Thursday afternoon at 4 PM ET is the deadline for NFL teams to place franchise and transition tags on players.
Up until this point the Oakland Raiders have opted not to use either. However, there is still a chance the team will wait until the eleventh hour before handing down a large one-year contract offer.
If the Raiders do opt to use the tag, conventional wisdom says the Zach Miller will be the recipient. His one-year salary would be approximately $7.3 million.
If the Raiders do not tag the tight end they run the risk of losing him to free agency. Then again, there is also no guarantee he will be an unrestricted free agent under the terms of the new CBA.
In short, nobody really knows how the labor situation will effect free agency moving forward. However it plays out it would be a surprise if Miller is not in Silver and Black next season.
There has also been talk of placing the tag on veteran offensive lineman Robert Gallery.
UPDATE: The Raiders used the franchise tag on Kamerion Wimbley. (details)
