DeCosta: No Need to Repair Relationship With Lamar Jackson and Ravens
OWINGS MILLS, Md. – There was some speculation towards the end of the year that quarterback Lamar Jackson was not happy with the team.
After injuring his knee in Week 13 against the Broncos, Jackson did not attend the playoff game against the Bengals and there were rumors he was not happy with the unsettled contract situation with the team.
Ravens GM Eric DeCosta dismissed those claims.
“Our relationship with Lamar [Jackson], I think is fantastic every single day," DeCosta said. "Now, you can say, ‘What’s it like negotiating?’ That’s a challenge because that’s a business relationship. Anytime you negotiate with anybody, it’s not always going to be an easy conversation had, but that doesn’t affect our feelings for each other or John’s feelings for Lamar or the organization’s feelings for Lamar every single day, his teammates. We all understand this is a business transaction."
Jackson is a free agent after the season and the Ravens will likely apply the exclusive franchise tag on him for 2023, which will cost about $45 million. However, DeCosta said he would have to talk with owner Steve Bisciotti before any decision is made with the tag.
The team wants to reach a long-term deal with him, but he's rejected their previous offers, including a reported five-year contract worth $250 million with $133 million fully guaranteed money.
Jackson likely wants a deal similar to Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson, who landed a five-year, $230 million contract with the Browns, including a $44.97 million signing bonus, $230 million guaranteed, and an average annual salary of $46 million.
The guaranteed money appears to be the sticking point.
DeCosta is preaching patience with the deal.
"That’s the challenge really for a player representing himself, I think," DeCost said. "We have to keep those two personalities separate: the Lamar Jackson, the agent, versus Lamar Jackson, the player. The player is somebody who I hold in extremely high regard. He’s a fantastic competitor, one of the most infectious personalities you’ll ever see, one of the most talented players in the league, a truly wonderful person in the community in everything else that he does.
"So, that hasn’t changed; that won’t change. We’ll put our heads together; we’ll negotiate a contract. I told Lamar that, ‘Hey, this thing has been a burden for both of us,’ I said, ‘But when this thing is over, we are going to feel like a million bucks,’ and that’s truly how I feel.”
