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The NFL has finally informed teams how much franchise players will cost them in 2012.

The numbers are very close to widely reported projections.

Arizona defensive end Calais Campbell and San Francisco safety Dashon Goldson were the only NFC West players hit with franchise tags this year. Each will receive a one-year offer for the values associated with their positions. Those values form the basis for negotiations on long-term agreements. That explains why teams are selective in how they use the tag.

Seattle wants to keep defensive end Red Bryant, but not badly enough to set his value at $10.6 million per season.

The Seahawks are betting that the market will not value a run-stuffing end at that level. Bryant is arguably the team's most important player against the run. He played about two-thirds of the defensive snaps last season, finishing with one sack and two interceptions. Bryant also blocked three field-goal tries and one extra-point attempt. The team values his presence in the locker room as well.

But that $10.6 million average reflects the figure set largely by pass-rushing ends. Campbell, despite playing in a 3-4 scheme, has 21 sacks over the past three seasons. He had eight sacks in 2011, plus 10 passes defensed and three blocked field-goal tries.

The franchise tag made sense for the 49ers as they sought to keep Goldson with the team at least one more season. The one-year rate for safeties is $6.2 million.

The values for cornerbacks (nearly $10.3 million) and wide receivers ($9.5 million) were too steep for NFC West teams' budgets. The 49ers' Carlos Rogers earned Pro Bowl honors at corner, but the team opted against setting his value north of $10 million annually. The St. Louis Rams need all the playmakers they can get, but they weren't willing to bet $9.5 million a year on Brandon Lloyd's ability to produce at a high level consistently in their new offense. Rogers and Lloyd both turn 31 before training camps open.

The fine print: One-year salaries for franchise players become guaranteed upon signing. Franchise players rarely attract attention in free agency, because any suitor would have to part with two first-round draft choices if the players' current teams declined their right to match outside offers. Franchise players must sit out the 2012 season if they do not sign between Tuesday and Nov. 13. Unsigned franchise players become unrestricted free agents if their teams withdraw the tag.

A few considerations after the NFL's 2012 deadline for naming franchise players passed Monday:

• Two tagged: San Francisco's Dashon Goldson and Arizona's Calais Campbell were the only NFC West players to receive the tag. That was no surprise after the Seahawks re-signed running back Marshawn Lynch. Brandon Lloyd was the only Rams player worth considering for the tag. The Rams badly need receivers. There was some uncertainty over how well Lloyd might produce outside Josh McDaniels' offense.
• No tag for Bryant: A four-year deal with Lynch gave Seattle other options for the tag. The team decided to pass. This was understandable. Seattle values Red Bryant on the field and in the locker room. He's a great fit. But using the franchise tag on him would have required the team to pay about twice the annual rate defensive tackle Brandon Mebane received a year ago. Mebane got $5 million per season. Bryant, as a defensive end, would have commanded an estimated $10.6 million for one year at the franchise price. We'll now find out how much Bryant values the fit he has enjoyed in Seattle.
• Alex Smith update: The San Francisco 49ers still have a week to strike a long-term deal with their quarterback. The franchise tag would have set Smith's annual value at an estimated $14.4 million, perhaps around $5 million more than Smith might receive annually on a multi-year deal. There should be enough good faith between Smith and coach Jim Harbaugh for the 49ers to reach a resolution without much worry. Smith is better off with the 49ers than elsewhere, in my view, and he has to know this.
• Matt Flynn's status: The Packers decided to let their backup quarterback head toward free agency unrestricted by the tag. I had a hard time picturing by-the-book Green Bay general manager Ted Thompson essentially gaming the system by tagging Flynn. Thompson might have realized the trade market for Flynn could be soft if the $14.4 million value set the baseline for any contract another team might sign with the quarterback. No tag means more teams figure to have interest. Would Seattle have interest? Still haven't heard anything substantive along those lines. The assumption here is that Miami will pay a higher price.
• Mario Williams free: The deadline passed without Houston using the tag for outside linebacker Mario Williams. The Seahawks need a pass-rusher. Williams would probably fit best in the "Leo" role Chris Clemons currently fills. Seattle badly wants to upgrade its pass rush, but I haven't sensed the Seahawks will go after Williams at any price. The Texans knew him best and decided against making every effort to keep him.
• Receiver market: Vincent Jackson and Marques Colston were two of the bigger-name receivers to escape the tag. Dwayne Bowe isn't going anywhere after Kansas City franchised him. Pierre Garcon, Robert Meachem and Mario Manningham are three middle-tier wideouts with a shot at free agency. Most NFC West teams could use help at the position. Seattle and St. Louis had some interest in Jackson when he was a franchise player previously. The Rams have changed leadership since then. The receiver pool could dry up further if players get deals done before free agency opens March 13. Teams interested in Pittsburgh restricted free agent Mike Wallace would have to part with a 2012 first-round pick if the Steelers did not match an offer. I'm skeptical the 49ers would go that route.
• Corners of note: The 49ers' Carlos Rogers remains without a deal and could hit the market. Tennessee has no plans to bring back Cortland Finnegan, who has ties to Rams coach Jeff Fisher. Those will be two corners to watch.

The chart shows which players received franchise tags Monday. The NFL has yet to announce the associated values. Franchise players rarely change teams. Drew Brees, as a non-exclusive franchise player, cannot negotiate with other teams. Most franchise players are free to negotiate, but their current teams would receive two first-round draft choices in return if they decided against matching a formal offer.

A reminder as NFL teams name franchise players: Teams can withdraw the designations if players decide against signing the corresponding one-year offers.

That came to mind Friday upon reading Matt Maiocco's report suggesting Dashon Goldson had no immediate plans to sign the San Francisco 49ers' one-year franchise offer worth an estimated $6.2 million.

Teams rarely withdraw franchise designations, but plans can change. Leroy Hill found out the hard way back in 2009, when the Seattle Seahawks used a first-round choice for Aaron Curry, then withdrew an $8.3 million franchise offer from Hill, who was suddenly scrambling as a free agent after the draft.

We all saw what happened to Goldson last offseason. He found nothing palatable in free agency, then re-signed with the 49ers for one year and $2 million. The lockout made for unusual circumstances. Goldson might find the market more favorable this year.

But I see no advantage for Goldson in withholding his signature. Any team signing him to an offer would face losing two first-round draft choices if the 49ers declined to match. Teams simply do not trade two first-round choices for the right to pay good safeties.

Signing the franchise offer makes the money guaranteed. Not signing the offer means it could disappear if circumstances changed.

Goldson has a Pro Bowl on his resume, so he is more accomplished than Seattle's Hill was back in 2009. But neither was a player the team absolutely had to keep. The Seahawks, like the 49ers now, had more options than the player.

The 49ers appear unlikely to withdraw the tag, but they will get by just fine this offseason with or without Goldson under contract. Goldson has more at stake.

I see less reason for Arizona's Calais Campbell to sign the Cardinals' franchise offer, which has been projected to be around $10.6 million. There is virtually no chance the Cardinals would withdraw the tag, and if they did, Campbell would command big money from teams hungry for young defensive linemen of his caliber.

In Seattle, meanwhile, the Seahawks are expected to use the franchise designation on Marshawn Lynch if a long-term deal remains elusive. The deadline for naming franchise players is Monday.

The San Francisco 49ers have announced their decision to name safety Dashon Goldson their franchise player in 2012.

This had to be an easy move for the team.

Goldson earned Pro Bowl honors for the first time last season. The 49ers drafted him in 2007. That combination -- acclaimed and home-grown -- makes Goldson a candidate for a long-term deal. But the franchise tag's deflated value for safeties removed any urgency for the 49ers to get a deal done now.

Projections have called for safeties to receive one-year offers worth $6.2 million as franchise players. However, the league has not yet announced the exact value. An agent I spoke with Friday said he expected projected franchise values to fall slightly once the NFL puts out official salary-cap figures for 2012.

The value for safeties will fall significantly from $8.8 million last year. The drop reflects changes in how the NFL and its players calculate tag values, as determined through collective bargaining.

Running back is another position valued less this year, with the projected one-year tag worth $7.7 million. That relatively affordable number, up from $6.323 million for Shaun Alexander seven years ago, puts pressure on Seattle's Marshawn Lynch to get a long-term deal done.

Teams generally aren't rushing out to pay running backs, anyway. In this case, the Seahawks could name Lynch their franchise player for 2012 and even 2013, then move on with a younger player at the position. For Lynch, the goal becomes commanding more guaranteed money than he would receive as a two-time franchise player.

Arizona's Calais Campbell is another candidate for the tag among NFC West players. The Cardinals have said they'll keep their young defensive end one way or another. Franchising him would set Campbell's one-year value somewhere in the $10.6 million range. Kent Somers expects that to happen Friday.

Dashon Goldson earned roughly $2.1 million during the first four seasons of his NFL career.

Not per year, but total.

The San Francisco 49ers' safety, though disappointed when free agency produced no long-term deal last offseason, still nearly doubled his career earnings when he settled for a one-year, $2 million contract in 2011.

All signs have pointed to Goldson receiving the franchise player designation for 2012, with ESPN's Adam Schefter saying that will happen Friday.

The NFL has not yet revealed how much franchise players will earn, but projections for safeties suggest Goldson would receive about $6.2 million. That is less than the open market might bring following the first Pro Bowl season of Goldson's career, but it would represent about 150 percent of previous career earnings.

Goldson, who turns 28 in September, would have earned about $10 million for his first six NFL seasons. He would remain young enough to command a longer-term deal in 2013, but the $6.2 million figure would set a relatively high floor for negotiations. Goldson would need another strong season.

NFL teams can begin using franchise and transition designations on potential free agents beginning Monday through March 5.

Seattle's Marshawn Lynch, Arizona's Calais Campbell and San Francisco's Dashon Goldson appear to be the most likely candidates for franchise tags among NFC West players.

A few things to know about franchise tags under the current labor agreement:

• One at a time: Teams can name only one franchise player at a time.
• Who qualifies: Players eligible for the franchise tag include those scheduled to become restricted or unrestricted free agents.
• Compensation: Teams must offer franchise players one-year deals worth what top players at their positions have commanded. The prices vary by position and which type of tag a team applies. New methods for calculation have produced lower franchise tag prices under the new labor agreement.
• Two tag types: Non-exclusive franchise tags allow players to negotiate with other teams. Exclusive tags prevent players from negotiating with other teams. Teams naming non-exclusive franchise players retain the right to match outside offers or receive two first-round picks from the signing team should they decide against matching. Teams favor non-exclusive tags.
• Two tag prices: Exclusive franchise players receive offers larger than those for non-exclusive franchise players. Prices max out when a team uses the tag on the same player a third time, which is the limit.
• Guaranteed money: One-year franchise salaries become guaranteed once the player signs the offer. Teams could try to avoid paying if a "neutral physician" determined the player in question had failed to "establish or maintain his excellent physical condition."
• Right to withdraw tag: Teams can withdraw franchise tags if the affected players remain unsigned. Affected players would then become unrestricted free agents.
• Deadline for long-term deals: Teams have until July 16 to sign their franchise players to long-term contracts. The date is usually July 15, but it is the 16th this year because the 15th falls on a Sunday. Past that date, teams can sign their franchise players only to one-year deals. They cannot reach extensions until after their final regular-season games.

Rules for transition players are somewhat similar, but prices are lower. Teams could name two transition players in a given year, but only if they did not name a franchise player.

Players have complained for years about franchise tags restricting their options, but they actually lost ground on the issue during the latest round of labor negotiations.

A few odds and ends from around the NFC West on the Wednesday following Super Bowl XLVI:

• Ray McDonald's arrest on an outstanding warrant gives the San Francisco 49ers two known arrests in less than two weeks, both related to cases involving allegations of driving under the influence. Neither McDonald nor Aldon Smith has been convicted. McDonald did not commit a new driving-related offense. He apparently failed to complete or prove that he completed a diversionary program.
• Dave McGinnis jumped at the chance to reunite with Jeff Fisher and Gregg Williams on the St. Louis Rams' staff. McGinnis, the Rams' new assistant head coach, spoke with enthusiasm when asked about the opportunity during a conference call Wednesday. Fisher was the first person McGinnis called for advice when becoming Arizona Cardinals coach in 2000. Their philosophical roots go back to Buddy Ryan and the Chicago Bears. McGinnis joined Fisher in Tennessee after the Cardinals fired him.
• The Rams will interview the Pittsburgh Steelers' Omar Khan for their general manager's opening, Jim Thomas reports. Khan interviewed for Seattle's GM opening two years ago.
• Seattle's Marshawn Lynch's agent of record has indeed changed with Mike Sullivan leaving Octagon Worldwide for the Denver Broncos. Octagon's Doug Hendrickson has been the point person in negotiations, and that is continuing. Lynch is among several high-profile backs without contracts. The new labor agreement has changed the dynamics. Teams can now name running backs franchise players at a cost of less than $8 million, down from about $9.5 million.
• That would be Peyton Manning appearing in a photo on the Arizona Cardinals' website. The accompanying story was not about Manning or where the Indianapolis Colts' quarterback might land this offseason. It was about John McNulty's move to quarterbacks coach and Frank Reich's hiring as receivers coach. Reich was Manning's position coach in Indianapolis, but he will replace McNulty as receivers coach.

Enjoy your Wednesday night.

Five of the San Francisco 49ers' projected unrestricted free agents for 2012 played right around 1,000 snaps or more last season, easily the highest figure in the NFC West.

Re-signing quarterback Alex Smith appears likely. Smith accepted the Associated Press' coach of the year award on Jim Harbaugh's behalf Saturday, the latest indication Smith remains firmly in the fold.

Cornerback Carlos Rogers has said he wants to return. His value spiked after earning a trip to the Pro Bowl. The franchise tag remains available, but the price would be lower if San Francisco used it for free safety Dashon Goldson instead. Either way, the 49ers have decisions to make in their secondary.

The charts below expand upon Brian McIntyre's lists. I've added offensive and defensive snap counts from ESPN Stats & Information. The final column shows what players earned per year on their most recent contracts.

Some players, notably Blake Costanzo and C.J. Spillman, played extensively on special teams. The charts show offensive and defensive snap counts only.

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The second chart shows restricted free agents. Teams can retain rights to RFAs by making one-year qualifying offers.