Latest On Ravens, Andrews
We’ve heard a ton in recent weeks about Lamar Jackson‘s upcoming extension with the Ravens. All the back and forth about Jackson’s mom and her role in negotiations has caused a lot of people to forget that Baltimore has other orders of business as well. One of those is Mark Andrews, the young tight end currently set to enter the final year of his rookie deal. One way or the other, Andrews is “far too important to the Ravens offense to let him walk,” Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic opines. “Either via an extension or the franchise tag, Andrews will be a Raven in 2022,” he writes.
Although he might not surpass George Kittle‘s $15MM AAV to become the league’s highest-paid tight end, Zrebiec thinks “he probably won’t be far off.” He writes that Andrews will “likely command more than the” $12.5MM that both Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith got from the Patriots this offseason. The Ravens drafted Andrews 86th overall in 2018, and they got a steal. The Oklahoma product made the Pro Bowl in 2019, when he finished with 852 yards and 10 touchdowns. Last year he was once again Jackson’s favorite target over the middle, finishing with a solid 701 yards in 14 games. Zrebiec says the likeliest bet is Andrews gets an extension, so it sounds like Jackson won’t be the only member of Baltimore’s offense getting paid shortly.
Lamar Jackson’s Mother Not Involved In Ravens Talks?
Lamar Jackson‘s decision not to use a traditional agent has made his extension talks with the Ravens one of this year’s top storylines. It is one thing to use this setup to negotiate a draft-slot deal, but hammering out a near-NFL-record extension without an agent veers into new territory.
Previous reports have indicated Jackson and his mother were leading the way in discussing the contract with the Ravens, but Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk notes more parties are involved. Jackson’s mother, Felicia Jones, is not believed to be directly involved in the talks, per Florio. Instead, Jackson and advisers are leading the negotiations.
Still, the 2019 MVP is negotiating a deal expected to surpass $40MM annually without an agent. Although the likes of Richard Sherman and Bobby Wagner finalized notable contracts without an agent, with the latter’s $18MM-per-year pact still the NFL’s top off-ball linebacker figure nearly two years later, Jackson going without an NFLPA-certified agent is a bit different. The NFLPA has approached Jackson about this setup, but the fourth-year quarterback has not hired an agent.
The dual-threat quarterback’s atypical skill set will factor into these agent-less discussions; his struggles in three Ravens playoff losses might as well. Jackson’s run-game usage dwarfs the other current top-dollar QBs, creating a potential longevity concern. The Ravens also have him signed for two more seasons, via the fifth-year option. John Harbaugh, however, has assured an extension will come to pass.
Jackson has said he is not overly concerned if the extension becomes finalized this year or in 2022. The 24-year-old superstar is due just $1.78MM in base salary this season. The modern rookie-contract structure has driven many young quarterbacks to sign extensions before their fourth seasons. Dak Prescott and Kirk Cousins played out their low-priced fourth years, leading to franchise-tagged seasons, but the rest of the young quarterbacks to sign lucrative re-ups over the past several years — Russell Wilson and Ryan Tannehill (2015), Derek Carr (2017), Carson Wentz and Jared Goff (2019), Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson (2020) — opted against playing on their rookie contracts beyond Year 3.
Given the circumstances, it will be interesting to see the guarantee structure and how this extension will stack up next to the agent-driven accords fellow 2018 first-rounders Josh Allen and Baker Mayfield end up signing. How close the AAV comes to Mahomes’ unusually structured deal will obviously be notable as well.
NFLPA Reached Out To Lamar Jackson
There’s been a lot of talk about the coming Lamar Jackson extension this offseason. Both he and the Ravens have insisted something will get worked out, and that they’re not worried about when. We heard this past week that Jackson was still operating without an agent, and that his mother was running point on negotiations as his business partner. Apparently that has some people concerned, causing the NFLPA to reach out. The players’ union “has tried to assist to no avail,” during the process, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports writes.
La Canfora says Jackson has received “zero guidance” from the NFLPA. He also notes that since no agent is involved, there’s naturally “zero flow of information about it in the agent community.” La Canfora opines that since the contract negotiation process “requires exposing warts and engaging in a bare-fisted back-and-forth at times,” it can be a “far easier exchange with a third party.” He also says he’s inclined to think the negotiations drag “on for a while, and we don’t get a lot of action in the first half of July.” It’s a unique situation for the Ravens and their franchise quarterback, and one everyone around the league will be watching with eyebrows raised. It should be very interesting to see how it all plays out.
Lamar Jackson Still Without Agent, Mom Partnering On Extension Talks With Ravens
Just about everybody involved agrees the Ravens and Lamar Jackson are going to get an extension done at some point in the near future. Just recently Baltimore head coach John Harbaugh called it a “done deal” and said Jackson is “going to get paid.”
For his part, the star quarterback has said he doesn’t care whether it gets done this year or next, and all seems well. But the negotiations leading up to this extension are going to be very interesting, in part because Jackson is still operating without an agent, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link via the Pat McAfee show).
Jackson’s mother is his business partner and is serving as his de-facto agent in this process, Rapoport says. They used the same setup to negotiate his rookie deal and that went through without a hitch, although obviously this is a different animal.
Jackson is “seeing the same sort of eyebrows raised from the agent community and from players as well because his mother is doing it,” Rapsheet reports. “The stakes are incredibly high because if you lock yourself into a bad deal you’d be costing yourself tens of millions of dollars.”
Rapoport also notes that the Ravens are often good at getting team-friendly deals done, making this negotiation particularly “fascinating.”
Jackson, and his mother, will surely be looking for a payday in line with the league’s other top passers. Dak Prescott got four-years, $160MM from the Cowboys back in March, which will be an interesting baseline to compare Jackson’s new deal against.
Of course the NFL is different from other leagues, where it’s not just the top-line dollar amount that matters most, but rather the structure of guarantees and other important accounting details. There’s no reason to believe Jackson and his family don’t know what they’re doing, but the unusual setup will ensure his deal is highly scrutinized whenever it comes.
Miles Boykin On Ravens’ Roster Bubble
The Ravens spent the offseason trying to upgrade at wide receiver, having made both JuJu Smith-Schuster and T.Y. Hilton their respective best offers in free agency. They ended up with Sammy Watkins and then drafted Rashod Bateman in the first round.
These moves, and Baltimore’s fourth-round selection of Tylan Wallace, crowd a once-thin receiver room. In addition to the Watkins-Bateman-Marquise Brown top trio and Wallace, Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic notes 2020 third-rounder Devin Duvernay‘s roster spot is secure (subscription required). Miles Boykin, however, does not appear to be on as firm footing as training camp nears.
Baltimore drafted Boykin in the 2019 third round, bringing the Notre Dame product into the fold after selecting Brown in that year’s first round. While Lamar Jackson‘s rapport with his wide receivers has been inconsistent since he took the reins, the Ravens have not received too much from Boykin in his two-year run. The 6-foot-4 target has amassed just 32 receptions for 464 receiving yards in 32 games (24 starts).
The Ravens’ No. 2 wideout spot has resided below Brown, Mark Andrews and a multifaceted run game in this offense’s pecking order, but the franchise’s moves this offseason indicate it wants more from the position. It will lead to a Boykin role reduction, if he is to make the team.
Boykin and 2020 sixth-rounder James Proche may be battling for one spot, Zrebiec adds. Boykin saw more special teams time than the SMU product as well last season, with the former playing just 14% of Baltimore’s ST snaps compared to Boykin’s 32%. Unless the NFL’s run-heaviest team plans to keep seven wideouts, the two will vie for the final receiver spot on the 53-man roster.
This Date In Transactions History: Marc Bulger Joins The Ravens
Prepared to take Sam Bradford with the first-overall pick, the Rams released long-time quarterback Marc Bulger in 2010. And, eleven years ago today, the Pro Bowler found his next home. On June 23, 2010, Bulger signed a one-year, $3.8MM deal with the Ravens, potentially worth up to $5.8MM via incentives.
Bulger, a 2000 sixth-round pick out of West Virginia, bounced around the NFL during his rookie season, spending time with the Saints and Falcons. He eventually landed on the Rams practice squad, although he was inactive for his entire rookie campaign. He got his first chance to start during the 2002 season following injuries to Kurt Warner and Jamie Martin. Bulger led the team to a 6-0 record to wrap up the year, and he ultimately earned the full-time starting gig in 2003.
Bulger would go on to earn a pair of Pro Bowl nods during his time with the Rams, including a 2006 campaign when he completed 62.9% of his passes for 4,301 passing yards, 24 touchdowns, and eight interceptions. The Rams inked him to a six-year, $62.5MM extension following that standout campaign, but Bulger’s product dropped soon after. Between 2007 and 2008, Bulger threw more interceptions than touchdowns, and he missed half of the 2009 season due to injury.
Some say Bulger requested his release in 2010, but the Rams had plenty of their own reasons to move on. They had already signed A.J. Feeley to be Bradford’s backup, and releasing Bulger saved the team $8.5MM.
After all of that, Bulger spent nearly three months in free agency limbo. He came to Baltimore to backstop third-year pro Joe Flacco, but he didn’t see the field in 2010. Bulger drew some interest in the spring of 2011, but he ultimately decided to hang up his cleats.
It was an unceremonious ending to a pretty underrated career. Bulger currently sits second on the Rams’ list of all-time passing yard leaders and third in touchdowns. While his tenure in Baltimore was forgettable, Rams fans will remember Bulger’s contribution for years to come.
Ravens Make Front Office Changes
- Going into his third season with the Ravens, Nick Matteo will rise to the position of director of football administration. Matteo, who worked in the league office for 10 years, will be involved with the Ravens’ salary cap. Additionally, Andrew Raphael will rise from an area scout to a national scouting role.
Minor NFL Transactions: 6/21/21
Today’s minor NFL transactions:
Arizona Cardinals
- Waived from IR: WR Krishawn Hogan
Baltimore Ravens
- Waived from IR: WR Donte Sylencieux
Denver Broncos
- Reverted to IR: OLB Natrez Patrick
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Waived: WR Jon’Vea Johnson
New England Patriots
- Signed: WR Devin Ross
Philadelphia Eagles
- Waived from IR: WR Trevon Grimes
ESPN, Fox Pursuing Robert Griffin III
While numerous backup quarterback types have changed teams this offseason, Robert Griffin III news has been scarce since the Ravens cut him earlier this year. Friday, however, brought news that would point to the veteran quarterback pausing or ending his playing career.
ESPN and Fox are interested in Griffin as a college football and NFL analyst, according to Outkick.com. RG3 wowed both networks in auditions earlier this year, Andrew Marchand of the New York Post notes. Fox’s interest prompted ESPN to increase its offer to the 31-year-old quarterback, Marchand adds.
Both networks, however, are waiting to see if RG3 will push to play in 2021. If he does not, it appears he will have high-profile off-field options — ones that would not necessarily end his playing career.
Griffin has returned to the NFL after a hiatus previously. After the Browns cut him in March 2017, Griffin did not play that season. The former Offensive Rookie of the Year signed with the Ravens in 2018, working as a backup for the past three seasons. Following Baltimore’s 2019 Joe Flacco trade, RG3 served as Lamar Jackson‘s primary backup for the past two seasons. Griffin, however, threw one touchdown pass and four interceptions as a Raven, completing 57% of his passes. A hamstring injury ended Griffin’s 2020 campaign.
The Ravens are going with younger passers behind Jackson for the time being. Trace McSorley and 2020 UDFA Tyler Huntley are vying for Baltimore’s QB2 role this year. That competition failing to produce a clear winner could prompt the Ravens to circle back to Griffin, but he has not been connected to the Ravens or another team this offseason.
Harbaugh: Lamar Jackson ‘Going To Get Paid’
It seems like only a matter of time before Lamar Jackson gets a mega-extension. Speaking to the media Wednesday, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh seemed to indicate it’s already set in stone.
Harbaugh was asked whether Jackson would be affected if he didn’t get a new contract before the season starter, to which he replied “absolutely not,” via Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
“He’s going to get paid. He knows that. The question becomes what’s his legacy going to be as a QB? The other thing is a done deal,” Harbaugh continued. We heard back in February that the two sides were apparently far apart on financial terms. Reports got better after that, with both Harbaugh and Jackson saying publicly they weren’t concerned.
We’ve since heard that they’ve commenced actual talks, and it sounds like the financial side of things is getting better. Jackson said last month that he isn’t concerned whether an extension happens this year or next.
He’s under contract through the 2022 campaign after the team picked up his fully guaranteed $23.1MM fifth-year salary for that season. After becoming a unanimous MVP a couple years ago Jackson, who currently operates as his own agent, will surely be looking for a payday in line with the league’s other top passers.
Dak Prescott got four years and $160MM back in March, and it’ll be very interesting to see how Jackson’s forthcoming extension compares to that. Either way, don’t anticipate much drama in these talks like there have been with other quarterbacks, as everyone involved continues to insist it’ll be smooth sailing.