The Baltimore Ravens were having some trouble signing edge rusher Matt Judon to his franchise tag for the 2020 NFL season. Fortunately, it seems they were able to meet at the halfway point.
There had been some disagreement between Judon and the Ravens regarding the value of his franchise tag when it comes to getting paid as either a defensive end or linebacker. According to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, both sides have managed to split the difference in order to get it done:
The one-year franchise tender he signed Thursday is worth $16.808 million, per source. That’s the midpoint between the DE and LB numbers.
The Ravens already had some experience when it came to striking a similar deal with Terrell Suggs back in 2008 given his skill set as a hybrid end/linebacker.
The negotiations provide an intriguing aspect to the franchise tag that still has yet to be addressed. Although edge rusher may not be considered an official position, it is still as prevalent as ever in today's NFL and the league as a whole may have to take this into account for future deals rather than leaving it up to teams individually.
Judon is coming off a stellar 2019 campaign that saw him register 54 tackles, 9.5 sacks, and four forced fumbles en route to Pro Bowl honors for the first time in his career. Although he was able to get some clarification on his salary for the 2020 NFL season, both sides are still optimistic that they will be able to get a long-term deal done by the July 15 deadline.
