Lamar Jackson Can Show World Why Ravens Need to 'Pay Him Now'
BALTIMORE — On Monday Night Football, Lamar Jackson will have another opportunity to show the world why he deserves to be paid a fully guaranteed contract.
After failing to provide Jackson with a wide receiver prior to the trade deadline, the Baltimore Ravens will force him to do more with less for the remainder of the season. Rashod Bateman is done for the year with a foot injury and Mark Andrews will not be traveling to New Orleans with a shoulder injury suffered against Tampa Bay.
The offense will simply have to rely on Jackson — heavily. And as long as he continues to win, this development works in Jackson’s favor. National television pundits, fans with signs, and social media influencers alike agree in unison.
Pay Him Now!
The Ravens have Super Bowl aspirations. That’s an almost hilarious proposition without the exceptional play of the former Louisville Cardinals quarterback. Baltimore knows it too or they wouldn’t have traded for Roquan Smith from the Chicago Bears for a 2nd and 5th-round pick. Even Lamar could see what a signing like that could mean for the team.
“No doubt, I was pumped up,” said Jackson. “I asked the linebackers and the secondary how they felt about it, and those guys were dialed in. They were like, 'Yes, it's a good pickup.'”
But forgoing improving the offense will undoubtedly put the Ravens in a bit of a bind when contract talks resume this offseason. If they make a deep run in the postseason, the price just went up on Lamar’s contract demands. If the play of the team slips in the second half of the season, Lamar Jackson and the majority of the football world will point directly to Baltimore’s inability to surround him with the adequate talent to succeed.
"I love this man's authenticity," former Ravens tight end Shannon Sharpe stated on Undisputed following Jackson’s performance against Tampa Bay. "Whatever the Ravens thought they were going to have to pay him or didn't want to pay him, they're going to have to give it up. It's going to cost them and deservingly so.”
