Now that the salary cap has been set at $155 million, which is a little higher than previously thought, the NFLPA has released the official franchise tag and transition tag numbers for the 2016 league year.
The cost for the Chiefs to franchise tag safety Eric Berry will be $10.8 million. For Sean Smith and the cornerbacks, it's nearly $14 million. Jaye Howard could be a tag candidate so the defensive end cost is $15.7 million while the defensive tackle cost is $13.6 million (I'm not sure which one he would go under).
Other teams can make offers to a franchise tagged player. For example, the Chiefs could tag Berry and the dirty filthy not clean Raiders swoop in and offer Berry a contract. The Chiefs could either match it or decline it and receive two first round picks from the Raiders in exchange for Berry. Don't worry about that though - it's been more than a decade since someone gave up two first round picks for a franchised player.
The transition tag is not as expensive but the Chiefs would receive no compensation in return if someone else signed him to an offer sheet and they declined. So I'm not sure it's really worth using.
2016 Franchise Tag
Cornerback $13,952,000
Defensive End $15,701,000
Defensive Tackle $13,615,000
Linebacker $14,129,000
Offensive Lineman 13,706,000
Punter/Kicker $4,572,000
Quarterback $19,953,000
Running Back $11,789,000
Safety $10,806,000
Tight End $9,118,000
Wide Receiver $14,599,000
2016 Transition Tag:
Cornerback $11,913,000
Defensive End $12,734,000
Defensive Tackle $10,875,000
Linebacker $11,925,000
Offensive Lineman $11,902,000
Punter/Kicker $4,123,000
Quarterback $17,696,000
Running Back $9,647,000
Safety $9,116,000
Tight End $7,713,000
Wide Receiver $12,268,000