Ex-NFL HC Mike Smith names ‘dumbest thing’ in Lamar Jackson’s standoff with Ravens (EXCLUSIVE)
The Baltimore Ravens and Lamar Jackson are in a situation that you don't want to be in.
The two sides are far off in contract talks after Jackson's rookie deal and fifth-year option expired. The Ravens franchise tagged Jackson right before the start of the new league year, tying him down to $32.4 million this season.
One problem with the situation is that Lamar Jackson is representing himself in contract talks.
Former NFL head coach Mike Smith joined The Ballfather podcast in an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda and spoke about the situation between Jackson and the Ravens.
He opened up and revealed what he thinks is the dumbest thing in the standoff between the two:
"There's not many guys that don't have representation that nobody represents themselves anymore. And, you know, there's so much misinformation and they don't necessarily you know, the agents can have a plan not only about how we're going to go about the negotiations, but also the PR part of it, as you know, which may be the most important thing, because what people read and what people see is what they, you know, is what they believe.
"You know, just like, for example, there was a text or something or a tweet. You know, there's so much, so many ways that people can create more of a drama in our society today that they were comparing Josh Allen's contract to and to his. And, you know, you're not comparing apples to apples. I mean, I thought it was the dumbest thing."
Jackson officially requested a trade from the team on March 2, as he announced the news earlier this week on Twitter.
in regards to my future plans. As of March 2nd I requested a trade from the Ravens organization for which the Ravens has not been interested in meeting my value, any and everyone that’s has met me or been around me know I love the game of football and my dream is to help a team
Can Lamar Jackson negotiate a deal by himself?
Lamar Jackson is looking to negotiate his second contract without an agent.
He negotiated his rookie deal with no agent, and only had the help of his mother.
Thus far, it's been tough for Jackson to get a massive long-term deal without an agent. A lot of media and sports personalities think it isn't the best idea for Jackson to not have an agent.
While not having an agent makes it harder to negotiate, there have been instances where players have gotten deals done without one.
Laremy Tunsil repping himself:
In 2020: 3 yr/$66M/$50g
In 2023: 3 yr/$75M/$50g
No agent fees. Resets the market. What a legend. twitter.com/RapSheet/statu…
Houston Texans offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil recently landed a three-year, $75 million deal while representing himself.
Other players who have gotten deals without an agent in the past include Bobby Wagner, Richard Sherman, Russell Okung, Jacoby Brissett, and many others.
Do you think Lamar Jackson can get a deal done without an agent?
If you use any of the above quotes, please credit Mike Smith, The Ballfather podcast, and H/T Sportskeeda.