Ravens Lamar Jackson: Big 'Shoes' to Fill Without Agent?
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson can pretty much do it all on a football field. The soon-to-be free agent dual threat is among the best and most exciting players in the NFL.
However, the manner in which he is handling his ongoing contract negotiations has aroused both speculation and cynicism.
During a recent episode of PFT Live, hosts Mike Florio and Chris Simms suggested that Jackson's impasse with the Ravens at striking a long-term deal may be related to the quarterback's decision to enter such negotiations without an agent.
In fact, there was even an insinuation that Jackson may have missed at least one opportunity to secure a major footwear endorsement by going it alone.
To his credit, Jackson expressed his disagreement with their assessment, as evidenced by retweeting this clip.
After turning down a contract extension offer in the offseason, Jackson turned in an overall solid performance in 2022. The Louisville product finished the season having completed 203 passes for 2242 yards 17 touchdowns, while carrying the ball 112 times for 764 yards and three scoring runs.
Unfortunately, he was limited to 12 games, due to a sprained PCL in Week 13 against the Denver Broncos. He missed the remainder of the regular season, as well as Baltimore's 24-17 playoff loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on Wild Card weekend.
Despite taking a bit of a statistical dip last season, Jackson's value on the open market remains high. While there is an intrinsic risk with acting as his own agent, Jackson has proven himself quite capable of brokering lucrative endorsement deals.
In addition to a promotional deal with Oakley, Inc., Jackson is also the cover star of the NFL's first virtual reality (VR) game, "NFL Pro Era."
Still, with the March 15 start of the league year rapidly approaching, Jackson is about to enter the most important negotiation of his career. Ravens GM Eric DeCosta has advised that talks between both sides are "ongoing," with both parties understanding the urgency of the situation. DeCosta expressed hope that the team and Jackson can get a deal done before the deadline for franchise tag application on March 7.
However, coming to an agreement will not be easy, as even DeCosta has acknowledged that Jackson's business style presents its unique challenges.
For as long as he has worn shoulder pads, Lamar Jackson has bet on himself to carry his team to victory.
Jackson will need that same approach to earn himself the "W" this offseason.
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