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Russell Wilson is a happy man heading into the 2022 NFL season. Not only has he landed in a new place with a playoff contender, but he’s just received a hefty extension that will keep him in Denver for the next five seasons.
That new deal is worth $245M over the next handful of seasons with $165M being fully guaranteed. The news certainly has Broncos fans pumped up as they’ve locked down the signal caller for the foreseeable future.
But it could also have some implications on the rest of the league, most notably, Baltimore.
The Ravens have been in the midst of contract negotiations with quarterback Lamar Jackson this offseason, but talks have seemingly stalled. While Jackson says he wants to remain in Baltimore, he also wants a fully guaranteed deal set up similarly to the contract given to Deshaun Watson in Cleveland.
Watson, despite his off-the-field troubles, received a massive, fully guaranteed $230M deal with the Browns over the summer. That contract certainly ruffled some feathers in the NFL, particularly for franchises that were looking to make new deals with their own high-profile passers.
AKA Baltimore.
But while Jackson is looking to cash in on that fully guaranteed contract, what’s just transpired in Denver could change how negotiations are handled.
Russell Wilson deal could impact Lamar Jackson
Many around the NFL are saying that the Russell Wilson deal hurts Lamar Jackson, at least in terms of getting a fully guaranteed contract. Baltimore got a bit of bargaining power, now having the ability to say that the Deshaun Watson terms were a ‘one-off.’
Take a look at some of the media reaction.
Ari Meirov of Pro Football Focus says, “If Lamar Jackson wants a fully-guaranteed contract like Deshaun Watson… Russell Wilson and Kyler Murray not coming close to doing the same did not help him. Would imagine Baltimore’s front office is hammering that home now in negotiations. Watson’s deal has been an outlier.”
If Lamar Jackson wants a fully-guaranteed contract like Deshaun Watson… Russell Wilson and Kyler Murray not coming close to doing the same did not help him.
Would imagine Baltimore’s front office is hammering that home now in negotiations. Watson’s deal has been an outlier.
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) September 1, 2022
CBS Sports writer Joel Corry agrees, saying, “Russell Wilson hurts Lamar Jackson trying to get a fully guaranteed contract. Ravens will surely insist that Deshaun Watson’s deal is an anomaly, much like Kirk Cousins’ was in 2018, after Wilson & Kyler Murray’s contracts.”
Russell Wilson hurts Lamar Jackson trying to get a fully guaranteed contract. Ravens will surely insist that Deshaun Watson's deal is an anomaly, much like Kirk Cousins' was in 2018, after Wilson & Kyler Murray's contracts.
— Joel Corry (@corryjoel) September 1, 2022
Former Ravens QB Robert Griffin III is hoping that Lamar Jackson can land the fully guaranteed deal, but notes that this hurts his chances. “Russell Wilson’s deal means NOTHING to Lamar Jackson but EVERYTHING to the Ravens and the rest of the league. Teams don’t want fully guaranteed deals and hate the Browns’ Deshaun Watson contract. Lamar HAS EARNED THE RIGHT to ask for a fully guaranteed deal and I hope he gets it,” Griffin says.
Russell Wilson’s deal means NOTHING to Lamar Jackson but EVERYTHING to the Ravens and the rest of the league. Teams don’t want fully guaranteed deals and hate the Browns’ Deshaun Watson contract. Lamar HAS EARNED THE RIGHT to ask for a fully guaranteed deal and I hope he gets it.
— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) September 1, 2022
ESPN’s Dan Grazian agrees.
Exactly. Wilson deal is not at all helpful to Lamar. https://t.co/ELrQQ5LLAw
— Dan Graziano (@DanGrazianoESPN) September 1, 2022
We’ll see how it all works out for Jackson and the Ravens. He could continue to push for the fully guaranteed contract, but this latest news doesn’t help his chances.
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