Lamar Jackson had the non-exclusive franchise tag that the Baltimore Ravens placed on him. Here is when he can sign with other teams.
There has been movement in the quarterback market in the past two weeks, and it has only intensified since the free agency negotiation window opened on Monday, March 13th. He is meant to be an unrestricted free agent.
As reported, the Ravens placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on Jackson at the March 7 deadline. This means he will be officially under contract for the 2023 season at a price of $32.4 million. But, he is allowed to talk to teams who are interested in him, and he has the chance to present a bid sheet to the Crows. If a team makes a bid, Baltimore has the opportunity to match it. If they do not, they receive two first-round picks (2023 and 2024) from the team that submitted the bid sheet.
So when can Jackson start talking teams?
When can Mar Jackson speak with interested NFL teams?
The answer to this question if the time is 4:00 PM ET on Wednesday, March 15th. So, at the time of this post, Jackson can be talking to teams right now.
While Jackson could do that, things got interesting when reports indicated that the Ravens were putting up the non-exclusive franchise tag on March 7. There were teams that would have been matches for Jackson, but they dropped out of the lottery. Those teams included the Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, Washington Chiefs, Miami Dolphins, and Las Vegas Raiders.
The Falcons appear content moving forward with Desmond Reeder and Taylor Heinecke as the top quarterback options. The Panthers made the deal up to the No. 1 overall pick to select one of their four best prospects at the quarterback position. The leaders signed Jacoby Brissett to what appeared to be a rivalry with Sam Howell. The Dolphins selected Tua Tagovailoa for a fifth year. Finally, the Raiders signed Jimmy Garoppolo to reunite with head coach Josh McDaniels.
Reports have indicated that Jackson is seeking a fully secured contract, similar to what Deshaun Watson received from the Cleveland Browns. Recently, ESPN senior NFL insider Adam Schefter said Jackson rejected a contract with $200 million in collateral in September. That’s what Shifter and ESPN colleague Chris Mortensen reported last fall. Jackson responded to the claim on Twitter.
133/3 years fully guaranteed 😒 But do I need an agent? 🤣🤦🏾♂️
– Lamar Jackson (@Lj_era8) March 14, 2023
It will be interesting to see what happens with Jackson’s search for a new contract. What is known is that he is free to talk to teams for now. We’ll see if the team sends a bid sheet to the Crows.
