By Brandon Simmons
Lamar Jackson wants to make his sure his next contract is not only huge, but fully guaranteed. According to Fox Sports, the Baltimore Ravens have made an offer to their franchise quarterback, but he has turned it down. It has been reported that while the deal is way more than what was given to Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson, Fox Sports reporter Jay Glazer says there are still some hang ups when it comes to Jackson signing a new deal.
“It’s a really big, uphill battle, and the reason why, is because Lamar Jackson is representing himself,” says Glazer. “They’ve already offered him more than Kyler Murray got. But the Deshaun Watson deal kind of throws things out of whack, because I’m sure [Jackson] wants a fully guaranteed contract. I don’t see the [Ravens] doing that.”
If Jackson is pocket watching on Deshaun Watson and Kyler Murray, he’s wearing some big bifocals right now. Watson signed a 5 year, fully guaranteed $230 million contract with the Browns back in March, after being in a trade from the Houston Texans in exchange for multiple first round picks and other assets. Murray signed 5-year $230.5 million contract but only has $103.3 million in full guarantees. Jackson is bound to get his payday any day now and it may very well be a big one. He’s led the Ravens to the postseason every year in his career, except last season when he was injured. Jackson was also able to rack up an MVP award along the way. Now, when you compare Jackson’s passing numbers to the other 2 newly paid QB’s, they will edge him out, but Baltimore’s style of offense is completely different than what the Browns and Cardinals run. Despite that, Jackson has produced well within this system with a win-loss record he could put up against any quarterback in this league. The engraved mantra about the NFL is that it is a quarterback-driven league, and that is demonstrated every year by the teams who finish deep in the postseason. Lamar Jackson gives this team a chance to win and stay competitive in a division that has Watson with the Browns, Joe Burrow for the Cincinnati Bengals and potentially Kenny Pickett for the Pittsburgh Steelers. It’s easy for Jackson to represent himself in this case and name his number because he knows he’s worth making the investment now for the team to remain relevant and competitive.