Steelers fans will love what Lamar Jackson just did
Just when you thought things were slowing down prior to the NFL Draft, Lamar Jackson has decided to one-up the league meetings, releasing a bombshell tweet. Per himself, Lamar Jackson has officially requested a trade from the Baltimore Ravens. The writing has been on the wall when it comes to the relationship between Jackson and […]
Just when you thought things were slowing down prior to the NFL Draft, Lamar Jackson has decided to one-up the league meetings, releasing a bombshell tweet.
Per himself, Lamar Jackson has officially requested a trade from the Baltimore Ravens.
The writing has been on the wall when it comes to the relationship between Jackson and Baltimore.
A former MVP at only 26 years old, Lamar Jackson has led his team to the playoffs multiple times when healthy, displaying dynamic traits as both a passer and runner.
The problem is, Baltimore still questions the ceiling of Jackson. Right or wrong, they don't want to pay Jackson the guaranteed figure he's seeking, despite his meteoric rise in the infancy of his career.
This isn't the first time Jackson has hinted at a rocky relationship, frequently posting cryptic messages or airing out contract negotiations for the world to see.
The video from ESPN provides important context, showing that Lamar passed on a fully guaranteed contract, with the common thought they he wants to make at least, if not more than Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson, who received a fully guaranteed $230 million dollar contract.
Now that the cat is out of the bag and Lamar has officially shared his reasoning behind his request, the statement "for which the Ravens have not been interested in meeting my value" speaks volumes.
All but confirming the impasse when it comes to financials between the franchise and Jackson, the next question is, what happens next?
It should be noted that Baltimore placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on Jackson prior to the deadline in early March, meaning he has been available to teams for some time.
Here's a description of how that works from Jordan Dajani of CBS Sports:
"The non-exclusive tag is different form the exclusive tag. This offseason, Jackson is free to negotiate with other teams, but the Ravens have the right to match any offer. If Jackson were to agree to sign with another team and Baltimore declined to match the offer, Jackson's new team would send two first-round picks to the Ravens."
The ball is in the court of the other 31 teams now. Lamar is tagged through the duration of 2023, meaning whether he wants to be a Raven or not, the organization has all the leverage.
So will a team be willing to fork over a minimum of two first-rounder selections, while simultaneously guaranteeing a contract upwards of $200 million?
Time will tell.
