Baltimore Ravens place non-exclusive franchise tag on QB Lamar Jackson

The Baltimore Ravens have placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on quarterback Lamar Jackson, the team announced Tuesday. By doing so, the Ravens can continue to work on a long-term deal with Jackson with the ability to match any offer sheet that comes in from another team.

Baltimore general manager Eric DeCosta released a statement regarding the decision and reaffirmed the desire to work out a contract with Jackson.

“Having not yet reached a long-term deal with Lamar Jackson, we will use the franchise tag,” DeCosta said. “There have been many instances across the league and in Baltimore when a player has been designated with the franchise tag and signed a long-term deal that same year. We will continue to negotiate in good faith with Lamar, and we are hopeful that we can strike 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 leading the way for many years to come.”

A first-round pick coming out of Louisville in the 2018 NFL Draft, Jackson has been one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL since entering the league. Jackson has thrown for an average of 2,441.8 yards and 20.2 touchdowns per season, while also rushing for an average of 887.4 yards per season. Jackson put up astonishing numbers in the first three years of his career but has fallen off a bit in the last two seasons due to injury. Jackson has only played 12 games in each of the last two seasons.

Jackson won the NFL MVP award in 2019. In his career, Jackson has been a First Team All-Pro selection once and a two-time Pro Bowl pick. Jackson led the league in passing touchdowns in 2019 with 36 touchdowns.

NFL free agency officially gets underway March 15 at 4 p.m. ET.