Lamar Jackson is a 26-year-old former MVP. He does not have a long term contract.
These are not two sentences that should go together. Patrick Mahomes won his MVP at age 23, then signed a $500 million deal two years later. Josh Allen emerged as an All-Pro in 2020 and had a $258 million, six-year extension the following offseason. In a league where quarterback play rules all, Jackson’s availability is curious, to say the least.
The Baltimore Ravens have him locked in for 2023 on a non-exclusive franchise tag. That will pay him a guaranteed $32.4 million this season, but it also allows other teams to offer him a more lucrative contract. Baltimore has the right to match that deal, but turning it down would compel the signing team to ship two first round picks the Ravens way. That’s a steep cost, but less expensive than recent deals for Russell Wilson or Matthew Stafford.
Despite this, it’s been a quiet market for Jackson’s services. A solid draft class of young quarterbacks and available veterans like Derek Carr, Jimmy Garoppolo and Aaron Rodgers has dulled his luster. But there’s much more at play here than just an impasse between a player who wants a megadeal and a team that isn’t quite sure he’s worth it. Unpacking this standoff — and the weirdness that’s come to surround it — covers years.
Contract extension talks begin between Jackson and the Ravens in 2021, accomplishing nothing
Jackson was 30-7 in the regular season as a starter, a two-time Pro Bowler and the 2019 MVP. With his rookie contract set to expire after 2022, the player and the Ravens came to the negotiating table in 2021. There’s a wrinkle here; Jackson does not have a traditional agent to negotiate his deal.
While reports suggest his mother has taken on that role, Pro Football Talk lays out her role as an advisory one and nothing more. Reports suggest the talks went smoothly, despite ultimately failing to strike a deal.
The New York Times reports Jackson is one of only 17 players, as of 2021, not to have an agent certified by the NFL Players Association. This was not a problem for stars like DeAndre Hopkins and Bobby Wagner, each of whom negotiated big money extensions while representing themselves. It’s unclear what the overall effect of this decision will have on Jackson’s career, but it’s something that will come up later.
Jackson misses five games in both the 2021 and 2022 regular seasons, complicating his value
Injuries took their toll on the dual-threat quarterback, limiting him to only 24 games the last two years. On one hand, the Ravens went 15-9 with Jackson in the starting lineup and 3-7 in the games he missed. On the other, his passer rating dropped from a career best 113.3 in 2019 to 88.9 in the 2021-22 seasons. After leading the league by a wide margin with 0.344 adjusted expected points added (EPA) per play, that number dropped to 0.107 — 19th-best among 39 qualified starting quarterbacks.
The Ravens qualified for the 2023 playoffs despite his absence, but lost to the Cincinnati Bengals in the Wild Card round. One day later, Jackson posted this cryptic tale/potential negotiating tool to his Instagram stories.
Lamar Jackson posted this to his Instagram story 👀 pic.twitter.com/XdstLaE9op
— PFF (@PFF) January 16, 2023
The Ravens reportedly offer Jackson a bigger contract than Kyler Murray, are rebuffed
Baltimore continued negotiations as Jackson waded into the final season of his rookie contract. ESPN reported the team offered him a $250 million deal that included $133 million in guarantees before the 2022 season — an extension that would have offered the Ravens’ QB more guaranteed money at signing than all but one other quarterback in the league. Kyler Murray, by comparison, inked a $230 million deal with $103 million guaranteed up front that summer.
The problem is the player at the top of that leaderboard. Deshaun Watson signed a fully guaranteed $230 million extension after the Cleveland Browns traded for him despite more than 20 accusations of sexual misconduct and what the NFL described as “predatory behavior.” With his deal set in stone, reports suggest Jackson is looking for a similar 100 percent guaranteed deal.
Six months later, Jackson would take to Twitter to deny he rejected that offer, albeit without shedding much more light on the situation.
133/3years fully guaranteed😒 but I need a agent? 🤣🤦🏾♂️
— Lamar Jackson (@Lj_era8) March 14, 2023
People throw 💩 at the wall and hope it stick🤣😮💨
— Lamar Jackson (@Lj_era8) March 14, 2023
The Ravens franchise tag Jackson, but leave him open to outside offers (at a cost)
Baltimore’s use of the non-exclusive franchise tag allows the league’s other 31 teams to negotiate with him. Almost immediately, reports fly that quarterback-needy teams won’t join the bidding. The Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, Miami Dolphins, Washington Commanders and Las Vegas Raiders all decline the opportunity to make a public overture for the 2019 unanimous MVP.
Around the same time, CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson reports Jackson is sticking to the Watson standard of guaranteed money. If nothing else, this allows the city of Cleveland one more chance to hurt the franchise that left it in 1996.
Josina Anderson reports Lamar Jackson is not looking for anything less than what DeShaun Watson got
Anderson says Lamar may not be asking for a Fully Guaranteed Contract like Watson but wants ATLEAST the same amount of Fully Guaranteed ($230M), with more incentive $ added on top pic.twitter.com/45Y0gsRP90
— Flockville (@Flockville) March 2, 2023
The NFL releases a memo warning teams that an uncertified agent may be contacting teams on Jackson's behalf
Jackson was left to tread water as free agency kicked off. Potential non-suitors like the New Orleans Saints and Raiders followed through on their disinterest by signing Derek Carr and Jimmy Garoppolo, respectively. The Panthers opted to spend two first round picks (and two second round picks, and WR1 DJ Moore) to acquire the first overall selection in this year’s draft instead.
The Ravens quarterback, in the meantime, reportedly enlisted an uncertified agent to contact interested parties from a waning market on his behalf — earning an official memo from the NFL warning teams about it.
Source: NFL sent a memo to all clubs letting them know that the NFLPA informed the league that a person by the name of Ken Francis, who is not an NFLPA certified agent, may be contacting teams and attempting to persuade team personnel to enter into negotiations with Lamar Jackson
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 23, 2023
The party involved is Ken Francis, described by NFL reporter Tom Pelissero as a “home fitness” inventor and, most damningly, a “Florida man.”
Ken Francis is a Florida man who most recently was pitching a home fitness invention, I’m told. He now is trying to negotiate a nine-figure contract with NFL teams, who are being told they’re not allowed to negotiate with him because he’s not a certified agent. https://t.co/39nlbWPXuD
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 23, 2023
Roughly two hours after Pelissero’s tweet, Jackson unveiled The Entire Gym, a portable fitness device he says will be available this summer. It’s a business venture in concert with his “business partner Ken.” Whether that’s the aforementioned Francis is not confirmed.
My business partner Ken and I will be Dropping the @TheEntireGym this Summer 🚀🚀🚀❤️ #STAYTUNED #TRUZZ pic.twitter.com/7ZkkUKa5qk
— Lamar Jackson (@Lj_era8) March 23, 2023
Jackson denies he's using an unlicensed agent to negotiate with other teams
Another twist unfolds as Jackson denies Francis is negotiating with teams on his behalf — though he doesn’t touch on whether on uncertified person is calling up franchises to test the waters.
Stop Lying that man never tried to negotiate for me 🤣🤣 https://t.co/DIMXtxOAnR
— Lamar Jackson (@Lj_era8) March 23, 2023
Somewhere in the middle of this, Jackson tweeted out this Ben Affleck meme:
This is Everyday But “It’s Ok not to be ok” Mental health awareness 🧠🤗 pic.twitter.com/aoI1qnpjjk
— Lamar Jackson (@Lj_era8) March 23, 2023
Which honestly, yeah man, after all that I get it. There’s a lot going on here. Now we wait and see if Jackson can wrangle the deal he wants, whether he settles for something less or just pushes this argument to 2024 by playing out the franchise tag this fall.
As John Harbaugh is set to talk with reporters at the spring coaches' meeting, Jackson makes his trade request public
Ravens head coach Harbaugh addressed the media at the annual coaches’ meeting in Phoenix, telling the world he expects Jackson to be his starter in 2023. Jackson has other plans.
in regards to my future plans. As of March 2nd I requested a trade from the Ravens organization for which the Ravens has not been interested in meeting my value, any and everyone that’s has met me or been around me know I love the game of football and my dream is to help a team
— Lamar Jackson (@Lj_era8) March 27, 2023
