Lamar Jackson Gone? Four Thoughts After NFL Franchise Tag Deadline

The NFL franchise tag deadline past Tuesday afternoon and countless players now know their fate as the new league year approaches.

Only six teams used their franchise tag before Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET.

— Washington Commanders: defensive lineman Daron Payne
— Dallas Cowboys: running back Tony Pollard
— Las Vegas Raiders: running back Josh Jacobs
— Jacksonville Jaguars: tight end Evan Engram
— Baltimore Ravens: quarterback Lamar Jackson
— New York Giants: running back Saquon Barkley

Patriots Officially Don’t Place Franchise Tag On Jakobi Meyers

Mar 7, 2023

Here are four takeaways following the deadline:

— Should Lamar Jackson want to venture elsewhere, the Ravens signal-caller now is one step closer to doing so. Baltimore used its non-exclusive tag on Jackson, meaning the former NFL MVP can communicate with other teams about a long-term extension. If another team presents a long-term contract to Jackson, the Ravens will have the option to match it or decline it and receive a 2023 and 2024 first-round pick from Jackson’s new team.

Baltimore undoubtedly sent a message with the type of tag it chose. The Ravens and Jackson reportedly remain distant on contract numbers, and Baltimore essentially confirmed it does not value Jackson the same way he values himself. Allowing another franchise to talk to the franchise quarterback of your team undoubtedly is a risky decision, but Baltimore clearly is hoping that other organizations will value Jackson similar to how they do. It seems both the Miami Dolphins and Atlanta Falcons feel that way as both reportedly will not pursue Jackson. Other teams, however, would be wise to talk shop with Jackson when he becomes available for business starting March 15.

— It came down to the wire, but the Giants reportedly signed quarterback Daniel Jones to a $160 million extension over four years. That signing allowed New York then to quickly switch gears and franchise tag Barkley, keeping the two together for another campaign. The Giants said all along they wanted to keep both in-house, but they only were able to do so with Jones’ long-term agreement. Otherwise, the Giants would have tagged Jones and Barkley would have hit the open market where he likely would have fetched more and departed the Meadowlands.

Good news for Big Blue? Well, having both return after a postseason berth is good. But giving Jones $82 million guaranteed (and there’s reported $35 million more in incentives) is quite a rich deal. Brian Daboll and company are putting a lot of stock into Jones moving forward as he joins a select group of $40 million QBs.

— What will the Cowboys do with Ezekiel Elliott? Dallas used its franchise tag on Elliott’s 2022 backup in Pollard, who showed a burst that Elliott no longer can keep up with. Pollard’s tag comes with $10.09 million next season and means, as it currently stands, the Cowboys have 12% of their salary cap tied to running backs for the season ahead. It feels like either Elliott’s days in Dallas are numbered, or the two-time rushing champion will need to restructure his deal significantly.

— New England Patriots fans should not be surprised the organization didn’t use its franchise tag on wideout Jakobi Meyers, running back Damien Harris or cornerback Jonathan Jones. It wasn’t expected and wasn’t worth it given the high price tags that come with those positions — $19.7 million for receivers and $18.1 million for cornerbacks. However, multiple reports have indicated the Patriots would like to re-sign both Jones and Meyers and now they’ll have until March 15 until those players can talk to other teams.