Ravens apply non-exclusive franchise tag on Lamar Jackson

BALTIMORE - The Baltimore Ravens applied the non-exclusive franchise tag on quarterback Lamar Jackson.

His salary for next year will be $32 million, unless he negotiates a contract with another team.

Jackson can talk and negotiate with teams on contracts. If the Ravens don't match that offer from another team, they will receive two first round draft picks in return.

Baltimore could have prevented Jackson from negotiating with anyone else by using the exclusive-rights franchise tag, but that could have cost significantly more.

The two sides were unable to agree to terms before the franchise tag deadline on Tuesday.

"Having not yet reached a long-term deal with Lamar Jackson, we will use the franchise tag, Ravens General Manager Eric DeCosta said in a statement. "There have been many instances across the league and in Baltimore when a player has been designated with the franchise tag and signed a long-term deal that same year. We will continue to negotiate in good faith with Lamar, and we are hopeful that we can strike a long-term deal that is fair to both Lamar and the Ravens. Our ultimate goal is to build a championship team with Lamar Jackson leading the way for many years to come."

Each NFL team is limited to one franchise tag per offseason. A player can be franchised three times by the same team.

The Ravens have until July 17 to agree to a long-term deal. After that, a new deal can't be signed until after the season. 

The Dallas Cowboys used the exclusive franchise tag on quarterback Dak Prescott in 2020. 

A year later, they reached a long-term deal with him. Kirk Cousins is another quarterback who played on the franchise tag fairly recently. He did it his final two seasons in Washington before joining the Minnesota Vikings in 2018.

So now the saga between Jackson and the Ravens enters its next phase. Josh Allen, the other star quarterback drafted in 2018 with Jackson, signed a long-term deal with Buffalo two offseasons ago. 

Jackson, on the other hand, entered last season still without an extension. His contract status didn't seem too disruptive last offseason — he participated in mandatory minicamp and training camp — but there's no telling how the next few months will go.

There obviously is some risk involved with using the nonexclusive tag, especially for a player of Jackson's caliber, but it could resolve this deadlock sooner. 

If Jackson is able to find a deal he likes from another team, the Ravens could either match it or take the draft picks and allow him to leave.

Jackson, who doesn't have an agent, is one player who should pique the rest of the league's interest, even at the cost of two first-round picks, and his availability to any degree could shake up NFL free agency, which opens later this month.

Jackson was the 2019 NFL MVP, and his dynamic passing and running make him one of the game's most unusual stars. At age 25, he already is one of six quarterbacks in NFL history with 10,000 yards passing and 4,000 rushing. His 12 games with at least 100 yards rushing are an NFL record.

Jackson has been hurt at the end of the past two seasons, and the Ravens haven't reached the AFC championship game with him, but his impact on their offense is massive. If he remains with Baltimore, he'll have a new coordinator after the Ravens hired Georgia's Todd Monkin.