The Baltimore Ravens are keeping all of their options open with Lamar Jackson as the 2019 NFL MVP seeks a long-term contract this offseason.
The team would love to sign him, but it seems Jackson wants the same type of fully guaranteed contract that Deshaun Watson received from the Cleveland Browns after he was traded there from the Houston Texans.
Former NFL player and NFL analyst Emmanuel Acho think Jackson can obtain that type of contract, but only if he “goes somewhere else to get it.”
“If you want to be the highest-paid player at your position, you’re going to have to go… [Deshaun Watson] had to go to the most impoverished franchise to be the wealthiest athlete as it pertains to guaranteed money,” Acho said on FS1’s Speak.
Right after he got traded, Watson signed a five-year, $230 million fully-guaranteed contract with the Browns. Because of that deal, many QBs that are better or have accomplished more may use his deal as a stepping stone to see what they can get from their team. Jackson is first up to try and do it.
Jackson has been eligible to sign an extension with the Ravens since the end of 2020, but the two sides have been at odds over what kind of deal he should get.
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If a deal cannot be reached, a trade could happen. Per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler and Jamison Hensley, one team source said “it feels like anything is possible” with Jackson regarding a possible trade. “If there is no compromise, the possibility of the Ravens trading Jackson, who in 2019 joined Tom Brady as the only unanimous MVPs in NFL history, has never been more likely,” added Fowler and Hensley.
The Ravens have to decide if they will use the exclusive or non-exclusive tag on Jackson. The non-exclusive tag would guarantee Jackson $32.4 million next year while the other will allow other teams to negotiate with him.
Fans seem to have mixed feelings about Lamar’s contract demands. Here’s how Twitter’s responding to the latest reports on the Ravens’ QB:
