"I love my Ravens" - Lamar Jackson makes it clear he wants to stick to Baltimore
Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens still haven't agreed on a new contract extension. This seems to be the talking point for the Ravens off-season. It looks as if any move the Ravens make, Lamar Jackson is connected with it. This is due to the fact that he hasn't reached a new deal with the team yet.
While contract negotiations haven't furthered much this off-season between Jackson and the team, he addressed rumors/speculations that he doesn't want to be in Baltimore long-term.
In a tweet this morning, Jackson said:
"I love my Ravens I don’t know who the hell putting that false narrative out that I’m having thoughts about leaving stop tryna read my mind🙄."
I love my Ravens I don’t know who the hell putting that false narrative out that I’m having thoughts about leaving stop tryna read my mind🙄
According to the Ravens, Jackson seems to be in no immediate rush to get a deal done.
The team's owner Steve Bisciotti explained the situation to reporters on Tuesday, as reported by The Athletic's Jeff Zrebiec:
"Unless he has a change of heart and calls (Ravens general manager) Eric (DeCosta) and says I'm ready, But it's like, Eric can't keep calling him and say, 'Hey Lamar, you really need to get in here and get this thing done'."
Lamar Jackson, unlike most NFL players, doesn't have an agent and represents himself. While contract negotiations will be different with him, it is a little alarming that the Ravens aren't in a rush to get the deal done, especially before the start of the season.
In this off-season, the quarterback market got reset. When the Cleveland Browns acquired Deshaun Watson from the Houston Texans, they signed him to a record-breaking contract. The Browns signed Watson to a five-year $230 million deal that is fully guaranteed, which is the largest fully-guaranteed contract in history.
In 2018, Vikings and quarterback Kirk Cousins agreed to a three-year, $84 million deal that is fully guaranteed. This was the first fully-guaranteed contract in NFL history.
It'll be interesting to see what kind of deal Jackson gets from the Ravens.
Ravens extended John Harbaugh a new deal
While no progress has been made with quarterback Lamar Jackson, the Ravens and head coach John Harbaugh reached a three-year contract extension yesterday.
Ravens sign John Harbaugh to three-year extension; still no progress made on Lamar Jackson deal
nfl.com/news/ravens-si… https://t.co/dlfAB9d1yh
Harbaugh has been with the Ravens since 2008. He won Super Bowl XLVII with the team in 2013 against the San Francisco 49ers who were coached by his brother Jim. Harbaugh won AP Coach of the Year in 2019.