NFL insider discusses possibility of Lamar Jackson playing out contract

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson has emerged as a star in the NFL ever since he was selected in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft, falling as far as 32nd overall, but the Ravens have yet to show a full-fledged commitment to their franchise player. Now, Jackson could be forced to play this upcoming without a contract extension, as talks about a potential extension have stalled, according to NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport.

“(Ravens general manager) Eric DeCosta spoke to the media yesterday and was pretty clear on where they are, which is he likes Lamar Jackson and they’d like to get a deal done,” Rapoport said. “He’s had conversations, but there’s no agent, it’s just DeCosta and Lamar Jackson sitting in the room.”

Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta previously said it’s been an “unusual negotiation” with Jackson, his star quarterback, because Jackson does not have a traditional agent — in other words, he’s approaching Jackson directly for contract inquiries, as Rapoport noted.

“Essentially, what DeCosta said, is we are ready when Jackson is. They’re going to go at his pace. What is interesting to me … is it doesn’t seem like Lamar Jackson, from my information, is in any rush at all,” Rapoport said. “There’s a couple reasons. Just my read on the situation — we’ve seen players, Kirk Cousins is one, Dak Prescott is another, used the franchise tag and he sort of shoulder shrugged, like ‘maybe I’m not quite ready to make a deal yet,’ to use it as leverage to maximize their contract situation. Dak used it to get tagged, and eventually used it to get a massive deal. Kirk Cousins got a fully-guaranteed, monster contract. Potentially, that would be something that would be down the road for Lamar Jackson, if he continues to step back and go, ‘On track? Maybe not.'”

In just four years with the Ravens, Jackson has twice been named to the NFL’s Pro Bowl, once been named an All Pro and, in 2019, he was named the NFL’s Most Valuable Player. But Jackson went down with an ankle injury in the Ravens’ Week 14 loss to the Cleveland Browns, and he was unable to return for the duration of the season.

Ultimately, the Ravens finished with an 8-9 record, squandering a strong start to the season by losing the final four games — all without Jackson — to the Green Bay Packers, Cincinnati Bengals, Los Angeles Rams and Pittsburgh Steelers. As late as Week 17, the Ravens had a chance, albeit a slim one, of making the NFL Playoffs, but despite Jackson returning to practice in a limited capacity in Week 16, he was unable to return and was limping throughout walk-throughs.