Lamar Jackson Rumors: Ravens Have 'Quiet Confidence' in Matching Contract Offer Sheet

Though Lamar Jackson is free to negotiate with other teams after receiving the non-exclusive franchise tag, the Baltimore Ravens reportedly aren't worried about losing the star quarterback.

"Ravens officials have expressed quiet confidence that they'll be able to match any offer sheet for Jackson if they so choose," Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic reported.

If Jackson signs an offer sheet with another team, the Ravens will have an opportunity to either match the deal or take two first-round picks in return. Without a deal, the quarterback will earn $32.42 million in 2023.

Even though Jackson is a 26-year-old quarterback with an MVP on his resume, the market for him has been slow to develop. Though some teams might be shying away from the cost—both in money and draft capital—the fact that the Ravens can match any deal might force organizations to avoid the situation.

Even counting Jackson's current $32.42 million cap hit, the Ravens still have $11.1 million in salary-cap space entering Wednesday, per Spotrac.

As Zrebiec noted, the team can also "more than double their available cap space" by restructuring the contracts of cornerback Marlon Humphrey and left tackle Ronnie Stanley. It would be more than enough space to sign Jackson to a long-term deal, even at the high end of the quarterback market.

The Ravens have also kept Jackson in their plans despite the contract uncertainty.

"Our ultimate goal is to build a championship team with Lamar Jackson leading the way for many years to come," general manager Eric DeCosta said after using the franchise tag.

Ravens head coach John Harbaugh also said in January that Jackson would definitely remain with the team.

"One hundred percent, 200 percent. There's no question about it," Harbaugh told reporters. "Lamar Jackson is our quarterback. He's been our quarterback. Everything that we've done in terms of building our offense and building our team, how we think in terms of putting people around him is based on this incredible young man, his talent, his ability and his competitiveness."

Baltimore also hasn't made any contingency plans, with Anthony Brown the only other quarterback under contract.

It all indicates the organization plans to do whatever it takes to keep Jackson on the roster in 2023 and potentially beyond.