The Baltimore Ravens haven’t done much of anything over the first few days of 2023 free agency. Their hands are tied behind their back as they try to reach a resolution in the longstanding saga with quarterback Lamar Jackson, who is currently taking up $32.4 million in cap space on the non-exclusive franchise tag.
When giving out grades to each NFL team on their early activity in free agency, Garrett Podell gave Baltimore an extremely low grade, hitting them with a “D”. Podell said the reason why the Ravens didn’t get an incomplete grade instead of a “D” was because they have an obvious move right in front of them in signing Jackson to a long-term extension.
“The reason the Ravens don’t have an incomplete grade instead of a ‘D’ is simple; they have a no-brainer move sitting right in front them: sign MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson to a long-term contract extension. Alienating the face of your franchise in a staring contest over his second contract is bad vibes. Putting him on the non-exclusive franchise tag to show Jackson how no other NFL team is interested in signing him to a fully-guaranteed contract is understandable. After almost 12 hours of free agency, Baltimore needs to send a better contract pitch as a peace offering and get this deal done.”
The Jackson situation has dragged out far too long, and it has impacted Baltimore’s ability to make free agent moves as well as potentially secure their franchise quarterback of the future.
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