Lamar Jackson is ready to leave the Baltimore Ravens despite the superstar quarterback reportedly removing a roadblock by asking for less fully-guaranteed money in any long-term contract.
Since the start of free agency, quarterback Lamar Jackson has been able to speak with other NFL teams after he received the non-exclusive franchise tag from the Ravens. The tag would see Baltimore pay him the average of the salaries of the position over the previous campaigns if he stays with the franchise in 2023.
The Ravens would ultimately be able to match or surpass the rival’s contract offer - or decide to ship Jackson in exchange for two first round picks. Ultimately, the 26-year-old simply wants to get paid after he played for just $1.77million in 2021 and $23.016m last season.
Negotiations began between the two parties over two years ago and they reportedly remain far apart on figures. At the end of the season, Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta claimed ‘it takes two to tango’ when asked about the chances of securing a deal with Jackson.
One of the sticking points is over Jackson’s health, as he suffered a PCL sprain to miss the final six weeks of the season as the Ravens finished 2022 with a 10-7 record, reaching the playoffs only to fall at the first hurdle at the hands of the Cincinnati Bengals. Without a new contract, the Ravens can keep Jackson in Baltimore for only two more seasons with the franchise tag.
One major roadblock in negotiations was reportedly Jackson’s desire to receive a fully-guaranteed contract, but this is no longer the case according to ProFootballTalk’s Mike Florio. While the 2019 MVP still wants a significant amount fully guaranteed, he is seemingly now more open to one or more non-guaranteed years on the back end of any prospective deal.
According to Florio, Jackson is also ready to leave the Ravens, the franchise that drafted him in the first round back in 2018. Despite success in Baltimore, he is reportedly open to a fresh start which could affect whether the Ravens choose to match any offer sheet signed by the dynamic quarterback.
Jackson hasn't spoken publicly about his contract since the start of the 2022 season, and he hasn't spoken to reporters in general since he suffered a season-ending knee injury in early December. Jackson is one of the NFL’s most exciting players and certainly deserves a lucrative deal after winning the MVP award back in 2019 - becoming the second unanimous winner of the coveted award after seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady.
He was widely reported to have turned one blockbuster offer down from the Ravens worth $274m over six years to keep him in Baltimore through 2027 with $133m fully guaranteed. However, Jackson recently took to social media to refute this as pure speculation.
