Unless quarterback Lamar Jackson is hung up on having a fully guaranteed contract, I believe there is still a chance he and the Ravens agree to an extension by the end of his self-imposed deadline this week.
The Ravens have a notorious history of lowballing players initially in contract negotiations, so it’s safe to assume they’ll up the ante this week. Maybe they’ll offer Jackson something in the $46 to $49 million per season range, which would put him in the same company as quarterbacks Russell Wilson of the Denver Broncos, Kyler Murray of the Arizona Cardinals and DeShaun Watson of the Cleveland Browns, all of whom will average $49 million in the deals they signed this offseason.
If Jackson, the NFL’s Most Valuable Player in 2019, wants $50 million per season like the Green Bay Packers’ Aaron Rodgers, who is the league’s highest-paid quarterback, then Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta should just say no.
