Lamar Jackson downgrades his stocks and revises his demands for a ‘fully guaranteed’ contract
Lamar Jackson isn't after a fully guaranteed deal anymore.
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Lamar Jackson (Image via AP.com)
Like the rest of the league and fans, Lamar Jackson is also frustrated about his current situation with the Ravens. He took to Twitter to rant and clear his name after a few questions popped up when he revealed he requested a trade from the Ravens on March 2.
Lamar Jackson’s initial asking price was a multi-year fully guaranteed deal worth more than Deshaun Watson‘s $230 million contract with the Cleveland Browns. However, Baltimore refused to pay him and he is now placed on the non-exclusive franchise tag by the team. Even teams aren’t interested in shelling out another fully guaranteed contract fearing that it will become a norm in the league which isn’t good news for them.
As per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the 26-year-old has revised his asking price and isn’t asking teams to sign him to a fully guaranteed contract. However, he wants his guaranteed portion of the deal to be greater than that of Watson’s $230 million.
Fowler also mentioned that the Ravens aren’t rushing to get a deal done with the 2019 NFL MVP and even Jackson isn’t eager to sign the franchise tag deal. Baltimore believes they can still salvage their relationship with the young gunslinger but after everything Lamar Jackson has been put through, he might choose to move on. It remains to be seen which of these scenarios become a reality.
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Lamar Jackson has received no offers from teams as of yet
Teams are currently not interested in Lamar Jackson because they believe a cheaper option would be available in the upcoming draft. However, if teams miss out on a quarterback then they will most definitely put their sights on the Ravens’ signal-caller. The main concern holding back franchises in desperate need of a Super Bowl-winning caliber leader is that they believe Baltimore will match any offer they make and keep him for themselves.
In a very short time, Lamar Jackson has proven himself to be a great quarterback. Since being a starter for the Ravens in 2018, the former first-round pick has a 45-16 record and led the team to the playoffs four times but won just one game. In his second season, Jackson showed everyone that he is ‘that guy’ as he won the 2019 NFL MVP and set the record for rushing yards by a quarterback with 1,206 yards.
After Jackson revealed he requested a trade from the Ravens, Chris Mortensen said team owners are worried about his “sleep habits and nutrition” which led to him missing five-six games in 2021 and 2022. Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank voiced his opinion and said he isn’t sure how long Jackson keep up his style of playing the NFL and is worried about the outcome if he shells out a multi-million dollar deal.
The Ravens still have a few months to sort everything out and sign Lamar Jackson. If they cannot do so then the situation might get quite ugly in Baltimore. Jackson will either sign the franchise tag and play in the 2023 season or refuse to sign it which will force them to trade him because they don’t have a strong backup quarterback to take his place.
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Yash Karandekar
(1023 Articles Published)