“He’s hurting himself” - NFL analyst claims Lamar Jackson is falling into hole that tanked Le’Veon Bell’s career
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson was placed on the non-exclusive franchise tag by the team at the start of the new league year.
Jackson is seeking a long-term deal, but the two parties haven't been able to see eye-to-eye. It's believed that Jackson is seeking more guaranteed money than what the Ravens are offering.
Former NFL quarterback Tim Hasselbeck spoke about Jackson's contract extension on Get Up and compared the situation to Le'Veon Bell's.
Hasselbeck said:
"Lamar Jackson is a great player. He appears to be a bad businessman. That's all I can really say. I look at this situation, it reminds me a little bit of Le'Veon Bell. Bell had the franchise tag placed on him. The Steelers did it again a second year."
"He did not play football that next year. Look, he maybe was doing it on principle. He maybe thought that the running back position or the position he was playing at the time was catching a lot of balls out of the backfield, was worth more."
Hasselbeck added that he thinks Jackson is hurting himself by not having an agent.
"The moral of the story for Le'Veon Bell was he cost himself well over $10 million by doing that. Like, it just was a bad business decision. I get it that guys don't like writing checks to their agents. But in Lamar's situation, he could clearly negotiate down the percentage.
"There are plenty of agents that would love to represent Lamar Jackson that are more qualified to do it that he could negotiate the percentage on. I just like that. Here's the thing. I just think he's hurting himself."
There are a few reasons why teams may not want to negotiate with Jackson. He does not have an agent, he's suffered injuries at the end of the last two seasons, he's run the ball over 700 times, and teams think the Ravens will match any offer they give him.
Le'Veon Bell refused to play on the franchise tag in 2018 and it cost him
Le'Veon Bell was one of the best running backs from 2013-17. With the Pittsburgh Steelers, he was named to three Pro Bowls and three All-Pro teams.
In 2017, the Steelers placed the franchise tag on Bell. He played the season under the tag and had one of the best seasons of his career.
He was tagged again in 2018 but sat out the entire season and didn't get paid.
The following season, Bell signed a four-year, $52.5 million deal with the New York Jets. He only earned $28 million with the Jets as he was released after less than two seasons.
If you use any of the above quotes, please credit ESPN, Get UP, and H/T Sportskeeda