Packers kicker Mason Crosby is coming off one of his best seasons, converting a combined 93.4% of his field goals and extra points. Credit: Mark Hoffman

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PACKERS

Michael Cohen, beat writer

Read Transcript Poll How long will Mason Crosby be a Packer? for life for now he’s gone vote View Results for life: 68% for now: 22% he’s gone: 10% Total Responses: 1657

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When it comes to kickers in the NFL, the law of the land says if you've got a good one, keep him.

Over the past decade, 13 kickers have been slapped with the franchise tag before becoming unrestricted free agents, effectively binding them to their current team for at least one more season.

Already this off-season, the Baltimore Ravens have applied the franchise tag strong-legged Justin Tucker, assuring that no other team will come in and steal the kicker they signed as an undrafted free agent in 2012.

The deadline for applying franchise or transition tags to impending free agents is 3 p.m. Tuesday and chances are good Tucker will be the only kicker to receive one even with Green Bay Packers veteran Mason Crosby just eight days away from unrestricted free agency.

General manager Ted Thompson rarely tips his hand about such personnel decisions, but based on the market, his history and the knowledge the 31-year-old Crosby would like to remain in Green Bay, the likelihood of him extending a one-year, $4.572 million offer — the cost of applying a franchise tag to a kicker this year — seems poor.

None of the other Packers free agents, including cornerback Casey Hayward, nose tackle B.J. Raji and linebacker Mike Neal, appear to be candidates for a tag.

Assuming Thompson takes a pass, it would mark the sixth straight year he will have relied on his negotiator, Russ Ball, to strike a deal before one of his key free agents takes an offer elsewhere. It would be the second time in Crosby's nine-year career that he would have been allowed to reach free agency.

The last time around, Crosby's agent, Mike McCartney, negotiated a five-year $14.75 million deal with the Packers that now ranks 11th in the NFL in average salary per year among kickers. Crosby's next contract is likely to put him in the top three and possibly higher if the market turns out to be as good as some think.

Beyond Tucker and Crosby, the kickers headed for free agency aren't an impressive group: 43-year-old Indianapolis Colt Adam Viniateri, the New York Giants' Josh Brown, San Francisco's Phil Dawson, Pittsburgh's Josh Scobee and the Los Angeles Rams' Greg Zuerlein.

At least a half dozen teams could be in the market for a reliable kicker, especially given the added distance on extra points. Crosby is coming off one of his best seasons, converting a combined 93.4% of his field goals and extra points, which ranks third among the top 11 best-paid kickers in the NFL.

Crosby converted 22 of 26 field goals and was one of only five kickers not to miss an extra point in the regular season or playoffs.

Baltimore, recognizing that Tucker, 26, would probably be the top free-agent kicker, decided to offer the one-year, $4.572 million franchise contract to guarantee he would stick around. Any team who signs Tucker to an offer sheet would have to compensate the Ravens with two first-round draft picks if Baltimore chose not to match.

Tucker's yearly average surpasses the $4.3 million New England's Stephen Gostkowski received from a four-year, $17.2 million extension he signed in July. The Patriots had used their franchise tag on Gostkowski at a cost of $4.58 million.

Before New England and Gostkowski, at least one team had used the franchise tag on a kicker in 2007, '09-'12 and '14 with a season-high of four in '12.

Without a franchise protection, the Packers would have exclusive negotiating rights with Crosby until next Monday and exclusive signing rights until March 9. Once free agency starts, Crosby is free to sign with anybody, and were he to leave Thompson would be in the market for a kicker for the first time since 2006.

PROTECTING THE FRANCHISE

In his previous 11 off-seasons, Green Bay Packers general manager Ted Thompson has used a franchise or transition tag on one of his impending free agents just three times, the last on nose tackle Ryan Pickett in 2010. It appears Thompson will go a sixth straight year without using the costly insurance policy every team has at its discretion to prevent free-agent loss. Here's a look at the times Thompson has used a franchise or transition designation and what happened with the team's top free agents when he didn't use it.

(PLAYER TAGGED, FRANCHISE DESIGNATIONS)

2010: NT Ryan Pickett (franchise), 1 year, $7.003M, (re-signed 4 years, $24.75M)

2008: DT Corey Williams (franchise), 1 year, $6.363M, (traded to Cleveland)

2005: TE Bubba Franks (transition), 1 year, $2.095M, (re-signed, 4 years, $28M)

2016 TBD: Top Packers free agents include K Mason Crosby; OLB Mike Neal; NT B.J. Raji; CB Casey Hayward

(NONE TAGGED; TOP PACKERS FREE AGENTS)

2015: WR Randall Cobb (re-signed, 4 years, $40M); T Bryan Bulaga (re-signed, 5 years, $33.75M)

2014: Raji (re-signed, 1 year, $4M); C Evan Dietrich-Smith (Tampa Bay, 4 years, $14.25M)

2013: WR Greg Jennings, (Minnesota, 5 years, $45M)

2012: QB Matt Flynn (Seattle, 3 years, $19.5M)

2011: Crosby (re-signed, 5 years, $14.75M); G Daryn Colledge (Arizona, 5 years, $27.5M); DE Cullen Jenkins (Philadelphia, 5 years, $30.375M)

2009: NT Colin Cole (Seattle, 5 years, $21.4M)

2007: RB Ahman Green (Houston, 4 years, $23M)

2006: K Ryan Longwell (Minnesota, 5 years, $10 million); DE Aaron Kampman, (re-signed, 4 years, $21M)