Cousins, Keenum will hit market after franchise-tag deadline passes

With Tuesday's 4 p.m. ET deadline to assign the franchise tag officially past, the top two free-agent quarterbacks available both remain untagged, meaning Kirk Cousins and Case Keenum will both become unrestricted free agents on March 14.

Cousins, who was tagged by the Washington Redskins each of the last two offseasons, addressed the topic shortly after the deadline passed on Tuesday, tweeting a photo of his high school self and the message: "Next week is now officially the first time since 2007 that I'll be choosing where to play football. I'm open to suggestions. #freeagency."

Reports over the past week have widely considered the Minnesota Vikings the favorite to land Cousins, with the New York Jets hoping to wedge into the conversation with an overly lucrative offer. The Denver Broncos and Arizona Cardinals are also reportedly pursuing the 29-year-old Pro Bowler.

The Vikings' potential interest in Cousins might have been a factor in their decision not to tag Keenum, who is coming off of a career season after five years in the league as a backup or maligned starter.

Ultimately, just five players received the franchise tag this offseason, the lowest number of players since 2006, while one other (the Chicago Bears' Kyle Fuller) received the transition tag.

Other prominent names that went untagged and will now hit unrestricted free agency include running back Carlos Hyde, receivers Allen Robinson and Sammy Watkins, offensive linemen Andrew Norwell and Justin Pugh and defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson. Another potential tag candidate, Panthers kicker Graham Gano, reached an agreement on a four-year extension before Tuesday's tag deadline.

--Field Level Media