Lamar Jackson and his ongoing fight for an extension with the Baltimore Ravens. This is all the NFL community can talk about right now. Jackson’s struggles for the better part of 3 years have yielded no results. What’s more, the Ravens are as adamant as ever to deny Jackson what many in the league feel is fair. Including former player-turned-analyst, Keyshawn Johnson.
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Speaking on ESPN’s ‘KJM’, he talks to Max Kellerman about how Jackson has more value than what the Ravens give him. Kellerman says the Ravens ought to treat him like Kyler Murray or Russell Wilson, and not like how Deshaun Watson was treated. Murry and Wilson’s previous teams got massive returns when they were traded, while Watson’s trade happened pretty much as if he was a free agent.
“Let’s see what the market has” is what Lamar Jackson should tell the Ravens
“I just want to remind people he had a fourth-quarter lead, the Ravens had a fourth-quarter lead in every game he played this past season. Fourth-quarter lead means you could beat anybody with Lamar Jackson,” Kellerman says. Jackson has been a driving force for the Ravens this season. Barring his injury spell, he most definitely made his offense one to watch out for.
Kellerman and Johnson both agree that the only way to actually know Jackson’s value is from offer sheets. This is also the only way Jackson will be able to stand up to the Ravens with a clear-cut number of what he can get if he leaves them. “He could just say put the non-exclusive tag on me because I mean shall show you my market,” says Johnson.
What can the Ravens do to remedy this worsening situation?
There seem to be only two ways the Ravens can come out of this situation. One is to offer a deal that Jackson will accept hands down. Without Jackson, the Ravens are bound to struggle next season. All the more reason to offer compromise with the one man who could take you to the playoffs, if that is what the Ravens want ultimately. If their goal is to languish behind the rest, then they can let him go peacefully.
On the other hand, the Ravens could place a franchise tag on Lamar Jackson. This looks like an eventuality, though the nature of the tag is still in question. An exclusive tag will protect the Ravens from other teams trying to poach Jackson. However, it could also possibly anger Jackson to an extent where he refuses to play or be cooperative.
The non-exclusive tag, though, is a double-edged sword. It may not cross Jackson as much, but it opens the Ravens up to teams who want to hijack the Ravens. Any team could offer Jackson a high-end contract, laden with subtle “poison pills”, which the Ravens will then have to match in order to retain Jackson. Although “poison pills” are forbidden by the NFL, teams can and will find a way around the rules.
With the free agency deadline drawing closer, the Ravens have to make their decision quickly. What will they do to retain Jackson? Will their no-compromising behavior cost their team a potential Super Bowl winning QB?
