NFL Writer Outlines A Clear Warning For Lamar Jackson
Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens has been demanding a huge new contract for many months now, and the Ravens have placed their non-exclusive franchise tag on him this offseason, which will allow him to negotiate a potential deal with a team of his choice.
The quarterback market throughout the league has gotten very lucrative, as evidenced by Philadelphia Eagles signal-caller Jalen Hurts’ new $255 million, five-year deal.
It has been rumored that Jackson wants a fully-guaranteed deal like the one Deshaun Watson got last year after being traded to the Cleveland Browns, one that is worth $230 million over five years.
But Jori Epstein made it clear that Jackson needs to understand Watson’s fully-guaranteed deal was the exception, not the rule.
Jalen Hurts earning ?? with $255M, $179.3M gtd. But Lamar Jackson undoubtedly sees: market not perpetuating full guarantees.
As one NFC exec told me: “He needs to understand that Watson’s deal was an anomaly that only 1 team (did). Neither Burrow nor Herbert” will get full gty
— Jori Epstein (@JoriEpstein) April 17, 2023
The vast majority of NFL contracts are not fully guaranteed, and even the best of the best around the league do not necessarily get fully-guaranteed contracts.
Hurts likely earned such a big deal because he led the Eagles to the Super Bowl, where they came extremely close to winning the world championship, only to lose on a last-second field goal to Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.
Jackson is a good quarterback, but he isn’t in the realm of Mahomes or even Hurts.
The Ravens signal-caller had a magnificent campaign in 2019 when he won the regular season MVP award, but his production has fallen off since.
Last season, he had 2,242 passing yards and 17 passing touchdowns, which paled in comparison to the 3,127 yards and league-high 36 touchdowns he threw for in 2019.
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