On Tuesday the Baltimore Ravens made the rather controversial decision to place the non-exclusive franchise tag on star quarterback Lamar Jackson, allowing other NFL teams to make contract offers to him. ESPN’s Adam Schefter explained what the situation is.
Appearing on Get Up, the ESPN NFL insider explained that the Ravens took a calculated gamble in using that particular tag, allowing other teams to do the work of coming up with an offer for Lamar Jackson that suits his preferences. He made it clear that it remains a seldom-used tag that other teams take on.
“There have been many free agents in the past that have been given a tag… and other teams have balked at signing that player to an offer sheet because they don’t want to do the work for another team. This is not a Lamar Jackson new phenomenon,” Schefter said.
While it may not be new, the particulars of this situation are more unique than most. Quarterbacks like Dak Prescott and Kirk Cousins have been franchise tagged before, but always with the exclusive franchise tag to avoid giving other teams the option to take them off their hands.
The Baltimore Ravens have spent over a year trying to come to terms with Lamar Jackson on a contract extension but to no avail.
Now the Ravens appear content to let the market decide how much Jackson is worth. Though unlike most situations like this, the Ravens can actually lose their MVP quarterback if they are unable to match the best offer he receives.
It’s a unique situation, but Lamar Jackson is a unique player.
Will Jackson wind up playing for the Ravens next year, or another team?