The Biggest Mistake Ravens Can't Afford to Make This Training Camp

Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta has had one primary job since the last time he got Lamar Jackson signed to a long-term deal.

Don’t let that be an anomaly. Learn from his mistakes. Don't let him get that close to untethered free agency again.

Maintain the contractual rights to this generational football player for as long as possible. Make it a constant goal, every offseason, to massage and adjust things as necessary and at an absolute minimum, make sure his deal is extended whenever the market changes point to it. Probably best to be on this every 24-28 months or so. DeCosta, of course, before the 2025 season began, when Josh Allen got his new deal with Buffalo, scoffed at the notion he needed urgency to re-do Jackson’s deal ASAP. And it's been tough times since.

And now Jackson has more leverage than ever before – entering a lame-duck year with an $85M cap hit next year and a no-trade clause and a no-franchise tag clause. So, if Jackson’s prefers it that way, he has no motivation on his part whatsoever to do anything until 2027, when he will get whatever he wants whether from Baltimore or elsewhere.

Hence Jackson’s somewhat cavalier approach to all of this. And hence the deafening silence from DeCosta as time literally runs out on him having much say in what Jackson does next. Once Jackson cuts off talks – if he already hasn’t – he will decide is he wants to take Steve Bisciotti’s money or someone else’s. because that cap number is untenable and a new deal is required to secure any cap relief and all roads go through Jackson – who has asked for a trade before, and plenty of GMs and contract negotiators believe he will do it again.

The no trade and lack of a long-term deal allow him to control where he lands. Baltimore’s grip on the situation would be tenuous. It’s a road DeCosta ain’t cut out to go down, and if he looses this quarterback prepare for a rapid decline,I don't care how many first round picks he lands in return. This ain’t trading Adley Rutschman – this is trading Cal Ripken and Eddie Murray all in one.

It’s beyond silly we are even at this point. Bisciotti and DeCosta need to get real, right now, and make it end. If this bleeds into the season, it will wreck future seasons, and it could put a cloud over this one, too. Bisciotti is going to sell this franchise for $6.5B dollars and he bought in for $750,000. He already won multiple times over and has song rings for it, too.

Do your fans a solid on the way out and secure Jackson to this town into his mid-30s, let the next owners worry about future cap and future payroll and restore order to you future team-building endeavors. Give him the $275M fully guaranteed however he wants it.

That's the cost of doing business with a QB that good in this age. Youu aren’t going to be the guy to pay him the bulk of it, anyway.

And do it now.

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