After the Baltimore Ravens slapped the non-exclusive franchise tag on Lamar Jackson, something unprecedented happened: nearly every quarterback-desperate team distanced themselves from him due to his desire to get a fully-guaranteed contract. What happens next? And is that type of contract out of the question for Jackson?
Lamar Jackson is one of the league’s most talented quarterbacks. He’s a former MVP and still only 26 years old. Most teams would be knocking down the door for his services under normal circumstances, and how could they not be?
Jackson has carried the Ravens’ antiquated offense with their sparse group of receivers to a 45-16 record in his four-and-a-half years as a starter. Wins aren’t a quarterback stat, but Jackson helps get results through the air and on the ground. There’s no one like him.
However, normal circumstances, these are not. Negotiations between Jackson and the Ravens have been going on for almost a year now as they look to find an extension that’ll keep Jackson in Baltimore for the next half-decade. So far, no dice. The two parties have reportedly been far apart in negotiations for some time now, which led to Jackson entering the final year of his contract with a big question mark.
Unable to agree on a long-term deal prior to the deadline, the Ravens placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on Jackson. That allows him to test the waters of free agency while giving the Ravens the option of matching any offer sheet thrown his way. If the offer is beyond their means, the Ravens can decline to match and will receive two 1st round picks as compensation. As the saying goes, let the market set the market.
But that’s where it gets interesting, as soon as the news broke that the Ravens were allowing Jackson to seek a deal elsewhere, the market dried up. The Falcons, Commanders, Panthers, Raiders, and Dolphins all leaked to the media that they weren’t interested in pursuing Jackson. Is that a coincidence? Highly unlikely.
The sticking point between Jackson and the Ravens stems from his desire to receive a fully-guaranteed contract in the vein of Deshaun Watson’s five-year $230 million deal that he inked last season. Jackson rightly believes he’s worthy of that sort of commitment. The Ravens rightly believe that that’s a heavy price to pay. Watson’s contract was the first of its kind, and NFL owners would be content to make it nothing more than an outlier for the foreseeable future.
As an owner, giving up that much money isn’t as easy as it sounds. Even billion-dollar owners don’t have the liquidity to put that sort of money into escrow at a moment’s notice. It’s a risk.
But, that’s the name of the game, it’s all about taking risks. And Jackson is clearly as high-reward as they come. Aside from Jimmy Haslam, who broke rank to give Watson that contract, the list of owners who are willing to do that has obviously dwindled. Their public distancing from Jackson is clearly a message sent. If it stinks of collusion, that’s because it probably is.
It’s easy to understand why a team wouldn’t want to give up that sort of cash, but the owners’ handling of this situation is petty. Especially considering there are so many quarterback-needy teams in the NFL. By doing this, the owners are denying their teams, their fans, and their players a better shot at success.
Eventually, something is going to have to give. Jackson isn’t in a position to hold out and not play. The $50,000 daily fines brought hold-outs to an end. Common sense dictates that Jackson is going to find his way back to the Ravens – whether he plays 2023 on the franchise tag or the two reach an agreement on a long-term extension. Teams just don’t let franchise quarterbacks hit the market.
The Ravens are playing a dangerous game by letting Jackson test the waters. Even if it means they get those two first-round picks if he moves on. Do two first-round picks help a team? Sure, but they likely don’t replace Lamar Jackson. Chances are he doesn’t go anywhere, but it all comes down to the guaranteed money.
Jackson peeled back the curtain a bit on Tuesday afternoon, indicating that he turned down a three-year $133 million fully-guaranteed contract – that would be the second-highest guaranteed money ever handed out to an NFL player. But not enough for Jackson it seems. Right now, all signs point towards the contract Jackson wants not coming his way. It’s a long road ahead, though. Let’s see what happens
-Thomas Valentine
Twitter: @tvalentinesport
Photo: All-Pro Reels. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.