Tag: Baltimore Ravens franchise tag

What’s next for Ravens and OLB Matthew Judon

With the franchise-tag deadline passed, locking the Ravens into a $16.8 million cap hit in 2020 for OLB Matthew Judon, where do they go now?

The Baltimore Ravens and outside linebacker Matthew Judon saw the franchise-tag deadline come and go without inking a deal. With a deal not done in time, Judon is locked in to play the 2020 season under the one-year franchise tag amount of $16.8 million. But what does this now mean for the team and their top pass rusher moving forward?

In such a tumultuous offseason where the coronavirus pandemic has made the simplest of deals a headache, we’re in uncharted territory. Baltimore and Judon are certainly not alone right now, with 11 other franchise-tagged players sitting in the same position, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Though the lack of a deal by the deadline doesn’t necessarily mean an extension won’t still happen this year, it does bring about more question marks than answers at a time when there’s so much uncertainty in sports and the NFL in specific.

Judon, in a video call with reporters back in June, said he’s “happy to be a Raven,” while he also acknowledged the business side of the sport and what Baltimore needs to juggle in regards to big contracts. But as the clock ticked passed the 4:00 p.m. deadline, Judon took to Twitter and Instagram, posting a “Spongebob” meme and a video of him blowing raspberries at the camera and to his child.

However, the missed deadline doesn’t necessarily mean doom and gloom either. There’s a precedent of things working out for Baltimore with the franchise tag. Of the six other players in franchise history to get the tag, only two players — Terrell Suggs and Chris McAlister — played on the franchise tag in back-to-back seasons before getting an extension worked out. Wally Williams is the only player in Ravens history to not sign an extension with Baltimore after receiving the tag in 1998, leaving in free agency the following offseason.

There’s also plenty of plausible reasons why a deal didn’t come together before the deadline. From the coronavirus potentially spreading agents and front offices thin to a lack of other deals getting done to set the bar for Judon’s extension, this offseason has been unusual, to say the least. At the same time, the Ravens weren’t really under much pressure to get an extension done once the bigger names in free agency signed elsewhere, while Judon said he’s “blessed to have to play under this tag.”

The only real short-term ramification of Judon not getting an extension in time is to the Ravens’ salary cap. There was hope Baltimore could use a long-term extension to free up cap space for the 2020 season, either signing some more free agents or using the extra money in extensions for other big-name players like cornerback Marlon Humphrey and offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley.

Long-term, Judon not being signed to an extension makes the future a little more uncertain. The 2021 salary cap is already under fire due to the expected loss of revenue from the COVID-19 restrictions, and Judon not already being signed means Baltimore is missing one more piece of that salary-cap puzzle. Furthermore, there’s a lot of doubt with the Ravens’ pass rush as it stands right now and without Judon locked up for the next few years, it remains the team’s biggest personnel question mark in 2021 and beyond.

With this deadline come and gone, the focus returns to the 2020 season and Baltimore’s Super Bowl chances. The next real deadline for Judon and the Ravens is next offseason when he’ll become an unrestricted free agent once again. With roughly eight months before free agency starts for the 2021 season, there’s plenty of time to work something out and Baltimore has been proactive about getting deals done ahead of time under general manager Eric DeCosta.

At this point, things are in a bit of a standstill. There’s no reason to believe Judon will hold out in training camp or the regular season. And until other deals get signed to set the market for Judon or the Ravens know the salary-cap situation for the next few years, they’re right to be cautious. Something has to budge but there’s too much time for anyone to force their hand early.

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Ravens miss contract deadline with OLB Matthew Judon’s franchise tag

The Baltimore Ravens are locked into a $16.808 million pricetag on OLB Matthew Judon for 2020 after not getting a deal done in time.

The Baltimore Ravens and outside linebacker Matthew Judon are locked into a franchise tag amount of $16.808 million for the 2020 season, after failing to agree to a long-term contract extension in time.

The Ravens initially applied the franchise tag to Judon back in March, compromising on a salary that will pay him between a linebacker and defensive end. Judon signed his tender in May but Baltimore had until today at 4:00 p.m. ET to get him locked up to a long-term contract in order to alter his 2020 salary cap cost. After failing to get a deal done in time, Judon and the Ravens have locked in his 2020 cap hit.

Now, that’s not to say a contract extension still couldn’t happen before next offseason when Judon will become an unrestricted free agent again. We’ve seen the Ravens hand out contract extensions early, especially under new general manager Eric DeCosta, who has made it a priority to create a maintainable salary cap since taking over for Ozzie Newsome last offseason. However, any deal won’t impact his salary for 2020 or free up cap space for Baltimore to use this season. Then again, with the top free agents already signed this offseason, the Ravens haven’t been under any immense pressure to get Judon signed.

Still, Baltimore has been able to turn the franchise tag into contract extensions nearly every time they’ve used it previously, giving plenty of hope to Judon eventually getting a long-term deal done too. The Ravens have used the franchise tag eight times (six different players) prior to Judon, coming to terms on a long-term extension with all but Wally Williams following his franchise tag in 1998.

There are plenty of good reasons for Baltimore and Judon not being able to get a contract ironed out yet, even if one eventually happens.

It’s been a tumultuous offseason given the coronavirus pandemic. It’s had huge ramifications on free agency, the 2020 NFL Draft, and now in the preparation for the regular season. It seems plausible that both the Ravens’ front office and Judon’s agent have been stretched thinner than they normally would have been, making negotiations take longer than usual.

Of course, the lack of qualifying deals this offseason likely also further complicated negotiations and meant it has been harder to accurately set Judon’s value. It was expected Judon’s deal would mirror that of top free agent Jadeveon Clowney. But Clowney is currently unsigned with just a few weeks before training camps kick off around the league. Many of the other top pass rushers also received the franchise tag instead of contract extensions, again failing to create an accurate bar for a potential deal for Judon.

There’s also some concern about how the coronavirus pandemic will impact the salary cap next season. As teams have already announced significantly reduced capacity for home games this season, there will be less revenue this season and subsequently less growth in the 2021 salary cap. Teams are likely hesitant to hand out massive contracts in light of that uncertainty while agents don’t want to leave money on the table simply to get a deal done right now.

It would have been nice for the Ravens to free up some cap space this offseason or to at least know where they stand with one of their top players. But Baltimore has plenty of time to get Judon under contract, even if it didn’t happen by the deadline.

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Matthew Judon ‘blessed’ to play under franchise tag, not worried about contract talks

Baltimore Ravens outside linebacker Matthew Judon isn’t sweating the franchise tag or long-term contract talks, happy to just be playing.

The Baltimore Ravens placed the franchise tag on outside linebacker Matthew Judon this offseason. While other players have balked at the one-year deal, Judon said he’s “blessed” to play under the franchise tag.

“I’m blessed to have to play under this tag,” Judon said in a video call with reporters Monday. “I get to play this game, and as long as I continue to play this game, I’m going to feel blessed. If I have to play under the tag, that’s good for me, because it’s another year.”

Though Judon has signed the franchise tag deal already, he did note there’s still about a month remaining to get a long-term contract figured out. The Ravens and Judon have until July 15 at 4:00 p.m. ET to work out a long-term extension or they’ll be locked into the $16.808 million salary-cap hit they compromised on for 2020.

While many of the questions focused on Judon’s contract status, he made it a point to say he isn’t really in the know. Judon said the talks have been between his agent and the team, with him finding out information well after the fact. Judon even joked that media members know more about his contract status than he does.

“I don’t think you all understand how it goes. I really didn’t know how contracts go, but they don’t really, too much, talk to me. People are like, ‘Judon asked him for this amount [of] money.’ I’ll find out when you all find out, because they aren’t talking to me that much.

“I really wish I had more insight into the contract talks, but it’s like I get third-hand information from my agents,” Judon continued. “I don’t know if that’s how everybody does it – if everybody sits on calls and stuff – but I trust my agents. So, I don’t really know. I feel like you would have more insight on that, because you all know stuff before I know stuff – for real.”

Judon reiterated he’s “happy to be a Raven” and wants to “stay here for as long as I play.” But he also acknowledged the business side of the sport and specifically said he understands the team has a bunch of young players in need of contract extensions.

While he ultimately didn’t provide much more insight into the contract talks, Judon seemed at peace with where things stand right now.

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Ravens, Matthew Judon come to compromise over franchise-tag salary

The Ravens and Matthew Judon stop a potential battle over his franchise tag position, coming to a middle ground on his salary.

Baltimore Ravens outside linebacker Matthew Judon signed his franchise tag tender on Thursday. But it’s not quite that simple.

Judon was designated as a linebacker, which carries a price of $15.828 million under the franchise tag. However, defensive ends are slated to earn $17.788 million on the franchise tag. With a potential disagreement on his designation, the Ravens and Judon met in the middle ground. Under the franchise tag in 2020, Judon will earn $16.808 million, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.

The difference in designations has been a sore point on the franchise tag for years and one Baltimore has had to deal with before. Outside linebacker Terrell Suggs filed a grievance when the Ravens used the franchise tag on him in 2008, initially designating him as a linebacker instead of a defensive end. The sides reached an agreement to split the difference at that time, much like has happened with Judon.

While the designations go by player position, there’s a case to be made for linebacker to be split up or a new hybrid position to be created. The difference in what premier inside linebackers and outside linebackers make is massive — a disparity of $5.5 million per year between the top contract for both positions, according to Over the Cap, with the difference primarily being how often each rushes the quarterback. Though Judon is far more than just a pass rusher for Baltimore, he still rushed the quarterback nearly 80% of the time, according to Pro Football Focus.

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Matthew Judon signed his franchise tag

Baltimore Ravens outside linebacker Matthew Judon inked his franchise tag, months after initially having the tender placed on him.

It appears as though outside linebacker Matthew Judon will indeed be a member of the Baltimore Ravens this season. Judon has officially signed his franchise tag, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, two and a half months after the Ravens initially placed the tender. The one-year deal will see Judon earn $15.828 million for the 2020 season.

Many had wondered if Judon was going to hold out for a long-term contract, as we’ve seen other franchise tag recipients do over the last few years. However, with a deadline of July 15 to sign the tender, Judon’s decision to ink the deal points to him being willing to play in 2020 without the security a long-term contract provides.

Judon was Baltimore’s best pass rusher last season, taking over for Za’Darius Smith and Terrell Suggs, who had both left in free agency last offseason. Judon had a career-high 9.5 sacks in 2019 while also forcing four fumbles. Over four seasons with the Ravens, Judon has 28.5 sacks, 186 combined tackles, seven forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries.

After not addressing the position in the 2020 NFL Draft and only re-signing Pernell McPhee, Baltimore is hoping Tyus Bowser or Jaylon Ferguson can further step up this season.

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Newly released OLB Clay Matthews makes too much sense for the Ravens

Newly released outside linebacker Clay Matthews is the perfect free agent signing for the Baltimore Ravens. He’ll be cheap and effective

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The Baltimore Ravens have beefed up their defensive line with the additions of Calais Campbell and Michael Brockers but they’ve yet to address their top offseason need at outside linebacker. Though the Ravens have used the franchise tag on Matthew Judon, last season proved Baltimore needs some ancillary help opposite him to create a consistent and effective pass rush without having to blitz as often.

With few pass rushers entering the market thanks to the franchise tag, the Ravens have been patient in the early days of free agency when trying to address the position. Now as we enter the second tier of free agents that are better bargains and often don’t count towards the compensatory pick formula, this is when Baltimore tends to be more aggressive. And with the Los Angeles Rams releasing outside linebacker Clay Matthews, they might have found their guy.

The Ravens were interested in Matthews last offseason, offering him more money than Los Angeles but ultimately being turned down. It’s a decision Matthews himself jokingly called a poor one, which points to some potential interest in joining Baltimore this offseason as long as the feeling is mutual.

Matthews is the textbook Ravens free-agent signing. Though he’s towards the end of his career at 34 years old when the 2020 season kicks off, Matthews was surprisingly productive last season for the Rams. He posted eight sacks and 28 total pressures in 13 games, which is actually better production than Judon on a per-game basis. There’s little doubt Matthews could help Baltimore’s pass rush this season, even if just as a rotational solution.

At this point in his career, Matthews isn’t going to get long-term contract offers. And Baltimore doesn’t need a long-term solution either with their attention likely turning towards finding pass rushers in the 2020 NFL Draft. But an incentive-laden short-term contract that would allow Matthews another shot at a Super Bowl at decent money should be pretty easy for Baltimore to put together. Matthews will have a chance to further increase his legacy (he’s 8.5 sacks away from 100 for his career) without having to necessarily play all three downs while the Ravens get the experienced pass rusher they so desperately need.

There are few situations in football that are seemingly built to happen but this is one of them. If Matthews and Baltimore are smart, they’ll figure out a way to get a deal done this time around.

NFL salary cap set at $198.2M for 2020 — Ravens have more than $19M in cap space

The Baltimore Ravens now have $19.23 million to spend this season after the 2020 NFL salary cap was released.

With the Collective Bargaining Agreement getting approved by the players today, the NFL has officially announced the salary cap for the 2020 season. According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero and ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the salary cap is now set at $198.2 million, marking a $10 million increase from last season. It’s a little lower than many had expected with it being just a 5.3% increase, which is the lowest since 2013, according to ESPN’s Bill Barnwell.

Still, we now have a better idea of where the Baltimore Ravens stand as we enter free agency. As of right now, the Ravens have $19.23 million in available cap space, according to Over The Cap‘s list of liabilities. However, with outside linebacker Matthew Judon under the franchise tag, that number could grow if signed to a long-term extension or traded.

Baltimore still has holes at outside linebacker, inside linebacker, wide receiver and guard. Though they might not go after the top pending free agents this offseason, they should have enough money to improve their roster in free agency if they wish.

With the CBA approved and television deals on the horizon, it’s likely we’ll see a huge jump in salary cap next season as a result.

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Ravens franchise tag Matthew Judon

The 2020 NFL free agency will have one fewer pass rusher available after the Baltimore Ravens used the franchise tag on OLB Matthew Judon

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After watching C.J. Mosley, Za’Darius Smith and Terrell Suggs leave for greener pastures and bigger deals last offseason, the Baltimore Ravens don’t want a sequel this year. The Ravens have used the franchise tag on outside linebacker Matthew Judon to keep him from hitting the free-agent market.

The decision hung over Baltimore since it lost to the Tennessee Titans in the playoffs. Judon was the most prized pending free agent for the Ravens and the one most likely to earn contract offers that Baltimore couldn’t have reasonably matched.

If Judon signs the franchise tag, the Ravens will have until July 15 to work out a long-term contract extension. Of course, Judon doesn’t have to sign the tag and could decide to hold out in an effort to force Baltimore’s hand. On the flip side, the Ravens could still trade him as well.

The franchise tag for linebackers is expected to be $16.27 million, according to Over The Cap. Baltimore currently has an estimated $37.74 million in available cap space, before using the franchise tag. It should take them down to just $21.47 million remaining, according to OTC.

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NFL franchise tag deadline pushed back again, giving Ravens more time to negotiate with Matthew Judon

The deadline for the franchise tag has been pushed back again to before free agency, giving the Ravens more time to sign Matthew Judon

As the NFL owners and NFLPA continue negotiations on a new collective bargaining agreement, the league has been fiddling with their offseason dates. After initially pushing back the start and deadline for the franchise and transition tags, the NFL has once again altered the deadline to a second before noon on March 16, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, giving teams an extra four days. The beginning of the NFL’s legal tampering period — effectively known as the real start of free agency — begins a second later at noon.

The Baltimore Ravens are expected to franchise tag outside linebacker Matthew Judon if they can’t come to a deal on a long-term contract. While the extra time could mean a final push to get a deal signed before having to use the franchise tag — something general manager Eric DeCosta said he’d like to do — if the Ravens and Judon have gone this far, it seems unlikely to suddenly change.

Unlike in previous years, teams are able to use both the transition and franchise tags in the final year of the CBA. However, that isn’t likely for Baltimore this offseason as the transition tag also carries a huge cost but without the security of the non-exclusive franchise tag’s two first-round picks in return for losing a player. Since defensive tackle Michael Pierce is the Ravens’ next biggest pending free agent, the cost of the transition tag on him wouldn’t make much sense.

Though the exact figures aren’t known yet, it’s expected the franchise tag for Judon will cost Baltimore approximately $16.27 million, according to Over The Cap. It will lock Judon up through the 2020 season, barring him refusing to sign the tender and holding out.

The Ravens could decide to tag and then trade Judon if they feel they won’t be able to sign him to a long-term contract. With most of the top pending free agent pass rushers expected to be franchise tagged this offseason, Judon could garner quite a lot of attention and tons of value for Baltimore if they put him on the trading block. However, it would put the Ravens in quite the predicament in not only replacing Judon’s production but improving a pass rush that struggled mightily to win one-on-one matchups last season.

It looks like we’ll have to wait a few more days to figure out exactly what Baltimore is going to do with Judon and the franchise tag.

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Ravens can now use franchise tag on OLB Matthew Judon, but will they?

The Baltimore Ravens can officially slap the franchise tag on OLB Matthew Judon to keep him from free agency, but will they?

After the NFL pushed back the start date and deadline for the franchise tag by two days, we’ve finally hit the glorious day when it’s open to all 32 teams to use. The Baltimore Ravens could be among the teams using the franchise tag with outside linebacker Matthew Judon set to hit free agency when it opens on March 18.

But the question now on everyone’s mind is will they?

The Ravens have until 4:00 p.m. ET on March 12 to make that decision but according to general manager Eric DeCosta, it’s an option that remains on the table. Baltimore has still been trying to work on a long-term contract extension in an effort to not have to use the franchise tag. But as the deadline creeps closer, the pressure to retain Judon will increase.

Simply put, the Ravens cannot allow Judon to enter the free-agent market. With an estimated $30.74 million in salary-cap space, according to Over The Cap, Baltimore sits around the bottom third of the league in available funds. Much like we saw last offseason with Za’Darius Smith and C.J. Mosley, if Judon hits the open market, he’s likely going to get a massive deal the Ravens can’t afford to match. And just as we’re liable to see this offseason, the compensatory pick formula might not be a good enough return on letting Judon leave.

Yet, the franchise tag comes with a hefty cost and salary-cap hit. At an estimated $16.27 million for 2020, according to OTC, it would put a huge dent in Baltimore’s ability to be active in free agency. It would take the Ravens down to around $14.98 million available, which would rank as the eighth-least amount of cap space if no other moves are made.

If Baltimore can’t work out a long-term contract with Judon before the deadline hits, the franchise tag buys them some much-needed additional time and leverage. As I’ve covered before, if DeCosta and the Ravens believe they won’t be able to lock up Judon on a manageable long-term deal, trading him might be in their best interest, which wouldn’t be nearly as easy to pull off without using the franchise tag on him first.

With no obvious answer to replace Judon if he leaves via free agency or trade, that’s not likely a scenario Baltimore wants to see play out. But if Judon’s less-than-cryptic tweet is any indication, it seems as though he and the team are still pretty far apart in negotiations.

While the team seems eager to work out a contract extension, every day we get closer to the deadline without a deal being signed, the more likely it becomes that Baltimore uses the franchise tag to their advantage. At this point, there appear to be just two options — contract extension or franchise tag.

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