A surprise team has emerged in the Lamar Jackson sweepstakes.
Last month, the Baltimore Ravens put the non-exclusive franchise tag on Jackson which would allow him to negotiate with teams but allow them to match any offer. If a team is able to lure Jackson away they would have to give up two first-round picks.
Via NBC Sports
Via NBC Sports
The team notified the NFL that it has placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on its star quarterback.
The non-exclusive tag comes in at just over $32 million for 2023 and gives Jackson the power to negotiate a long-term deal with other teams.Meanwhile, non-exclusive tags allow players to negotiate with other teams. If they receive an offer, their current team has the opportunity to match. If they opt not to match the offer, they’re entitled to receive two first-round draft picks in exchange.
Jackson was able to finally talk to teams on Wednesday but hasn’t gotten much interest due to the steep price to sign him.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler spoke with NFL execs about Jackson’s prospects and two teams have emerged as teams that may be interested in Jackson’s services, the Titans and the Vikings.
“I asked some executives around the league what teams would make sense. They mention Tennessee, who just cleared some cap space. They have a new GM Ran Carthon, who’s working on the roster. They could use a running quarterback; they have experience with that in the past.
And even a wild card like Minnesota. Kirk Cousins has one year left on his contract if they want to reestablish their identity there.”
