During his end-of-season press conference, John Harbaugh said the Ravens are “200 percent” committed to Lamar Jackson as their starting quarterback. He may have been too ambitious with that percentage.
On Saturday afternoon, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport reported that Baltimore will use the franchise tag on Jackson if the two sides can’t agree to a long-term deal before the March 7 deadline.
Even if the Ravens use the franchise tag on Jackson this offseason, there’s no guarantee he’ll remain in Baltimore for the 2023 season.
Per the latest report from NFL Network, the Ravens could be tempted to trade Jackson for “a windfall of draft picks.” He would need to sign the franchise tender in order to complete the deal.
It’s also possible the Ravens place the non-exclusive franchise tag on Jackson. In this scenario, they’d get two first-round picks as compensation if the former MVP signs an offer sheet with another team.
Of course, all these trade rumors could go away if the Ravens increase the amount of guaranteed money in their offer to Jackson.
Until that happens, Jackson’s future will remain a hot top in the NFL world.