Ravens' John Harbaugh addresses 2023 QB plans

Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh apparently has spent this winter working as if Lamar Jackson will remain his starting quarterback. 

"One of the things we did, and I think some of it was written about, but we went through a process with the offensive coordinator position," Harbaugh explained at the NFL combine, per Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk. "We interviewed 14 candidates. We had 21 different interviews. They were extensive interviews on Zoom and in person, and of course, that comes up, because we’re talking about how we’re going to build an offense, and all of those interviews were based on Lamar being the quarterback. Lamar’s the quarterback; how are we going to build an offense? That’s the direction that we’re planning for." 

Harbaugh and company hired Todd Monken to be Baltimore's next offensive coordinator. As Ryan Mink mentioned for the Ravens website back on Feb. 14, multiple media members said at that time Monken was a great hire as it pertains to working alongside Jackson.

Jackson is in the final days of his rookie contract heading toward Tuesday's deadline for teams to use their franchise tags. Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta told reporters Wednesday that he and Jackson "both understand the urgency of the situation." DeCosta added he was "hopeful that we’ll get a deal done with Lamar" before the tag deadline. 

Following DeCosta's remarks, ESPN's Jamison Hensley repeated a previous claim and said that Jackson, who is negotiating without an agent, "wants a fully guaranteed deal like" the five-year, $230 million contract the Cleveland Browns gave Deshaun Watson last March. Hensley also wrote that "the Ravens have been reluctant to offer that because they believe Watson's deal is more of an outlier than a precedent." 

It's assumed the Ravens would utilize the exclusive tag to retain Jackson's rights so they could ask for more than two first-round draft picks from a team interested in trading for the 2019 NFL Most Valuable Player. According to the Ravens website, the exclusive tag would cost the team around $45M in salary cap and cash. 

In a recent podcast, NFL insider Jason La Canfora suggested Jackson may threaten to sit out an entire season rather than play for the Ravens on any franchise tag. Ryan Gilbert of Audacy pointed out that La Canfora said the New York Jets, Atlanta Falcons, Miami Dolphins, Chicago Bears, Carolina Panthers and Detroit Lions are among teams that could pursue Jackson if it becomes clear the 26-year-old has played his final snap with the Ravens.