Lamar Jackson paying the price for 'raging against the machine,' former Ravens QB claims
Lamar Jackson is reportedly seeking a long-term contract as negotiations with the Baltimore Ravens have gone nowhere.
There have been multiple claims suggesting that the 2019 NFL MVP is seeking plenty of guaranteed money. On the ESPN show "Get Up," former Ravens quarterback Robert Griffin III stated that his former teammate is paying the price for fighting against the proverbial machine. Here's how he put it:
"This is what happens when you rage against the machine. He talks about it. He doesn't have an agent, he's doing it in an unconventional way. How is he supposed to get in contact with these teams? It's not like they all just have his phone number.
"So when you don't have an agent and agents want to protect the sanctity of what they do, how they make money, insiders, how they make money, they don't want any of that stuff to affect their bottom line.
"It makes no sense that 31 teams are saying, we don't want to touch this guy. There's something bigger going on here."
Lamar Jackson is fighting AGAINST THE MACHINE that is the NFL. https://t.co/YO2fjiSUoo
Griffin III also went on "First Take" to assert that Lamar Jackson warrants a fully guaranteed contract. He noted that Deshaun Watson was given $230 million guaranteed in his contract by the Cleveland Browns.
“Lamar is worthy and deserving of a fully guaranteed deal because DeShaun Watson got that deal. And ... Lamar Jackson has accomplished more on the field and he has a much cleaner track record off the field."
The Baltimore Ravens placed the non-exclusive tag on the All-Pro signal-caller, meaning he could talk to other teams to make a deal. He stands to make $32.4 million in the upcoming season on that tag. Some fans, however, look at the two-time Pro Bowler's record in the playoffs.
Lamar Jackson's playoff record
The Ravens have made the playoffs three times in Jackson's five seasons with the franchise. In four playoff starts, Jackson has a record of 1-3, throwing for 900 yards, three touchdowns, and five interceptions.
However, Watson has a 1-2 record in two playoff appearances, both appearances while playing for the Houston Texans.
Here, Jackson has a strong case that Watson was given $230 million despite winning the same number of career playoff games.
However, the one (pretty large) knock on Jackson has always been his unavailability during the twilight parts of the season, mainly his two-year forced no-show in December and January games. While this has largely been due to injuries, it is possible that certain teams with the wherewithal to trade for the former unanimous MVP might have been scared off by this fact.
Time will tell if Lamar Jackson gets his guaranteed money with the Ravens or elsewhere this offseason.
If you use any of the above quotes, please credit Get Up, First Take, and H/T Sportskeeda.