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There is no contract negotiation in the NFL right now that is being watched more closely than Lamar Jackson‘s.
Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens have been working on a contract extension since early last offseason, but have been unable to agree to terms.
That difficulty reaching an agreement has led to speculation about Jackson potentially wanting to leave Baltimore and there have even been rumors that he might be traded.
Today, one of his teammates revealed that isn’t the outcome Jackson wants for this offseason.
Calais Campbell told the NFL Network that Lamar Jackson wants to stay with the Baltimore Ravens.
Calais Campbell on @nflnetwork on Lamar Jackson: “He wants to get a deal done and that’s the most important part. Sometimes guys who are part of a team and don’t want to be there anymore, use (free agency) as an opportunity to go elsewhere. But he wants to be (with the #Ravens).”
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) March 2, 2023
He wants to get a deal done, and that’s the most important part. Sometimes guys who are part of a team and don’t want to be there anymore, use (free agency) as an opportunity to go elsewhere. But he wants to be (with the Ravens).
Lamar Jackson may want to return to the Baltimore Ravens. The Baltimore Ravens seem to want that too.
However, Lamar Jackson alway wants to paid this offseason and that seems to be what is holding things up right now.
According to reports, he wants a lot of money and he wants it to be fully guaranteed on his new contract. The Ravens have been hesitant to meet their demands.
It’s reasonable for them to have their reservations given Jackson’s struggles with injuries over the past couple of seasons and his style of play that makes him more prone to injury than most quarterbacks.
Still, it seems likely that at some point the Ravens will realize they don’t have better options available right now and they’ll end up at least getting close to giving Jackson what he wants in contract negotiations.
Until then, it looks like neither side is going to get what they want out of this offseason.