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UPDATE: The Ravens informed the NFLPA they have placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on Jackson. He is allowed to negotiate with other teams and if he agrees to a deal the Ravens do not want to match, it will cost two first-round picks.
Ravens sent notice to the NFLPA that they placed the $32.41 million non-exclusive franchise tag on QB Lamar Jackson. He now is allowed to negotiate with other teams, but Ravens have right to match any offer sheet he signs or take two first-round picks in return for him. pic.twitter.com/HNdg6231tC
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 7, 2023
Ravens QB Lamar Jackson saw just 12 games for the second consecutive season thanks to injury, after an ankle bone bruise in 2021 and a PCL sprain in 2022 cut both seasons short. The 26-year-old has spent the entirety of his NFL career in Baltimore, but could that change ahead of the 2023 season?
2023 in review
Jackson threw 203-of-326 last season with a total of 2,242 yards and 17 touchdowns on the campaign before he went down with the knee injury. His completion percentage was the lowest it’s been since his rookie season, coming in at 62.3 percent while he ended up with seven interceptions and 26 sacks.
Jackson never made it back in time for the playoffs as 25-year-old backup QB Tyler Huntley took over duties under center. The Ravens ended up losing to the Bengals in the Wild Card round with a 24-17 final score. Baltimore parted ways with offensive coordinator Greg Roman and hired Todd Monken in his place as they look to improve offensively ahead of next season.
Do the Ravens want to keep him?
Baltimore has expressed interest in keeping Jackson around, as both coach John Harbaugh and GM Eric DeCosta have stated they would like to keep moving forward with Jackson at the helm. Negotiations are still underway, and there have been rumors of an expected franchise tag to be placed on the sixth-year quarterback, which would of course keep him out of free agency this offseason.
John Harbaugh on Lamar Jackson: He's our guy... but these things are not easy. pic.twitter.com/aTn00WSTad
— Ben Standig (@BenStandig) March 1, 2023
Rumored interest
Other potential landing spots for Jackson could include the Atlanta Falcons, who just released Marcus Mariota and feed up an extra $12 million in cap space to pursue someone like Lamar Jackson during the 2023 offseason. While they haven’t publicly expressed interest in signing him, they’re obviously in need of a new starting QB and Jackson could be a perfect fit into Arthur Smith’s system.