The Baltimore Ravens and Lamar Jackson have not yet agreed on a new contract. In doing so, the Ravens’ negotiating position isn’t necessarily getting any better, while fat contracts for quarterbacks are being locked up all around Baltimore.

Munich/Baltimore – The Baltimore Ravens were able to announce a joyful contract extension on the sidelines of the annual meeting between owners and coaches.

Unfortunately not the one the fans are most eagerly awaiting. After all, head coach John Harbaugh will remain with the Maryland franchise until 2025.

All well and good, the Ravens’ supporters will think. But what about Lamar Jackson? Negotiations are stalled.

Lamar Jackson: Contract in limbo

2022 is the last year of Lamar Jackson’s contract, the so-called Fifth Year Option has already been pulled. “I hope at some point we will reach an extension. We’ve discussed it a number of times and I’ve said before that we’re going after Lamar,” general manager Eric DeCosta said of his star quarterback.

But the price for Jackson certainly hasn’t gone down. Last summer, Josh Allen, a member of the same draft class as the Ravens’ number eight pick, extended with the Buffalo Bills for six years and $258 million (150 guaranteed).

The tenor at the time was that Jackson would also get a contract in that price range. I’m sure that’s what he thought himself, but obviously there was still no agreement. Since then, Aaron Rodgers, Matthew Stafford and Kirk Cousins have also been given new contracts, all beyond 35 million a year.

Watson contract irks Ravens owner Bisciotti

The biggest deal, however, was picked up by Deshaun Watson. $230 million completely guaranteed over the next five seasons with the Cleveland Browns. The Browns, of all teams, you’ll be thinking to yourself at the Ravens. The Browns and Ravens have a decades-old rivalry in the AFC North.

Even Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti couldn’t ignore that, “When I heard the news I just thought to myself ‘Damn, I wish it wasn’t all guaranteed.’ I don’t know if he (Watson) should have been the first with such a big, fully guaranteed contract,” Bisciotti said.

The 61-year-old is well aware that Watson’s monster contract has further complicated negotiations with Jackson. “It’s a paradigm shift in the NFL. It fundamentally changes future negotiations with quarterbacks,” he says.

Lamar Jackson speaks out

However, he also stressed that the Ravens are in no way vulnerable to blackmail: “It’s not like we have to play this game,” Bisciotti stressed. On Jackson specifically, he said only: “I have the feeling that he wants to stay. And we want him to stay, too. We’ll see what happens. “

I love my Ravens I don’t know who the hell putting that false narrative out that I’m having thoughts about leaving stop tryna read my mind

– Lamar Jackson (@Lj_era8) March 30, 2022

Jackson confirmed via Twitter on Wednesday that he wants to stay, criticising reports to the contrary.

“I love my Ravens, I don’t know who the hell is spreading this false narrative that I’m thinking about leaving,” he wrote, demanding, “Stop trying to read my mind.” The dichotomy: love for a team can certainly move mountains (or simplify negotiations), but does not always automatically lead to an agreement when a lot of money is at stake. The best marriages have failed because of this.

Ravens in a quandary: What to do with Lamar Jackson?

For the Ravens themselves, therefore, the question is: What to do with Lamar? After all, “New Era,” as he calls himself, still became NFL MVP in 2019. And if Watson, who sat out the entire 2021 season and has 22 civil lawsuits against him, can get such a contract, then even more so can a former MVP.

It’s not that simple, however. As Bisciotti announced, the Ravens won’t pay an astronomical sum. Not having a franchise quarterback is bad, but not having cap space is even worse, and the Browns will realise that by 2023 at the latest.

Moreover, Jackson has been showing signs of wear and tear lately. Not only did he miss the season finale due to an ankle injury, but even in the games in which he was fit, his statistics were mixed. In twelve games he only managed 18 touchdowns in total, but 13 interceptions and three fumbles for a gain of 3,649 yards.

In addition, Jackson’s style of play is not exactly safe, the quick cuts and many hits he takes inevitably wear out the body. That may already be making itself felt. It is almost impossible that he will play 23 years in the NFL like Tom Brady. So it’s understandable that the Ravens don’t sign off on every fantasy sum that Jackson’s agent writes down. It is all too understandable that Baltimore thinks twice about what they pay the playmaker.

Currently, it is not foreseeable that the Ravens and Jackson will come to an agreement. Anything seems possible – even that the Ravens let their quarterback go. But before that decision is made, they will meet again several times at the negotiating table.