Agent’s Take: What if Lamar Jackson embraced franchise tag like Kirk Cousins instead of long-term extension?

The Baltimore Ravens took the account risk by giving a non-exclusive franchise designation at Quarterback Lamar Jackson in March 2023 for $ 32.416 million. That after he played 2022 times under his $ 23.016 million fifth-year option that was adamant about getting fully guaranteed contract.

Several weeks later, Jackson’s contract Saga finally ended with a conventional deal shortly before the beginning of 2023 NFL Draft In late April, making him NFL’s Supreme-paid player at $ 52 million per year.

Jackson signed a long-awaiting five years, $ 260 million contract with $ 185 million of overall promises where $ 135 million is fully guaranteed. The $ 135 million included a tum-record $ 72.5 million signing bonus. Jackson got a non-trade clause, and there’s also provided forbearing the raven from designating Jackson to freedom or transition player with their contract expires after 2027 times.

Jackson taken a game to another degree with a subscriber contract. The name of NFL’s MVP’s MVP in 2023, which was the second time won award.

Surprise: Jackson will not repeat that MVP post having historic 2024 times. Jackson was the first time to throw for at least 4,000 passes and run for at least 900 yard. His 4,172 passing the yards (sixth in NFL) were a career deep, which was his 41 Touchdown transit (passed (first) and 119.6 sparrow at the time (the runner of the 915 miles were mainly with 2020 times. And the NFL with 6.6 miles by carrying.

No player in the NFL story deducted in both the yards in crossing the yards in the run together to Jackson. When the four interceptions, Tully had a perceived touchdown-to-interception system rather than 10-to-i. No one with 40 or more touchdown passes now thrown fewer interceptions at the same time.

Fortunately at the raven, Jackson signed multi-year contract as to follow Kirk cousins. Cousins ​​was the last quarterback to embrace the freedom tag. After playing in freedom with Washington commanders in 2016 and 2016, kidding broke a new subscriber nfl’s first lucrative, fully in 2018 is free contract with Minnesota in 2018 is free agent.

Cousins’ three years, $ 84 million deal, which made him league’s the highest price player at $ 28 million a year, which is worth up to $ 90 million with incentives. And when it regrity in legistically in 2017 of the previous year and Washington missed the playoffs with 7-9 record third place in the NFC East when you got in the deal.

Jackson would probably be the point of becoming the most important free agent in NFL History with 2025 League Year begins on March 12. Baltimore point to what is in 2024.

The exclusive number of the average of the top five quarterback salaries (Salary cap number with some minor in a minor referring) in the period in the period) in the following calculations when it is a subsequent contract restructure of the cap goals prior to the end signing time. Jackson’s exclusive freedom number for 2024 would have been $ 55.717 million. Third and last freedom tag in 2025, with a 44% increase on 2024 figure, would have been $ 80,232.480.

Using the non-exclusive tag again at $ 38.899.200, a 20% raised on the first designation, probably have been too great about the danger to Baltimore to. After MVP season some team could be powers to lose two first with the reader by signing Jackson to offer sheet than in 2023. Tully is not a lot of failing from other teams prior to sign in real contract. In all likelihood, raven was exercised rights to match offer. It would have been $ 56.014.848 third in 2025 after two straight non-exclusive tags.

Jackson would be operating under ideal circumstances. I just had a life of the year. In 2025 quarterback draft type is weak, especially compared with 2024. Several teams with a significant amount of cap space need a quarterback.

Jackson without doubt it was raised nfl salary bar by somewhat margin or in Baltimore and signed with new team. Dak Prescott is currently in the Agreement’s high-paid player with four years, $ 240 million contract tract averaging $ 60 million a year and signed the last September hours before Dallas Cowboys’ ordinary opender. The deal contains a record of $ 231 million to promise where $ 129 million is fully guaranteed to be signing, which includes the largest signing good in NFL History at $ 78,453,333.

The biggest increase in the quarterback market from one deal with the lockout ended in 2011’s Patrick Mahomes ’28 .57% on Russell Wilson’s 2019 extension from Seahawks averaging $ 35 million a year. Mahomes signed by backloaded a 10-year-year-$ 450 million extension (price to $ 475 million with incentives) averaging $ 45 million a year with Kansas city officers in 2020.

It’s hard to believe Jackson’s free agency would be the same impact to the mahomes in the quarterback market. It will not set Jackson’s contract to just under $ 77.15 million a year.

Then the biggest increase belongs to Aaron Rodgers. I moved on the QuarterPack Forum up 11.71% in 2022 with the Contract of a Green Bay Packers are widely considered to $ 150,815 million per year, although there are two additional in 2026. Rodgers “$ 33.5 million averaging a year of $ 30% more than $ 30 Million-in-year extension Matt Ryan received a Atlanta Falcons a couple of months ago.

Jackson getting similar to the market increase and rodgers would be $ 67 million a year. In order to other reference point, Prescott’s deal raised in the quarterback market with 9.09%. Adjusting Prescott’s contract for 9.32% increase in salary cap this year to $ 279.2 million a $ 255,4 million in 2024 would be essentially to be $ 65.5 million per year. Jackson is clearly superior to the Prescott.

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I consulted a few current and former NFL Team Front of executives have good relationships with the jackson hitting an open market this year. Responses are anonymous.

One NFC Team Executive Executive Jackson is having an agent could prevent the process. “Self-representation probably works better with the interaction alone with your team for the extension rather than a packet of teams in the free agency” said.

The consent was Jackson would become NFL’s first $ 70 million-in-year player. “An MVP quarterback in its first has no free agent,” said to the NFC team actor. “Caesar was very older. So there was a Peyton (manning) and it came from the arrival of a serious injury. I do not rule the price is driven to $ 75 million per year, if the raven in two other teams as a serious competition.”

And Las Vegas Raiders were, which is mainly to a potential proxy for Jackson. After Hiring 73-year-old Pete Carroll and head coach, subscribing Jackson would jump start las Vegas’ build process. The Raiders have a NFL’s second-most 2025 cap room after a new England assets who do not need a quarterback, in just under $ 97 million, according to the NFLPA data.

The New York Giants and Pittsburgh Steelers are regularly named as teams that would probably have interest in Jackson. General Manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Dabokus will be in a hot seat next season after keeping their jobs with giants despite the shelves 3-14 in 2024. The giants have a slightly more than $ 48 million of cap space.

The Steelers are missing a quarterback stability with Ben Roethlisberger with 2021 times. Jackson does not allow steelers, which is almost $ 60 million in the cap space, to “kill two birds with one stone” by the weak bitter AFC North AFC.

A couple of executives thought an unexpected team to get in a mix for jackson. One team who fits the certificate of Cleveland browns because tight salary cap condition. Some salary cap Gymnasium with restructuring contracts and releasing players would be necessary for Cleveland to sign Jackson. Perennial things for the edge of Rusher Myles Garrett was really to rescind her craft petition with Jackson to come aboard.

The major opinion was Jackson would get to fully guarantee the contract itself initially desired, although deshaun Watson would cause to discuss. Watson Retrieved is a fully guaranteed of five years, $ 230 million contracts in connection with his March 2022 Trade to Browns despite having four years worth to Houston Texanos in September 2030.

When the trade, Watson did not come near is similar to the quarterback that led the NFL 4,823 passing to touchdown in transit texans in 2030. Watson in 2024 and consistent poor in Cleveland in Achilles and its consistent in Cleveland – also fully guaranteed $ 92 million remains in a contract, which runs through 2026 times.

“A fully guaranteed contract would probably be the cost of doing business to get Jackson,” said AFC team executive. I’d rather be shorter than five years if Jackson stated. “A former longtime AFC team contract driver’s thought Jackson would choose to sign three, as in the open market again in 31 years.

Cousins ​​had Leverage When Discotiating Two Contract Extensions with the Vikings because the original contract contained a no-trade clause and language preventing from designating him as a franchise or transition to player in 2021. Since Jackson’s contract would be a contain, he would be pominated for an extension after two years, like Cousins ​​Got in 2027 with a three-year deal.

A front loading is not considered to be fully guaranteed to contract. In cash in each year of relatives “and Watson’s respectively acts equal to average each year. For example, Watson’s contract averages $ 46 million a year. This is making $ 46 million every year. Of course, fully guaranteed contract for Jackson was structured in the same way.

Tully does not seem to be looking for a fully guaranteed three-year contract between $ 210 million and $ 225 million, if hit open market next week. In the $ 70 million per year, Jackson would be getting 16.67% more than a prescott. A $ 75 million per year a lot to re-set the quarterback market with 25%.

The standard operating system is at the quarterback to sign an extension of the capital in the regulation of the year to slow. A major of quarterbacks taken in the first round get extensions with two years remaining in the rookie contracts. Occasionally, the quarterback will play with the contract and take a freedom tag before signing long term. No tag recipients have been wanting to end as well as kidding.

It’s likely to have a perfect storm of at least a different over-average-to-mvp-knob-one-quarterback in the first to hit open market as cousins. NFL teams should thank you other quarterbacks don’t follow kidding blueprint that would probably be profit financially these players in a long run.