The Facts: Following up on the ongoing story. ... It has been presumed that if the Ravens can't sign Flacco before the March 4 franchise-tagging deadline that they'd exercise the exclusive tag. But SI.com's Peter King wrote: "Don't be so sure of that exclusive tag."
Diehards Line:King went on to explain that using the exclusive tag would mean committing a $20 million guaranteed salary -- with another $24 million due Flacco in 2014 if Baltimore had to exercise a tag again next year. Two years, $44 million. That's significantly more than Drew Brees, Peyton Manning and Tom Brady make now. The regular franchise tag for quarterbacks, meanwhile, is $14.5 million. Meanwhile, the Ravens were $5 million over the league's $121 million salary cap at the close of business last Friday and that figure doesn't include a dime for Flacco. Given the reporting from Sunday suggesting other teams might already be plotting to make a run at Flacco will complicate matters for the Ravens. ... Stay tuned.