Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson has finally revealed his contract situation with the franchise. After a fan tweeted that the player sought more than what was offered by the team on Monday, Jackson said, “no they didn’t.”
Jackson’s response also bashed off claims spearheaded by FOX Sports’ Jay Glazer last week. The pundit claimed the team had offered the two-time Pro Bowler a contract bigger than Arizona Cardinals QB Kyler Murray’s.
Glazer said that the contract discussion between Baltimore and its star QB was a “big uphill battle” since Jackson was eyeing a fully-guaranteed deal. Additionally, among other difficulties was that Jackson did not have an agent to represent him in contract talks, which made it difficult for the two to settle on common ground.
“It’s a really big uphill battle here and the reason why is because Lamar Jackson, he’s representing himself, and it’s so hard when you have to go up there and try to negotiate, and for them to tell you why you’re not worth a certain type of contract,” Glazer said.
“But they’ve already offered him more than Kyler Murray got. But the Deshaun Watson deal kind of throws things out of whack here, cause I’m sure [Jackson] wants a fully-guaranteed contract. I don’t see [the Ravens] wanting to do that.”
Contract talks uncertainties
The Ravens exercised the fifth-year option on Jackson’s contract last year. This means he will enter the free agent market next offseason if both parties cannot agree on new contract terms.
There have been rumors that Baltimore will use the franchise tag on the QB. It is unlikely for Jackson to accept the idea as the 2019 NFL MVP will make less in the deal—as little as $31.5 million. This is much lower than Murray’s five-year, $230.5 million contract, which included an average annual value (AAV) of $46.1 million.
Via his AAV, Murray has become the second-highest paid QB, trailing behind Green Bay Packers veteran star Aaron Rodgers with his three-year $150.8 million contract and an AAV of $50.3 million.
However, Jackson said he was eager to discuss his new contract with the team ahead of the regular season start this September.
Slightly in a different tone, ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith also shared his two cents on Baltimore and Jackson’s seemingly far-from-finished contract discussion.
When asked whether it would be possible for Jackson to play without a new deal, Smith responded that resorting to such an option was “one of the dumbest things” the QB can do.
“Not at all. Not even a little bit,” Smith said via Larry Brown Sports. “I think that would be one of the dumbest things he could possibly do.”
The player sustained a season-ending ankle injury in 2021. The quarterback was hit by Cleveland Browns linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah in a Week 14 game between their teams. The 25-year-old was ruled out from the game and missed out on the remaining games of the season. Health concerns loomed over his portfolio this year and have affected his value as a player.