BALTIMORE — Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson has become an NFL unicorn for his ability to make something out of nothing. In the open field, he impossibly evades tacklers, and in the backfield, he dodges linemen and squeezes downfield passes between defensive backs.
But as Jackson, now a veteran of five professional seasons, tries to navigate a long-term contract, he’s run into dead ends and deal breakers he can’t elude. The unanimous 2019 NFL Most Valuable Player is still a unicorn, but in this arena, he lacks options. There’s nowhere to run.
Jackson is still at least a year away from being a true free agent, leaving him at the mercy of the team that drafted him in 2018. All he can do is grasp at the few levers available to him.
