Exclusive v. Non-exclusive Franchise Tag
Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock in the foothills of West Virginia, you know that there’s a big announcement pending, regarding Lamar Jackson. Will the Ravens reach a last minute agreement with Lamar or will they employ the franchise tag? And if the franchise tag is used, will it be the exclusive tag or the non-exclusive?
Let’s be real here. There will be no new deal done by 4PM today. The two sides have been discussing a new contract seemingly for two years. Why should the next few hours make a difference? I get that deadlines spur action but these negotiations have practically flatlined.
I’ve been told that there have been times when Lamar and GM Eric DeCosta would leave a meeting enthusiastically over a deal that appeared imminent – but it never happens. Lamar experiences a change of heart overnight, bringing the sides right back to ground zero. The only thing imminent is the franchise tag, and you can count on it being the exclusive variety.
Why?
If the Ravens use the non-exclusive franchise tag, they open themselves up to receiving less in return. Plus, what they could get in return might not arrive until next year if a team signs Lamar to an offer sheet post-draft that the Ravens don’t or can’t match. Teams could slip in some poison pills in their offer to Lamar, such as a 2023 roster bonus that the Ravens salary cap can’t absorb.
The non-exclusive franchise tag really isn’t an option at all.
BREAKING NEWS? INSIDE SCOOP?
Several people reached out to me yesterday wondering if I’d seen the “breaking news” that Ozzie Newsome shared on The Bernie Kosar Show. The breaking news? If the Ravens can’t reach an agreement on an extension with Lamar by 4PM today, they will tag him.
Still wondering how so many qualify this as "breaking news". For those who have paid even an ounce of attention, Ozzie is simply sharing the obvious, something we've all understood for a long time. Well, apparently not "all"… pic.twitter.com/u16N2xkKt5
— Tony Lombardi (@RSRLombardi) March 7, 2023
Breaking news? C’mon man!
And then there was this “scoop” from Jason La Canfora that clearly impressed his on air sidekick, Ken Weinman.
“Called this on Friday!” This is a scoop? The only scoop La Canfora can deliver arrives via Baskin-Robbins. And it’s probably melted.
Some might be swayed by Eric DeCosta’s comments suggesting the Ravens are unsure of which franchise tag they’ll use. Keep in mind that the Ravens are an organization that has such things buttoned down for quite a while. They’ve discussed these things internally ad nauseum for many months. They know EXACTLY what the play is but to their credit, they’re being coy and outwardly they are presenting themselves as indecisive. It’s simply a façade to invite further discussion about Lamar from other GM’s. The more intel that DeCosta can gather, the more leverage he creates for the team.
It was interesting that DeCosta brought up the notion of fear during his presser at the NFL Combines. EDC doesn’t say things haphazardly. His words are calculated. Most GM’s would be afraid to trade this so-called “generational talent” (whatever that means) because if he goes somewhere else and wins, that doesn’t reflect favorably on DeCosta. I took his words to mean that if you’re prepared enough, you eliminate fear, even if it means trading Lamar.
I don’t know what the future hold for Lamar. He’s labeled as a unicorn but for me, that’s not necessarily good. He marches to his own beat; more times than not those who do are self-centered. Perhaps Lamar is an exception. If he’s traded, DeCosta will have to make sure that he hits on the draft capital received in return. But I don’t think that kind of pressure bothers him. I think he relishes in it.
Fear Factor
The fear factor may not be gripping DeCosta but as a fan of the Ravens, it certainly has a hold on me. My fear is that Lamar plays under the exclusive franchise tag, draining cap resources and pretty much leaving the team with the same offense in 2023, save the addition of offensive coordinator Todd Monken. And I wouldn’t be surprised to see Lamar treat next season the same he he treated 2022. But at least in 2022, he attended mandatory OTA’s and training camp. Under the franchise tag, I wouldn’t expect that in 2023 and THAT would undermine the development of Monken’s offense.
A year from now, we could be having the same conversations about Lamar that we’re having today only then, the cost of the franchise tag will be 120% of today’s $45.28M.
Groundhog Day anyone?
22 Responses
Time to move on from Lamar! No player is worth breaking the bank for, particularly one who has regressed and may now be injury prone……
Lamar bet on himself, but he lost. Do we then reward him at the detriment of the team, or offer him the going rate for a franchise QB? I am in agreement with Armchair at this time.
Non-exclusive … if a team is willing to pay Lamar what he wants and give up two first-round picks, let them. Ravens should not be greedy about this; I suspect they have done their due diligence and have found there are no bonafide offers out there that will both pay Jackson’s asking price and cough up a giant hairball of draft picks, ala Cleveland and Denver. Time to move on.
“It would take someone unbelievably committed to Lamar Jackson and I have looked and I have not found that team just yet,” Rapoport said when discussing if Baltimore could receive more than two first-round picks through a trade if they use the exclusive franchise tag on Jackson. — Ian Rapoport, NFL Network
Lamar was the MVP but that was 4 years ago. His performance and injury history the last 2 years tells me that the Ravens would be nuts to sign him to a long term deal worth over $200 million. Lamar has only played in 24 of the Ravens’ last 34 regular season games. In those 24 games the Ravens were 15-9. His total passing yards was 5124 yards or about 213 yards per game. His completion % was only 63.3%. He threw 33 TDs and 20 interceptions. If those stats justify a long term deal averaging over $40 million per year then Joe Burrow and Patrick Mahomes should be making $60 million per year. Ravens need to trade Lamar for some draft picks and move on.
they cannot trade him for draft picks. We get 1st round picks in 2024 and 2025 if someone offers him and we do not match it. that’s crap for a starting qb. Teams would give more for Tannenhill.
LaCanfora does it again!! How does he do it? Once again, he’s way ahead of everybody else. He is a true “insider. He and Bischotti must be tight
I think LJ is sticking firm at $250M fully gtd. I think he feels he can get that playing on the exclusive tag for a year or two, and then negotiating a short term fully gtd deal on the open market…aka the Cousins Gambit.
If the Ravens aren’t alone in not wanting to pay that sum, if they don’t want to repeat the misery of the last 2 years only to lose LJ eventually for a 3rd round comp pick, the Non-Exclusive tag may make sense.
From all I read online it appears Lamar has lost a SIGNIFICANT part of the Ravens fan base who all seem eager to part ways divorce style. Question is, if Lamar stamps his foot and whines and complains about unfair treatment and being disrespected but ultimately signs what kind of greeting does he get from fan base? Remember when Juwan Howard returned to Wizards with mega deal but didn’t deliver? He would get absolutely destroyed at home games every time he touched the ball! Lamar could be Juwan part 2 here.
Also, anyone looking for a laugh go over to Pressbox and Stan Charles paid Angelo’s family infomercial where he calls John Angelo’s and Angelo’s family terrific owners. As site owner is fond of saying “Clown Shoes”! Had to check date to make sure it wasn’t April 1st!
When is the earliest he could be traded? Today? The draft? The official start of the season.
They just placed the non-exclusive tag….
I’m shocked. Particularly conversations I’ve had with sources close to the situation. I guess they did some more due diligence and concluded that the teams that might make a play for Lamar could not extend an offer that the Ravens were unable to match. We’ll see how the non-exclusive plays out but my guess is the Ravens also narrowed the field down to teams that if they sign Lamar and the Ravens could NOT match, those are teams with draft picks that they would be ok with. Maybe they just didn’t get trade offers that they thought were much or any better than the compensation for the non-exclusive. This will get interesting if not mundane. I also wouldn’t be surprised if Lamar doesn’t get the deal he wants at all and then plays on the $32.5 non-exclusive tag.
A lot of twists and turns in this one for sure. What if Lamar doesn’t agree to any deal before the draft and then Miami enters the mix. If Lamar agrees after the draft, the Ravens won’t get any compensation until 2024?
Ugh, I’m getting a headache.
Suspect the Ravens concluded they were negotiating with themselves and bowed out. After over two years, there was no real move to compromise or find middle ground from LJs camp, and their position was out of whack with the market (as the four deals since Watson’s confirmed).
Just reported that Atlanta is bowing out of the LJ sweepstakes and they were the leading contender. Giving up 2 firsts for the privilege of paying $250M+ fully gtd wasn’t worth it.
As LJ waits, his value diminishes. Hurts, Burrow and Herbert won’t help his position either when they sign. If he sits out and doesn’t sign the tag sheet until his in-season deadline, he’ll only further hurt his value.
Shoulda had an agent.
It’s like Lamar’s draft night all over again!
I haven’t seen or used the expression ‘negotiating against ourselves’ in forever. But – it’s very appropriate in this case. With the comment above (new news to me) that the Falcons are going to pass – and that other teams previously mentioned – Dolphins, Commanders. etc. (per Bleacherreport) will also not bid for AJ – not sure who beyond the Ravens are in the running for a QB who is an average passer (at best) and has missed 1/3 of the last two seasons due to injury. We could be witnessing the new all time screw up by a player wrt contract negotiations. Taking the title away from Le’veon Bell. But, no one really knows – so we’ll see. The downside risk for the 2023 season is that the Ravens could be paying a QB $33M next year – to someone who isn’t on the field as that player has yet to fully recover for their 2022 injury.
Teams lie this time of year. One of these teams claiming to be out will sign Lamar. Book it
So Tony – can you please explain the ramifications of the Miami making a deal after the draft. How would that work – if they cannot give Baltimore a first round pick then can they still sign him for the year or will it be in the next two years of number one picks – but what about this year?
If a team makes an offer after the draft that the ravens do not match, Lamar leaves for the team immediately and the Ravens get 2 1st round picks, in 2024 and 2025. That’s giving up nothing for a starting QB and will make DeCosta and the Ravens look like fools.
They already look that way for dragging this out this long. Worse still, they have no backup plan in place currently.
I will answer all of these questions in a follow up piece tomorrow.
First, Lamar jackson wanted to be a Pariah. Well here it is. Second, it’s not collusion just because they say it’s collusion. All of those teams have legit reasons for passing on Lamar. Let me give you a few:
Wants too much money
Broken 10 games last 2 seasons
Won 1 playoff game in 5 seasons
Others, like Miami, already have a QB.
Third, just because you want a fully guaranteed deal doesn’t mean you automatically get it or deserve it. I hope LJ continues on his Pariah path. He’ll be the next Vince Young, because that’s how he’s acting.
Wow this did not age well lol. What JlC called was Ravens would wait till last minute to announce which tag. Most reported that we’d hear Sundat or Monday