John Harbaugh: ‘No Question’ Tyler Huntley Is A Starting Caliber QB
There is a hard deadline for a Lamar Jackson extension. If Jackson hasn’t signed a new contract before the Ravens suit up for Week 1, there will be no further discussions until the offseason. The Ravens may have a VERY suitable plan B and his name is Tyler Huntley. John Harbaugh is a very firm believer in Tyler Huntley.
“I definitely believe that. There’s no question in my mind about that. I’m glad we have him. We’re very, very blessed to have him as one of our players, one of our quarterbacks,” Harbaugh said.
The Ravens are going to find themselves in a very interesting situation this offseason. Jackson will enter the offseason as an unrestricted free agent. Huntley is a restricted free agent following the season. Baltimore will likely place a first round tender on Huntley while Jackson is going to get hit with the franchise tag. It’s just far from a guarantee either are both on the roster this time next season.
For the record, Huntley has been awesome this preseason. Maybe it matters and maybe it doesn’t but Huntley was flawless his last time out against Arizona. Personally, I do believe the Ravens have something here with Huntley. The former Utah quarterback has always been interesting but you can see the obvious progression during his time with Baltimore.
The most likely scenario is that Lamar is back with the Ravens but at what cost? Is the only way to get him to sign is by matching the Deshaun Watson deal by offering a fully guaranteed deal? Will another team bite the bullet on that while matching draft pick compensation while Lamar is on the tag? Could Lamar totally falter and open the door for Huntley to become the guy?
There are a lot of questions that need to be answered here for the Ravens. Regardless, it sounds like Baltimore is very confident in what they have with Tyler Huntley. If Huntley can more than play, why throw $50 million per year at aging Lamar?
