Despite the odd saga surrounding Lamar Jackson’s recovery from a knee injury, the Baltimore Ravens still intend to franchise tag their star quarterback in the offseason. However, they may also leave the door open for other teams to make contract offers too.
Lamar Jackson’s impending free agency has been a cloud hanging over the Baltimore Ravens’ 2022-2023 campaign. And fans and media have analyzed any and all comments from the team and QB to see if they can figure out how the situation is resolved after failed discussions in the summer.
In the end, the organization will always have the option of using a franchise tag to hold on to Jackson, and it seems that is still the plan. On Saturday, NFL Network league insider Ian Rapoport reported that “every expectation is that Baltimore will tag him for 2023 if they cannot work out a long-term extension, sources say.”
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However, while they are still planning to use a franchise tag in the offseason, it doesn’t mean they will use the version that guarantees he will be in Baltimore next season.
Baltimore Ravens could use non-exclusive franchise tag on Lamar Jackson
Along with the latest on the situation with the impending free agent, Rapoport also mentioned a very interesting tidbit that will draw attention from interested teams around the league. And that is the fact the Baltimore Ravens have not yet decided which type of franchise tag they will use on their starting quarterback.
When it comes to the infamous tag, the option that fans are familiar with is the “exclusive” type that guarantees a player will be on their current team another season and will have to wait until the next offseason to test free agency — if they don’t agree to a long-term deal first. However, there is also a “non-exclusive tag” that teams can use.
- Lamar Jackson stats (2022): 12 games, 3,006 total yards, 20 total TD, 7 INT
If the Ravens use a non-exclusive tag it would allow other organizations to make a run at Lamar Jackson as if he were a free agent. And if the superstar signal-caller and a team agreed on a massive long-term pact, the Ravens would get some serious compensation in the form of two first-round picks.
While that is certainly compensation that would turn off most teams, that might be the minimum price the Ravens set in any potential trade for Jackson if they instead use the exclusive tag and want to move him further down the road.
It is a unique approach to an unusual situation and could at least guarantee a good return if Baltimore can’t reach a long-term deal with Jackson.