Lamar Jackson vs Mike Florio beef: Revisiting Ravens QB's long-standing feud with NFL analyst
Lamar Jackson displayed a masterful performance during their Week 16 Monday Night Football game against the San Francisco 49ers. Despite playing visiting the NFC’s best squad, the former league MVP was instrumental in turning the match into a one-sided affair for the Baltimore Ravens.
After their 33-19 victory, Jackson quickly made a sideswipe on NBC Sports’ Mike Florio, who gave them no chance of defeating the Niners at home. However, his response to the veteran sports media practitioner might be the result of a feud that has persisted since the quarterback’s contract negotiations.
Lamar Jackson discredits Mike Florio’s feisty prediction for the Ravens-49ers clash
For proper context, Florio mentioned on Pro Football Talk that there’s no chance that the Ravens will defeat the San Francisco 49ers. The host used strong words in expressing his opinion by saying:
“The quest is for second place. That’s it, as long as those people stay healthy…The 49ers kick the sh*t out of the Baltimore Ravens on Monday night. Sorry, I know that’s disrespectful to the Ravens but let’s be realistic. They gotta fly across the country on Christmas night and the 49ers are waiting. And the 49ers are gonna dismantle the Ravens.”
However, the beatdown happened the other way around, and Jackson referred to Florio, unintentional or not, as “Mike Flores.” The only quarterback with multiple 1,000-yard rushing seasons in NFL history addressed Florio when a reporter asked him during the post-game press conference.
Jackson said Florio had no right to disrespect the Ravens, mainly because he doesn’t put on pads to play the game. The Ravens quarterback also gave props to the 49ers, calling them a great team despite shredding them for 23 completions for 252 passing yards, 45 rushing yards, two touchdowns, and zero interceptions.
But it’s rare to see an even-keeled individual like Lamar Jackson share a respectful outburst towards a media member. However, his animosity towards Florio and Pro Football Talk might stem from a false report shared by Florio during the quarterback’s contract negotiations with the Ravens.
Lamar Jackson laughs at Mike Florio’s claim of his missed shoe deal
As impressive as Jackson has been throughout this season, there’s a chance that he could have done it for another team. During the offseason, Lamar Jackson stated that he had requested a trade because the Ravens were not interested in paying him a fair value for his worth.
It was a closely watched contract negotiation because the Ravens quarterback did it without an agent. While his mother is his manager, Jackson does the talks with his squad. People invested in football had conflicting arguments about him getting an agent.
Some say that Jackson must do the unprecedented by pulling off a massive contract extension by himself. After all, his previous MVP award and status as the undeniable starter are enough reasons for the Ravens to keep him.
Meanwhile, some football experts like Mike Florio and Pro Football Talk co-host Chris Simms believe that Lamar Jackson must hire an agent to get the deal done. The PFT panel doubled down with their argument, saying that Jackson missed out on a shoe deal because he didn’t have an agent.
Jackson responded to Florio’s claim with a GIF of LeBron James looking confused. It’s his way of discrediting whatever Florio claimed and contradicting all the accusations levied at him.
As it turned out, Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens agreed to a five-year, $260 million contract, including $185 million in guaranteed money and a $72.5 million signing bonus. Both sides closed the deal despite the team initially offering a non-exclusive franchise tag.
More importantly, it silenced critics like Florio, who said Lamar Jackson could not pull it off without an agent. That claim made Florio a marked man in Jackson’s eyes.