The Ravens continue to put word out Lamar Jackson is not pursuing an extension. John Harbaugh said Tuesday no talks have occurred between the former MVP and the team since shortly after the season ended.
A recent report indicated Jackson was not planning to discuss a new deal until after the 2022 season wraps, and owner Steve Bisciotti‘s first comments about the state of the team in years centered on Jackson. Bisciotti broached the subject of a two-franchise tag future. That still seems too early to predict, and Jackson reiterated his happiness in Baltimore. But the team is ready to do a deal; its quarterback is not.
“We had a serious conversation at the end of the season with Lamar and [GM] Eric [DeCosta] and myself,” Harbaugh said during an appearance on the Rich Eisen Show (via Pro Football Talk). “And he made it pretty clear where he was at with it and what he wanted to do this offseason, and that was really the last formal one we had.
“When he’s ready to do it, it’s going to become a priority for him, then we’re gonna know it, you know? It doesn’t have to be a priority for us right now. It’s got to be a priority for both sides. We can do something, or we can wait. Because we know it’s gonna get done when it’s supposed to get done.”
The three-time Pro Bowler is attached to a $23MM fifth-year option salary. An extension would help the Ravens by bringing that number down. Should this process progress to a franchise tag in 2023, that cap figure would become an issue for the team.
Jackson’s patience looks to be more of a gamble than Kirk Cousins‘ or Dak Prescott‘s, considering his unprecedented carry pace. Jackson’s 615 carries through four seasons are 148 more than any other quarterback in NFL history compiled to that point, with Cam Newton in second. Newton’s short prime could serve as a warning here, as it would seemingly behoove Jackson to cash in early. Of course, it is not known how far the Ravens are prepared to go financially. As of November, they were not ready to give Jackson a deal matching Patrick Mahomes‘ $45MM-per-year accord. The Deshaun Watson contract — averaging $46MM annually and coming fully guaranteed — may well have changed the game for star quarterbacks, complicating potential Ravens-Jackson talks.
Harbaugh has said several times Jackson would get paid. His first such comments on the matter came shortly after the 2020 season ended, when the longtime Baltimore HC expected a deal to be finalized either during the 2021 or ’22 offseasons. Jackson’s approach has clearly surprised the Ravens, as their owner, GM and head coach have confirmed he is not pursuing a new deal.
“I do believe Lamar when he tells me that, man, he just wants to be the best quarterback he can be, and that’s what he’s thinking about right now,” Harbaugh said. “He doesn’t think he has to think about his contract. He feels like he’s got time to do it. Yeah, you could argue that one way or the other. But everybody gets to make that decision for themselves. That’s a great thing. That’s his choice, not somebody else’s.”
If Jackson’s patience does pay off and he retains his elite value by the time he is ready to negotiate, the self-represented passer will do incredibly well for himself. But this saga does not appear set to conclude soon. This reaching the two-tag path represents the best bet as of now, OverTheCap’s Jason Fitzgerald posited recently (via The Athletic). That would mean Jackson putting extension talks off until at least 2025. It would easily be one of the boldest plays in NFL contract history.
It’s odd that it has been known for 2 years why he isn’t doing a deal and yet it’s now somehow news.
The Ravens have wanted to do a deal since the MVP season. We’re 2 years removed from that. He said he wants to win a ring to earn a deal like Mahomes did. It’s likely unless they win one this season that he’s not going to do a deal.
It’s news because with no agent, speculation can run rampant, generating article after article, click after click, dollar after dollar, about what is essentially a non-story.
In an age where content is king, a story that keeps spinning as the long as the content creators/sites want is a bottomless moneybag.
Yes it’s much like another QB that’s on GB.
What does Jordan Love have to do with this?
Who needs to start, when a start can be broken…
In the NFL, an MVP (along with a few pro-bowls) dictates you expect a top of the market contract. Seems weird that this story is always presented as a question as to why he won’t just smile and settle for the subpar contract Baltimore is offering instead of the fact that he expects what he’s earned to this point. It’s kind of uncomfortable to be honest.
Good. Some other team should pay him then. He’s a gimmick QB.
Jackson has zero business getting anywhere close to $40 million a season.
Absolutely. I am in the camp that the Ravens should go elsewhere for a franchise QB. I don’t think Lamar Jackson has moved the needle as far as he was supposed to. Can you win with him? Yeah, if you create an entire offense around him and give him an amazing running game. Even Trent Dilfer can win with that formula.
This Ravens offense was supposed to be revolutionary. Something like we’ve never seen before. It is a read-option, play action, run heavy offense. This is nothing new. The thing that makes it different is the physical, god given gifts Lamar has as an athlete. Nobody else could run the offense like him. But, he’s not a great passer. And that is what wins the games that matter in this league.
Lamar is getting closer to 30. He’s going to slow down and lost a step. He’s going to take more and more hits. There are only so many a body can take. Once he loses that step that sets him apart, his entire game comes crashing down. We’ve seen it already when defenses have taken the run game and option away.
Time to draft a QB in like the 3rd round to start next season and rebuild the offense AGAIN. This time get a QB that can actually pass…maybe?
Goodell: “Obviously, there is no place in the NFL for someone who refuses to be greedy”.
Just like with attorneys, a man that represents himself has a fool for a client. Saving some money on the fees is not wise once you get up into that range. Every agent out there is hoping he gets fleeced.
If every agent wants Lamar to accept less now than he can get by waiting, it gives you an idea of what kind of bloodsuckers he’s trying to avoid.