Baltimore Ravens place the non-exclusive franchise tag on Lamar Jackson after contractual talks fail to yield productive results
The Baltimore Ravens have franchise tagged their quarterback Lamar Jackson after both sides failed to reach an agreement regarding his contract extension.
Follow Us
Lamar Jackson will have to wait more to get the extension he has been yearning for. (IMAGE: USA Today)
Lamar Jackson will have to wait another year until he can get paid on the same footing as other top-tier quarterbacks in the NFL. The Baltimore Ravens have officially placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on their quarterback, as both sides could not reach common ground on his contract extension talks. With this, Jackson risks playing another year without any certainty or guaranteed amount for his future.
The non-exclusive franchise tag placed by the Baltimore Ravens gives the team an opportunity to wait and watch. They will be obligated to pay Lamar $32 million at the end of this season, but the one advantage that Jackson has is that he is free to meet and talk to other teams to get an idea of what they are willing to offer him. Assuming another team does decide to trade for Lamar and offer him a massive extension, Baltimore reserves the right to match the offer of the team or take two-first round picks in exchange for him.
While this is yet another setback for Lamar as his contract talks have been going on for over a year now, it also highlights an interesting point which is, should the quarterback consider hiring an agent? Lamar has been representing himself and is basing his worth off the massive QB contracts floating around in the NFL, but one cannot help but ponder if perhaps hiring a professional would help the QB fast-track this process.
Related: Von Miller Contracts Details: Find out the salary breakdown of the superstar LB
What does the immediate future hold for Lamar Jackson?
The Baltimore Ravens were compelled to place the franchise tag on their QB as the deadline for doing so was on the 7th of March at 4 PM E.T. and it also gives them time to take a look at their available cap space and make other moves to improve the team overall. Baltimore did play it smart, as the team did their homework well. The front office took a good look at the quarterback situation around the NFL and assessed which teams are likely to pose a threat and attempt to trade for their star floor general.
The Atlanta Falcons, Miami Dolphins, Carolina Panthers, Washington Commanders, and the Las Vegas Raiders confirmed that they will not be interested in pursuing a deal for Lamar Jackson, which is a huge setback for the QB. With this information in hand, the Ravens got the upper hand, as the remainder of the teams in the NFL already have a franchise quarterback.
For teams such as the Houston Texans who could use a star quarterback, they are willing to risk their odds in the draft and start fresh with a new quarterback. The Jets were another team that may have considered Lamar, but the team is now pursuing Aaron Rodgers. It will be some more time before fans get a definitive end to the Lamar Jackson contract saga.
Do follow us on: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
Related: Is Tom Brady staging yet another comeback and planning to join the Miami Dolphins?
Stay Updated!
Sumedh Joshi
(2267 Articles Published)