When it comes to his next contract, Lamar Jackson and the Ravens still have a ways to go. However, even though negotiations haven’t gained much momentum, the quarterback says that he remains committed to the only pro team he’s ever known.
[RELATED: Ravens Extend Head Coach John Harbaugh]
“I love my Ravens,” Jackson tweeted on Wednesday. “I don’t know who the hell putting that false narrative out that I’m having thoughts about leaving stop tryna read my mind.”
Unlike other elite QBs, Jackson hasn’t been super aggressive in pushing for an extension. That’s why owner Steve Bisciotti isn’t so sure that Jackson will ink an extension between now and the fall.
“Unless he has a change of heart and calls Eric and says I’m ready. But it’s like, Eric can’t keep calling him and say, ‘Hey Lamar, you really need to get in here and get this thing done,’” Bisciotti said recently.
Jackson’s latest comments are consistent with what he’s said all along — he wants to stay in Baltimore and build towards a Super Bowl ring. The Ravens, meanwhile, could look towards the franchise tag to cuff him beyond his fifth year.
“Kirk Cousins did it that way. What if Lamar says that? I’ll play on the fifth-year, I’ll play on the franchise, I’ll play on another franchise and then you can sign me,” Bisciotti said. “That might be the case, but I don’t talk to Lamar. It’s not my role. I don’t know the answer.”
Cousins turned his prolonged drama with the Commanders into multiple franchise tagged season followed by record-breaking guarantees with the Vikings. If Jackson were to go that route (and perform as a top-tier QB) he could net an unprecedented fortune now that Deshaun Watson has signed a $230MM fully guaranteed contract.
“Show Me The MONEYYYYYY!!!”
14th ranked QB last year and even that feels generous. Yet to show anything in the playoffs, but will certainly get elite money.
Jackson’s numbers have declined in each of the last three years.
Coming off the MVP season, that’s hard to duplicate. I’m not a Ravens fan obviously but last year he lost his top 3 backs and his all pro left tackle before the season started and it went downhill after that. I still wouldn’t want to face him.
Luckily, you don’t have to. 31 other NFL teams do and they are starting to figure out how to gameplan against him.
So you don’t think that a lack of a supporting cast last year didn’t hurt him? Josh Allen didn’t have as good of stats last year that he had the year before. Has the league figured him out too? When Jackson got hurt last year, Baltimore was the #1 seed and never made the playoffs.
Injuries in the NFL happen. It is his job if he is “the franchise” to elevate the team above it. He doesn’t. It isn’t just down stats, it is how Jackson plays the game. Each time he got into the playoffs, he lost because teams didn’t allow him to run. They forced him to be essentially a pocket passer, and he can’t win. Teams have started to catch on and play him that way in the regular season.
I don’t know what is so hard to understand here. You’ve had numerous blueprints for the future of a QB like Lamar. Vick, RGIII, Newton, Kaepernick…all these amazing running athletes at the QB position. All of them failing because they weren’t great QB’s or they got crushed with injuries and it took away their main weapon…running.
Each one of these guys were supposed to be the next “evolution” of the game of football. None of them were. The main job of a QB in today’s game is to distribute the ball and PASS it. Lamar is just not that good at it. If he was, why do top flight WR’s not want to come here?
Watson hasn’t shown anything in the playoffs and he’s got the record contract. Is what it is.
Not worth it. If the Ravens give him a new, big contract, they’re going to regret it.
Most overrated quarterback in the NFL
You could say that about 5 different guys.
It’s simple. His mother is his agent. She doesn’t leak things. So instead people create narratives on things because he hasn’t signed an extension. It’s goofy to assume anything right now. But being that he doesn’t have an agency to do PR, this is all writers can muster.
I get that Jackson had a down year last year, but he also lost both his offensive tackles and top two running backs from a run-heavy scheme. In an offseason when teams are trading huge amounts of draft capital for the right to pay a recently injured 33-year old or a guy with scandal and lawsuits swirling around him huge sums of money, or are willing to send any draft capital for the right to pay for the backwash of Matt Ryan’s career or give Carson Wentz a third starting job in three years, I’d be good with paying Lamar. It’s not like they’ll have a realistic shot of getting one of the elite prospects next year.
Just because other teams are being stupid doesn’t mean you have to match their stupid. Lamar Jackson is a run first QB that can’t beat you when you force him to be a passer. He makes terrible decisions and fumbles the ball away. He hasn’t progressed as a passer since he got into the league. If they commit a huge portion of their cap space to sign him, they’re idiots.
He didn’t fumble very much last year or in 2019. He had a ton of fumbles as a rookie, but hasn’t generally been bad about that since. You can say that it’s just other teams being stupid, but at some point, that’s just the market. Either you follow the market or you chase a rookie deal QB. If they don’t have a great path for the latter, they should pay the man. You’re drastically focused on negatives.
Every Lamar post brings out the best negative jabroni taeks… the lack of knowledge they display while smelling their own farts is hilarious
Maybe you should stop wasting time posting nonsense, pay some attention, and you might learn more about football than you think you already know. If you think Lamar is a great QB and worth top tier money, you’re dreaming.
He also didn’t play a full season last year, and the year before last, he did fumble quite a bit. And yes, just because other teams are throwing stupid money at bad QB’s, doesn’t mean you do that too just because. Go after a rookie QB or a low cost stop gap and go at the next draft. It is better to get your next plan in gear rather than hamstring your franchise for a half a decade or more with the wrong man for the job.
You.habe.tl.be joking right, “hasn’t progressed as a passer since he got into the league”…? That couldn’t be further from the truth. You either know nothing about football or are just clueless
I know a great deal about football, that’s why I am saying what I am saying. If you don’t understand his game and lack of ability as a passer, that’s on you. The guy can’t beat you with his arm. He needs to run. You take that away from him, he’s dead meat.
The only clueless ones are people like you that try to deny it.
Oh, so you’re the one who loves them.
First there was Charo. Then came Cher. Now we have Eric.
This is exactly why he needs an agent. I love the team first mentality but the guy is one low hit away from losing 100 plus million. He game is predicated on his legs and he won’t be nearly as effective 5-6 years from now. He needs to cash in while he can.
As great as he’s been and as much of a game-changer as he’s been, his style of play should be factored in before giving him a long term deal. One bad hit in open space as he’s racing down field and he’d have to become a completely different QB.
That’s a fair point, but that can happen to any QB in any situation. Carson Palmer wasn’t a runner, but he got his knee ripped up and we can see how that went. It’s a game of risk. If you have a good QB, you can’t make decisions there trying to insulate yourself from injury risk financially.
Not only that, but he’s starting to get closer to 30 than 20 now, and that speed game will start to fade. His speed is his claim to fame for running. We’ve already seen what happens when teams force him to stay honest and he can’t run wild. He can’t beat you with his arm. He makes poor decisions.
You’re right. He has to dedicate himself to learning the QB position like all the previous running QB’s that had a long shelf life learned. Randall Cunningham had to learn it after he kept getting clobbered. Cam Newton should have learned it before he ruined himself. Vick should have learned it well before his Philly days.
The delay is almost certainly due to lacking an agent, but it remains to be seen how good or bad a decision that is because the contract hasn’t been signed.
The negative to this right now though is, certainly, that Jackson cannot simply keep his head down and focus on football. As much as he may want to ignore this and focus on improving (which I undoubtedly believe that he does want to do), he has to devote time and effort (and most importantly, stress) to negotiating. I think Lamar is pretty genuine and has a drive to get better and is committed to doing so, and for a player like that, negotiations are the last thing he wants to focus on. Just my opinion of it from the outside.
Lamar may not be blessed with foresight.
Perhaps even a little naive concerning his own invincibility.
I think we all are at that age.
Were I him, I’d want the added security that a long term contract offers.
Especially considering the shelf life of an NFL player, and one that relies on their speed and agility to boot.
Although, it has been encouraging to watch his improvement as a passer over the years, last year being an outlier due to the massive amount of injuries around him on their offense.
I feel like Lamar is in Baltimore for as long as he chooses, and his character is one of championship caliber.
I see a hometown discount of sorts, compared to the other elite QB’s in his peer group. He wants to win, it’s the first thing he said when he was drafted.
I see him being the type , similar to Brady, that takes pay cuts to build the best team around him that they can get.
I think that is his motivation for waiting.
That’s a great thing for Baltimore.
Am I the only one that finds it out the Owner of the team doesn’t talk to the Franchise QB and potentially a generational talented QB at that on your roster? The Rooneys for example are in the locker room every game, the whole team knows them. Jerry Jones (granted he’s owner/Gm) he’s always seen with his players, as well as multiple other owners. Biscotti with that statement strikes me as odd
Ever think they know something about this “generationally talented QB” that you don’t? After all, this is their profession.
If your willing to give someone several million dollars you could probably get them to say “I love my Orioles” too.