Lamar Jackson‘s Ravens negotiations have not produced much in the way of prices, but the team looks to be prepared to pay the former MVP a top-market deal. Well, they were nearly there last year.
Patrick Mahomes‘ $45MM-per-year deal topped the quarterback market when the 2021 season ended, with Josh Allen‘s $43MM-AAV accord being second. During talks last year, the Ravens were prepared to hit the Allen threshold for Jackson, with Albert Breer of SI.com noting the team matched that AAV in a 2021 offer.
[RELATED: How Will Ravens’ Jackson Talks Conclude?]
It is not known how many years the Ravens proposed at the $43MM-per-year price or how the offer was structured, but Jackson did not budge. The Ravens were willing to concede Jackson was a $40MM-per-year QB during their 2021 negotiations, though the agent-less quarterback’s price has undoubtedly risen since. Aaron Rodgers, Kyler Murray and Deshaun Watson have since bumped Mahomes and Allen down, AAV-wise, to Nos. 4 and 5 among NFL earners.
Jackson, 25, has obviously been patient here. Despite being extension-eligible since January 2021, the three-time Pro Bowler is less than a month away from his fifth-year option season. Jackson has also set a firm Week 1 deadline for negotiating with the Ravens — something he did not do last year. This raises the stakes for Baltimore’s negotiations, which seem to have picked up in recent weeks. This process has gone from Ravens decision-makers admitting the quarterback did not seem interested in a deal to Jackson indicating he hopes a contract comes to pass before Week 1.
The dual-threat QB has also been connected to wanting Watson-level guarantees. While Jackson is not in as strong a position to command that historic structure ($230MM fully guaranteed — $120MM north of any other NFLer’s guarantees), Watson’s contract has worked his favor. Jackson forcing this issue to the 2023 March franchise tag deadline runs the risk of his value dropping, via another injury or a decline in performance, but it also could prompt the Ravens to apply an exclusive tag. An injury also may not damage Jackson’s value at all, given how the Cowboys’ negotiations with Dak Prescott played out. Staring at a second Prescott tag clogging their cap sheet, the Cowboys came in with a big offer just before a tag needed to be applied in 2021.
An exclusive Jackson tag in 2023 would be worth around $45MM, Breer adds. A second tag in this scenario would top $50MM in 2024. While the Browns are evidently prepared to have Watson on their 2023 cap sheet at $54.9MM, no team has gone into a season with a player tied to a $45MM cap hit. The Ravens using the exclusive tag, which prevents offer sheets coming in, next year would leave a monster Jackson cap hold on the team’s books and hurt the organization in terms of adding talent in free agency.
Don’t give him that money. Let some other team do it.
And who is going to play qb?
Anyone else.
Anyone else is a great QB answer. Keeps working out like gangbusters for the Panthers.
So just because another team fails that means nobody else should try.
Okay everybody, if you didn’t win the Superbowl last year, just quit and give up. No point in trying.
Gee, I dunno. I don’t know where all the new QB’s come from every year…………….
Guess there’s no such thing as free agency, trades, and the draft or anything.
I’d get a steady placeholder guy on a reasonable contract and draft your next starter until you find the one that works.
I like how everyone complained that Joe Flacco’s contract killed the Ravens…even though he actually won a SB and was the MVP of the game and all. But, these some geniuses want to pay Lamar….who hasn’t done that at all….about twice as much as Flacco and give it to him all guaranteed because that’s supposedly what he wants.
Ok. It’s a win now roster with Lamar or it’s a roster in desperate need of a QB and a low draft pick.
You think this current roster is win now with Lamar? Have you seen it?
No established WR. OL in flux. No pass rush. Terrible LB corps. Major pieces of the secondary coming back from injury. RB’s all coming back from injury.
@ Oooof / I don’t recall a GM ever holding a press conference to announce he is constructing a “lose now” roster.
“An agent who represents himself has a fool for a client.”
Why have an agent when the market has set its self?♂️♂️♂️♂️
Then why does anybody have an agent? When doing a large deal the margin for error could be huge and leave millions on the table. If you want the biggest contract in the history of the game the agent fees are worth it.
The market does set the going rate however, Jackson is an elite NFL player but not an elite NFL QB. An agent will know how to counter defend and attack the team’s position for the client.
Another issue might be that a groundbreaking contract could be in order only with a different set of requirements requested. I doubt that Jackson has a team in place to review every paragraph like an agent would. (Kyler Murray)
As an NFL MVP one should suggest that Mr Jackson would have more endorsements than Era 8 and Oakley. On record the NFL has endorsement deals with over 1000 companies from the 2021 season, think only two wanted Lamar as a representative?
The young man needs an agent.
True dat!
Doesn’t an agent take 20% of a player’s earnings? For a talent like Jackson, who knows what his market is, why does it make sense to give away 20% of his salary for something he is capable of doing himself? Plus, I’m pretty sure agents have it in the contracts the players sign to have them as their representative that the player has to use the lawyers, PR staff, marketing and all the other assorted staff that work for the firm that the agent os a part of. Some agents are right for some players but allot of agents are slimy leaches!
No way he’s worth that.
Except it’s $3 million less than Watson and Murray, and if he has a reasonably healthy season, he’ll surpass it, because that’d how the market works.
And he still isn’t worth it. Those guys aren’t worth what they got.
Blow up the market. Time for the NFL to die.
Then why are you on this site?
Because I feel like it. Same reason you are.
From a business standpoint, he might be. The Ravens are going to decide the ROI on Jackson not just by what he does on the field. Does he currently and will he continue to increase revenue for the Ravens and is it likely that that amount is greater than a cheaper alternative? That should be what drives the decision making process for the Ravens.
I’d guarantee only the first two years.
Hype train must be dying down on Lamearm Jackson. Not much run on this story for a guy who is supposed to be so awesome that he can win 50 superbowls all by himself with nobody else on the field for his team.