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Robert Griffin III knows what the Baltimore Ravens will do about Lamar Jackson’s next contract. Rather than cave to their quarterback’s demand about a potentially record-breaking fully guaranteed deal, Griffin believes the Ravens will exercise patience.
What patience will look like is using the exclusive franchise tag to keep Jackson in the fold for at least another season. Griffin, who served as Jackson’s backup during three years in Baltimore, explained his thinking during an appearance on ESPN’s Get Up (h/t Ravens Vault co-host Sarah Ellison): “I’ve been told from people inside the building that they’re willing to be patient with Lamar Jackson this offseason. And part of that patience, I believe, is using the exclusive franchise tag on him. As Jeff (Darlington) said, Lamar is worth way more than two first-round picks.”
Making use of the exclusive tag would offer the Ravens another layer of protection against a team still being able to sign arguably the most dynamic player in the NFL.
Ravens Would Cover Themselves by Using Exclusive Tag
Jackson getting the non-exclusive tag would mean he’s free to negotiate with any other team. If the Ravens refuse to match any offer made to Jackson, his next team would have to part with two first-round picks.
By contrast, Around the NFL’s Kevin Patra explained “Unlike the non-exclusive version, the tagging team retains the sole right to negotiate with the player. The exclusivity raises the pay scale (current average salary versus averaging of the previous five years). This is a one-year tender offer of the average of the top five salaries at the player’s position for the current year, or 120 percent of his previous salary, whichever is greater.”
Any risk here is obviously of the financial variety since the top 10 earners in the NFL are all quarterbacks, according to Spotrac.com. The same source details how Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson, Kyler Murray, Deshaun Watson and Patrick Mahomes are all paid an average salary of at least $45 million.
They are the top five Patra referred to, so Jackson’s salary under the exclusive tag would be in the $45-46 million range. It’s a tidy sum, but as Griffin pointed out, “the Ravens are willing to be patient because they want to see what happens with Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert and what’s going to happen with Jalen Hurts, because if those guys don’t get fully guaranteed deals, it actually helps them in their negotiations with Lamar Jackson.”
Griffin’s reference to “fully guaranteed” contracts is part of the ongoing narrative concerning Deshaun Watson. The latter got $230 million rubber stamped by the Cleveland Browns last offseason, a record outlay.
Jackson wants a guaranteed contract at least on a par with what Watson received, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler and Jamison Hensley. The Browns may have eschewed the broader quarterback market, but Chris Trapasso of CBS Sports speculated if the decision to pay Watson on a historic scale might not have been a little more pointed:
Whatever the Browns’ motivation was needn’t concern the Ravens. Instead, general manager Eric DeCosta needs to fully examine every strategy that can mitigate the Ravens’ risk when it comes to Jackson’s immediate and long-term future.
Griffin’s suggestion is only one option.
Non-Exclusive Tag Has Benefits for Ravens
The other option, assuming no agreement can be reached about a long-term deal, is for the Ravens to use the non-exclusive tag. It has the advantage of offering the Ravens a bird’s eye view of what the market looks like for the face of the franchise.
Teams making Jackson offers would allow the Ravens to decide what their upper limit is in these negotiations. If they don’t match, getting two first-round picks would take the sting out of letting a generational talent move to a new city.
Yes, Jackson is worth more than two first-rounders, but the appetite around the league for the kind of bumper trade package the Ravens would want may not be as healthy as last offseason. Not after the Denver Broncos went 5-12 and fired their head coach, even after giving up two first-round picks, two second-round selections, a fifth-rounder and three players to acquire Wilson from the Seattle Seahawks.
Keeping any offering to consecutive first-round choices and nothing more would be easier to swallow for potential trade partners. Those picks would also still provide the Ravens sufficient means to successfully move on from Jackson.
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