“But Lamar had no leverage right?” – Social media QUASHES reports of Lamar Jackson demanding both Odell Beckham Jr. and DeAndre Hopkins from the Ravens

Lamar Jackson is still in talks with the Ravens regarding his contract extension.

“But Lamar had no leverage right?” – Social media QUASHES reports of Lamar Jackson demanding both Odell Beckham Jr. and DeAndre Hopkins from the Ravens

Odell Beckham Jr. Lamar Jackson, and DeAndre Hopkins (Images via Getty Images, AP and USA Today)

Lamar Jackson has been in limbo since the start of the 2022 season regarding his contract extension with the Baltimore Ravens. Jackson entered the fifth year of his contract in 2022 and played half of the season until suffering an ACL injury that kept him out.

The 2019 NFL MVP has been in numerous talks with the Ravens about his extensions, but to no avail. The star quarterback was adamant about receiving a fully guaranteed deal worth more than $230 million, and Baltimore refused to bow down to his demands. They went as high as $133 million fully guaranteed as reported by ESPN’s Ryan Clark.

https://youtu.be/K_cG0dtTHHw

Jackson revealed a few weeks back that he demanded a trade by the Ravens on March 2nd and still no team has even contacted him about signing him. This made him reconsider his original ask and reports suggest that while he isn’t after a fully guaranteed deal, Jackson wants his guaranteed portion of the contract to be more than $230 million. Wonder why that is?

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Lamar Jackson can’t catch a break in his contract negotiation drama

Lamar Jackson (Image via WFXR)
Lamar Jackson (Image via WFXR)

NFL Insider Michael Lombardi added another twist to the Lamar Jackson contract fiasco. Lombardi revealed on The Lombardi Line, “I was told reliably by somebody who’s involved that Lamar told them in a conversation, ‘get Hopkins and get Beckham, and then we can talk.’ The club went back to them and said look, we can’t get Hopkins and Beckham. We just can’t afford both, but we’ll get one of them – and they got Beckham.”

The Ravens signed Odell Beckham Jr. to a one-year deal worth $18 million on April 9. There were rumors about the teams also adding DeAndre Hopkins on the offense, but the team officials didn’t comment on it. With Lombardi giving the inside scoop from a “reliable” source, Jackson reportedly gave Baltimore an ultimatum to add both Hopkins and OBJ.

Fans on Twitter were left confounded by Lombardi’s claim and they questioned what leverage does Lamar Jackson has to make such a demand. The path in front of Jackson is pretty simple. Either he plays on the franchise tag or he doesn’t and waits for a team to sign him mid-season or in 2024.

https://twitter.com/TruzzMe_/status/1647415720744042496?s=20

Teams aren’t willing to waste their time and present Lamar Jackson with a possible deal because they know the Ravens are going to match every offer and keep him in Baltimore. This game has gone on long enough and one of the two parties involved needs to make a final decision before things get sourer between them. Let’s see if Jackson gets his deal or does he play on the franchise tag in 2023!

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