At 4PM today the NFL’s new league year begins and that will signal the bell – the moment when teams can submit an offer sheet to Lamar Jackson. And it can’t come soon enough.
This entire laborious journey has been painful for all involved, fans included. Somewhere along the way, the enthusiastic and boyish charm of a player who once exhibited such joy whenever he stepped on a football field, and even when standing at the podium, has vanished. Instead of eyes that at one time appeared as bright beacons into the soul of a young man who carried an unabashed zest for life, we now see a somber player with sunken eyes with body language that suggests that he’s carrying the weight of the world on his back and sore knee. And for that we can thank NFLPA Executive Director DeMaurice Smith.
How it ends is anyone’s guess.
The Ravens believe that they’ve done their due diligence. They’ve looked at this situation from every possible angle and in doing so, they’ve concluded, given their offer to Lamar which they believe will stand up to any third-party offer sheet, that when the dust settles, he will be a Raven in 2023.
It’s a calculated risk on the parts of Messrs. DeCosta and Bisciotti.
Judging from reports, several teams that analysts thought might have some interest in Lamar have bailed out of the anticipated Jackson Sweepstakes. Of course NFL execs are known for their affinity for Liar’s Poker, so who knows how this will all shake out. That said, teams which have been linked to Lamar by many if he was made available, such as the Falcons, Panthers, Raiders and even the Giants, appear to have addressed their quarterback position by acquisition, extension or trade.
Former NFL GM, Thomas Dimitroff, shares his thoughts on Lamar Jacksons’ non-exclusive tag and why teams are not pursuing him:
⁰📺: @FanDuelTV | @heykayadams pic.twitter.com/kBGsTZnR3K
— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) March 13, 2023
A surprising wild-card team could always surface as a potential suitor for Lamar. And maybe, that team is Jimmy Irsay and the Indianapolis Colts.
This offseason the Colts hired former Eagles offensive coordinator Shane Steichen to be their new head coach. Steichen is largely credited with the ascent of Philadelphia quarterback Jalen Hurts’ career, effectively developing Hurts as a passer to complement his skills as a running QB. GM Chris Ballard has come under fire recently, the target of Irsay’s wrath. Ballard needs a solid 2023 to strengthen his job security.
Ballard recently cut ties with Matt Ryan and traded Stephon Gilmore. The two moves have helped create an additional $27.1M in cap space.
The most famous of all of the Baltimore Colts is Johnny Unitas, a product of Louisville. Could another beloved sports figure, also from Louisville, move from Charm City to Circle City and one day become the most famous of all Indianapolis Colts? The dots are there to connect. Will Irsay do exactly that with his blue Sharpie?
For the record, the Colts have the 4th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Creating Cap Space
When the Ravens trade of Chuck Clark to the Jets becomes official today at 4PM, the Ravens will have $10,298,314 in Cap space. According to RSR Capologist Brian McFarland, the Ravens can create an additional $26.6M in Cap space via simple contractual restructures of Ronnie Stanley, Marlon Humphrey, Mark Andrews, Roquan Smith, Tyus Bowser, Patrick Mekari and Morgan Moses. If they really want to dig down, they can create even more cap space if they were to execute maximum restructures that include void years to any of the aforementioned player contracts. The current cap position does include Lamar’s non-exclusive franchise tag number of $32.4M. Should he agree to an extension, that number is estimated to drop by $5-7M, depending on the structure of the deal.
Adding void years is a strategy that the Ravens have steered clear of in the past. But Lamar’s contractual situation has held the team hostage, forcing them to consider all ways with which to accommodate Lamar while augmenting the roster to improve in 2023.
Void years were part of the restructured deal for Michael Pierce.
Full Breakdown of Pierce's restructured deal which includes a $2M paycut. Deal creates $2.668M in Cap space and reportedly contains incentives that will allow Pierce to earn back the $2M (which would count against the 2024 Cap if earned). https://t.co/f4edZmBtIB pic.twitter.com/DWSvAk4iof
— Brian McFarland (@RavensSalaryCap) March 11, 2023
It’s important to note that the Ravens removed the 2024 season from the deal that Pierce signed a year ago, making him a free agent following the 2023 season. This was likely a concession the Ravens made to Pierce in exchange for accepting the pay cut. We all know that the Ravens covet compensatory picks. This pay cut/restructure shortens the length of the deal allowing Pierce to become an UFA sooner, and as such, he is disqualified from the comp pick equation – a side benefit for the Ravens.
It’s interesting to read through some of the comments from fans following the Pierce pay cut. Many have praised the behemoth DT as a team-first guy for accepting the haircut in his W-2 while indirectly (or directly) throwing shade at Lamar for his seemingly me-first approach to his contract status. But let’s be real. Pierce has played in just 11 games over the course of the past three seasons. There isn’t a market for a player like that. Pierce needs a good season and that added carrot of free agency in 2024 could propel a solid campaign in 2023 – a potential win-win for the player and club.
Do What You Love
I had the pleasure of being a guest on The Mainstreet Podcast a few weeks ago. It dropped recently and I’ve decided to share it below. My intent isn’t to put myself on any pedestal, but instead to tell a little story about RSR, its beginnings and transformation from Ravens 247. Perhaps more importantly, it’s about pursuing a dream, particularly for aspiring journalists or students who hope to land in the world of sports.
Special thanks to Lee Mooney and Steve Zinner for inviting me to join them. They do a really great job as welcoming hosts – a style that I encourage more to embrace.
Enjoy the start of the new league year everyone!
00:00: Intro
06:30: The beginnings of Eutaw Street Report
08:30: Ravens make us change our name
12:30: Relationship with The Ravens
14:15: Relationship with The Orioles
15:45: Journalists on the beat
16:15: Leaving the corporate world
19:00: Do What You Love
22:30: RSR v. Mainstream Media
24:30: What separates RSR/ESR
29:30: How sales background helps RSR/ESR
33:30: Self-critiquing
36:20: The Beatles and managing RSR
39:59: Favorite Beatles Album
40:50: What’s New for RSR?
43:10: Outlook for the Ravens in 2023
46:17: Is There Hope for The Orioles in 2023?
14 Responses
At this point, I couldn’t care less about where he winds up! His performance and injury history post 2019 speaks for itself! To quote a famous Latin axiom, “caveat emptor”……buyer beware!
Aren’t you just completely turned off with this player and this whole situation at this point? Wasn’t it so much easier, and more fun, to root for your team way back before all this selfishness, greed and me me me era? Before TWITTER??
Like you said, at this point I don’t care where he goes … as long as he goes. Although, I have to admit I would not like seeing him in a Colts uniform
AMEN!
I worry that it seems increasingly likely that Lamar may have no option other than playing under the tag. If so, he’s got to choose between pouting his way through 2023 and further collapsing his market value, or dedicating himself and proving to the league that he is worth the $250M he seeks.
I see little hope that he reacts well, and I hope that the Colts sign him to an offer sheet. I’d take that #4 pick and next year’s first rounder in a second. Lamar seems addicted to drama now, and that is never going to end well.
If he cant get quality offer sheet or trade proposal my guess is he comes off his 250 guaranteed demand and strikes a long term deal with Ravens. Neither side wants a pouty Lamar on the tag.
He could sit out the year like Le’Veon Bell. That might make a fitting end of his nonsense.
Probably unlikely. That didn’t work well for Bell and on the heels of two seasons of missing December and January games, that’s not the look for a guy who wants a record-setting payday. I think Lamar will play. How he plays, only time will tell. My guess is that he plays under the tag. Isn’t it fascinating how Lamar once played with such joy and boyish enthusiasm and was the talk of the town, has morphed into this brooding, self-centered guy who so many want to run out of Baltimore? This CAN end well, but as EDC said, “it takes two to tango.”
Frankly, he may have already burned his bridges here and may benefit from a fresh start elsewhere! Either way, he desperately needs an agent, who can pry him out of the clutches of the NFLPA and put “Humpty Dumpty” back together again…..
For me, the only way for this to “end well” is for him to get out of town. I have been watching football for a long time, and I’ve seen a lot of players I wasn’t crazy about. But I can’t remember a player that has alienated me like this guy. His arrogance and lack of respect for EDC, who has gone out of his way to treat him respectfully, is inexcusable. He’s no where near as good as he seems to think he is on top of everything else. If he’s still our QB next year it’s going to be very difficult for me to have any interest in this team
Compare and Lamar to United’s is like comparing diamond with a piece of glass. I hope the colts come through. The Ravens changed their offense that allowed Lamar Jackson to flourish. The league figured that out. Put the change in that offense exposed the underbelly of our passing offense because we changed that for Lamar. Lamar got himself hanging out with Antonio Brown became frustrated stopped having fun. And this is what we got left an angry man with bad hair
LOL at angry man with bad hair.
Maybe a double poop emoji will get the deal done?
Really tired of all the hype. If Lamar is a generational player, it hasn’t shown the last three years. So the idea he is worth more than quarterbacks who are delivering kind of stretches credibility. And the idea of the Ravens joining the Browns in Future Cap Hell doesn’t appeal to me very much either. Lamar is supposed to be a pretty smart guy, but so far he hasn’t figured out that the NFLPA isn’t helping him, they are working their own agenda, possibly to the detriment of his eventual contract. If their ‘strategy’ makes him unsignable, I doubt that out of the goodness of their heart they will cut him a big check.
Turns me off that Lamar sounds more focused on making more money than anybody else than he is in winning a Super Bowl. His desire for a 20 to 22% chunk out of Cap is to the exclusion of real talent being retained around him. Does the locker-room still support him even though he is costing other players their jobs and the team quality?
And then there is the liars poker game. The $133M for three years fully guaranteed is pure b*llsh*t until it is on paper, signed and presented. Too many lies to Steven A. and the sporting press these last few weeks. Maybe the smart move now is to pack him up and ship him off for two #1’s to someone willing to overpay an unrealized potential. Before he forces the Ravens to gut the roster.
I say keep an eye on Carolina. They mentioned after acquiring the 1st overall pick that they did that for flexibility and that they could always trade back too. If everyone is afraid to make an offer, why would we turn down the number 1 overall pick? Just saying, it’s possible. Sadly, Baltimore will likely sign this guy to a deal or keep hanging onto him somehow. Which means, I will lose interest and change the channel. I have no interest in watching a club destroy itself just to make a petulant child QB happy.