I have repeatedly wrote that I thought the Titans should tag Bironas but it appeared the emphasis was on Jared Cook instead. When the Titans elected not to wage a battle over whether the franchise tag definition for Cook would be at wide receiver or tight end, I looked for them to tag Bironas. They didn't.
The franchise tag for place kickers was set at 2,977,000.00 while the transition tag was set at 2,700,000.00. I got my tag numbers from this excellent article NFL Franchise Tag 2013. Rob Bironas is 35 years old and while kickers generally have a longer shelf life it has been reported the Titans were considering a kicker in the draft. A backup plan is certainly not a bad option. Given the numbers involved, on the surface it appears the franchise tag would have been the wiser move.
UPDATE: According to Tom Gower the tag would have been the greater of the two franchise tags, or 120 percent of the player's salary, which would be $4.4 million. You can find Tom Gower's blog on that topic here Total Titans Franchise Tag Analysis.
