• In this edition of Niners Daily, we look at the San Francisco 49ers use of the franchise tag historically.*

The 49ers have the ability to lock up any one of their premier unrestricted free agents.

Yes, the franchise tag is in effect.

The NFL rule, if you're unfamiliar with it, allows any team to offer one of its players a one-year, gauranteed contract that prevents him from reaching free agency, which begans March 7-10.

The terms of the deal are based on the five-year average salary cap percentage for the tag at each position. NFL.com explained on Tuesday what the cost could look like this year.

For San Francisco and the league's other 31 teams, the two-week window to pull the trigger began on Monday. It expires on March 2.

There's no telling whether the 49ers will use the tag this offseason.

But we can look to recent history to learn more about the organization's philosophy.

Feb. 23, 2010

The San Francisco 49ers announced on Tuesday that they have placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on NT Aubrayo Franklin. Franklin was scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent on March 5.

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If Franklin were to receive a contract offer from another club, the 49ers will have the right to match the offer. If they choose not to match the offer, then the team would receive two first-round draft choices as compensation.The franchise tender will provide Franklin with a one-year contract equivalent to the average of the top five highest paid players at his position in the NFL.*

"Aubrayo has proven to be a valuable contributor to our defense and we are looking forward to having him on our team going forward," said general manager Scot McCloughan. "Although a contract extension has not been completed at this time, we will continue to have discussions with Aubrayo and his agent."

How it worked out:Franklin played in 16 games for a third straight season that year, solidifying the middle of the defensive line. He played for three teams over the next three years, his final years in the NFL. Now he's back with the organization as a defensive assistant.

March 2, 2012

The San Francisco 49ers announced they have placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on S *Dashon Goldson. Goldson was scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent on March 13. *

"Dashon has been a 49er since we selected him in the fourth round of the 2007 draft," said 49ers General Manager Trent Baalke. "By using the franchise tag on Dashon, it affords us the opportunity to continue to work on a long-term contract with him, while also ensuring he will be a 49er for a sixth season, in 2012."

If Goldson were to receive a contract offer from another club, the 49ers will have the right to match the offer. If they choose not to match the offer, then the team would receive two first-round draft choices as compensation. The franchise tender will provide Goldson with a one-year guaranteed contract equivalent to the average of the top five highest paid players at his position each year, over the last five seasons.

How it worked out:Goldson earned a trip to the Pro Bowl, plus First-Team All-Pro honors in '12, helping the 49ers reach the Super Bowl. He left the next offseason for a mutli-year offer from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Baalke replaced him with 2013 first-round draft pick Eric Reid.