The Baltimore Ravens have given Lamar Jackson a non-exclusive franchise tag, giving him the opportunity to negotiate with other teams. In addition to the former MVP, numerous other players have been given the franchise tag.
The teams had until the Tuesday deadline at 10:00 p.m. to tag prospective unrestricted free agents with the franchise tag.
“Since we haven’t signed a long-term contract with Lamar Jackson yet, we will be using the franchise tag,” said Ravens General Manager Eric DeCosta.
“There have been many instances across the league and in Baltimore where a player has been franchise tagged and signed a long term contract later that year. We will continue to deal with Lamar in good faith and we hope that we can secure a long-term deal that is fair to both Lamar and the Ravens. Our ultimate goal is to build a championship team with Lamar Jackson at the helm for many years to come,” continued DeCosta.
The non-exclusive tag comes with a salary of $32.5 million for 2023, which is about $13 million less than the exclusive tag would have cost. This allows Jackson to negotiate with other teams. If he agrees to a long-term contract with another club, the Ravens have an opportunity to accept the offer. If not, the Ravens would receive the other team’s next two first-round picks.
Under Franchise Tag, the Ravens and Jackson now have until July 17 to negotiate a long-term deal. If no agreement is reached by the NFL deadline, a new contract cannot be signed until the end of the season. Baltimore has inked multi-year deals with five of the seven players previously franchised by the team.
In addition to Jackson, Saquon Barkley of the New York Giants also received the franchise tag.
NFL: Cowboys keep Tony Pollard with franchise tag
Four other players had already been tagged a day before the deadline: The Washington Commanders tagged defensive tackle Daron Payne, the Dallas Cowboys and Las Vegas Raiders tagged their running backs Tony Pollard and Josh Jacobs. In addition, tight end Evan Engram received the franchise tag from the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Another contender for Franchise Tag was Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith. But both sides agreed on a new three-year contract on Monday. Daniel Jones also signed a new four-year contract after his fourth and best season with the New York Giants.
NFL: Franchise and Transition Day Salaries 2023
| position | Franchise Day (dollars) | Transition Day (dollars) |
| quarterback | 32,416,000 | 29,504,000 |
| Defensive end | 19,727,000 | 17,478,000 |
| wide receivers | 19,743,000 | 17,991,000 |
| linebacker | 20,926,000 | 17,478,000 |
| corner back | 18,140,000 | 15,791,000 |
| offensive line | 18,244,000 | 16,660,000 |
| Defensive tackle | 18,937,000 | 16,068,000 |
| security | 14,460,000 | 11,867,000 |
| running back | 10,091,000 | 8,429,000 |
| tight end | 11,348,000 | 9,716,000 |
| special teams | 5,393,000 | 4,869,000 |