Beginning today, teams can place the franchise tag on key free agents.
Teams have until March 1 to designate a franchise or transition player. There were 10 such tags used across the league last year, including on kicker Justin Tucker, who later reached a long-term extension.
The Ravens have also previously used the tag on guard Wally Williams (1998), cornerback Chris McAlister (2003, 2004), outside linebacker Terrell Suggs (2008, 2009), defensive tackle Haloti Ngata (2011) and running back Ray Rice (2012).
But will the Ravens use it this year?
The most likely player to get tagged would be defensive tackle Brandon Williams, though it’s not expected.
Williams would reportedly carry a projected $13.5 million salary next season if he played under the one-year tag. That would give him the second-highest cap hit on the Ravens in 2017.
The Ravens have said they want to retain Williams because he's a "rock" in the middle of their defense and a big reason why they've been so successful stopping the run. At 27 years old and coming off his third year as a starter, Williams is entering his prime.
Even if Baltimore doesn't place the tag on Williams, it could still re-sign him before he hits the open market.
In the latest franchise tag projection from NFL.com's Gregg Rosenthal, Williams lands in the "Coin flips that land on ‘no tag’" category.
Right tackle Rick Wagner would reportedly cost $14.4 million for one season under the tag and fullback Kyle Juszczyk, who would be classified as a running back, would come with a $12.4* *million price tag. Those are all steep numbers for the Ravens, who may be tight against the cap.
In the Ravens' 28-year history, the franchise tag has been used on these nine diverse players.
2024 – DT Justin Madubuike
Madubuike had a monster contract year with a team-high 13 sacks, which was also the most in the NFL by any defensive lineman. Madubuike improved every season in Baltimore and has developed into a rare talent at creating pressure from the interior defensive line while also being a strong run defender.
2023 – QB Lamar Jackson
The Ravens placed the non-exclusive tag on Jackson last offseason amid their contract negotiations. That allowed for other teams to still pursue the quarterback if they so desired with the Ravens able to match any offer, but no other suitors materialized. Jackson and the Ravens eventually agreed to a new contract on the first day of the NFL Draft.
2020 – OLB Matthew Judon
Judon got the tag following a breakout 2019 season in which he logged 9.5 sacks – a career-high at that point. He followed it up with six sacks the following season and hit the free-agent market, where he signed with the New England Patriots. Judon then set new career highs in sacks the following two years (12.5 in 2021 and 15.5 in 2022).
2016 – K Justin Tucker
After a strong 2015 season in which Tucker became the fastest kicker in NFL history to score 500 points (60 games), the Ravens placed the tag on him in March. The two sides used the extra time to strike a reported four year, $16.8 million deal in mid-July. It made Tucker the second highest-paid kicker in the league, and his $10.8 million in guaranteed money was a new record for NFL kickers. Tucker showed he was worth the money, as he was voted to his second Pro Bowl in 2016 and became the most accurate kicker in NFL history. He made all 27 of this extra-point attempts and missed just one of his 39 field-goal attempts because it was blocked.
2012 – RB Ray Rice
Following the best season of Rice's career, in which he posted more than 2,000 total yards, the Ravens put the tag on the running back in early March. The two sides reached a five-year, reported $40 million deal in mid-July.
2011 – DT Haloti Ngata
After going to his second straight Pro Bowl, Ngata got tagged in mid-February. It looked like he might play the year out under the tag (as his predecessors McAlister and Suggs had done), but the two sides reached a deal minutes before the deadline, which came two weeks into the season. Ngata signed a five-year deal worth a reported $61 million.
2008 & 2009 – OLB Terrell Suggs
Even after posting a then career-low five sacks in 2007, the Ravens franchised Suggs. In 2008, he posted eight sacks and two interceptions to help Baltimore reach the AFC championship and got the tag again. However, Suggs signed a six-year contract, reportedly worth $63 million that July, making him the highest-paid linebacker in NFL history and keeping him off the free-agent market.
2003 & 2004 – CB Chris McAlister
McAlister logged a career-high 17 pass deflections in 2002 and the Ravens slapped the tag on him for the following season. McAlister went on to have a Pro Bowl season in 2003 and got the tag again before the 2004 campaign. He inked a reported seven-year, $55 million contract in mid-October and went on to have another Pro Bowl year.
1998 – G Wally Williams
After spending two years in Baltimore and starting a combined 23 games over that span, the Ravens put the tag on Williams before the 1998 season. He started 13 games that year (seven at left guard and six at center). Afterwards, he signed a five-year deal with New Orleans. Williams was the first of only two Ravens to be franchised and not get a new deal with Baltimore.
