Eliot Wolf’s first major move as de facto general manager was an uncommon one.

The Patriots placed the transition tag on safety Kyle Dugger on Tuesday. Utilized far less commonly than the franchise tag, the transition designation is cheaper for the team and allows the player to continue exploring free agency.

In this instance, Dugger’s tag will be $13.81 million for 2024 – it would have been $17.12 million with the conventional franchise tag – and the Patriots will have the chance to match any offer he gets on the open market. However, if Wolf and company opt not to match a competing offer, New England won’t get anything in return.

Nobody in the NFL has used the transition tag since 2020, when the Cardinals applied it to Kenyan Drake. The running back wound up playing out the season on the one-year tender. The Patriots also haven’t used a tag of any sort since 2020, when Bill Belichick franchised guard Joe Thuney.

So what does this mean for the Patriots moving forward?

First, they cannot use the franchise tag on offensive lineman Mike Ownenu now, even though it’s different than the transition designation. Teams are only permitted to use one tag per season, so it will apply only to Dugger. If they can’t extend Onwenu before free agency opens next week, he’s heading to the open market and may be the best tackle on the board.

Beyond that, the team can continue negotiating a long-term extension with Dugger, though it remains to be seen how the safety will feel about being tagged. Dugger turns 28 later this month, and this delays his unrestricted free agency by (at least) another season.

Coach Jerod Mayo knows that’s not always ideal.

Though Mayo was never tagged while on the roster in New England, five of his teammates were franchised – Matt Cassel (2009), Vince Wilfork (2010), Logan Mankins (2011), Wes Welker (2012), and Stephen Gostkowski (2015) – and they didn’t always appreciate that.

“(The tags are) always an option,” Mayo said last week. “But at the same time, with guys like that, you want those guys to be happy. You want them to be here for the long term. So that’s the plan.”

JAGUARS: Jacksonville used its franchise tag on standout pass rusher Josh Allen on Tuesday, essentially guaranteeing he will play at least another year with the Jaguars.

Allen, the seventh overall pick in the 2019 draft, set a single-season franchise record with 17½ sacks in the final year of his rookie contract and is 10 shy of the team’s career mark (55) held by Tony Brackens (1996-2003). Jacksonville’s non-exclusive franchise tender, assuming Allen signs it, would guarantee him $24 million in 2024. The Jaguars and Allen have until July 15 to work out a long-term deal. If they don’t, Allen would be forced to play under the tag or sit out and risk losing millions.

• The Jaguars released veteran cornerback Darious Williams and safety Rayshawn Jenkins to create $16.6 million in salary cap space.

BEARS: Chicago placed the franchise tag on cornerback Jaylon Johnson on Tuesday after he made his first Pro Bowl in the final season of his rookie contract.

Johnson would earn $19.8 million in 2024 if he doesn’t agree to a multiyear deal before the July 15 deadline. He has said he wants to remain with the Bears.

Johnson, who turns 25 in April, had four interceptions last season after picking off one pass in his first three years. He was named a second-team All-Pro.

PANTHERS: Carolina placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on two-time Pro Bowl outside linebacker Brian Burns before Tuesday’s deadline.

The 25-year-old Burns would make $24 million in 2024 under the tag if he doesn’t sign a contract extension before the July 15 deadline.

SEAHAWKS: Seattle’s remodel under new coach Mike Macdonald started Tuesday as the team released safeties Jamal Adams and Quandre Diggs, and tight end Will Dissly in moves that will give the team a boost of salary cap space ahead of the start of the new league year.

The release of Diggs and Dissly will save Seattle $18 million against the cap. They will get about $6 million in cap relief with the release of Adams but also take on nearly $20 million in dead cap money by releasing him immediately and not waiting until after June 1.

COLTS: Indianapolis placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on starting receiver Michael Pittman Jr. on Tuesday, less than an hour before the league’s deadline and less than a week after General Manager Chris Ballard promised Pittman would be a Colt next fall.

The two sides have been discussing a contract extension since the end of last season.

BILLS: Buffalo informed running back Nyheim Hines that it will be releasing him this week as part of a salary cap-cutting move in advance of the NFL’s free agency period, a person with direct knowledge of the situation confirmed to The Associated Press on Tuesday.

Hines was entering the final year of his contract, and missed all of last season due to a knee injury sustained in a jet ski accident just before the start of training camp last summer. The 27-year-old Hines has resumed training, though it’s unclear when he’ll be cleared to practice.

RAVENS: Baltimore put the franchise tag on Justin Madubuike on Tuesday after the defensive tackle finished his rookie contract with a breakout season in 2023.

The franchise tag for defensive tackles comes with a one-year cost of just over $22 million, although Madubuike and the Ravens can continue negotiating for a longer deal, with a preseason deadline of July 15.

LIONS: Cornerback Emmanuel Moseley has agreed to a one-year contract to re-sign with Detroit, according to a person familiar with the situation.

JETS: New York plans to release veteran tight end C.J. Uzomah, according to a person with knowledge of the decision.

The move will save the Jets about $5.3 million on their salary cap. The 31-year-old Uzomah was scheduled to count $11.2 million against the cap.

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