What is a franchise player? Is it good or bad for that player?

Answer 1

When an NFL team denotes a players as their "Franchise" player, they're essentially saying, "He's a free agent, but we HAVE to have him".

What this means is:
- The player cannot go to another team.
- The player will get paid the average of the top 5 salaries at his position for the coming year.

This is kind of an "instant arbitration" that was put in place to allow a team that considers a player to be integral to their future to not get screwed by another team offering that player a ton of money.

Is it bad for the player? Depends really. He gets paid in the top 5 of his position for the next year, so that's not bad, but it's not the same as a 3-year or 5-year deal with another team, either.

Oh, and NFL teams can only designate ONE "Franchise" player (though there's another one that pertains to restricted free-agents, as well).

Answer 2

A franchise player is a player that is popular with the team and is good at his position. I liked tanks answer but the player can go to another team but if another team tries to get him then his current team can use the franchise tag which guarantees that he will be paid in the top 5 at his position. I think he got a little confused and was talking about a franchise tag. Also it is pretty good for the player because the team will pay more for him to stay there.

Answer 3

A "franchise" player is a special designation that an NFL team can give to certain stars. It reduces the player's ability to leave, because there are special negotiating restrictions on that player. It has limitted use (I'm not sure how many an NFL team can designate), but it basically means if I have a star quarterback, I can protect him from trade by making him too expensive for another team to hire.

Answer 4

Its the main player of a team, usually there best player and leader, and it is good for the player