The Baltimore Ravens are facing an uphill battle to lock their signal-caller Lamar Jackson to a long-term contract. According to a recent report from ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the two sides are $100 million apart when it comes to the overall value of the deal.
Fowler adds that the two sides are continuing talks but haven’t made much progress in recent months to bridge this massive gap. The most likely scenario is the Ravens placing an exclusive franchise tag on Jackson and buying themselves more time. The ESPN reporter also adds that Baltimore is also bracing for upcoming calls from teams interested in trading for the former NFL MVP.
Jackson and Ravens have been engaged in contract talks for almost two years now but never quite got close to hammering out a deal. One of the contributing factors to lengthy negotiations is that the player is representing himself and has been refusing to negotiate while the season is underway. The other is Jackson’s demands.
Multiple reports have indicated that Jackson is looking to become the highest-paid quarterback in the league. While this might not be such an issue for Baltimore, his wish to have a fully guaranteed contract like Deshaun Watson got from the Cleveland Browns is. The Ravens believe that Watson’s deal was an outlier and haven’t entertained the possibility of caving to Jackson’s demands.
Jackson was limited to 12 games in 2022 while dealing with a sprained knee. He finished the campaign passing for 2,242 yards, 17 touchdowns, and seven interceptions while also adding 764 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns.
