By choosing a nonexclusive franchise tag option, the Ravens on Tuesday opened the door for the NFL to dictate Lamar Jackson’s market, perhaps the only way they could steer their one-time franchise quarterback closer to a deal that doesn’t involve entering the same orbit as a fully guaranteed contract born of a bidding war for Deshaun Watson.
They also opened the door for the Falcons to immediately capitalize on their relative indecision, before having that door closed in their faces (as Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer confirmed Tuesday). Perhaps that door was closed well in advance of Tuesday’s decision, which only served to bolster Baltimore’s confidence in dangling Jackson to almost every general manager in the NFL.
The Falcons were one of a small handful of teams remaining from the Watson bidding war still desperately needing a long-term option. They are one of an even smaller handful of teams with an offensive structure that could immediately buoy Jackson’s skill set and allow him to both maintain a threat with his legs and develop into more of an operator of a pro-style offense, as he did at Louisville.
