Baltimore Ravens franchise tag Matthew Judon

With the franchise tag deadline looming on Monday, the Baltimore Ravens are putting the tag to use.

The Ravens have designated outside linebacker Matthew Judon as their 2020 franchise player, general manager Eric DeCosta announced Friday. NFL Network's Mike Garafolo was the first to report the news.

Now the question remains as to whether the Ravens will lock up Judon with a long-term contract or tag and trade him.

Having burst to the Ravens' defensive forefront with career-highs of 54 tackles, 9.5 sacks, 33 quarterback hits and four forced fumbles, Judon stayed at the forefront of the Ravens' offseason plans.

"We're going to try to get as many of these guys re-signed as we can," Ravens coach John Harbaugh said in his end-of-the-year presser. "Matt is probably right at the top of the list, for sure."

Having earned his first Pro Bowl bid after helping the Ravens to the AFC North title and the conference's No. 1 seed, Judon is now top on the franchise-tag list as the first player designated with one.

Judon tweeted this response after he was tagged:

Judon, previously NFL.com's No. 17 rated free agent, is likely not the last as the deadline now draws nearer at 11:59:59 a.m. ET on Monday.