Baltimore Ravens defensive end Calais Campbell has insisted star quarterback Lamar Jackson wants to sign a long-term deal with the franchise amid long-term negotiations between the two parties.
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.
He has already turned one blockbuster offer down from the Ravens. Jackson reportedly turned down an offer worth $274million over six years to keep him in Baltimore through 2027 - with $133m fully guaranteed.
Jackson’s desire for more fully guaranteed money - and a deal closer to Deshaun Watson’s fully guaranteed five-year contract worth $230m with the Cleveland Browns - has ultimately kept the parties from agreeing a deal. 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.
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. Campbell - the NFL Players’ Association Vice President - claimed the 26-year-old wants to stay in Baltimore for the foreseeable future.
“He wants to get a deal done, and that's the most important part,” Campbell told the NFL Network on Thursday. “Sometimes guys who are part of a team and don't want to be there anymore use [free agency] as an opportunity to go elsewhere. But he wants to be [with the Ravens].”
Jackson has finished the fifth-year option of his rookie deal and if no new contract is ironed out soon, Baltimore will have to place the franchise tag on the quarterback to keep him from exploring the market as an unrestricted free agent. Without a new contract, the Ravens can keep Jackson in Baltimore for only two more seasons with the franchise tag.
Negotiations began between the two parties 25 months ago and they reportedly remain far apart on figures. At the NFL Scouting Combine on Wednesday, DeCosta said no decision had been made on which tag Baltimore could apply and acknowledged that this negotiation is difficult because Jackson is representing himself.
“Lamar's throwing ideas to me [and] I'm throwing ideas to him,” DeCosta said. “We have to appreciate the position of the other person, we have to respect the other person's position and where they're coming from and we have to be willing to consider that this might be really important to them. And if it is, what are we willing to give up, basically, in exchange for something that's really important to you? So it's a negotiation, but it has to be a good faith negotiation based on trust, respect and listening to the other person. Otherwise, it won't work.”
There are two types of franchise tag: the exclusive and non-exclusive. The exclusive franchise tag means the Ravens would pay Jackson the average of the top-five salaries at the quarterback position for this upcoming season, and they are able to do it again next year with a 20% increase on his previous salary.
The non-exclusive franchise tag would see the Ravens pay him the average of the salaries of the position over the previous campaigns, while Jackson would have the possibility of talking to interested teams that can make an offer - including two first round picks - to Baltimore, with the Ravens ultimately able to match or surpass the other team's contract offer.
