Lamar Jackson remains a hot topic of conversation both locally and nationally. He is the pivot point for the Ravens future and depending upon how the contract saga unfolds, it could also determine who the team’s next offensive coordinator is.
Many have wondered how this will all play out. Will Lamar be extended, traded or play under the tag? How it ends is anyone’s guess, but without question the absolute worst-case scenario has Lamar playing under the exclusive tag while eating up a $45.25M in cap space. Currently the Ravens have roughly $27.68M in available cap space. That’s code for, they’ll need to make some trades or cuts just to accommodate Lamar if he’s extended the exclusive franchise tag, as expected.
In other words, no free agent wide receivers can be added; no cap space to trade for someone like DeAndre Hopkins; no cap space to address in-season injuries or trade possibilities; no cap space to even sign their 2023 draft picks. To say the least, GM Eric DeCosta will be busy with his cap scalpel.
These negotiations, at least in part, make Guinea Pigs out of the Ravens.
Think about it…
On one side you have Steve Bisciotti, probably feeling a little pressure from 30 of his partners, aka, the other NFL owners not named Jimmy Haslam, the Browns owner, who introduced this 100% guarantee concept to signing franchise quarterbacks. Bisciotti has been outwardly adamant about his opposition to fully guaranteed deals and given Lamar’s past two seasons, during which he missed over a third of the team’s games, who can blame him? The other owners will be watching closely.
Then there’s Lamar, who without representation, without the capable agent he deserves and should undoubtedly hire, is feeling extreme heat from DeMaurice Smith and the NFLPA to secure that next guaranteed contract – to be as Smith described, “the bookend” to the contract of Deshaun Watson.
This is a battle of wills that if not handled properly, could absolutely cripple the Ravens in 2023.
From what I’ve been able to gather from those close to the saga, Lamar is described by the team in glowing terms not only for his physical gifts but also for the intrinsic qualities he possesses as a man. Yet nearly any discussion about Lamar’s contract situation inevitably raises the question, “Why doesn’t he have an agent?”
Agents make in the range of 3-4% of a contract’s value, on average. The agent acts as a buffer for the player. The agent addresses the tough questions and concerns with the club that are best-discussed without the player in the room. The agent has the experience to navigate tricky contractual waters; to understand what is fair; to draw from experience to bring a team and a client together; to push back on the NFLPA if their pressures are detrimental to the future of his client.
So while all of this outside noise affects Lamar, it also affects the Ravens and the potential of their 2023 season. If there is no new deal in place by March 7, there’s little doubt that the Ravens will place the exclusive tag on Lamar. Now to reiterate, the exclusive tag allows the Ravens to control what happens next with Lamar. He can’t negotiate with other teams and if a trade is the ultimate outcome, it will happen after another team extends an offer to Lamar that he accepts and one that delivers the exchange the Ravens desire in the form of draft picks and/or players.
It will be interesting to see if other clubs are willing to give Lamar that 100% guaranteed deal that he seeks through the influence of the NFLPA. But what if no other teams offers the fully guaranteed deal? What if the other owners dig in their heels the way Bisciotti apparently has? This is where the exclusive tag provides some help in that it allows the Ravens to retain Lamar, although collateral damage is likely.
Lamar would probably not report to OTA’s and at least a portion of training camp. He would not play in any preseason game. And most importantly, he’ll lose valuable time spent with a new offensive coordinator, a new offensive system, new terminology and a new flip-chart for his left forearm.
And then of course there’s the drag on the salary cap.
There is however a glimmer of good news as it relates to the cap as described by RSR capologist Brian McFarland.
“If you tag exclusive, the initial number that counts is the non-exclusive number. The exclusive number gets set in stone the last day of the restricted free agent period which is five days before the draft. Until then, [the exclusive tag for Lamar Jackson] would count at $32.5M.”
An extension or a trade are both far better than Lamar playing under the tag. All of the aforementioned negative aspects of doing so notwithstanding, when the season begins and Lamar starts collecting his weekly paycheck of $2.51M throughout the 18-week season, why should we think that Lamar’s behaviors, the missed practices, the missed games will be any different than they’ve been for the past two seasons?
Essentially playing under the exclusive tag will put the Ravens in the same undesirable place they experienced in 2022. And that means a less than fully committed franchise quarterback who won’t be around all that much and a wide receiver room that won’t change much because there will be no cap dollars to help transform it.
Sounds a bit like Groundhog Day, doesn’t it?
50 Responses
Please send this guy packing
Hell NO! Lamar has been nothing but the man for this team. He’s MVP and has won 75% of the his games at a starter. All without any WR1 and WR #2. This team as a frachise is worth less without out him. This man puts butts in seats and has made this owner richer. Without him say goodbye to any Primetime games and hello to a rebuilding team that will be barley average. Lamar has beaten all the great QB’s in the AFC and you want to get rid of him? And then what get slaughtered by Barrows and Mahommes? Dude, surround Lamar with talent like the other great QB’s and let go get it!
Joe Flacco won a SB as MVP in a spectacular display of talent in his 5th season, was one game from the SB in his first season and his 10-5 record in the post season is one of the best without ever having been surrounded by talented WRs! And, following the SB win, Harbaugh did to him what he’s done to Lamar: turned them into check down game managers in his old school run oriented offense in a league that emphasizes passing! And, he’s announced that he’s still committed to out! That’s why good WRs don’t want to play here! Lamar was stunned when his buddy, Hollywood Brown, wanted out of this system and, apparently, that’s what he wants now as well and who can blame him…..
That’s a great point. No receivers want to play here knowing Lamar is a one read QB. His accuracy is awful especially on the short to mid range passes. Does he ever throw to the rbs?
How would we afford a WR if we sign Lamar?
Lamar can’t win in the playoffs, that’s the issue. Had they gone deeper in 2019 he’d probably already have a deal but win the pressure in on he comes up small.
Do you remember Buffalo in 2020? He did a Huntley before Huntley throwing a 99 yd pick six losing 17-3. Flacco had to win a SB to get his contract and then got worse afterwards. So Biscotti is not giving him what he wants.
Flacco had his MOST PRODUCTIVE SEASON following his spectacular SB performance in 2014 under Gary Kubiak, who was hired without Harbaugh’s consultation! He did what Lamar promised to do by proving his value in winning a SB in MVP fashion! So far, Lamar has not lived up to his promise…..
Yes you are correct in 14-15 when we lost to NE because of our defense. I was referring to some of the other seasons when he declined. But even then we lost on the final games in 16 and 17 just missing the playoffs. Flacco actually got us late game leads against Pitt in 16 and Cinn in 17 only have the defense give up 4th qtr leads.
Lamar doesn’t even compare to Flacco in the playoffs.
And, both Flacco and Lamar were reduced to check down game managers by Harbaugh, who obviously does not champion the passing game!
Sign him – Burrow and Herbert are going to bust the guaranteed number with their contract extensions, and Jalen and Lawrence will as well next year. Ravens will be facing down Burrow, Watson, Pickett in their division and Mahomes, Lawrence, Allen, and Herbert outside their division for years to come. You don’t do that with Derek Carr , Baker Mayfield or Jameis Winston as a stop-gap. The Ravens hit the lottery with Lamar and the 32nd pick. He is 45-16 as a starter (.768). You don’t toss that ticket out and hope you hit the lottery again on a late first or second round QB pick you have to develop. There is no QB talent depth in this year’s draft. Unless they want to gut entire roster and tank the entire season to have a shot at Caleb Williams in 2024 – just not worth trading him. They have a lot of championship pieces in place right now – Defense, Special Teams, OL, run game, TEs – QB and WR1 are the missing spots. Sign Lamar and get to work on WR1. Give him the guaranteed $ and let’s go.
He will be Tagged and traded because Lamar has no clue how to negotiate and Bisciotti will not put up with this situation for another season. It’s that simple
You may be correct. Lamar should not have showed up this season and demanded a trade. If they tag him, Lamar should not show up until September then demand a trade! Nnd then and only then should he sign a long term deal with the team he wants to. Thats the way to handle these negotiations. But Lamar is such a good dude I doubt he will go ape shite, like most QB that have been treated this way. Lamar should be tired of carrying this team on his back with out WR’s help and making this cheap arse owner rich!
No one wants him. Just watch. He’s not a durable NFL QB and the past two years and playoff chokes prove this. Makes me wonder if he was white if you would be rooting this hard for him. OJ was innocent, right? GTFOH
I like Lamar and wish this had been worked out before last season. If he had an agent I believe it would have. Now it is probably too late and the best move for the Team is to Tag and Trade. Playing him on the Exclusive Tag would be nuts – no Cap space, Lamar holding out, bad feelings with Mgmt, etc. It sucks but that’s the way I think it plays out.
Tag and trade to highest bidder! No questioning Lamar’s unique athletic ability, but we’ve already experienced growing pains with Lamar that have seen his performance as a passer regress in addition to back to back seasons dealing with injuries! There are some outstanding young QBs in the league whose ability as pocket passers eclipse Lamars and this is a passing league! Time to move on…..
Not that simple brah! Lamar can block any trade by simply saying he will not signing a long term contract with who ever trades for him. No team will trade 3 number ones for a QB that will not sign a long term deal. In this scenario Lamar has all the leverage. So you can forget that move sir!
If Lamar is tagged then all the current players identified here and on other sites as candidates for extension or new contracts would have to be axed. So Jackson plays under duress with a gutted squad. Terrific. This would set the team back for years.
So…EDC’s path is clearly set as noted on your podcast with Brian McFarland. Get answers to the two threshold questions and then move forward.
Lamar does have representation though. The wrong kind. The NFLPA has been acting as the contract whisperer in Lamar’s ear. They have an agenda and it’s fully guaranteed contracts for all players and they’re using #8 to further that objective. They’re not acting in his best interests. If Lamar and his handlers had hired a professional negotiator I truly believe all of this would be water under the bridge. But here we are.
And the Ravens are acting in Lamars best intrest by not signing a MVP QB after his 3rd season. The Ravens have screwed this all up!. They have used Lamar for five years without surrounding him with WR’s . Lamar has made the playoffs 4 of the last 5 years and you reward him with a suckers contract and not getting him WR’s in the 2022 season. Let face it Lamar has made this team rich and notable. He carried this team on his back for 5 years and the Ravens should pay the man. Either that are it rebuild time!
I fully support the Ravens signing Jackson to a L.T.C. I always have. I do not support signing him to a fully guaranteed one. If you listen to the podcast you would know that Brian McFarland said EDC should ask Lamar two threshold questions right off the bat: 1) Do you want to play here long term and 2) if so, are you willing to move off your demand for a F.G.C. and meet somewhere in the middle?
If the answer to #1 is No or the answer to #1 is Yes and the answer to #2 is No, then the Ravens should move to trade him. Eric is not shy about moving players that don’t want to be here (see: Hollywood Brown and Hayden Hurst).
What has he done in the playoffs? One and done don’t get it. Name any receiver saying they want to play with him. We can’t keep the one we had.
The Ravens tried to sign him after his third season. He was in no hurry. Perhaps his NFLPA advisors expected Watson to reset the market with some stupid and desperate franchises (Browns, Falcons)
Tag & trade him. Paying $45.25M is better than paying Lamar what he expects.
And then what? We will face all these mega QB’s in the AFC without a QB. A QB that has won a MVP, has won 75% of his games and carries the 3rd hisghest QBR amongst all starting QB’s since he’s been in the league? Dude, Lamar has beaten Mahommes, Barrows, Chargers, Broncos, etc. We go no where without Lamar. Welcome to a rebuilding season without Lamar.
You REALLY think LAME R can carry the jocks of Mahomes, Burrow or Josh? Cmon dude, he’s Krapernick 2.0. Running QB’s NEVER EVER last. Time to move on. Ravens will be fine and LAME R will be out of the league in three to five years. Just watch!
He’s also got a 4th QTR QBR of 72.5, and a 56.5 this year which is not even in the top 20 in the league. Pretty abysmal numbers for a guy who wants to be the highest paid player in the history of the NFL.
Rebuilding the QB position, not the entire team. If we trade Lamar, we would get a very good rookie QB, they would throw in a CB or WR & we save millions which we could use to sign contracts or buy Free Agents. We would be much better off by our 2nd year.
What a mess. It seems that it may only get worse.
This is a mess made and contributed to by the Raven and the Ravens only! Ravens should have signed Lamar just after his 3rd year like most team do. They were being cheap as usual and it has come back to bite them in the arse!
Gotta say, you got this right. Remember all the talking heads and the discussions about how “smart” they are to wait versus the “its only gonna get more expensive” crowd. And you are correct, the Birds can be penny wise and dollar foolish.
Gotta say, you got this right. Remember all the talking heads and the discussions about how “smart” they are to wait versus the “its only gonna get more expensive” crowd. And you are correct, the Birds can be penny wise and dollar foolish.
How do you know they did not and how do you know if Lamar was willing to talk turkey?
You do not.
?? I don’t think the discussion is whether they negotiated. It’s about Vernon’s feeling that it all could have been avoided if the Ravens had signed Lamar in his Yr 3 extension year.
They tried. He was in no hurry
Sorry but you’re 100% wrong. The Ravens have repeated approached Lamar about an extension. He initially rebuffed them wanting to wait as the cap and QB market increased in value. Now he has become unreasonable.
Not sure if a contract offer of up to $180 MILLION DOLLARS… GUARANTEED ( these are Lamar’s own words) is being ” cheap”. He turned that down
The Ravens tried to negotiate after the 2020 season. He wasn’t in a hurry.
Ravens are clearly not cheap. They regularly pay top off market for top talent at high value positions: Stanley, Humphrey, Roquan, Williams, Tucker, and oh yeah, some QB named Flacco.
Unlike many teams, they regularly spend up to the cap each year. Unlike some teams, they don’t use “Cash over cap” and roll the dice in the near term and risk years of rebuilding later.
I love Lamar the player. I trust the Ravens franchise
Million dollar legs, a $3 arm, and a 10 cent head. I hope they have a trade in the works already and announce it as soon as the off season begins. I will be delighted when he becomes some other teams problem.
I seriously doubt that amongst the possible sceanrios the Ravens include tagging him with the exclusive tag and keeping him for the season under the tag. That would, indeed, just wreck the cap – and the roster as a result. You can have the love child of Peyton Manning and Tom Brady as your QB, if you can’t build a roster around himit’s useless. If he receives the exclusive tag – which indeed seems to make the most sense at this point (judged from all we can know) – it’s either gonna be a tag & trade or a new contract. I see no other way.
A lot of hate on this board #8. He wins 75% of his games. Which late 1st round rookie QB or FA is available that is going to be able to deliver that? #8 got injured – that happens. Any NFL player can suffer a catastrophic injury on any play – no one is invulnerable. That is the risk, and also why players want to maximize their contract opportunities. Both times he got injured he was in the pocket. Should the Bengals have gotten rid of Burrow after he missed a year with a torn ACL? There is no franchise caliber QB identified in this draft, and no veteran FA I would want to hand the car keys to this franchise over to right now. You are scraping the bottom of the barrell on talent like Mayfield and Carr if you don’t sign him. Newsflash – Patrick Mahomes is not going to be available for trade. If you are “tired of the drama” don’t pay attention or just imagine how tired you are going to feel after they sign someone like Jameis Winston to QB the team after they get rid of him. I guess if it is any consolation – there are a bunch of Bills fans that are also melting down and actually saying that Allen is only a good regular season QB, a playoff choker and McDermott can’t win big games – so we are not the only NFL team with a group of fans like this.
I like Lamar at a market value contract. If he is going to demand a record setting / fully guaranteed deal, then I would be willing to trade him for a pile of picks and a rookie quarterback (likely in the top 10 picks) on a rookie deal. I’d take the savings and invest in free agent receivers. I’d take the rest of the picks and restock with young, cheap talent.
As a reminder, the Ravens won the Super Bowl with Trent Dilfer and Joe Flacco as QBs. Mortgaging the team’s future for one player — any player — is fatal to its long-term success. The numbers show that beyond a certain percentage of the total salary cap (like 13% or so), quarterback contracts are highly detrimental to both short- and long-term success. I’d like to see Derek Carr plus a #1 or two, so the Ravens can draft another quality QB and still land a top free-agent receiver or two.
People that don’t want to give LJ the ability to handcuff the team are not haters. They simply don’t want to bet the team on his play. And don’t dismiss the role of the D in LJ getting wins. He didn’t have to engineer a lot of points.
When he took over for Flacco he was a terrible passer, but damn could he run, and soooo quick.
Got to the playoffs , based on him but don’t forget the D, play the SD Chargers and new looks shut him down. Go to 2019 and he is the magic and it was as fun of a season as I can remember until the end, where the Titans shut the door. the 20 season is a seemingly mature LJ and a good cast behind him beat the titans get to buffalo and he throws a 100 yd pick six to change/kill the game. Next year is Covid crazy and this year he was not too good at all, before being hurt (in the pocket but so what?)
He is worth a contract but not the kind that sets the market. He is a much bigger risk than any of the other of the new star QB’s. And his rewards are based on his great running, which has diminished. I think TL is right on the agent thing as he needs a buffer.
Bring on the handcuffs. This is not a unique situation for just the Ravens. Every single team is under the same cap number and will have this problem. Example – the Bengals are going to be in the exact same position. They are already saying that they can’t keep Higgins with Burrow extension looming, and are probably going to lose Perrine and Mixon as well. I guarantee they will not be able to keep Chase and Burrow together much longer when Burrow has to be extended. They may end up trading him much like KC did with Tyreek Hill – they could not afford both him and Mahomes. I can draw you the same picture for the Jags, Eagles and Chargers when Trevor, Jalen and Herbert sign their extensions. If you believe that the Ravens have all the other pieces in place now – great D, special teams, OL, running backs, TEs – and they have a championship window to compete with him at the helm (I do)- sign him now, spread the cap hit out over 5-6 years with a backloaded end, get a solid WR1, push your chips in to the middle of the table and kick the can down the road for a salary cap handcuff hell year to burn it back down. Every team has to deal with this issue when they have a marquee QB. With him, they are a Super Bowl contender. The kid wins 75% of his games and consistently gets his team to the playoffs. That is not a given – you have to make the tournament first to win it. Heck – he has the same playoff record as Peyton Manning did after 5 years (1-3). Before Allen, the Bills had not made the playoffs since the Clinton administration, and Bengals did not win a playoff game over the same span. Before Brady arrived the Bucs had not made the playoffs in 17 years. You need a a great QB just to make the tournament – and Lamar has proven he can do that year in and out – and I know that the Mayfield, Winston, Carrs, Darnolds of the world — which is what we will be left with – do not have the talent to do that against a stacked and formidable squad of AFC QB talent.
I think one of the major points here is that the NFLPA hasn’t done their due diligence on the impact of fully guaranteed contracts on the league. Yes, the super stars like Lamar will make out, but as long as there is a salary cap based on league revenue, it will lead to more dead money and less money for the rest of the players.
I think one of the major points here is that the NFLPA hasn’t done their due diligence on the impact of fully guaranteed contracts on the league. Yes, the super stars like Lamar will make out, but as long as there is a salary cap based on league revenue, it will lead to more dead money and less money for the rest of the players.
Lamar has said he has two driving goals: to win a Super Bowl and to be a billionaire.
If his negotiation stance is intended to get him to billionaire status a bit sooner, it may come at the expense of the Super Bowl and perhaps his legacy as a player.
Any team willing to give a fully guaranteed contract would likely be a poorly run one (Browns), and their ability to surround him with talent in the other 52 roster spots would be severely limited.
No QB has won the Super Bowl making more than 12.6% of the team’s cap that year. Lamar’s demand could double that.
Couple things I take issue with/disagree with in this article about the Tag/salary cap/Lamar Situation etc. 1st off RSR own cap guru was on 1057 just days ago explaining how a tag doesn’t kill the Ravens because they have Andrews, Marlon and Stanley they can extend/restructure so right there you are in the black. Drop Stanley and Marlon 20+mil cap hits down 10mil range on extensions etc. Same for 89. Then you would still have cuts/retirements etc on top that.
Secondly, I don’t buy “Steve Biscotti is afraid of Ownership backlash” Biscotti is just cheap and don’t want to pay. I dont have a Crystal Ball but if Owners like Bensons, Blank in ATL and Ross were willing to get into bidding war for Watson. I guarantee they would for Unanimous MVP Rockstar like Lamar.
At some point Ravens have to move beyond 2000. Step into Modern football. When you have Rockstar Qb or skull player build on offense. Not S,CB,DT,ILBR
I’m a Ravens fan and love having Lamar as our QB. However, the Ravens have proven you don’t need a top tier QB to win the Super Bowl. See the two SBs we’ve won. It’s time to trade Lamar. Ravens can’t afford to gut their team for a QB. Hopefully they’ve learned from their mistake with Flacco.
Counting college, Lamar is 2-5 in the postseason, while Flacco’s 10-5 postseason record places him in the top 10!
Diehard Ravens fan and Lamar backer. First and foremost I agree that Lamar should have an agent/better representation. If he did then we are probably not discussing this topic.
I try to be level headed about this situation but have my opinions. I think we see an exclusive tag situation this season. I think it’s an ugly situation so much will depend on the incoming OC and the WRs brought in this season. With the proper coaching and supporting cast, Lamar will perform admirably. This is my viewpoint.
The cap? There is room and EDC knows what he’s doing. We have alot of young talent on this team but coaching has been lacking in all of Lamar’s time here. The right OC and we are good to go.
Contract? I don’t know if this is possible or if both sides would agree on it but I have been saying for awhile that “What if Lamar is offered a 3yr/150M or 4yr/180M with options and bonuses to bring the contract to over 200M for 4 yr. The option would allow Lamar or both sides to opt out after the 3rd year. Maybe get creative and see what happens.
While none of us knows the future, we have to hope cooler heads prevail and there’s a meeting of the minds. For all the haters-be careful what you wish for. For all the Lamar lovers remember change is good. All I can say is not everyone is going to be happy with the outcome.
Life is good so enjoy every moment. Don’t worry about the things you have no control over.