Iconic sports agent Leigh Steinberg believes ‘rare’ Lamar Jackson will secure a lucrative long-term contract with the Baltimore Ravens - but slammed the negotiations for taking so long.
Selected in the first round of the NFL Draft in 2018, Jackson won the 2019 MVP and became the second unanimous winner of the award after Tom Brady, thanks to his dominant campaign. Jackson is one of the NFL’s most exciting players and is currently betting on himself amid contract turmoil.
He is hoping to secure the latest long-term contract awarded to a quarterback, but Jackson has already turned one blockbuster offer down and is currently due to be a free agent next summer with an uncertain future. He is believed to have turned down an offer worth $274m over six years to keep him in Baltimore through 2027, with $133m fully guaranteed.
Such a monster contract would have seen Jackson collect more money than Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson and Arizona Cardinals star Kyler Murray, with more guaranteed money too. However, Jackson reportedly wants a deal that is fully guaranteed following Deshaun Watson’s mega deal with the Cleveland Browns.
The Browns signed Watson to a $230m contract that was fully guaranteed at signing. Jackson is acting as his agent in the negotiations and Steinberg believes the market for a franchise quarterback plays into the hands of the 25-year-old - but the inspiration for Jerry Maguire criticised how long negotiations have taken to strike a deal between the two sides.
“The hardest thing to find in football today is a franchise quarterback, and let's call that someone you can build around for 10 to 12 years who you win because of rather than with - and who, importantly, in critical situations with his back against the wall, can compartmentalise and elevate his level of play to take a team to and through victory,” Steinberg exclusively told Mirror Sport. “They're so rare, but Lamar Jackson is one of them.
“I don't think there can be any dispute about the fact that that the Ravens need him, and so it's very confusing to know how he could go into this fifth year of his contract without resolution.
“I think the nexus of the dispute is over whether or not Deshaun Watson’s contract that’s for $50 million a year and is totally guaranteed should be the lift off point for Jackson’s contract. I think that’s what they’re fighting about. If he were to go into next year, he’d be a free agent. Now, Baltimore could franchise him and stop him from becoming a free agent, but that leads to turmoil and uncertainty at the critical position.
“Somehow, Baltimore - which is a first class organisation - and Lamar, who's got a pristine record both off and on the field, are going to have to come together because this is an ideal situation for both sides. But the player doesn't want to keep playing on one year contracts.
“Football isn’t croquet. It's not chess. You could be hurt at any time, so it’s a unique situation because he’s not using an agent. He’s representing himself and it shouldn’t drag on this way.”
The two-time Pro Bowler has thrown for 16 touchdowns to six interceptions in 2022 so far, with the Ravens leading the AFC North thanks to a 6-3 record. He has passed for 1,768 yards - which places the former MVP 27th in the NFL - but Jackson remarkably lies 13th in terms of league rushing leaders with 635 yards.
His unique skillset means Jackson is chasing a contract with fully guaranteed figures in order to protect his future, particularly after Watson’s monster deal with the Browns. Steinberg suggests such an aspect of negotiations has become the central point around NFL contracts recently rather than longevity or even annual salary.
“It was about how much money was guaranteed, because in a football contract, for many years - unlike baseball and basketball - the only part guaranteed was the signing bonus,” Steinberg added. “That has changed over time. You have two types of guarantees: skill, meaning if you sign a multi-year package and the player doesn’t perform, he still gets paid; and injury, where if he suffers a career-ending injury, he still gets paid on those packages.
“Baseball, basketball and hockey contracts are largely guaranteed but not football - but that’s changed over the years and it will continued to do so.”
Steinberg is right, of course: his firm, Leigh Steinberg Sports and Entertainment Holdings, were the architects behind Patrick Mahomes’ record-breaking 10-year contract extension worth a total of $503m. It became the largest contract in American sports history, surpassing Los Angles Angels baseball star Mike Trout.
