Watkins will not receive the Rams' franchise tag, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reports.

Previous reports suggested the Rams were undecided between tagging Watkins or safety Lamarcus Joyner, but it now seems the team wouldn't use its tag on the wideout even if Joyner were to agree to a long-term deal before Tuesday's 4:00 p.m. EST deadline for franchising players. The decision not to tag Watkins makes sense, as it would put his 2018 cap figure around $16 million, which might be taken as a highly favorable one-year, prove-it deal for a player coming off a disappointing statistical season. It's unclear if Watkins wants to follow in the footsteps of Alshon Jeffery from last year or simply take the more traditional approach of targeting a multi-year contract with as much guaranteed money as possible. A big 2018 campaign would boost Watkins' value far above where it currently sits, coming off a season in which he caught only 39 passes on 70 targets, albeit for 593 yards (15.2 per reception) and eight touchdowns.