3 reasons why no one will sign Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson
Reason no. 2: He wants way too much money (thanks Browns)
Deshaun Watson and the Browns did not reset the quarterback market and Lamar Jackson may not fully comprehend that. The fully guaranteed contract for $230 million dollars for Watson was a once-in-a-lifetime type contract and for some reason, the Browns decided to inexplicably bestow it upon Watson. Despite his ongoing legal issues.
Apparently, Jackson isn’t seeking a fully guaranteed contract. However, Jackson is supposedly after a contract that includes $230 million dollars or more guaranteed over a multi-year deal, per ESPN’S Jeremy Fowler.
It is understandable why Jackson wants to make the same or more guaranteed money than Watson. Jackson’s statistics are comparable to Watson and Jackson (49-21) has a far better win/loss record than Watson (31-29). Watson had a litany of off-field issues during the time he signed his record-breaking contract. Jackson has zero off-field issues.
The current topic regarding teams not trying to trade for Lamar Jackson centers around the word “collusion.” The allegation is this; the remaining 31 owners in the National Football League have all coordinated a joint effort not to offer any more guaranteed contracts to players/quarterbacks after the Watson fiasco. Is that collusion or is it good business?
The average NFL fan would be able to surmise that the other owners don’t want to give out a contract of that magnitude. The salary cap, the precedent, and the necessity to pay other players make a huge guaranteed contract unreasonable. Furthermore, if the quarterback, in this case, Lamar Jackson, has made it public he wants a guaranteed sum, it would not make sense for them to even have a conversation. Especially if they already know it’s beyond a certain amount that they (the owners) are comfortable with.
The Ravens have probably let the word out about what they have been offering Jackson. A report did circulate that the Ravens offered Jackson a contract worth up to $133 million guaranteed.
Sources: Lamar Jackson rejected a Ravens' 6-yr contract offer with $133 million fully guaranteed at signing, which is more than Russell Wilson ($124 million) and Kyler Murray ($103.3 million) but well short of the $230 million fully guaranteed deal that Deshaun Watson got.
— Chris Mortensen (@mortreport) September 11, 2022
Jackson all but verified the story. Jackson’s contract demands appear to be too rich for even the billionaire owners within the NFL. It’s not collusion, it’s business. This business appears to be another of the reasons why Jackson is not being pursued by anyone other than the Ravens.