The Baltimore Ravens say that talks with quarterback Lamar Jackson could go up until Tuesday’s deadline before they place the franchise tag with the franchise signal caller, according to ESPN’s Jamison Hensley.
“Today and up until 3:30 tomorrow, a lot of energy will be utilized in trying to get a deal done,” Ravens executive vice president Ozzie Newsome said during an appearance on “The Bernie Kosar Show” on Monday. “If not, we will put the franchise tag on him.”
The Ravens are expected to use all their available time to work out a long-term contract with Jackson, but the two sides have been unable to reach an agreement after 25 months of negotiations, making it unlikely a deal can be reached by the 4pm EST deadline.
Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta said the team has long prepared for the contingency plans involving Jackson, and spoke about it during the NFL scouting combine last week.
“It’s not like we didn’t know we might be in this position,” DeCosta said. “Last year at this time, we talked about it, so we’ve had a full year to really discuss all the different plans. We’ll make the right decision.”
