C'Mon, Lamar, It's Time! Ravens QB Jackson Ready To Sign?
It's been two full weeks since the Baltimore Ravens agreed to terms with free agent wideout Odell Beckham Jr. And yet the Ravens seem no closer to a deal with quarterback Lamar Jackson than they were on that day.
The signing of Beckham, and to a lesser extent, receiver Nelson Agholor, seemed to have Jackson written all over it. Jackson has complained for seemingly five seasons about depth at wideout, with tight end Mark Andrews being his best option in the passing game.
And now, as push comes to shove, with Jackson still unsigned to his non-exclusive franchise tag, the Ravens made a big splash with Beckham.
We even had a video of Beckham and Jackson speaking to each other on social media which gave Ravens fans (and maybe even Ravens executives) hope and excitement about what could be.
Yet here we are. Still at the proverbial stalemate between team and player.
Jackson's trade request seems to have fallen by the wayside as we haven't heard much of anything about it since Jackson broke the news during the annual league meeting.
But at some point, either someone has to offer Jackson a contract he wants to sign, or he'll announce he's sitting out the entire 2023 season.
It's been reported that the Ravens had offered Jackson $133 million fully guaranteed at signing. In that deal, after one season, another $35 million would have flipped from injury guaranteed to fully guaranteed.
Since the Ravens weren’t going to cut him after one season, the practical full guarantee at signing was $168 million. And Jackson declined.
If Jackson plays under the tag, he'll have $32.41 million for 2023. But the Ravens and Jackson can still negotiate a long-term deal until July 17.
After that, Lamar can only sign a one-year deal with his team. And it seems that time should be approaching sooner than later. After the moves the Ravens have made to this point, it should be an easy decision for Jackson ... and his agent. Oh, wait...
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