LAMAR: I WANT TO BE A CHAMPION AND A BILLIONAIRE
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson went on Uninterrupted’s HBO show: The Shop with LeBron James and businessman Maverick Carter as a guest last week and gave fans a rare inside look at what motivates him. The 25-year-old delved into discussion about his transition to the league, teams asking him to switch position to wide receiver, his pregame routine, his reads during a game, and if he would consider his career a failure if he didn’t win a Super Bowl.
One of the subjects that Jackson didn’t touch on is one of the biggest stories in the NFL this offseason, his contract situation. Jackson is arguably one of the best young quarterbacks in the NFL and is the face of the Baltimore Ravens but finds himself without an extension in place. The 2018 draft class has seen several players like Josh Allen sign massive deals already. Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield and Jackson are among the notable players that are yet to sign under the dotted line.
While most people agree that Jackson is unlikely to see a long-term contract offer similar to the 10-year, $503-million deal signed by Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, many expect him to sign a lucrative $40-million-plus-a-year deal before the season kicks off in September. Why that hasn’t happened yet has already caused the rumour mill to begin churning.
Speaking on The Shop, Jackson did reveal one thing that might provide some insight into how he thinks about money and how he views a contract given the team situation.
Asked what he would like to learn from LeBron James, Jackson said, “Everything. Being a champion. I feel like that’s the one thing I want to take, if anything else, being a champion. And being a billionaire. It’s just… it’s just what I’ve been thinking about ever since I was a little kid. Being a billionaire and being a champion.”
Lamar’s ceiling for success and his ambition have always been high and that will play a factor in his decision-making process regarding contract negotiations. The world remembers the 2016 Heisman trophy winner quipping after the Ravens drafted him 32nd overall: “They’re going to get a Super Bowl out of me. Believe that. Believe that.” While that hasn’t happened yet, Jackson has far exceeded the expectations of most when he came into the league; leading the Ravens to 3 playoff appearances in 4 years, breaking multiple records in the process, and winning only the second Unanimous MVP in the regular season in NFL history.
While Jackson’s championship aspirations will undoubtedly play a role in his next contract, so too will his desire to secure a big money payday to set himself up financially as well. The two are a delicate balancing act however, as the more money that gets tied up with Jackson, the less cap space the Ravens will have to surround him with a championship caliber roster.
The former Louisville QB will have to do a lot of the negotiating by himself as he doesn’t have an agent, something that has never been done before in the league when negotiating a contract of this magnitude. He may ultimately see that as an advantage considering the Ravens’ history of being shrewd with established agents. The Ravens will also have lots of work to do in the offseason, including free agency and the draft, to convince him that the team they’re building around him can help him win a Super Bowl.
Another important factor to consider is that the Ravens will have to show Lamar Jackson that they value him highly enough to offer him a lucrative contract. Jackson earned $2.3 million a year on his rookie contract and the Ravens picked up his fifth-year option in late April last year, an option that will see Jackson earn $23.02 million. Jackson will have an impressive 41-17 win record under his belt and Josh Allen’s massive 6-year, $258-million deal as precedent to help him in negotiation.
Ravens GM Eric DeCosta spoke during the NFL Combine press conference on Thursday last week about Jackson’s contract extension and when the two parties will get to it. He said: “Well, I hope so… at some point that we will. We’ve discussed this at length and I said this before, we will work at Lamar’s urgency. He and I have had ongoing discussions. We’ve talked fairly recently as well. He knows how to find me and I know how to find him.”
“I was very happy to see him working out in the West Coast recently with some of our guys. That’s exciting. Something that we really think will help us this year be the very best team that we can be. He’s a guy that when we think about the Ravens 3, 4, 5 years from now, we envision Lamar being a very, very big, big part of that team. And definitely, a player that can help us win Super Bowls.”
Building around Lamar and giving him weapons to work with will play big factors in Jackson’s signing a contract extension in Baltimore. The Ravens draft focus will likely switch to finding ways to better protect Lamar Jackson this coming season. Jackson missed five games last season due to an ankle sprain, a blow that saw the Ravens go through a 6-game losing streak and miss the playoffs. Ravens GM Eric DeCosta already loves the O-line depth in this draft class and he gave a little hint of where the Ravens might go in the first round.
“Well, if you look at this draft class, you’re going to have, in my opinion, some really outstanding offensive linemen for sure,” said DeCosta. “You get a guy like Evan Neal who we met with last night. Extremely impressive what he did at Alabama. Imposing, physical, strong, run blocker, has a chance to be an outstanding pro.”
“Another guy, Charles Cross, offensive tackle. Just (an) outstanding athlete. Looks like a power forward out there in pass protection. Again, a guy that I think is very, very gifted. Linderbaum, you know, at Iowa, a center. We’ve had very good luck with Iowa players over the years. I mean, Marshal Yanda to me (will be) a Hall of Famer someday. When we look at a guy like Tyler Linderbaum, we see a lot of the same qualities: tough, gritty, very, very athletic, very intelligent, smart. The type of guy that can really be the centerpiece of your offensive line. So, teams picking in the top 15 I think have a chance of getting themselves a really good offensive lineman.”
It seems like the Ravens are intent on protecting Jackson in the draft and free agency. Whether that’s enough for Lamar Jackson to sign the extension before the regular season gets underway in September or not is up in the air. One thing is for sure though, both Jackson and the Ravens will be keen on ensuring this deal is done well meaning it might take a while to be reached.
-Maher Abucheri
Twitter: @pabloikonyero
Photo: Office of the Maryland Governor. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.