Lamar Jackson Tag? Falcons the 'Favorite' to Sign, Give Up 2 First-Round Picks
Where will Lamar Jackson land in 2023? There is a scenario in which the Baltimore Ravens allow the star quarterback to land with the Atlanta Falcons.
On the eve of the Tuesday deadline for the club to use the franchise tag on the quarterback - and quite possibly the non-exclusive tag, which has its rewards for both parties - there is news that Ravens GM Eric DeCosta met with Jackson face-to-face in Miami recently. No, that obviously did not solve anything.
But it's movement of a sort, with Jackson justifiably eyeing a deal in range of Deshaun Watson's $230 million fully guaranteed Cleveland contract and with the Ravens trying to keep a lid on a long-term deal.
So here comes the franchise tag.
While it is not clear if the Ravens would use the exclusive or the non-exclusive tag, there are rumors about Baltimore's interest in exploring the latter, as it means that Jackson can shop himself, with the Ravens having the right to either match the offer he receives, or allow him to leave in exchange for two first-round draft picks.
And that means the Falcons - with ample cap room and a need for a star QB - can bid on the player. ... with no guarantees, of course, as the Ravens can opt to match.
But the buzz from the scouting combine has Atlanta "considered the favorite'' to go for this idea ...
And given the fact that a year ago, the Falcons went all-in on their attempts to lure Watson to Atlanta (he chose instead to jump from the Texans to the Browns), "all-in'' makes sense all over again.
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