Today is a big day for #RavensFlock. We’ll all find out this afternoon whether or not Lamar Jackson takes to the practice field, which will fuel hopes that he’ll be good to dress on Sunday Night in Cincinnati.
If you think about it, from a business perspective, it’s an ideal time for Lamar to return to the lineup provided his injured PCL has healed sufficiently enough. It’s the playoffs. It’s Sunday Night on a National stage. It’s an opportunity to remind the world what a difference he can make in even the most mundane, unimaginative and archaic offense among the professional ranks, on the planet.
From @GMFB: #Ravens QB Lamar Jackson (PCL) faces an uphill battle to play vs. the #Bengals in their Wild Card game, per me and @MikeGarafolo. More uncertainty. … Meanwhile, Baltimore paid LB Roquan Smith on a 5-year, $100M deal. pic.twitter.com/85Nbo8AefH
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 11, 2023
If Ian Rapoport is correct and Lamar doesn’t go against the Bengals in the Wild Card showdown, we can all take it to mean that his injury is either more serious than reported or that he simply refuses to risk additional injury and consequently, his market value moving forward.
Speaking of value, you have to wonder how Lamar’s availability on Sunday will affect the betting line. Yesterday the line was Ravens + 6 ½. This morning that line sits at +7. If he practices how much will the line swing?
Ambassador of Quan
Perhaps you remember the movie Jerry Maguire. During the movie’s final scene Cuba Gooding, Jr. who plays Rod Tidwell, is interviewed by Roy Firestone (remember him…a huge Orioles and Brooks Robinson fan), the purpose of which is to discuss Tidwell’s new contract engineered by his agent Jerry Maguire, played by Tom Cruise. Eventually Tidwell praises Maguire and calls him his Ambassador of Quan. Here’s the dialogue between the two as Tidwell defines “The Quan”.
Jerry Maguire: “Quan, that’s your word?”
Rod Tidwell: “Yeah man, that’s my word… some dudes will have the coin, but they will never have the quan.”
Jerry Maguire: “But, what’s the quan”?
Rod Tidwell: “It means love, respect, community… and the dollars too. The entire package. The Quan!”
Jerry Maguire: “Great word.”
And now, moving forward for at least the next five years, “The Quan” in Charm City means all of the things Tidwell describes above, embodied by none other than Roquan Smith.
Roquan agreed to a 5-year, $100M deal of which $45M is fully guaranteed with $60M in total guarantees. Roquan now becomes the highest paid off-the-ball LB in NFL history. Some might question paying the hefty price tag for a position that is slightly undervalued in today’s NFL. But Roquan is a perfect fit in the Ravens scheme. He has shown an ability to make others around him even better. Roquan’s versatility allows defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald to utilize other defenders in a way that aligns with their respective skill sets, plus, there’s no denying the uptick in the Ravens defense since Roquan arrived on the scene. He’s a valuable piece in the team’s defense and the signing frees up the franchise tag which will be set aside for the player who currently wears No. 8.
Plus I’ll share this about Roquan, from RSR’s James Ogden via Twitter.
“One of the smartest teams from a personnel standpoint, and the very best defense – the 49ers – also pay one of the best off-ball LBs nearly $20m a year ($19m) in Fred Warner. Being an off-ball LB should not automatically stop a team from ponying up for one of the best.”
“Roquan”.
A “great word” in the Ravens defense.
Hopkins
Baltimore is synonymous with Johns Hopkins. Could the city become the home of another Hopkins, specifically DeAndre Hopkins?
The 30-year-old, ten-year veteran attracted the interest of Ravens GM Eric DeCosta back in 2019. The Ravens explored the possibility of trading for Hopkins but apparently the Arizona Cardinals offered more in the way of draft capital and compensation for the talented receiver. Now, Hopkins will once again be available to the highest bidder.
Jordan Schultz, theScore’s NFL insider, has reported that Cardinals Owner Michael Bidwill wants to move Hopkins, who has $34.4M remaining on his deal. Hopkins is under contract for two more seasons but many expect Hopkins to seek a new extension which could serve to boost the talented receiver’s bank account while making his cap number more palatable. Hopkins base salary in 2023 is scheduled to come in at $19.45M.
Perhaps DeCosta can work some of that magic that he employed when acquiring Roquan, but given Hopkins’ position and talents, he’s likely to have many suitors.
Crumbling of an Empire
Many are wondering if we’ve seen the last of Lamar Jackson in Baltimore. While that story promises to be a developing one this offseason, most fans are also wondering and hoping, that we’ve seen the last of Greg Roman at the controls of the Ravens offense.
John Harbaugh is likely to receive his fair share of heat from DeCosta and team owner Steve Bisciotti to move on from Roman. It’s a move that is long overdue yet Harbaugh, a fiercely loyal head coach, could resist. If he does resist, tensions could reach a boil at The Castle. Keep in mind that Harbaugh contractually has final say in the composition of his coaching staff. If he serves up an uncompromising push back, the final say is and always will be that of Bisciotti. And as we witnessed during the Winter of 2008, Bisciotti isn’t opposed to eating the contract of a coach if he believes that the parting of ways is beneficial to the team.
One last thing on this topic…
As a guest on our show The Ravens Rap in Ocean City hosted by The Original Greene Turtle, we asked Steve about the costs associated with letting Brian Billick go not long after signing the Super Bowl XXXV winning head coach to an extension. Bisciotti’s response was interesting.
“It didn’t cost me. It cost my kids some of their inheritance.”
I’m guessing Steve’s kids are hoping that Greg Roman moves on too.
3 Responses
He’s not Ray Lewis but he is Mike Curtis. Solid up he middle is a true axiom. Stay healthy Roquan.
Interesting as always, Tony! Only time will tell how this all plays out……
Everybody is less disappointed if the expectations are low. I persist on saying Lamar has played his last game as a raven. If he comes back this week-end, or next year, I’ll be happily surprised.