What Is a Transition Tag in the NFL — and Why Did the Colts Just Use One on Daniel Jones?
If you've been following NFL free agency news today, you might be wondering what the heck a transition tag is. The Indianapolis Colts just applied one to quarterback Daniel Jones, and it's rare enough that most fans have never seen it used before.
Here's everything you need to know.
What Is the Transition Tag?
The transition tag is one of two tools NFL teams can use to retain players who are about to hit free agency — the other being the more commonly known franchise tag. Like the franchise tag, it ties a player to their current team for one year. But there's a key difference in how it works.
The transition tag gives a team the right of first refusal — meaning if another team makes an offer to the tagged player, the original team has the chance to match it and keep them. If they match, the player stays. If they don't, the player is free to sign with the new team.
The franchise tag, by contrast, is more restrictive — it prevents the player from signing elsewhere entirely unless the team trades them or releases the tag.
The transition tag salary is set at the average of the top ten salaries at a player's position. For Daniel Jones, that means a one-year guaranteed salary of $37.833 million if he doesn't sign a competing offer sheet elsewhere.
How Rare Are Transition Tags?
No quarterback has been given the transition tag since ESPN began tracking such moves in 2000. Only 20 players across all positions have received it in that time — and several of those were later rescinded. Only four players have played an entire season under the transition tag since 2000, with running back Kenyan Drake being the most recent in 2020.
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Jones had a remarkable first season in Indianapolis in 2025, leading the NFL in passing yards through ten weeks and guiding the Colts to an 8-2 record. But a hairline fibula fracture slowed him down, and a season-ending ruptured Achilles in Week 14 has complicated contract negotiations — leaving both sides still working toward a long-term deal.
Colts GM Chris Ballard indicated last week that talks were going well, describing the tag as a tool rather than an endgame. "When both sides are driven to get it done," he said, "it usually works out in the right way."
The transition tag buys the Colts time — and ensures that if another team comes calling for Jones, Indianapolis gets the last word.