Falcons: Potential free agent target Lamar Jackson likely to be tagged

The primary debate around the Atlanta Falcons community is whether the Falcons should pursue impending free agent Lamar Jackson with the team’s uncertainty at quarterback.

If they were to sign Jackson, it would cost an abundance of money (like perhaps $250 million over a six-year period) but the way things are sounding right now, it may end up costing draft picks as well. For those already against paying for the QB, you seriously won’t like the idea of paying with money and draft picks.

Potential Falcons target, Lamar Jackson, could end up being franchise tagged by the Ravens

The franchise tag is one of the worst things in the NFL. It allows owners and teams to have total control over a player who was bound for a massive payday. For now, we have to live with its existence and if the Atlanta Falcons are serious about bringing in Lamar Jackson, the franchise tag could end up costing them valuable draft picks.

Essentially NFL teams are able to not commit to an important player as long as they are willing to pay them the predetermined value of the franchise tag. A player who could have gone on to receive a massive contract, ensuring them financial stability in midst of playing a brutal game, with another team, but instead, they have to either play on a one-year deal or sit out the entirety of the season.

It sounds like this is what Lamar Jackson’s fate could end up being.

If you are the Ravens organization, then yes, it would make sense to do that. Instead of letting your former-MVP QB walk for nothing in return, you franchise tag him and either get him for another season (while also being able to negotiate a new contract and prevent other teams from contacting him) or you trade him and get some draft picks and/or players in return. There is also the possibility that Lamar refuses to sign the tag, in which case, the team wouldn’t have to pay him and he would have to sit out a year.

It sounds like the Falcons won’t be able to just sign Lamar to a contract in free agency, instead, they will have to negotiate with the Ravens, and then negotiate with Lamar Jackson. One would involve draft picks, the other cold-hard cash. All of this is assuming that Lamar tells the Ravens that he won’t play for them and they agree to tag-and-trade him.

It would already be a huge risk to sign Lamar as a free agent, but also giving up draft picks would be too much. However, we cannot rule it out because these are the same decision-makers for the Falcons who basically had a deal done to acquire Deshaun Watson.