OWINGS MILLS, Md. – The Baltimore Ravens officially placed the franchise tag on outside linebacker Matthew Judon on Friday, keeping the team’s top pass rusher from hitting free agency.

Judon, 27, reached the first Pro Bowl of his four-year career after leading the Ravens with a personal-best 9.5 sacks and recording the fourth-most quarterback hits in the NFL with 33.

This move had long been expected and it comes at a steep price. The tag on Judon will cost between $16 million and $18 million, which will use more than half of Baltimore’s projected $30 million salary cap space and limit what the team can do in free agency.

The Ravens have traditionally used the tag to buy time to get a long-term deal done. The last five players franchised by Baltimore — cornerback Chris McAlister (2003 and 2004), linebacker Terrell Suggs (2008 and 2009), defensive tackle Haloti Ngata (2011), running back Ray Rice (2012) and kicker Justin Tucker (2016) — eventually got contracts that made them among the highest paid at their positions.

“I’d rather have a long-term deal for stability,” Judon said Friday in a text to ESPN’s Josina Anderson. “It is what it is. I feel like this is what many of us go through that are facing free agency. At the end of the day, I know I’m playing football next season.”

Baltimore, which finished with the NFL’s best regular season record last season at 14-2, couldn’t risk losing Judon. Addressing the pass rush has become an offseason priority for the Ravens after ranking 21st in the league with 37 sacks, their fewest since 2015.

Not retaining Judon would’ve been a tough sell a year after losing another pass-rusher in his prime.