Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens have failed to reach a contract agreement ahead of the regular season – and some fans are wondering what’s next.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Jackson turned down a Ravens offer and will now make $23 million this year.
Additionally, the 25-year-old star quarterback is expected to be franchised tagged by the team following the upcoming season.
Jackson set a Friday deadline to get a contract extension done with the team.
“Despite best efforts on both sides, we were unable to reach a contract extension with Lamar Jackson,” Raven’s general manager Eric DeCosta said in a statement.
“We will continue to work towards a long-term contract after the season, but for now we are looking forward to a successful 2022 campaign.”
According to reports, Jackson wanted a fully guaranteed deal, just as Deshaun Watson got with the Cleveland Browns, which was worth $230 million.
That appears to have killed the chances of a deal ahead of the 2022 season.
While the Ravens will likely try to extend him next year, there’s no guarantee that it will be able to come to an agreement.
And if a franchise tag is the likely case scenario, it may just be a matter of when before his career ends with the Ravens.
Should Jackson come available, there would likely be multiple teams interested in the 2019 MVP winner.
At this point, it’s unclear who would be interested – but there are a few teams that likely do not have a long-term solution at quarterback.
This includes the New York Giants with Daniel Jones, the Detroit Lions with Jared Goff and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with 45-year-old Tom Brady.
Plus, more teams with young and promising quarterbacks would likely call about Jackson.
But the Ravens aren’t there yet and will look to focus on this season and win as many games as possible.
Jackson in his four seasons with the team has thrown for nearly 10,000 yards and has rushed for more than 3,600 yards.
The Ravens will kick off their season against the New York Jets Sunday against former quarterback Joe Flacco on Sunday at 1 pm EST.
