Earlier this week, ESPN NFL reporter Adam Schefter insisted that he was “not too worried” about the fact that Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson has skipped some voluntary OTA practice sessions amid Jackson’s reported desire for a lucrative contract extension.
For an update shared on Friday, NFL insider Jason La Canfora of SportsBoom US suggested that others within the league believe Jackson may be sending a message via his springtime activities.
NFL teams “watching” to see if Ravens, Lamar Jackson situation gets messy?
“The reality is general managers and contract negotiators and agents around the league have been watching the team’s failure yet again to get Jackson extended in a forthright fashion,” La Canfora said, “and his absence at a time when a young staff is trying to implement a new offense is being viewed as a direct shot at the team’s front office.”
For what it’s worth, Schefter offered his comments after first-year Ravens head coach Jesse Minter said that he expected Jackson to be back with the team “soon.” Minter also claimed to know “when [Jackson is] gonna be back” with the team.
Needless to say, some members of the NFL community aren’t buying what Minter was trying to sell.
“When the team attempted to get him signed in February,” La Canfora wrote about the Ravens and Jackson, “league sources said those efforts got nowhere, and when the Ravens executed a maximum restructure of Jackson‘s deal, setting up a ridiculous $90M cap hit in 2027 and ceding all leverage to the player, they set themselves up for him showing them up. And that is exactly how his absence looks leaguewide.”
What Ravens may have to give Lamar Jackson to hold onto him
The five-year deal, reportedly worth up to $260M with $185M guaranteed that Jackson signed in 2023, prevents the Ravens from retaining his rights via the franchise tag. Of course, that won’t matter if Jackson puts pen to paper on a new extension before the 2026 season gets underway.
It sounds like the two parties aren’t close to coming to terms on such an agreement.
“The consensus around the league is that the Ravens will have a difficult time resolving this without giving Jackson a new deal with $250M or more fully guaranteed before the start of the season,” La Canfora added. “He will most likely be traded prior to 2027.”
That final line is merely speculation, as nobody within the Ravens has publicly suggested that the club won’t eventually give Jackson the type of extension the two-time regular-season Most Valuable Player wants. If, however, Jackson doesn’t report for the start of Baltimore’s mandatory minicamp on June 9, that may show that he is serious about possibly finding a new NFL home.