What is the primary effect of the Exclusive Franchise Tag on a player?

The primary effect of the Exclusive Franchise Tag on a player is that it prevents the player from negotiating with other teams. When a team places an exclusive franchise tag on a player, it essentially binds the player to that team for the upcoming season, ensuring that they cannot enter into contract discussions with any other franchise. This mechanism is a means for teams to retain their star players while also having a degree of leverage in contract negotiations.

The nature of the exclusive tag provides the player with a guaranteed salary, which is typically a significant amount based on the average salary of the top players at their position over the previous years. However, it significantly limits the player's ability to seek out potentially better contract offers or to engage with other teams that might value their services differently. This is a crucial element of the franchise tag system within the NFL, designed to maintain team stability while also managing player salaries.

In contrast, other options, such as negotiating with any team or having full autonomy over contract decisions, do not apply under the exclusive franchise tag, which is precisely why they do not reflect the correct function of this designation.