On the 10th anniversary of the Ravens striking a deal to keep Super Bowl XLVII MVP Joe Flacco, Eric DeCosta had no such good news regarding contract talks with star quarterback Lamar Jackson on Wednesday.
Though Baltimore’s general manager remains “optimistic” about reaching a long-term agreement and said he “met recently” with Jackson, the deadline to apply the franchise tag is now less than a week away. The ramifications of using either the exclusive (a projected $45 million cost) or non-exclusive ($32.4 million) version extend beyond the 26-year-old’s status with the Ravens being tight against the salary cap and needing to address other positions on both sides of the ball this offseason.
DeCosta said he and Jackson “both understand the urgency of the situation,” but the executive again declined to discuss any specifics of negotiations — including the possibility of a fully guaranteed deal — while citing a pact he made with the 2019 NFL MVP to not make such details public. Whether that was a veiled reference to recent reports allegedly coming from Jackson’s camp or not, everyone understands the magnitude of an impasse that’s leading more and more observers to ask if a split is coming, a scenario that once seemed impossible.
If it indeed comes to that, trading your franchise quarterback is much easier than replacing him, of course. And while acknowledging his propensity for making trades since succeeding Ozzie Newsome in 2019, DeCosta said such a possibility with Jackson “has not factored in one time” while trying to negotiate a long-term contract for more than two years now.
“You can’t win in this league without a strong quarterback. That’s been proven,” DeCosta said at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis. “We want Lamar here. We think he’s one of the best quarterbacks in the league. He’s certainly one of our best players, and we want him back. We understand that.
“Living in a world without a quarterback is a bad world to live in, and I think there are a lot of GMs and coaches who would probably say that who are living in that world right now. We’re aware of that.”
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DeCosta says he has several contingency plans if the sides don’t reach a long-term agreement by Tuesday’s tag deadline. The Ravens must consider the potential fallout from using either tag, ranging from the possibility of another team signing Jackson to an offer sheet to the two-time Pro Bowl selection holding out indefinitely. And even if Jackson or the Ravens would seek a trade, there’s the matter of another team agreeing to both his contract requests and the team’s asking price to make a swap.
It remains all too complicated, especially with Jackson not employing an agent.
“Obviously, I’m going to think about everything, but I don’t fear a lot of different things,” DeCosta said. “If you think about it and you plan for it, you discuss it, you talk about it, then what’s the point of fear? It’s not like we didn’t know we might be in this position. Last year at this time, we talked about it, so we’ve had a full year to really discuss all the different plans.”
It was nearly one year ago that Cleveland acquired quarterback Deshaun Watson and fully guaranteed his $230 million contract. Of course, Jackson became eligible for a contract extension more than a year before the Browns made that trade and signing, but it would be difficult not to view that as the turning point in this saga.
DeCosta insists he’s remaining optimistic, citing the many times long-term deals have been reached even after the use of a franchise tag. But if the Ravens want to have a fruitful offseason and make meaningful roster improvements for 2023, a long-term deal must be struck sooner than later with the start of the new league year just two weeks away.
If not now, after more than two years of going back and forth, then when?
“I’ve seen a lot of deals happen when things look bleak or I haven’t seen deals [completed] when I would’ve thought, ‘Oh, it’s a slam dunk,’” DeCosta said. “It takes two people to do it. It takes communication, it takes respect, it takes appreciation for each other, and it takes an understanding of the greater good and how this thing is going to fit together. I remain positive. I have no reason not to remain positive.
“We’ve spoken recently, we’ve had good meetings recently, and so, we’ll see what happens.”
