Lamar Jackson’s rookie contract is coming to an end. Talks about a new deal have been going on for a long time without results. There’s even the threat of a possible departure if the Baltimore Ravens don’t make an offer. Now teammates are making a case for the quarterback once again.

With 17:24 the Baltimore Ravens lost in the Wild Card round against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Once again without the still injured superstar Lamar Jackson, who missed the last six games.

This means the season is over for Baltimore and the question, which has been asked for some time now, becomes more pressing: will Jackson sign a new contract with the Ravens?

Baltimore Ravens significantly weaker without Lamar Jackson

The quarterback’s rookie contract is set to expire. If the Ravens and Jackson don’t come to an agreement, there would still be a chance to keep Jackson under the franchise tag for another year.

The 2019 NFL MVP proved his importance to head coach John Harbaugh’s team multiple times, and virtually nothing went right without him this year. In the six games without Jackson, the Ravens never scored more than 17 points. Accordingly, he is expected to demand a lot. There are reports of a record contract.

The problem: the Ravens, with just under $40 million in free cap space (source: overthecap), don’t currently have enough room to make that happen. They prioritised defence star Roquan Smith, who got a monster contract. A rift is looming.

Baltimore Ravens: teammates are pro Lamar Jackson

Jackson’s teammates know this, too, who are now speaking out loudly and demanding their playmaker stay. “You can’t let a guy like him go. It should be in the Ravens’ best interest to give him a long-term contract and make him ‘the guy,'” defensive end Calais Campbell said.

Left tackle Ronnie Stanley agreed: “I think he’s going to stay here. He’s a competitor. He wants to win. This is his team. This is his offense. The money is not the most important thing to Lamar, even though a lot of people think it is. He wants to win.”

However, Jackson also missed 10 of the last 22 games due to injury. “I hope he comes back. He is my man. I have nothing but love and respect for number eight, as a person, player and as my friend,” tight end Mark Andrews also clarified.