, by NFL rule, the player will play on the one-year deal (or hold out).

So the question is, why isn't more being said about the LA Rams and the option to use this tool to retain Alaric Jackson's services through 2025? Why indeed.