"Why would he not hire an agent?" - NFL insider laments Lamar Jackson for lack of contract negotiations with Ravens
Lamar Jackson is getting into rarely seen territory when it comes to his contract negotiations. Over the course of his rookie contract, he's earned an MVP, and his team has made the playoffs in three of the last four years. However, the quarterback has not finalized a contract extension yet. In terms of accomplishments and team hesitancy, it doesn't make much sense.
Why Lamar Jackson needs an Agent to negotiate for him
Speaking on Pro Football Talk, Mike Florio posited a solution. Put simply, it is because the quarterback does not have an agent. An agent would have gotten a deal done long ago, according to Florio. However, without one, the Ravens and Jackson are in uncharted territory. Here's what he said:
“But here's the problem. Has he lost money? I don't know, because he won't engage. And it puts, if it's deliberate, it's genius. Because the Ravens are discombobulated, they would much rather deal with an agent. Even if the agent would hold their feet to the fire and make them pay more."
Florio continued, looking at how much the quarterback could possibly make:
"At least they would be able to know what it's going to cost and they'd get it done and they'd have the certainty. Right now, there is no certainty. Right now it’s $18.8 million for this year. And then next year if he doesn't engage, franchise tag. And then the year after that franchise tag and a 20% Raise. And the year after that's the 44%."
Florio continued, saying what the percentages could add up to:
"There's no way you're going to make that work increase. It's going to be $70-80 million by the time you do these percentages and numbers keep going up and up. So how different from the situation they had with Joe Flacco nine years ago, where yeah, he backed him into a corner but at least he was represented by an agent. They sat down, they worked it out, they do what they had to do."
Next, Florio oddly alluded to Tyler Huntley coming into the equation:
"They can’t get him to do anything. And it's Chris, at some point. At some point, you just got to pivot to Tyler Huntley and say, ‘Hey, Tyler, you're not as good as Lamar. We know that. You know that. Everybody knows that. But at least we can get a contract put in place with you. And dollar for dollar."
Florio finished by stating what everyone is thinking after a season of eerie silence:
"'We're probably gonna have a better deal than the way this thing's gonna continue to spar with Lamar Jackson.' But he's hurting his leverage already by not having a deal in place because of what happened last year with the injuries and he was less effective. It’s, he just needs, why would he not hire an agent? He needs to hire an agent and get this damn thing done.”
Lamar Jackson isn't a negotiation wizard. This isn't some 1000-IQ move. It appears there are emotional factors holding Jackson back from getting a conventional agent like the vast majority of the other 1000-plus players in the NFL. If he doesn't want to get an agent, there are emotional blocks keeping him from going to the Ravens directly.
The contrast between the ways @K1 and @Lj_era8 appear to be approaching their next contracts couldn’t be more stark https://t.co/kTTpr13BlO
Whatever the reason for the delay, it is getting into strange territory. Jackson could make the money back on the franchise tag, as Florio assumes, but it is a massive gamble to assume that the team won't let you go anywhere and will pay more than a contract to keep the quarterback around.
Here’s a look at Lamar Jackson’s “Houdini moment” in slow motion https://t.co/rjNgyKmENJ
After an already tough season that most are calling the worst of his career, the quarterback is backing himself into a corner. He is essentially putting himself on a "prove-it" deal. He will either dominate in 2022 and reap the rewards or he will struggle again and receive the punishment. Considering the quarterback's youth, it makes sense for him to lock in a payraise now and experiment later.
The first step, as Florio said, is to get an agent and "get this damn thing done."