Chiefs must use franchise tag today

The Kansas City Chiefs have until 3 p.m. CST to use the franchise or transition tag. Should general manager John Dorsey decide to go without a tag, he loses the ability to utilize it for the remainder of the offseason.

Considering how many players the Chiefs are trying to retain, it might be a good idea to use it in some capacity. Most feel that Eric Berry will get the tag and frankly, he is the only one who it makes sense with. The franchise tag is the average of the top five salaries at the position, and Berry would command $10.8 million.

The other option would be to sign Berry on a long-term deal and then slap the transition tag on cornerback Sean Smith. Smith would get a smidge over $11 million, but that tag allows for teams to still sign Smith to a contract without giving Kansas City compensation. The Chiefs would have the right to match any offer within five days, though.

Look for a flurry of activity today. In 2013, Kansas City tagged Branden Albert and signed both Dustin Colquitt and Dwayne Bowe to major contracts, all right at the tag deadline. This could happen again with Dorsey having so many quality players ready to hit the market, combined with $33 million in cap space.