Will Lamar Jackson receive a new contract this offseason?
On Wednesday, Baltimore Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta indicated there has been no movement in contract talks with Lamar Jackson because the star quarterback hasn’t shown much interest in getting one done. Jackson, who is entering his fifth year with the Ravens, is one of the few players in the NFL without an agent and is representing himself in contract negotiations.
During this Thursday’s edition of NFL Live, Ian Rapoport had an update on Jackson’s future and dropped a nugget that the QB could actually choose to play the long game when it comes to his next contract.
“It doesn’t seem like Lamar Jackson, from my information, is in any rush at all,” Rapoport said. “We have seen players, and this is just my read on the situation, like Kirk Cousins and Dak Prescott use the franchise tag and the shoulder shrug of ‘maybe I’m not ready to do a deal yet’ as a weapon to maximize their contract leverage.”
Ravens officials spoke last offseason about an extension with Jackson but there has been little to no movement this offseason. The Ravens can only talk to Jackson about a new contract because the former NFL MVP doesn’t have an agent.
The 25-year-old QB’s salary jumps from $1.771 million last season to $23.016 million this year under the fifth-year option.
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If no extension happens this offseason, and the team finds itself in the same situation in 2023, they could presumably put the franchise tag on Jackson to keep him from becoming a free agent.
Jackson struggled with consistency last season and the team finished last in the AFC North for the first time in coach John Harbaugh’s 14 seasons. Jackson threw a career-worst 13 interceptions while getting sacked a career-high 38 times.
