Word on Monday morning was that the Ravens are still expected to place the franchise tag on quarterback Lamar Jackson before Tuesday afternoon’s deadline to use it, but the team isn’t giving up hope of getting a longer deal done in the next 24 hours.
Ravens executive vice president Ozzie Newsome was a guest on The Bernie Kosar Show on Monday and said that the team will keep talking to Jackson until close to the end of the window in hopes of coming to an agreement. If not, he confirms that a tag will be used.
“The biggest thing is we have a deadline tomorrow at four o’clock to put the tag on. I know today and up until about 3:30 tomorrow, a lot of energy is going to be utilized in trying to get a deal done,” Newsome said. “If not, we will put the franchise tag on him.”
If the Ravens do use the tag, they will have to choose between the non-exclusive and exclusive varieties. The latter would cost about $13 million more in salary, but would preclude Jackson from negotiating with other teams. If the non-exclusive is used, a team could sign Jackson and compensate the Ravens with two first-round picks if Baltimore doesn’t match the offer.
