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Ravens Likely To Use Exclusive Franchise Tag On Lamar Jackson

February 8th, 2023 at 10:01pm CST by Sam Robinson

Ravens GM Eric DeCosta said last month he has gone back and forth on the exclusive-or-nonexclusive decision regarding Lamar Jackson‘s imminent franchise tag. A month from the March tag deadline, the sense is the Ravens will be the rare team to unholster the exclusive tag.

The Ravens should be expected use the exclusive tag, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com said during a Pat McAfee Show appearance (video link). Execs around the league believe the Ravens should use this rarely deployed player-retention tool to cuff their five-year starter, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com adds. The Ravens have until March 7 to tag Jackson.

Nonexclusive franchise tag figures surfaced last week. While it would cost Baltimore more than $32.42MM to use the standard franchise tag on Jackson, an exclusive tag — which prevents other teams from negotiating with players — is expected to come in just north of $45MM. That is uncharted cap terrain for the Ravens, who rostered Jackson on a $23MM fifth-year option in 2022.

The exclusive quarterback tag brings a price hike into historic cap territory, and given Jackson’s path since becoming extension-eligible, the Ravens will likely be forced to carry that number on their payroll for a while. The sides have not made progress since DeCosta and John Harbaugh emphatically endorsed a Jackson return, Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic notes (subscription required). Although the Ravens have not given up hope of extending Jackson before free agency, per Zrebiec, everything that has transpired to this point does not suggest that will happen.

A potentially unbridgeable gap in guaranteed money exists here, with the Ravens having offered $133MM fully guaranteed last year and Jackson seeking a number that outflanks Deshaun Watson‘s record-shattering $230MM figure. In a vacuum, Jackson is justified in asking for that. But teams are treating the Browns’ 2022 Watson deal — which came amid a four-team trade sweepstakes — as an outlier. Steve Bisciotti said last year he wished the Browns had not gone to that guarantee place for Watson, and it indeed affected the former Browns franchise’s talks with its passer. The Ravens remain unlikely to offer a fully guaranteed deal, Zrebiec adds.

Jackson skipped the Ravens’ offseason workouts last year. Absent a deal, it should not be expected the five-year veteran will show for Baltimore’s voluntary portion this year. Until Jackson signs his franchise tender, he would not be obligated to attend minicamp or training camp, either. With the Ravens retooling on offense this offseason, Jackson attendance will be more important than it was last year. The Ravens are also involving the pending free agent in their OC search.

Compared to most teams, the Ravens are in good cap place. They hold nearly $27MM in space, sitting within the top 10 leaguewide. That would change once a Jackson exclusive tag enters the picture. The dual-threat star has refused Baltimore’s best offers thus far, and although he must sign the tag to lock in that $45MM, the self-represented player’s unorthodox approach regarding his second contract could certainly lead to him making the Ravens sweat leading up to the season.

A nonexclusive tag stipulates teams can pry tagged performers away with two first-round picks. The Ravens using the exclusive tag would allow them to set a different trade market, and while Rapoport adds a trade remains unlikely, paying the extra $13MM would move the boundary for trade compensation. Watson is the only quarterback to fetch three first-round picks since the 1970s, but Jackson — a three-time Pro Bowler with an MVP honor on his resume — has outperformed the controversial QB. Then again, it would require more adjustments to a team’s offense to build an attack around Jackson’s unique skillset.

Trade calls should be expected, Fowler adds, but this part of the Jackson process does not appear to have ignited just yet. A January report pointed to teams believing the Ravens will, in fact, make Jackson available. But DeCosta and Harbaugh’s strong endorsements push back on that. Though, pivoting to a trade after such statements would not exactly be an NFL first. We do appear headed toward a full-fledged third round of these negotiations, and no end is in sight.

Eric Bieniemy Has Not Taken Any OC Interviews; Commanders, Ravens Remain Interested

February 8th, 2023 at 1:29pm CST by Sam Robinson

1:29pm: Neither the Commanders nor the Ravens have hired an offensive coordinator, and neither team can interview Bieniemy until after Super Bowl LVII. Bieniemy’s statement regarding OC jobs notwithstanding, ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter notes (on Twitter) he remains a prime candidate for both Baltimore and Washington.

A move to either team would not be a lateral shift; both the Commanders and Ravens are looking for their next play-caller. Each team has proceeded methodically here. The Commanders’ job became open on Jan. 10; the Ravens moved on from Greg Roman on Jan. 19.

9:58am: Another team with Eric Bieniemy on its interview wish list filled its offensive coordinator vacancy this week. The Titans promoted from within, elevating Tim Kelly to the post.

Tennessee is not the only franchise to show interest in Kansas City’s OC for a non-head coaching position this year. Baltimore and Washington requested Bieniemy interviews weeks ago, but the 10-year Chiefs staffer — whose inability to land a top coaching job has drawn extensive scrutiny over the past several years — said he has only taken one interview this year. Bieniemy spoke with the Colts about their HC position, but no other teams reached out to him regarding their top sideline gigs.

“I have not taken any interviews for any offensive coordinator positions. I’ve only taken one interview, for a head coaching position. Right now, I’ve interviewed with the Indianapolis Colts. I thought it went great,” Bieniemy said, via the Washington Post’s Nicki Jhabvala (on Twitter). “We’ll see where that goes. Now, as far as the offensive coordinator stuff, right now I am where my feet are. And right now I’m focusing on helping us win this game this weekend.”

The Colts are proceeding with one of the most thorough HC interview processes in recent history, potentially planning a third round of meetings. Bieniemy not confirming he spoke with the Colts a second time may well point to yet another team bypassing him. The Colts have interviewed eight candidates twice, including Shane Steichen, who is in the same scheduling boat as Bieniemy due to NFL rules regarding Super Bowl assistants. Bieniemy was linked to being a finalist for the Indianapolis job, but that was before the host of second interviews went down.

Heavy Bieniemy HC interest emerged in past offseasons, but it has waned. The five-year Chiefs OC only interviewed for two of the 10 available jobs last year and one of this year’s five openings. Despite the Chiefs leading the league in offensive DVOA after trading Tyreek Hill, Bieniemy has not received too much credit for the team’s success with Patrick Mahomes. Andy Reid, understandably, has received the bulk of the praise for best stretch in Chiefs history. Bieniemy’s persistent hurdle has led teams to inquire about his interest in becoming a play-calling OC, in an effort to show he can lead a successful offense independent of Reid. Though, past Reid Kansas City lieutenants Doug Pederson and Matt Nagy secured HC jobs during Alex Smith‘s stay as K.C.’s starter.

Bieniemy has reached agreements to stay in Missouri in each of the past two offseasons. He re-signed via a one-year pact in 2022, Jhabvala adds. While the former NFL running back did not confirm he would be back with the Chiefs in 2023, saying he will “have that conversation with coach Reid at that particular time,” the team would naturally have interest in retaining its OC. The Chiefs may yet again have the opportunity to retain Reid’s right-hand man.

Latest On Ravens’ OC Search

February 6th, 2023 at 5:25pm CST by Adam La Rose

Baltimore is one of several NFL teams slowly working their way through the process of finding a new offensive coordinator. New updates have emerged with respect to who they are targeting to replace Greg Roman.

In a detailed piece breaking down where things currently stand, The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec writes (subscription required) that three candidates for the position have interviewed twice with head coach John Harbaugh. Two of those (Georgia offensive coordinator Todd Monken and Vikings pass game coordinator Brian Angelichio) have been well known in the search so far, but another name has been added to the mix.

Bobby Engram has met twice to discuss the Ravens’ OC vacancy, per Zrebiec. The 50-year-old is currently the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Wisconsin, but he spent considerable time in Baltimore prior to that. Engram was the Ravens’ wide receivers coach from 2014-18, and then worked with the team’s tight ends for three seasons after that. He also has experience with the Steelers and 49ers, but has not been an OC at the NFL level.

Other finalists will also include Seahawks quarterbacks coach Dave Canales and Broncos offensive coordinator Justin Outten. Those two are set to interview for the second time this week, which will bring the list of second interviewees to five. As Zrebiec notes, however, Harbaugh could conduct second interviews with other candidates not mentioned here, or he could ever hire a name that has yet to interview for the gig. A number of Chiefs and Eagles assistants could be of interest to the Ravens (Zrebiec specifically calls out Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, senior offensive assistant and quarterbacks coach Matt Nagy and wide receivers coach Joe Bleymaier; and Eagles quarterbacks coach Brian Johnson and pass game coordinator Kevin Patullo).

The Ravens wouldn’t be able to talk to any of those coaches until after the Super Bowl. That means the organization could decide to wait at least another week to make a hire, although they may end up moving quickly on one of the existing candidates if they determine he could sign elsewhere.

Ravens To Conduct Second OC Interview With Brian Angelichio

February 3rd, 2023 at 8:42pm CST by Adam La Rose

The list of finalists for Baltimore’s offensive coordinator vacancy continues to grow. Baltimore is set to meet for a second time with Vikings pass game coordinator Brian Angelichio, reports ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler (Twitter link).

The Ravens met with Angelichio last month, as they cast a wide net of internal and external candidates to replace Greg Roman. Their decision to part ways with the latter has left the team in need of a new OC for the first time since quarterback Lamar Jackson became the full-time starter, while speculation continues to swirl about his status in the short-and long-term with the team.

Angelichio, 50, also interviewed for the Cowboys’ OC position yesterday, per Fowler. That role presents a much different job description, as head coach Mike McCarthy will call plays in Dallas in 2023, regardless of who is ultimately tapped to replace Kellen Moore. In Baltimore, by contrast, the incoming coordinator will take charge of the unit and handle play-calling duties.

An NFL coach since 2012, Angelichio has been a tight ends coach at every stop along the way in his pro career. That has included stints in Tampa Bay, Cleveland, Green Bay, Washington and Carolina prior to his most recent tenure. This past season was his first with the Vikings, where he had the pass game coordinator title added to his familiar TEs coach one.

Thanks in part to his guidance, the Vikings ranked sixth in the league in passing yards this season; trade deadline acquisition T.J. Hockenson made his presence felt early and often at the tight end position, putting together a 60-519-3 statline in 10 regular season contests. That speaks to Angelichio’s effectiveness as at least a positional coach, though he has yet to operate as a play-caller at the NFL level.

All-Pro TE Mark Andrews is set to remain the focal point of Baltimore’s passing attack in 2023, so Angelichio would again have a high-end seam stretcher to work with if he were to be hired by the Ravens. Baltimore faces plenty of other questions with respect to their aerial attack, however, so their ultimate choice to lead the offense will primarily be tasked with engineering improvement in that regard.

Here is an updated look at the Ravens’ OC search:

Ravens Interview Byron Leftwich For OC

February 3rd, 2023 at 3:26pm CST by Sam Robinson

As the Ravens’ offensive coordinator search moves into the finalist stage, the team has met with a recently fired play-caller with a Super Bowl ring. Mentioned as a candidate, Byron Leftwich has indeed met with John Harbaugh about the job, Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic tweets.

The four-year Bucs OC advanced to the finalist stage of the Jaguars’ head coaching search last year but backed out of the pursuit for that job. A year later, the Bucs canned him following a wildly disappointing season on offense. But Leftwich, whose initial three Tampa Bay offenses produced top-10 rankings in scoring, figures to have opportunities.

Leftwich has been let go twice thus far in his career; both instances came a year after Bruce Arians retirements. The Cardinals kept the Arians hire onboard in 2018 under Steve Wilks, and a Mike McCoy firing led to Leftwich’s promotion to offensive coordinator. The Cards’ struggled continued, with the team ranking last in scoring and total offense. Both Wilks and Leftwich were gone by season’s end. Arians brought his former quarterback charge to Tampa, and Leftwich turned his career around with the NFC South team.

Although Jameis Winston infamously completed the league’s first 30-30 season in 2019, the Bucs ranked third in both total offense and points. They actually dipped slightly in Tom Brady‘s first season, from a yardage standpoint, but Leftwich resided as the Bucs’ play-caller throughout his tenure. Arians obviously held a significant influence here, but the offense-minded HC delegated calls to his top offensive staffer. Brady bounced back after a down 2019 season, thriving in 2020 and ’21. The all-time great’s 2022 swoon preceded a retirement and Todd Bowles firing Leftwich.

The Bucs fell from second to 25th in scoring this past season, and both Bowles and Brady voiced concerns about Leftwich’s play-calling. The team’s run game was a particular disappointment, ranking as the worst per-game ground attack in league (76.9 yards per game) by nearly 10 yards. Despite the Bucs re-signing Leonard Fournette, the team rarely overcame its O-line issues and became a pass-reliant operation. Brady broke his own single-season completion record — set in 2021 — due to the imbalance.

It is unclear if Leftwich is a finalist for the job, but the Ravens have now spoken to 11 candidates. The Steelers also loom as a potential Leftwich landing spot.

Todd Monken, Justin Outten Set For Second Ravens OC Interviews

February 3rd, 2023 at 9:21am CST by Ben Levine

FEBRUARY 3: Monken has reached the second-interview stage with the Ravens, who are going through a thorough search to fill their offensive coordinator post. The Ravens will meet with the Georgia OC for a second time Friday, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. Monken joins Seahawks quarterbacks coach Dave Canales and Justin Outten as finalists for the Ravens’ play-calling position.

Outten, who made the leap from Packers tight ends coach to Broncos OC last year, has also advanced to the finals of this pursuit, Garafolo adds (on Twitter). That meeting is expected for next week. The Broncos’ 32nd-ranked offense has thus far not hurt the key principals behind that attack, with Nathaniel Hackett landing the Jets’ OC job and Outten in play to replace Roman. The Broncos initially passed over Outten for play-calling duties; Hackett gave QBs coach Klint Kubiak the reins amid the offense’s persistent struggles. But Outten called Denver’s plays in the final two weeks.

JANUARY 28: For the second straight year, the Ravens could turn to the college ranks to fill a coordinator vacancy. According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero (on Twitter), the Ravens interviewed Georgia offensive coordinator Todd Monken for their own OC job this week.

[RELATED: Bucs To Interview Georgia OC Todd Monken]

Monken had recent stints as the Buccaneers and Browns offensive coordinator before joining Georgia as their offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach in 2020. Per Pelissero, the 56-year-old has been looking to return to the NFL, and he should have a good opportunity this offseason. We heard yesterday that the Buccaneers also interviewed Monken for their offensive coordinator vacancy.

Monken was a potential NFL head coach candidate in 2019. Following his one-and-done stint in Cleveland, he joined a Georgia squad that has since won back-to-back national championships. Georgia has ranked as a top-10 offense nationally in each of the past two seasons, and the SEC powerhouse is paying the coach accordingly; per the Tampa Bay Times’ Rick Stroud (on Twitter), Monken earns the highest salary among college assistants ($2.01MM).

The Ravens and OC Greg Roman parted ways following the team’s playoff loss. A number of names have emerged as potential candidates for the open positoon, including:

Doug Nussmeier Interviews For Ravens OC Job

February 2nd, 2023 at 6:10pm CST by Ben Levine

Doug Nussmeier won’t be back in Dallas next season, but he could land a promotion elsewhere. According to ESPN’s Todd Archer (via Twitter), the now-former Cowboys quarterbacks coach interviewed for the Ravens offensive coordinator job today.

Archer tweeted yesterday that Nussmeier won’t be back with the Cowboys next year. The coach’s contract expired, allowing him to pursue another gig elsewhere. Archer hinted in that tweet that there were “a few teams” that already reached out to the veteran coach, including “at least one” for a coordinator job.

Following multiple stints as offensive coordinator in college football, Nussmeier joined the NFL in 2018. After spending his first two years as the Cowboys’ tight ends coach, he was promoted to quarterbacks coach following the hiring of head coach Mike McCarthy. During Nussmeier‘s three years on the job, he dealt with five different starters at the QB position, including the unheralded Cooper Rush, who went 4-1. Dak Prescott also saw plenty of success playing under Nussmeier, with the QB setting the team record for touchdowns in a season.

As a result of his success in Dallas, Nussmeier has become an increasingly popular name on the coordinator market. He was previously mentioned as a potential candidate for the Patriots OC job (before the organization ultimately hired Bill O’Brien), and now he’s got his first official interview with the Ravens. The 52-year-old coach is also drawing overtures to return to collegiate football; per Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald (on Twitter), Nussmeier has emerged as a strong candidate for the offensive coordinator job at the University of Miami.

With Greg Roman out in Baltimore, the Ravens are casting a wide net to find their new offensive coordinator. The following individuals have been connected to the gig at some point over the past few weeks:

2023 NFL Cap Space, By Team

February 2nd, 2023 at 1:36pm CST by Sam Robinson

Earlier this week, the NFL revealed its 2023 salary cap. Teams can now budget for their offseasons, knowing a $224.8MM ceiling is in place. This year’s nonexclusive franchise and transition tag numbers also emerged, giving teams more clarity on those fronts as well. With that in mind, here is where every team stands in terms of cap space:

  1. Chicago Bears: $90.91MM
  2. Atlanta Falcons: $56.42MM
  3. New York Giants: $44.28MM
  4. Houston Texans: $37.56MM
  5. Cincinnati Bengals: $35.55MM
  6. New England Patriots: $32.71MM
  7. Seattle Seahawks: $31.04MM
  8. Baltimore Ravens: $26.87MM
  9. Las Vegas Raiders: $19.78MM
  10. Arizona Cardinals: $14.47MM
  11. Kansas City Chiefs: $13.96MM
  12. Detroit Lions: $13.83MM
  13. Indianapolis Colts: $12.59MM
  14. Denver Broncos: $9.07MM
  15. San Francisco 49ers: $8.28MM
  16. Washington Commanders: $8.24MM
  17. Philadelphia Eagles: $4.24MM
  18. Pittsburgh Steelers: $1.03MM
  19. New York Jets: $1.31MM over the cap
  20. Dallas Cowboys: $7.18MM over
  21. Carolina Panthers: $8.94MM over
  22. Los Angeles Rams: $14.19MM over
  23. Cleveland Browns: $14.64MM over
  24. Miami Dolphins: $16.45MM over
  25. Green Bay Packers: $16.48MM over
  26. Buffalo Bills: $17.88MM over
  27. Los Angeles Chargers: $20.38MM over
  28. Jacksonville Jaguars: $22.35MM over
  29. Minnesota Vikings: $23.43MM over
  30. Tennessee Titans: $23.67MM over
  31. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: $55.03MM over
  32. New Orleans Saints: $60.47MM over

These figures (courtesy of OverTheCap) will change dramatically in the coming weeks, but this is where each team stands ahead of Super Bowl LVII. After that point, cap-casualty cuts can begin taking place. Restructures, extensions and trades will commence as well, with the Saints of recent years doing well to prove there are a few roads to cap compliance.

While New Orleans is in its usual February place, the team actually was further over the 2021 and ’22 caps at this point on the NFL calendar. Using void years to load up its roster during Tom Brady‘s three-year stay, Tampa Bay has seen much of that bill come due. If Brady does not re-sign a procedural deal, which would allow for the Buccaneers to spread out his dead money, the team will be hit with a $35.1MM dead-cap charge this year.

The Browns led the league by a wide margin in cap carryover from 2022, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. Cleveland carried over $27.6MM in cap space. The Browns paced the league in cap space throughout the 2022 season, bracing for the Deshaun Watson contract’s spike. As of now, Watson’s cap figure will balloon from $9.4MM to $54.9MM. No NFL player has ever played a season on a cap number higher than $45MM.

The Panthers, Broncos, Bears and Raiders rounded out the top five in carryover dollars, ranging from $10.8MM to $6.7MM. Chicago ate considerable dead money via the Khalil Mack and Robert Quinn trades. The rebuilding team is still paying most of Quinn’s salary, doing so in order to secure a better draft pick from the Eagles. The Bears will have quite the opportunity to bolster their roster in Ryan Poles‘ second year in charge, leading the league by a massive margin and holding the No. 1 overall pick. The Falcons still have $12MM-plus in Deion Jones dead money on their 2023 payroll, but the team is rid of Matt Ryan‘s record-setting dead-cap hit ($40MM).

Baltimore will have a major decision to make in the coming weeks. GM Eric DeCosta said he has not decided if the team will place the exclusive or nonexclusive tag on Lamar Jackson. Even the nonexclusive number — $32.42MM — will dramatically change the Ravens’ budget ahead of free agency. The exclusive tag, which prevents other teams from submitting an offer sheet to Jackson, is expected to come in just north of $45MM.

Seahawks’ Dave Canales Set For Second Ravens OC Interview

January 31st, 2023 at 7:45pm CST by Sam Robinson

A thorough search to replace Greg Roman now includes second interviews. The Ravens plan to bring in Seahawks quarterbacks coach Dave Canales for a second meeting about their vacant offensive coordinator position, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.

The Ravens have sent out 10 interview requests about the job. Some went to internal staffers and others to current coordinators. Canales profiles as an up-and-coming option, but he has extensive experience. The veteran position coach has been on Pete Carroll‘s Seahawks staff since the HC arrived in Seattle in 2010.

Canales, 41, has not been connected to any other OC search yet, but it is not surprising the Ravens are showing interest. Geno Smith just completed one of the more surprising years by a quarterback in recent NFL history. Signed in April to a one-year, $3.5MM deal, Russell Wilson‘s former backup provided strong work replacing the franchise icon. Smith led the NFL with a 69.8% completion rate and threw 30 touchdown passes, piloting the Seahawks to a wild-card spot.

Wilson also worked under Canales, who served as the Seahawks’ QBs coach from 2018-19 and their passing-game coordinator from 2020-21. While Wilson struggled mightily in his Denver debut, he continued to lift Seattle squads to the playoffs during most of his time with Canales. Carroll saw plenty in Canales, bringing him from El Camino College — a JUCO program — to USC in 2009 and then installing him as a full-fledged position coach in 2010.

While the Ravens are progressing to second-round interviews with some candidates, they’re also set to conduct first interviews this week. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler (on Twitter), the organization will interview Bills wide receivers coach Chad Hall on Wednesday.

Hall started as an assistant with the Bills in 2017 and has spent the past four seasons as their WRs coach. Stefon Diggs has exploded during his three seasons with Buffalo, but Hall has also squeezed a career year out of John Brown in 2019 and has helped with the development of late-round wideouts like Gabriel Davis and Isaiah McKenzie.

Baltimore interviewed former OCs George Godsey, its current tight ends coach, and 2022 Broncos OC Justin Outten. The Ravens also spoke with Georgia OC Todd Monken this week; Monken is also on the radar to return to the Buccaneers. The Ravens sent Eric Bieniemy an interview request, but it is unclear if the longtime Chiefs OC is interested in a non-head coaching role. Baltimore has promoted from within to fill its OC role recently, hiring Roman and Marty Mornhinweg, but it appears to be seriously considering outside options this time.

Here is how the Ravens’ OC search looks:

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