The Ravens are going to allow Lamar Jackson to test the market.
On Tuesday, Baltimore placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on its franchise quarterback, which will allow him to negotiate an offer sheet with other teams. The Ravens could either match that offer sheet or allow him to leave in exchange for two first-round picks. And if the market doesn't give Jackson what he's looking for, he might be forced to decide whether to sign and play on the tag or hold out for a trade.
It's a gamble by the Ravens to allow Jackson to negotiate with other teams, and it is one that few NFL teams have taken with their star quarterbacks. Three teams have applied the exclusive franchise tag to quarterbacks since 2012, with the Saints' Drew Brees in 2012, Redskins' Kirk Cousins in 2017 and Cowboys' Dak Prescott in 2020 all being locked in by their teams to exclusive negotiating rights.
But there is some precedent for quarterbacks to be given the option to test the market on a non-exclusive franchise tag, including two of the signal callers who later received the exclusive tag.
MORE: Robert Griffin III, J.J. Watt sound off on teams expressing no interest in Jackson
What happened to those quarterbacks, and is there any reason to expect history to repeat itself? The Sporting News takes a look back at the history of players on the non-exclusive franchise tag.
Steve Young, 49ers (1993)
The franchise tag was introduced to the NFL in 1993, and it did not take long before a team took advantage of it. Joe Montana injured his elbow in the 1990 NFC Championship, and missed all of the 1991 and 1992 campaigns. In his place, Steve Young had a decent season in 1991 before winning the NFL MVP in 1992 and leading the 49ers to the NFC championship.
After the season, however, the 49ers had some pressing decisions. Young was set to hit free agency and Montana was returning from the elbow injury. The Washington Post reported that the team had tried to ink Young to an extension before the franchise tag deadline, but they could not come to terms.
"We agreed to the three basic questions: He wants to stay, he'll be our starting quarterback [over Joe Montana], and we'll go for a four- or five-year contract. But with everything else going on, it's too complicated to get done, even by March 1," team president Carmen Policy said, per the Post.
It took some time, but in July 1993, the San Francisco Chronicle reported Young had signed a five-year, $26.75 million deal to stay in San Francisco.
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Jim Harbaugh, Colts (1996)
Jim Harbaugh was still just getting settled in with the Colts when the team was faced with a decision. Harbaugh, the 26th overall pick in 1987 by the Bears, signed with the Colts in free agency in 1994 and did not have a great campaign, throwing nine touchdowns and four picks in nine starts (12 games). But in 1995, he flourished, leading the league with a 100.7 passer rating in 12 starts (15 games) and finishing fourth in MVP voting.
Harbaugh was set to hit free agency after that campaign, and on Feb. 14, 1996, the Indianapolis Star reported the Colts had used the franchise tag on their quarterback. The tag had the potential to bump Harbaugh's pay from $850,000 in 1995 to the average of the five highest-paid QBs at $4,083,997.
Just a few months later, however, Harbaugh inked an official one-year deal that kept him with the Colts, with the Chicago Tribune reporting it was for more than $4 million. The next month, the deal was changed to a four-year, $13 million extension.
"I want to be a Colt and the Colts showed me they want me to be a Colt," Harbaugh said, per the Tribune. "I like all the guys out here and I like the direction this club is going. I couldn't be happier."
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Drew Brees, Chargers (2005)
Before the Saints put the exclusive tag on Brees, the Chargers put the non-exclusive one on him. In the final season of his rookie deal, Brees completed 65.5 percent of his passes for 3,159 yards with 27 touchdowns and seven picks, earning his first Pro Bowl selection and winning Comeback Player of the Year.
Brees wanted to stick around with San Diego, with the Associated Press reporting on Jan. 11, 2005, that Brees was hoping to ink an extension.
"I think the organization knows how I feel. I think I've made that known that I want to be here and I want a long-term contract," Brees said, per the AP. "So really now, it kind of falls in their court. It's up to them to decide what they want to do."
That decision wound up being to apply the non-exclusive franchise tag to Brees that bumped his pay from $1.56 million in 2004 to $8 million in 2005. The Chargers had traded 2004 first overall selection Eli Manning for Philip Rivers, who had been taken fourth by the Giants, along with more picks. The contingency plan of Rivers came into play when Brees was injured in the final game of the season.
The Chargers offered Brees a five-year, $50 million extension at the end of the year, but Brees opted to walk and sign a six-year, $60 million deal instead with the Saints. Rivers became the face of the Chargers' franchise, Brees became the face of the Saints.
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Matt Cassel, Patriots (2009)
Matt Cassel sat behind Tom Brady for three years in New England until a Week 1 knee injury in 2008 knocked Brady out for the rest of the season. In his place, Cassel completed 63.4 percent of his passes for 3,693 yards with 21 touchdowns and 11 picks as he led the Patriots to a 10-5 record, though they missed the postseason.
But at the end of the season, Cassel was a free agent and had the chance to test the waters and see which teams might want to bank on the 2005 seventh-round pick. The Associated Press reported the Patriots decided to apply the tag to Cassel to keep him around in case Brady wasn't ready at the start of the season while maintaining the option to trade him and his new $14.65 million salary.
"Matt has been a pleasure to coach his entire career and last season in particular, when his years of hard work and commitment resulted in a most impressive performance," Bill Belichick said in a statement, per the AP. "We look forward to working with Matt again in 2009."
The Patriots didn't take long to decide whether to keep Cassel or move on. He was traded 23 days later to the Chiefs, and they signed him to a six-year, $62.7 million extension. His quarterback rating dropped nearly 20 points in his first year with the Chiefs, and though he bounced back for a Pro Bowl campaign in 2010, he struggled with poor performances and injuries for the remainder of his Kansas City tenure.
MORE: Ravens QB options if Lamar Jackson leaves
Kirk Cousins, Redskins (2016)
When Robert Griffin III was struggling with Washington, Kirk Cousins emerged from the quarterback room as a potential long-term option for the team. In 2015, his first year as the starter, Cousins completed a league-best 69.8 percent of his passes with 29 touchdowns and 4,166 passing yards and only 11 picks, and established that he could be a starter in the NFL.
But it was the end of his fourth year in the league, and he was set to hit free agency. Washington decided to apply the franchise tag to Cousins to make sure the team had the chance to match any potential deal he might get from another team. When no deal came, Cousins signed to play the season on the tag.
"In this league nothing's promised to you," Cousins said, per the team. "Whether it's a one-year deal or a 10-year deal, you've got to go out and prove it every game, every year. I feel very stabilized in my role and just excited to take advantage of the opportunity that I have before me, which is a phenomenal opportunity."
Cousins was back on the tag again after the season, this time signing to the exclusive tag. It made him the first quarterback ever signed to back-to-back tags. After the 2017 campaign, he left to sign with the Vikings on a three-year, $84 million deal that was fully guaranteed.
