After months of nearly everyone other than Lamar Jackson discussing his long-term contract status, the Ravens quarterback took exception to any “false narrative” that he’s considering leaving Baltimore.
By way of his verified Twitter account on Wednesday, Jackson reconfirmed his desire to remain with the Ravens while taking issue with anyone attempting to read his mind. It’s unclear whether the 25-year-old was addressing any specific individual, but the tweet came less than two hours after the NFL Network’s “Good Morning Football” Twitter account posted an eight-plus-minute discussion on his contract status that included some speculation about whether he wants to stay in Baltimore.
While the Ravens brass continues to express confidence about reaching a long-term agreement with the 2019 NFL MVP, general manager Eric DeCosta has described negotiations as “unusual” and progressing “at Lamar’s pace” while admitting it takes two sides to strike a deal with Jackson — who does not employ an agent to negotiate on his behalf — showing little urgency to engage. Speaking at the league meetings in Florida on Tuesday, owner Steve Bisciotti called Jackson’s desire to wait “unique as hell” and even suggested that the quarterback isn’t “turned on by money that much” in the midst of his quest to win a Super Bowl and validate any perceived worthiness of a lucrative contract that’s sure to come at some point.
With Jackson saying so little of substance when asked about his long-term contract status at various points over the last calendar year, however, all interested parties — from media and fans to even the Ravens themselves — have been left to ponder what’s on the two-time Pro Bowl selection’s mind or to try to speak for him to varying degrees. Whether Jackson likes that or not, his long-term status is too important to the franchise’s future to think there won’t be extensive discussion — and yes, some speculation — that attempts to fill in the gaps between what is known and what isn’t. That’s just the reality of being a superstar in a multibillion-dollar entertainment industry.
“I would love to be here forever,” Jackson said last May. “I love Baltimore. I love the whole organization. I love everybody in the building. But hopefully we’ll be making something happen pretty soon or whenever.”
Ten months later, a long-term deal still doesn’t appear close as Jackson is scheduled to make just over $23 million in the final season of his rookie contract, a dramatic raise from his first four years but still far less than what the top quarterbacks make per year. The Ravens brass has continued to express a desire to get something done sooner than later with DeCosta saying in early February he’d had five or six conversations with Jackson over the last year, making it difficult to believe real dollar amounts wouldn’t have been discussed at some point. A CBS Sports report in early March indicated Baltimore made an offer at some point that was “closer to $35 million” per season than the $40 million or more per year we’ve seen a few other quarterbacks fetch over the last calendar year or two.
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Whether Jackson perceived that as a lowball proposal unworthy of an immediate counteroffer or truly isn’t all that terribly motivated by money — his recent stated goal of being a billionaire suggests otherwise — as Bisciotti opined, the negotiating game changed dramatically from the moment Cleveland acquired Deshaun Watson and signed him to a fully guaranteed five-year, $230 million contract earlier this month. If a quarterback facing 22 civil suits for sexual assault and misconduct can receive such a financial commitment, what’s stopping Jackson — or any other elite quarterback — from demanding a fully guaranteed deal worth even more moving forward?
Bisciotti and the other owners can dislike what the Browns did as much as they want, but suggesting “it doesn’t necessarily mean that we have to play that game” carries the risk of eventually losing a franchise quarterback to another needy team that’s willing to step up financially. The other owners may have been successful in putting the toothpaste back in the tube for a few years after Kirk Cousins signed his guaranteed three-year, $84 million contract with Minnesota in 2018, but the Watson deal feels like the point of no return in regards to top-shelf quarterbacks forcing the issue and requiring full guarantees.
And that makes any previous offer made by the Ravens all but irrelevant now.
At the same time, Jackson saying he’s had no thoughts of potentially leaving the Ravens wouldn’t seem to hold up if his ultimate goal is to indeed cash in like Watson and Cousins — who both joined new teams to do so — or he was so underwhelmed by the Ravens’ reported offer that he refrained from countering. Otherwise, you would have expected more constructive dialogue regarding a contract by now.
With only one side talking, attempts at mind reading were inevitable and are all but certain to persist if Jackson continues to brush off questions about his future this spring and summer, which is certainly his right. But the face of the Ravens is just too important to expect such discussion to go away the longer the sides go without a contract.
