The Ravens announced Tuesday that they’ll be using the non-exclusive franchise tag on Lamar Jackson.
During this Wednesday’s edition of First Take, ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith offered his thoughts on the Ravens’ negotiations with Jackson.
Smith thinks the Ravens are “insulting” Jackson with their offers thus far.
“The last quarterback is usually the dude who sets the market to some degree. When you’re sitting nearly $60 million less than a Kyler Murray — which is a reasonable contract — that in and of itself is insulting,” Smith said.
Smith believes the Ravens should ultimately offer $200 million guaranteed to Jackson.
By playing the non-exclusive tag on Jackson, the Ravens are giving other teams a chance to set the market for the former MVP. However, there’s no guarantee a bidding war will break out.
“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,” ESPN insider Adam Schefter said.
Jackson has certainly earned a significant payday. Whether or not he’ll get the contract he’s hoping for is a different story though.