Ravens Place Franchise Tag On Lamar Jackson

The Baltimore Ravens exercised their option to put the franchise tag on Lamar Jackson. This means that Jackson will be off the market. The Ravens made the move just before the March 6th 4pm deadline. The Ravens and Jackson have been unable to come to a deal up to this point. But the use of the franchise tag shows that the Baltimore Ravens are serious about keeping the player.

Sources say that a major sticking point of disagreement is Jackson’s desire for a fully guaranteed deal, which the Ravens are against. There are still teams that are interested in Jackson, but it is unclear which ones are serious about pursuing him. The franchise tag is considered a non exclusive tag. This marks the first time in 7 years that a quarterback has been given the non exclusive tag.

Jackson is the 3rd quarterback to win MVP to receive the franchise tag. It is still uncertain how he will proceed under this tag. If Jackson doesn’t sign the franchise tag tender, he will not be under contract. That would mean he could not be fined for missing mandatory minicamp in June. Jackson and the Ravens have until July 17th to work out a long term deal. There is an option of sitting out for the season for Jackson. But that comes with risk; if Jackson were to hold out until the season, he must sign his tender before the Tuesday after Week 10 to be eligible to play in 2023.

Lamar Jackson’s playmaking ability have been critical in making the Ravens one of the top offensive teams in the NFL. But his passing and durability have come under scrutiny. His career record is 45-16, one of the most successful in the Super Bowl era. Jackson stopped answering questions about his contract in Week 1 of the 2022 season. It remains to be seen what Lamar Jackson’s contract will look like, and who he will be playing for, in the coming years.