Ravens Take a Calculated Risk with Non-Exclusive Tag

The Lamar Jackson situation continues to loom over us. As we are all aware by now, the Ravens placed the non-exclusive tag on Jackson, which allows him to negotiate with other teams. The Ravens can match any offer sheet and if they don’t, they get two first-round picks from the team that signs the quarterback.

These are the stale facts, but I’m not writing a news piece. That’s been covered.

Here are my two cents on the situation. Take it for what it’s worth.

By not using the exclusive tag, the Ravens put a lot of power in Jackson’s hands. There are two risks here. First, Jackson could find a deal that the Ravens won’t be able to match. Secondly, Jackson can take his time and potentially abstain from signing an offer sheet until after the draft.

The fact that the Ravens would take those risks is telling.

The Ravens are basically asking Jackson to come to the negotiating table, but for real this time. At this point, they don’t mind not being the ones on the other side of said table, as long as Jackson sits down at it. In other words, the Ravens are more than willing to let another team do their work for them. They could gain a new perspective that could unlock everything, Maybe Jackson’s offer sheet with another team will include a more win-win structuring. The Ravens have to believe they can get him back. It sounds counterintuitive, but this move makes me think the Ravens want to stay in the Lamar Jackson business.

Allow me to tell you the calming truth of the Lamar Jackson situation, instead of being upset by the circulating lies.#RavensFlock pic.twitter.com/F9ArORZJyn

— Emmanuel Acho (@EmmanuelAcho) March 9, 2023

Adam Schefter tweeted that Jackson could be the only quarterback who has been given the non-exclusive tag to sign an offer sheet with another team and then go to that other team. The precedent is in the Ravens’ favor. The idea that the non-exclusive tag is an insult to Jackson is one rooted in emotion.

Fans want to be mad, but a long-term deal was never coming before the tag deadline.

Jackson has missed the final stretch of games two seasons in a row. Of course, it’s not fair to ask players to play when they are hurt. That being said, it is fair to ask Jackson to aggressively attack rehab so he can get back on the field. We’re not in the thick of things but it seemed like Jackson made a business decision and it prevented him from getting back on the field. Weeks later Patrick Mahomes played hurt in both the AFC Championship game and the Super Bowl and hoisted the Lombardi Trophy. A theme I’ll keep going back to is that Jackson has to do his part.

You can get mad at me for pushing a narrative all you want here, but you must understand that the Ravens took note of how Jackson handled the situation. He’s asking for a fully guaranteed contract north of $230 million. He doesn’t have an agent, and this has been a drama cloud over the organization for the past two years. Jackson may be the most exciting player ever to wear purple and black, but the franchise is in a tough spot.

What could they have done?

The Ravens tried to negotiate with Jackson, but by all accounts the player isn’t doing his part. He has one demand and it would set an entirely new precedent in the NFL. League owners desperately want Deshaun Watson’s fully promised money to be the exception, the lone outlier. The NFLPA wants it to be the new precedent, and is advising Jackson to hold out for it.

The first thing an agent would have done for Jackson is give him an idea of what the market was for his services. An agent would try to get the most he could for his client; the key difference is that he or she would have more realistic parameters in mind.

Say what you want about the Ravens, but Eric DeCosta probably knows more about the market than Jackson does. It’s his job, it’s what he does. Say what you will about the Ravens, but the wisdom of using the non-exclusive tag has become clearer as the week has gone on.

Another team can get a fresh start with Jackson and maybe work past some of the hurdles to a deal. The Ravens probably know Jackson isn’t going to get the entirety of what he’s asking for and they can let another team do the work for them. Contract talks with Jackson and the Ravens are kind of like a pile of tangled old iPhone headphones. There’s no untangling that mess – just get a new pair.

Do the Ravens have issues? Absolutely. But I sincerely don’t know what they were supposed to do in this situation that would have led to a positive outcome. If they put the exclusive tag on Jackson it would have been another ball of drama and while it played out the Ravens would be in an even tighter spot, cap-wise.

Is there another team that would give up more than two first-round picks and then be put in the same exact situation the Ravens are in? Remember if the exclusive tag was used, Jackson wouldn’t be able to negotiate contract offers with other teams.

The Ravens put the ball in Lamar Jackson’s court. He can test the market. Unless a team offers him an astronomical deal of a lifetime, Baltimore will probably match any offer he’s given. Jackson likely has no interest in playing on the non-exclusive tag. $32.4 million is way below what he believes his value is, and he likely expected at least the $45M of the exclusive tag.

If the market plays out like the Ravens seem to believe it will, one of three things will happen.

1. Jackson will come back at a price they’ve probably already offered him
2. Jackson will sign the franchise tag
3. Jackson won’t sign anything (until Week 10) and nobody wins in 2023

The Ravens are taking a risk. They have to be right about this. If the Ravens end up winning this stalemate the organization will deserve a lot of credit for shutting out the noise and trusting their process.

It’s now in vogue to speak ill of the Ravens. A win here would be a monumental step back to good graces for Baltimore.

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