Report: Patriots place franchise tag on Stephen Gostkowski

The Patriots have placed the franchise tag on kicker Stephen Gostkowski, ESPN.com reports.

It's the third time the team has used the franchise tag on a kicker, having previously tagged Adam Vinatier in 2002 and 2005. The designation puts Gostkowski in line to earn $4.126 million in 2015. He mae 35 of his 37 field goals in 2014, and his 94.6 percent rate was the best of his career.

With Gostkowski being tagged, Patriots safety Devin McCourty, who was a strong candidate to receive the tag, is set to reach free agency on March 10 if he doesn't re-sign with the team before free agency opens.