According to Jason La Canfora, the Ravens have made retaining LB Matt Judon one of their top offseason priorities and will use the franchise tag on Judon if they can’t agree to a long-term extension this offseason.
The Ravens had to let both DEs Terrell Suggs and Za’Darius Smith go last offseason but Judon has stepped up to pick up the slack in the final year of his contract in 2019.
Baltimore could have as much as $60 million in cap space in 2020, a significant chunk of which will be earmarked for Judon. He has 27.5 sacks so far through his first four seasons.
Should the two sides not agree on terms for an extension, La Canfora notes the tag is expected to cost around $17 million for 2020, which Judon would have a good chance of exceeding if he were to hit the open market.
Judon, 27, was drafted by the Ravens out of Grand Valley State in 2016. He’s in the final year of his four-year, $2.595 million rookie deal and made a base salary of $720,000 in 2019.
In 2019, Judon has appeared in 14 games for the Ravens and recorded 47 total tackles, 8.5 sacks and three forced fumbles. He’s rated by Pro Football Focus as the No. 43 edge defender out of 106 qualifying players.
We have him listed in our 2020 Top 50 Free Agents Available list.
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