I’m tired of hearing John Harbaugh talk about how much the Ravens love Lamar; how much they want him as their quarterback; that they can’t wait to get him out on the grass and working with the new offense that has him in mind. I’m tired of hearing John say anything about Lamar because I think it pains him to see how this fiasco of an offseason has unfolded. It pains John, Eric DeCosta and Steve Bisciotti. They have bent over backwards to try and accommodate Lamar and say all of the right things.
They made up excuses when he didn’t play with a relatively mild injury. They made excuses when he didn’t travel to Cincinnati for the wild card game; they allow him to come and go as he pleases; accommodate his whims; fly back and forth to Florida to meet with him.
DeCosta’s entire offseason is on hold. He has $32.4M in salary cap space parked on the team’s financial picture via the franchise tag. They used the non-exclusive to see if their offer to Lamar is truly as lucrative as they think, Deshaun Watson’s outlier contract notwithstanding.
But no one is calling.
No one seemingly wants to take an expensive swing at an unproven passer to play the position of quarterback; one who has missed a third of his team’s games the past two seasons; one who allegedly doesn’t spend much time in the film room; one who has no agent; speaks in tongues via Twitter at times; and one who requires an offense tailor-made to his skill set. And despite it all he wants more guaranteed money than Watson. Mind you, the guarantee doesn’t have to be 100% of the deal, but the guarantees need to be more than $230M. Or so some believe. But at this point, who really knows? Ken Francis and The Entire Gym?
This situation just gets more bizarre. Every. Single. Day.
Is anyone shocked that the there are no takers for this entitled player?
When 2018 first-round pick Hayden Hurst wanted out, DeCosta accommodated him. When Orlando Brown, Jr. wanted out, DeCosta packed him up for Kansas City. When 2019 first-round pick Marquise Brown thought that 91 catches and 146 targets in 2021 weren’t enough and he wanted out – DeCosta’s first official pick ever as the team’s GM, EDC sent the soulja to Arizona where he could sing Kumbaya with another of his besties, Kyler Murray.
Recently 2021 first round pick Rashod Bateman was asked about his outlook for new Offensive Coordinator Todd Monken’s offense and Bateman said, and I quote:
“I’m just looking to be happy, you know? To be honest, I don’t know what that [looks] like. It ain’t happened yet so I’m just kinda vibing with the football stuff because a lot of that stuff is out of my control.”
That’s not exactly a ringing endorsement.
And now we learned today that Lamar Jackson wants out of Baltimore, explaining on Twitter that he requested a trade on March 2nd. Maybe this is the reason the Ravens went with the non-exclusive.
The timing of Lamar's tweets to synch up with the start of John Harbaugh's presser is a bit dirty. I give Harbs credit for putting on a positive space/spin on this ongoing dramatic saga. pic.twitter.com/1ntG31fRto
— Tony Lombardi (@RSRLombardi) March 27, 2023
DeCosta once said that if a player doesn’t want to be here, he will do his best to move the player provided it makes sense for the Ravens.
I wonder if the same rules of engagement apply to Jackson, a player who once seemed to be a “we” guy but now has morphed into a stone-cold “me” guy.
And now that Lamar has broken his vow to keep silent about private negotiations with the team, ambushing John Harbaugh at his press conference today, Monday March 27, 2023 with his trade demands via Twitter, will that be the final straw? The last gauntlet in the dirt, the defacto dagger in his relationship with a team that took a chance on him, and did all it could to optimize his ability to succeed given his unique skillset?
With his trade demand, Jackson sabotaged the Ravens leverage and that only makes moving him even more of a challenge. Other teams see more weakness and now the cost to acquire Lamar will likely be less than the two No. 1 picks.
Lamar’s act has grown old. He’s a diva. His behavior is wildly unpredictable. Friends, fans, even some strangers on the street have asked me if I thought Lamar would sit out the season if he doesn’t get the contract he seeks. “He’ll play” I would quickly say, in knee-jerk fashion. I even thought he’d show up for OTA’s and training camp because I thought that would be the way for Lamar to get the value he seeks. To slay it in 2023 and then do it all over again, maybe the next time with an agent, the next offseason.
But that’s the way logical people think. And there’s nothing logical about Lamar Jackson.
Who knows how this will end but with that Tweet, it feels like the end in Baltimore is near.
Let some other team try to “meet [his] value”.
Let him go and be some other team’s problem.
The Ravens were fine before Lamar arrived and they’ll be just fine after he leaves.
68 Responses
He ain’t gone yet?
Bye Felicia.
Bravo and amen, Tony! Time to move on from this self-centered over valued player who is not worth the turmoil he’s causing! The team is more important than any one player…..period!
Let the door not hit you, the dog shoulda bit you.
I hope we take Malik Cunningham in the 5th or 6th rd then plug and play him. He needs a lot of work on his mechanics, but so did LJ.
I keep going back to wondering what event it was that triggered Lamar’s change from the fun loving, humble, praise-giving, blame-accepting, shade wearing Truzz guy to whoever this is now. Was this new Lamar always a part of his constitution, or did his circle of enablers convince Lamar that he was in fact the greatest QB ever, and that he deserved nothing less than to be a billionaire?
It doesn’t matter now. I can’t imagine him playing another down for the Ravens, and I also can’t see any team meeting his demands and giving up 2 first round picks. In the end, we’ll trade him for a Rofo chicken sandwich and a coffee, just to get rid of him.
Still, who is going to pay this guy?
I think it was all an act.
It’s quite the change from 2019-2020 . I really don’t like the new Lamar.
The Ravens don’t need a male version of Karen. The timing of the tweet with Harbaugh’s press conference was LOW CLASS!!!
Well said Tony. Enough is enough!! Trade his
Lamar thinks he’s special with an S.
Good article Tony. Sums up a sad situation for the team and for a guy who’s in way over his head. Such a waste where there was once such promise for the future. Also believe that the Ravens need to move on while trying to get the best deal possible.
Perhaps a needed distraction and reboot for the fans and team would be welcome at this point. A suggestion — a rebranding of sorts. The Ravens have had 2 logos — the “B” wings & the somewhat cartoonish Ravens head. How about the Ravens web site conduct a fan vote with the current logo, crest, and several new alternative logos; maybe some uniform tweaks also. Tampa Bay didn’t do bad with their rebranding. Just a thought to have some fun, keep things interesting and moving forward.
Slippery slope now for the ravens – they may have to pony up some cash to move him to get those two picks. With the escrow amount in hostage – and he will not play a down this year – the ravens do not haven a lot room to negotiate. He just cut them off at the knees. Here is where the team ownership style comes in – will Steve b be vengeful and stubborn or will he will ask the team to say that the team will not match an offer for Lamar. Those are the two options. I think he picks the latter. Get it done.
That would be interesting, yeah, let it be known even privately that you won’t try to match any offer.
The Ravens can’t get rid of him fast enough but then who will give him what he wants.
Saw this coming for 2 years. No one wanted to admit his regressions. Harbs created the Frankenstein
Look a little deeper than that. Harbaugh didn’t raise him or coddle him from Pop Warner through Louisville. The damage was done long before he hit the NFL draft . . .
Once you’re a pro and getting paid millions you should be held accountable. Harbaugh babied Lamar
What else can you do with a diva when you GM considers him untouchable [because the owner also thinks so]? The ‘commitment’ was absolute from top of management on down. Now that he’s too entitled to be tolerated, he may finally be accountable . . .
At this point I’d trade his a** for a broken down Pinto station wagon
if no team is willing to give up 2 #’1’s then let him not show up to play be just like leveon bell and the steelers who wound up losing a lot for doing it the way he did . lamar will lose a year and get a year older and lose football experience tired of these overpaid primadonas holding not just there team but the fans hostage .i’d still call him out and see if he plays or not on the tag he has a lot to lose that way
For almost 4 weeks, the Ravens have apparently known Lamar wanted a trade. The end. But statements from the Ravens continued to lead us to believe that a deal with Lamar was still possible. I heard nothing from Lamar. The Ravens should not have been misleading us. They could just essentially say nothing like Lamar. It will be a long time before I will trust anything Harbaugh says, or DeCosta, if ever. smh.
They weren’t misleading us, they were playing it smart. They had to keep saying the right things in public to protect their leverage in the situation. Even if they actually want to run this guy out of town they had to act as if there was no way we’re letting go of him . Look at the Packers. They let the whole world know they were done with Rodgers and now they’re trying to drive a hard bargain but they blew it. Of course now with LJs stunt today our hand just got much worse
Don’t you think they tried to trade him the days after the request with little interest and to show Lamar the reality they placed a non exclusive tag on him so he could negotiate a deal. Don’t see how they did him wrong. Seems like they were trying to meet his demands while securing the spent value they made in the Draft.
💯 Tony! Couldn’t have said it better myself. The Ravens have done their absolute best in this situation. They’ve been classy and professional throughout the process. No great player in Raven’s history has conducted themselves or negotiations like this. It’s petulant, unprofessional, and TIRED. Let’s get this over soon so we can get back to what’s important, the Baltimore Ravens TEAM!
Well said Tony. I think everyone saw this coming. The Ravens have always paid the players they thought were worth it (Ray, Ed, Haloti, Terrell, Andrews, Roquan, etc.). The Ravens obviously have questions about LJ based on his injury history and his regression as a QB and rightfully so. I would rather go with Huntley and draft a QB than to give anything close to what Lamar is asking for. He has held the Ravens hostage this year so the sooner they get rid of him the better they will be. He will never win a SB
Like many personal relationships, you have to let the other party find out how good/ bad/right/wrong they really are by letting go and letting them find out just what is real or reasonable for themselves.
The references to Hurst, O. Brown and M. Brown , I think don’t apply. Hurst is good and deserved a starter role, but was displaced by a far superior M Andrews. He had to get out. He turned into Dobbins. Great! O Brown found himself at his peak as the Raven’s running game peaked in his final contract year. Why not test the market. And he has created the same salary cap issues in KC. We got very good draft picks for him (fingers crossed and worried on Oweh). M. Brown cost as much as he ever delivered in dropped passes and lack of real effort for extra yards. I still like all of those moves.
As for LJ, watch the highlight reel of 2019 and he’s the unicorn. But don’t forget that he had Yanda, Zeus Jr., and a healthy R Stanley paving the way. Lines change and teams adapt. He didn’t. After that 2019 season, there’s a lot of mediocre and missed open receivers, timely pick sixes and lack of conviction or leadership. Too much adoration from the media. Too much social media influence. Maybe too much Mommy .
Why am I not surprised by this article. Lamar deserves better than this organization. He will be appreciated somewhere else. I’m no longer a Ravens fan. I see how they treat their players. Steve should sell the team to someone who cares about the team. You can drag this young man’s name through the mud. The true fans see the Good Ole boys system at work.
So you would pay him 250 million guaranteed? Interesting that no other team has offered him yet. No, it is about value. How do you know what the Ravens offered him. You don’t.
See the whole picture. Lamar is an inconsistent thrower. Struggles outside the numbers and throwing it accurately deep. He has missed 1/3 of the past 2 seasons. Other owners don’t want to pay out all that money, plus 2 numbers ones for a passer with question marks.
Buh bye ex Ravens fan
Ladies & Gentlemen
I present to you the next Le’Veon Bell.
Better learn how to lace up those boxing gloves Lamar
Yeah, we’ve seen how they treat their players. This player in particular. Build their entire offense just for him. Change their practice schedule just for him. Let him miss practices and training sessions. Put up with his poor diet and poor sleep habits. And his selfish, immature, arrogant bs. Do I need to mention how he just didn’t bother to be there to support Huntley in the playoffs, you think maybe Huntley would have appreciated that?? And now he’s completely humiliated his head coach who has supported, protected and coddled him for five years. Sorry, you don’t have a leg to stand on in this argument. Maybe we should talk about how LJ has treated this organization
That’s all true. And in return he is the single biggest reason for any success this team has had in the last 6 seasons. The last 2-3 seasons of Flacco were dreadful! It was awful offense and bad quarterbacking. So yes-I’d say they coddled him for good reason. That’s what you do with top 10 talent at the most important position in the game. And yes, by everyone’s standards-they failed him by not getting him well paid, dangerous weapons while they had him on the cheap. Lamar looks bad here, but the Ravens look terrible as well.
That’s all well and good. Okay baby his a** all you want. So he’s a ” top ten talent”. I’ll say it again- if he’s a top ten talent you pay him as a TOP TEN talent. You don’t guarantee him $250,000,000!! Patrick Mahomes the TOP TALENT in the league, with 2 SB wins is guaranteed $109 million dollars LESS than this guy who has yet to get us beyond the first round. Lamar has bragged that he has turned down up to $180 million dollars. That’s the second most ever offered, that’s more than fair for a guy in the top ten. What we’re witnessing is pure greed.
That’s all well and good. Okay baby his a** all you want. So he’s a ” top ten talent”. I’ll say it again- if he’s a top ten talent you pay him as a TOP TEN talent. You don’t guarantee him $250,000,000!! Patrick Mahomes the TOP TALENT in the league, with 2 SB wins is guaranteed $109 million dollars LESS than this guy who has yet to get us beyond the first round. Lamar has bragged that he has turned down up to $180 million dollars. That’s the second most ever offered, that’s more than fair for a guy in the top ten. What we’re witnessing is pure greed.
I agree. Him not having an agent is just leading to him being uninformed about his true market value. To me-nobody is more greedy than the owners. The mere fact that a “salary cap” exists is evidence of greed. But they use that to get average people to root against labor because the labor is out in front. Lol. He’s not even able to operate in a free market-but people call him “greedy” because lemme guess…he should be grateful ? The owners take advantage of average fans’ jealousy. He’s playing a very dangerous sport for a living. I don’t begrudge anyone trying to get the most money. Doesn’t mean he will though.
Well said! 100% agree. People only see what they want to see.
May I be so bold to suggest a visit to your optometrist?
Lamar really showed up the Ravens bad today. He burned his bridge and I wish him well.
I said it in December: Lamar has played his last game as a raven. Now that it’s almost a certainty, he really screwed the ravens’ leverage by asking for a trade. He needs to go and fast. Going for a team wit a hi pick (Houston? Indy?)
This fiasco is solely on the hands of Harbaugh. By failing to fire Roman at the end of 2021 (or even 2020) he missed on a cheap generational talent. Keeping Roman and not investing in a receiver in 2022 was a disastrous mistake. The team will take 3-4 years to recover from this. Te browns have screwed is too with their stupidity: paying the (alleged) rapist all this guaranteed money was ridiculous and it has a lot to do with Lamar’s dissatisfaction
You said it perfectly. The bath soap boys are such morons. Said today that the Ravens have mismanaged this whole thing and saying all their first rounders want out of Baltimore. They are on a hate parade and the clueless uneducated, uninformed people buy it. Yes, the Ravens moved Hurst because he wanted to be a number 1 TE. We trade him to Atlanta for a pick that becomes JK Dobbins. Brown is not happy, so we trade him for a pick that becomes Lindetbaum. They only tell half the story. I cant listen to those guys anymore
Ladies & Gentlemen
I present to you the next Le’Veon Bell.
Better learn how to lace up those boxing gloves Lamar !
We were his best chance at a ring. By the time his next team finishes building to accommodate his ‘unique skill set’, his career will be on the other side of the hill due to his ‘unique skill set’.
See you later Lamar. I’m sure the NFL will schedule you against us before too long.
Ladies & Gentlemen
I present to you the next Le’Veon Bell. Better learn how to lace those boxing gloves Lamar
Since he obviously doesn’t have a Market, I say let’s offer him 25 million a season and tell him to take it or leave it.
Sticking it to Harbaugh with the timing of the Tweet was the dagger. The Tweet wasn’t. I really do believe Harbaugh and DeCosta love Lamar but at some point you have to let your kids face the consequences of their actions.
It was a cheap low class move that ive never seen a player do to a coach.
Why is a player seeking to maximize his earnings characterized as a “me first” player? Is the team being selfish when they cut or trade a player and he has to sell his house, change his kid’s schools and uproot his family? If that comes with the territory so do contract demands. The team at no point puts the player above the team. Never. But the player is supposed to put the team above himself? Nope. That’s my only issue
I have no problem with Lamar trying to maximize his earnings. That’s not why he’s being criticized here. He can ask whatever he wants. And he has a right to signal other teams he’s ready to dance in case they don’t know. He has a right to wait things out till after the draft, whenever. Etc. But do it right. Hire an agent (he can at any point) to get your interest out there. Or alert the Ravens privately you are going to Tweet the trade news. That’s professional. Business gets nasty, sure. But Lamar went over the line in a way the Ravens never would. Ravens have been classy all the way. Lamar has become vindictive. He’s showing that he doesn’t want a deal with the Ravens. He wants out and will act petulantly until he gets what he wants.
Ehhh. I’m with Harbs. It’s all a negotiation. You can say they’re being classy. And so can I. But if my boss low balls me behind close doors-I won’t find anything about that classy. Why would I? Because they smile? Lol. Just saying.
Low ball? The Ravens have offered him way over 40 million a year with a big chunk guaranteed.
Lamar wants fully guaranteed. Just because the Browns jump off a cliff doesn’t mean the rest of the teams will. Issues with Lamar, struggles deep ball, out routes, injuries, difficult to negotiate with.
But that’s your opinion. And he’s entitled to his. See how that works? And he’s playing the process out-which he’s entitled to do.
Well, first of all, it’s a TEAM sport and, aside from failing to live up to his own hype, he failed to accompany his TEAM to support them in the playoffs! So, while it’s true that players are entitled to maximize their earnings, first they have to……earn it! Lamar has failed in that regard……
It is a team sport. But he’s not the only charged with prioritizing the team. The TEAM is chiefly responsible for sourcing and PAYING talent. That’s all I’m saying. You’re saying he failed them by not being on the sideline? That’s a reach. We don’t even know the details on that.
Behavior is reality, regardless of what they may say!
That’s a whole fact
It comes with the profession that they chose. These aren’t guys making $50-60K a year. Before they even sign a contract, most players will have an agent or advisor that explains the process so the player has an idea of how life in the NFL works. The NFL runs seminars, for players who want to attend voluntarily, to learn what to expect when it comes to life in the NFL. Anyone who makes millions of dollars just a few years out of college and complains about such things gets little sympathy from me. Football is a team sport. Lamar wants to be like LeBron and become a Billionaire by playing football (it won’t happen). Let him try to do it with another team and hold them back for the next 4-5 yrs.
Yes-and potentially having your cap tied up with a Star player or having a negotiation drag out comes with the territory for the team as well. And the minute he cannot perform they will ruthlessly cut him. So when he has the hammer he (or any player) should not allow the “team” to guilt him into putting their interest over his. Because the organization will never put his priorities over theirs. No matter what they say about “family”. It’s a dirty business behind the scenes.
Every time a professional player steps on the field, there’s risk involved. It comes with the territory. Sammy Watkins called Lamar out for skipping games late in 2022. I’m told he wasn’t the only player upset about it. Veterans joined the Ravens with the hope that they could win a ring with a Lamar-led team. He bailed on them to serve his own interests. Patrick Mahomes took the field with a high ankle sprain during the playoffs. He put himself in harms way. He could have risked future earnings. We’ve all heard that Lamar was offered the second-best contract in NFL history, even more than Mahomes. But it wasn’t good enough. Lamar wanted more. Hence the “me first” tag.
Clearly it’s Lamar’s right to handle things as he has. It’s also the right of the fans, media and even his teammates to question said handling. Lamar made his bed. We’ll see how comfortable he is in it moving forward.
The machines thing is simple. He had a contract and Lamar did not. I have another question for you Tony – if after all this – what if he stays. What’s the damage? And what does rehabilitation look like or need to be to wash this taste out?
Organizationally, the Ravens are very adept at scrubbing these PR hits. Lamar didn’t commit a crime. He has just used poor judgment in his negotiations. If the two sides get beyond it and consummate a deal, everything will work out just fine, provided of course he plays to the level of his new contract and doesn’t miss the month of December.
Actually, Flacco set the standard for proving his market value and the Ravens…..paid him! Lamar opted to do the same and, if he had proved his market value, it’s reasonable to assume the Ravens would have paid him, too! In fact, from all accounts, they have offered to pay him HIS market value, but he seems to think he’s worth……more! Obviously, if he’s proven anything, it’s that he’s…..wrong!
Of Course the Raved paid him…
he actually won a Super Bowl in Baltimore. They paid him after because he proved his market value. They didnt pay him after he got an MVP from years prior and essentially sat out the last 5 games of the last two seasons prior to contract negotiations. They didn’t pay him because he was trying to keep up with the contract of another good but not great QB. Flacco didn’t piss and moan. Flacco played an entire game on a torn MCL.
It’s all the Talking Heads on ESPN and the NFL network that have Lamar convinced that he is the greatest player that ever played QB1. A good agent would have disuaded him of that notion by going over his receipts from the past 2 seasons. And gotten him a good contract. He is now toxic to the other 31 teams.
I believe that the valid criticism is that the player in this instance is failing to see that his contract demands are unreasonable, but that by failing to see that, he is not just sabotaging himself, but dragging the team down with him.
The Ravens have reportedly offered him the second highest guarantees in league history. It seems to a lot of people that the Ravens have played fairly here.
Is the NFLPA behind this? First the Totally bashing report card, then the push for fully guaranteed contract money and now this setup of a tweet. Who there at NFLPA has it out for the Ravens?
Heck, I’d take ANY QB over Lamar after all this. It’s pure ridiculousness. Handcuffed the Ravens. And for what? A player that is good, not great. Feel like we are kissing a season goodbye before it even begins. Thanks Big Fuss.
November 4, 2018. Pittsburgh 23 – Ravens 16 and it wasn’t close. I’m really sure all Ravens fans remember that day. I’m sure a lot of fans think that the Ravens will be ok but since 2019 at least 4 starters have requested trades. I have no idea what will happen but fans are too emotional over money that’s not theirs. Daniel Jones is making more than Lamar. Think about that for a moment!