Ravens GM addresses signing Lamar Jackson before franchise tag deadline

Baltimore Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta sounds hopeful he will sign quarterback Lamar Jackson to a long-term contract before next Tuesday's deadline for teams to use their franchise tags. 

"We met recently," DeCosta said about Jackson at the NFL combine on Wednesday, as shared by Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk. "We both understand the urgency of the situation. There’s been a good dialogue, good discussion. I’m optimistic as I continue to be optimistic and we’ll see where it goes." 

By all accounts, the Ravens and Jackson haven't come close to putting pen to paper on an agreement since the 26-year-old completed the last season of his rookie contract. 

There have been conflicting reports and claims about if Jackson, who is negotiating without an agent, wants a deal similar to the five-year contract worth $230 million in fully guaranteed money that the Cleveland Browns gave Deshaun Watson last offseason. 

DeCosta didn't say on Wednesday if he'd use the exclusive or non-exclusive franchise tag to retain Jackson's rights. Utilizing the exclusive tag would allow DeCosta to ask for more than two first-round draft picks if he made it known he was willing to trade Jackson this spring. 

However, DeCosta insisted he's "hopeful that we’ll get a deal done with Lamar before" the franchise tag deadline arrives. 

"We’ll have a plan," DeCosta said. "Obviously, I’m going to think about everything." 

DeCosta continued: "It’s not like we didn’t know we might be in this position last year at this time. So, we’ve had a full year to really discuss all the different plans. We’ll make the right decision."

Jackson has repeatedly been linked in rumors with the Atlanta Falcons and New York Jets. It's unclear if either of those teams or any other club would sacrifice the necessary draft assets and the money to acquire the one-time Most Valuable Player before this year's NFL Draft. 

For what it's worth, Ashton Edmunds of the Falcons' website noted Wednesday that Atlanta is on track to have over $65 million in salary-cap space to use when free agency opens on March 15.