The 2022 offseason has seen plenty of headlines being made with respect to quarterbacks, but the lack of news regarding a few young signal-callers has stood out as well. That is the case with Lamar Jackson, who has at no point seemed on the verge of an extension with the Ravens. 

A lucrative deal seemed like an inevitability when he first became eligible to sign one at the end of the 2020 season. Since then, however, the 25-year-old has signalled his desire to focus on the upcoming season rather than his long-term future. He will play out the 2022 campaign on the fifth-year option, which carries a value of $23MM.

The Ravens have, on a number of occasions, expressed their willingness to negotiate a deal. Acknowledging that Jackson himself has to be willing to enter into those discussions, though, this situation could end up remaining in a holding pattern until next offseason. Indeed, as CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora writes, “all parties seem resigned to the fact that a new deal is highly unlikely”.

Beside the financial parameters of any new contract – which would be heavily influenced, of course, by those recently signed by the likes of Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen and Deshaun Watson – another factor was entered into the equation last month when the Ravens traded Marquise Brown to the Cardinals. The loss of the team’s former top wideout (and close friend of Jackson’s) has some wondering what effect it could have on negotiations.

As a result, Jeff Howe of the Athletic writes that other teams are “monitoring the situation from afar”. While he adds that “there is no hint” of the former MVP becoming available now or in the future, this latest notable roster move adds even more intrigue to one of the league’s most unique ongoing contract sagas.

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.

Much has been talked about recently regarding Lamar Jackson and the lack of traction on a new contract being worked on between him and the Ravens. As many have noted, the former MVP himself is seen as the main reason an extension doesn’t appear to be forthcoming in the immediate future. 

[RELATED: Latest On Ravens’ Jackson Extension Efforts]

Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio reports that Jackson may not be eyeing a new deal at any point leading up to or during the upcoming campaign. As he writes, the 25-year-old “has told the Ravens that he’s currently too focused on having his best possible year and that he doesn’t want to do a deal until the 2022 season is over”. That would shed further light on the growing sense within the front office that a new contract isn’t on the horizon.

Adding to the comments recently made by owner Steve Bisciotti, Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network further details the perception of Jackson’s current priorities. The former’s thoughts on the matter echo the source Florio references above.

“It’s unique as hell because everybody expects you to say, ‘I’ve got to get mine now.’ The kid is so obsessed with winning a Super Bowl that I think, deep down, he doesn’t think he’s worthy” of a lucrative second contract, Bisciotti said. “I don’t think he is turned on by money that much, and he knows it’s coming one way or the other.”

Jackson made a public response to the speculation swirling around his future earlier this week. The two-time Pro Bowler is scheduled to make $23MM this year, and would be in line for sizeable raises after that if he were to play on the franchise tag. While it’s rare for franchise QBs to go that long without a long-term pact, Kirk Cousins represents a recent example of that being the case.

While the Ravens have repeatedly made it clear they are willing to put together a new contract whenever Jackson is ready to do so, putting a healthy return to the field and both individual and team success first would seem to be his top priority at this time. If that remains the case, one of the league’s most unique contract situations may remain in a holding pattern for quite some time.

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.

The Ravens have become the rare team to go four seasons with a star quarterback tied to a rookie contract. Lamar Jackson played the 2021 season for $1.8MM and is going into his fifth-year option season still attached to his 2018 rookie pact.

Ravens GM Eric DeCosta indicated the young quarterback has not been especially aggressive in pursuing an extension, one the team is ready to discuss.

“I think it takes two sides to actively put their heads together and get a deal worked out,” DeCosta said, via ESPN.com’s Jamison Hensley. “We are ready to be there for Lamar at any point when he decides that he really wants to work on it, we will be.”

Last month, DeCosta labeled these as unusual extension talks due to Jackson being without an agent. DeCosta has spoken with Jackson via text just once over the past month. The Ravens have gone from treating this extension as a formality in 2021 to being less certain here, Hensley adds, due to the lack of progress. John Harbaugh said back in January 2021 a Jackson extension would occur during the 2021 or ’22 offseasons. We are now on the back half of that timeline.

While Baker Mayfield joins Jackson as an un-extended 2018 first-round QB, Jackson resides on a different tier in terms of ability. Josh Allen landed his extension before the start of his fourth season, following many recent young QBs on that timetable.

By virtue of his accomplishments, Jackson’s cap number will spike from $3MM in 2021 to $23.1MM in 2022. The sides began negotiations in April of last year, and Jackson said last May he wanted to be a Raven for the rest of his career. He is positioned to approach Patrick Mahomes‘ $45MM-per-year accord, though this is rather an interesting negotiation due to Jackson’s skillset. Although other mobile quarterbacks have signed big-ticket extensions since Mahomes’ contract came to pass, none reside in Jackson’s league regarding run-game usage. That adds a key wrinkle here regarding the potential length of Jackson’s prime. Jackson’s 615 carries since 2018 pace the quarterback field by nearly 200 in that span, compiling that total despite not taking over as Baltimore’s starter until midway through his rookie year and missing five games in 2021.

The 2019 MVP has established himself as one of the NFL’s top QBs, though the Ravens were only able to win one playoff game during one of the best bargain periods in modern NFL history. Jackson will no longer reside as a bargain in 2022, and the Ravens will have the franchise tag at their disposal in 2023.