Ravens Used Non-Exclusive Franchise Tag On Lamar Jackson, Other Terms Are Open For Negotiation

On Tuesday, Lamar Jackson was given the franchise tag by the Baltimore Ravens. They chose the nonexclusive kind of the tag, which restricts Jackson’s freedom of movement in free agency but does not completely remove him from the market.

According to Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports NFL Insider, this took place when an extended agreement could not be reached. Jackson and the Ravens now have until July 17 to come to an agreement.

Ravens Used Non-Exclusive Franchise Tag On Lamar Jackson

The exclusive tag and the non-exclusive tag are distinct. Jackson is free to negotiate with other clubs this summer, but the Ravens have the option of matching any offer. If Jackson were to agree to sign with another club and Baltimore rejected to match the offer, Jackson’s new team would give two first-round selections to the Ravens. The non-exclusive label, which costs $32.4 million, is over $13 million cheaper than the exclusive one.

Jackson was given the non-exclusive franchise tag by the Ravens, which is essentially a ploy to try kick-start talks between the parties.

According to ESPN’s Robert Griffin III, Baltimore feels that by letting Jackson speak with other clubs, each side will get “an unbiased look at the market” for the quarterback’s services.

By the terms of his one-year contract, Jackson, the 2019 NFL MVP, would be paid $32.4 million for the 2023 campaign. Yet he could keep negotiating in an effort to reach a long-term agreement with the Ravens.

When the NFL’s free agency market begins the following week, he can engage in negotiations with other teams and sign an offer sheet with one of them. If that happens, the Ravens have two options: they either match the offer sheet to keep Jackson, or they may accept two first-round draught picks from the other club in exchange for letting him go.

Following this development, Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta released a statement saying Baltimore will continue to negotiate with its star quarterback:

“Having not reached a long-term deal with Lamar Jackson, we will use the franchise tag. 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.”

As the starting quarterback in 2022, Jackson had an 8-4 record and passed for 2,242 yards, 17 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. He suffered a knee injury in Week 13 and missed the rest of the year, with Tyler Huntley filling in. Jackson’s season was cut short by injury for the second consecutive year; in 2021, he sustained an ankle ailment that kept him out of the last four games.

In 2019, Jackson’s first full season as the Ravens’ starting quarterback, he threw for 3,127 yards, 36 touchdowns, and just six interceptions while rushing for 1,206 additional yards and seven more scores to become the second-youngest MVP in NFL history. At 4,437 yards, Jackson is now the quarterback with the fifth-most running yards in NFL history.  He owns two of the four 1,000-yard rushing campaigns by quarterbacks all-time.

Jackson and the Ravens have been discussing a deal for well over a year, and the biggest sticking point has been financial guarantees. Deshaun Watson received a five-year, $230 million contract from the rival Cleveland Browns during the previous summer. According to ESPN, Jackson reportedly wanted to exceed it during discussions.

Despite being given the franchise tag, it goes without saying that Jackson’s offseason is far from done. The NFL community is anxiously anticipating what comes next.

Why Lamar Jackson’s contract extension has been difficult to come by

Some will continue to ponder why Jackson and the Ravens have had such a difficult time reaching an agreement. After all, the two parties have been negotiating a prospective agreement for more than two years, and during that time, other QB extensions have been reached.

This also has a straightforward resolution. Deshaun Watson got a $230 million fully guaranteed contract with the Browns during the 2022 NFL offseason, and Jackson wants a deal similar to that one.

The quarterback, who acts as his own agent, has refused to back down from his demand that the Ravens completely guarantee Jackson’s contract. The prolonged standoff is a result.

The problem explains why other clubs, including the Seahawks and Giants, have been able to keep players like Geno Smith and Daniel Jones with relative ease while the Ravens haven’t been able to ink an extension with Jackson.

When their contracts are active, Smith and Jones are both making nine figures, but their guarantees are substantially lower. Just $40 million of Smith’s contract, which has a potential value of $105 million, is guaranteed. Jones’ contract is worth up to $160 million, but he will only receive a guaranteed $82 million.

Jackson’s desire for guaranteed compensation is therefore the main sticking point.

Despite the deadlock in discussions, both Jackson and the Ravens have sometimes indicated interest in keeping up their alliance. There is still hope that a deal can be reached because the Ravens have expressed a strong desire to maintain Jackson for the long haul.

 

 

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