Getty Is Lamar Jackson waiting for the franchise tag?
Lamar Jackson still hasn’t agreed a new contract with the Baltimore Ravens, and one NFL Network Insider thinks he knows why.
This insider believes Jackson, who is representing himself in negotiations, could be delaying the process with a plan in mind. That plan would involve Jackson eventually being franchise tagged before using the tag as leverage to broker a more lucrative deal down the road.
It’s a ploy that’s been successful for other quarterbacks around the league, but the Ravens may be anxious to agree fresh terms sooner. General manager Eric DeCosta has already indicated he’s waiting on the franchise quarterback to get the process started.
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Jackson Tag Prediction Made
Speaking at the NFL Combine, Ian Rapoport offered his own theory on why Jackson may be dragging his feet:
Could #Ravens QB Lamar Jackson play out his contract all the way? It is a discussion worth having.
While he stressed that he was only expressing his “own read on the situation,” Rapoport went on to recount how Minnesota Vikings’ starter Kirk Cousins and Dak Prescott of the Dallas Cowboys used the franchise tag in the past “as a weapon to maximize their contract leverage.”
Both Cousins and Prescott played under the franchise tag ahead of earning bumper paydays. Cousins made history in 2017 when he was the first quarterback to be tagged two years running.
He left Washington the next year to sign a massive contract with the Vikings in free agency. Cousins had kept himself in a starting role on good pay, but also left the door ajar and his options open for his next move.
Prescott followed a similar strategy with the Cowboys two years later, with some advice from Cousins, who said “the franchise tag can be your friend.” That’s how things played out for Prescott, who earned $31.4 million under the tag in 2020, before signing a new four-year contract worth $160 million.
Jackson can see the blueprint if he’s looking at how he might use the tag to his advantage. It’s not something the Ravens are likely to welcome, with DeCosta already pushing for more long-term security, per ESPN’s Jamison Hensley:
Ravens GM Eric DeCosta on contract talks with Lamar Jackson: “I think it takes two sides to actively put their heads together and get a deal worked out. We are ready to be there for Lamar at any point. When he decides that he really wants to work on it, we will be.”
DeCosta is putting the ball in Jackson’s court, but he’s also betraying the Ravens’ anxiety to get a deal done.
Jackson’s Future Too Important to Leave to Chance
There’s a reason the Ravens are underlining the fact they’re waiting on Jackson. The franchise’s immediate chances for success rest on the quarterback’s arm and legs.
Jackson’s about to play on the final year of his rookie deal, but DeCosta won’t want to see him test free agency a year from now. There would be a lengthy queue of suitors if Jackson hit the market.
He’s taken the Ravens to the postseason three times out of his four seasons in the pros. Only an ankle injury prevented him from making it four from four in 2021.
The 25-year-old is arguably the most dynamic, dual-threat quarterback in the league. He remains a consistent big-play threat as a runner, per PFF Fantasy Football:
ELECTRIC runners ⚡️
Jackson’s also developed as a competent passer. He’s thrown 78 touchdowns since becoming a full-time starter in 2019.
As Guru Fantasy World’s David J. Gautieri noted, Jackson’s passing statistics put him alongside Buffalo Bills’ star Josh Allen as a running quarterback who can also gash defenses through the air:
Lamar Jackson’s season-high is 36 passing TD’s in 15 games.
Josh Allen’s is 37 in 16.
Lamar Jackson averaged 260 passing YPG in his 11 full starts this year.
Josh Allen averaged 259.
Respect. Lamar. Jackson.
THE PASSER.
If there’s one drawback to Jackson, it’s durability. He’s never completed a full season and his daring style of play naturally leaves him vulnerable to more punishment.
It’s a risk the Ravens have to take because this team will only go as far as Jackson will take it, even if he’s only at the controls for another two years at the most.
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NFL Insider Thinks Ravens’ Lamar Jackson Might Want the Franchise Tag