RAVENS PLACE NON-EXCLUSIVE FRANCHISE TAG ON QB LAMAR JACKSON
The Baltimore Ravens have placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on quarterback Lamar Jackson, the team confirmed on Tuesday.
As per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Ravens sent notice to the NFLPA that they had placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on Jackson roughly an hour before Tuesday’s 4pm deadline. Jackson is allowed to negotiate with other teams and Baltimore will have the chance to match any offer sheet he signs or opt for two first-round picks instead.
With the non-exclusive tag, the Ravens are banking on the market to mediate the differences between Jackson and the organization regarding this contract extension.
“Having not yet reached a long-term deal with Lamar Jackson, we will use the franchise tag,” Baltimore Ravens General Manager Eric DeCosta confirmed in a statement on Tuesday following an official announcement.
Despite not reaching a long-term extension, DeCosta seemed optimistic in his statement of reaching a deal with the former MVP within the year. “There have been many instances across the league and in Baltimore when a player has been designated with the franchise tag and signed a long-term deal that same year.”
“We will continue to negotiate in good faith with Lamar, and we are hopeful that we can strike a long-term deal that is fair to both Lamar and the Ravens. Our ultimate goal is to build a championship team with Lamar Jackson leading the way for many years to come.”
Jackson and the Ravens have until July 17th to reach a multi-year extension before the 26-year-old will have to play in 2023 under the $32.416M franchise tag.
With rumors of a possible collusion amongst NFL owners making the rounds, fans and players alike were shocked to hear, within hours of the Ravens tagging Jackson, that most of the “quarterback-needy” teams in the league will not “enter the Jackson market.” According to multiple reports by ESPN and The Athletic, the Carolina Panthers, Miami Dolphins, Las Vegas Raiders, Atlanta Falcons and Washington Commanders are reportedly not interested in pursuing Jackson.
All the immediate ‘disinterest’ in Jackson seemed suspicious to many following the situation and former and current players, including Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill and Saints safety Tyrann Mathieu didn’t mind chiming in. “This Lamar Jackson news is crazy!” Hill tweeted.
“When is the last time a league MVP was treated so disrespectfully?” said Mathieu. “I feel some kind of way about it. And don’t tell me what was offered to him, show me!”
One of Jackson’s former teammates, and current New York Giant Tony Jefferson, also commented on Twitter saying, “So you’re sitting here and trying to tell me there’s no NFL team that has interest to even try and negotiate a contract with Lamar Jackson? It hurts a team nothing to have dialogue. This isn’t right.”
ESPN analyst and former Washington quarterback Robert Griffin III tweeted simply, “This Lamar Jackson disrespect is OUTRAGEOUS.”
The conversation managed to pique the interest of former three-time defensive player of the year JJ Watt. The future Hall of Famer said on Twitter, “Why are all of these teams so publicly “out” on Lamar Jackson, an MVP winner in his prime at the most important position in the entire NFL? What am I missing here?”
However, it’s also possible that there could be hesitancy amongst teams to part ways with multiple first-round draft picks, and make a massive contractual investment in Jackson, who has been injury-prone over the past two seasons. Although Jackson is ultimately one of the top quarterbacks in the league, a long-term financial and draft-capital commitment would make it tougher to build around him and create a championship-calibre team.
On the other side of the coin, is Jackson’s resume that includes two Pro Bowl selections (2019 and 2021) and a 2019 Unanimous Regular Season MVP award. The former Heisman trophy winner has lost just 16 NFL games in his career, winning an impressive 45, and famously carried the Baltimore Ravens offense over the last three years, using his dual threat abilities as an elite passer and runner to win games.
Jackson has the fourth-best win percentage in the NFL among quarterbacks that debuted in the Super Bowl era (since 1966) and sits behind only Patrick Mahomes (.800), Tom Brady (.754) and Roger Staubach (.746) with a .738 win percentage.
It’s also common knowledge that Jackson didn’t have much in terms of wide receiver help in his first five years in Baltimore, despite the Ravens spending six picks across three drafts – between 2019 and 2021. Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta admitted last week that they had not hit on the wide receiver and inadvertently termed his receivers as not “All-Pro guy(s)”.
This would indicate that Jackson’s performances haven’t been due to the cast surrounding him but rather in spite of it. The Ravens ranked dead last in the league on wide receiver spending in 2022 and had the second-worst production in receiving yards from receivers in the NFL last year.
Jackson’s resume also includes an impressive 63.7% pass completion percentage. The Pompano Beach-born quarterback has put up 101 touchdowns against 38 interceptions in the pros, on his way to 12,209 passing yards and 4,437 rushing yards in his career. Jackson has also added 24 touchdowns on the ground and holds multiple NFL rushing records by a quarterback.
Arguably, one of the most talked about quarterbacks in the NFL, certainly over the last four years, Jackson would be a talent that’s sure to improve almost any team in the NFL.
Amongst the sleeper teams that would be interested in making a move for Jackson are the Detroit Lions who would be giving up the 18th overall pick and a probable late first round pick next year in return. Although General Manager Brad Holmes said at the end of the season that they were happy with Jared Goff, having Lamar Jackson in the Lions’ future would make them an instant playoff contender.
Detroit is in the middle of a revolution and had a strong finish to the 2022 season. Jackson would surely be the missing piece to take them over the top. Detroit finished 9-8, narrowly missed out on the playoffs, and more importantly, are one of the few teams in the league that have the cap flexibility to give Jackson a contract lucrative enough to satisfy his demands.
If Jackson doesn’t move elsewhere, the Ravens would hope to resolve this situation quickly and potentially avoid a summer holdout with their starting quarterback, especially with a new offensive coordinator trying to settle in and install a new offense this season.
-Maher Abucheri
Twitter: @pabloikonyero
Photo: MarylandGov Pics. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.