3 reasons why no one will sign Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson

Reason no. 3: No Agent? We’re done talking before we even start

Lamar Jackson has not had an agent since he entered the NFL in 2018. Sports Illustrated writer Timm Hamm has summarized the impact it has had on Jackson since the NFL Draft.

"Lamar Jackson didn’t have an agent representing him during his draft process five years ago. He still doesn’t, and it’s hurt him his entire career. Jackson slid all the way to No. 32 in the 2018 NFL Draft as agents of other quarterbacks were surely bad-mouthing the Louisville signal-caller in an effort to get their clients drafted higher. Jackson didn’t have an agent to protect him from all the narratives about him potentially changing positions coming out of college."

Jackson still made his way in into the league as his performance in college demanded he should. Jackson did lose out on millions of potential earnings being drafted #32 overall. The difference in earnings is pretty stark when you compare Jackson’s rookie contract to Bills quarterback Josh Allen who went 25 spots ahead of Jackson in the draft.

The issues revolving around Jackson’s lack of representation continue to grow. The NFL front officers appear to prefer to negotiate with agents as opposed to players. It is not completely unheard of for players to negotiate without an agent (Richard Sherman with the 49ers) but it is definitely not common practice.

General managers and personnel employees can say things to agents that they may not necessarily want to say in front of their players. If a general manager tells a player “You are ‘worth’ only $7 million dollars to us” the player could take that personally. In the event that the player remains with that particular organization there could be friction between the two and the relationship could be fractured.

When the front office deals directly with an agent there can be more honest dialogue and the agent can report an “edited” version of the front office’s position on that particular player’s value. PFT’S Mike Florio summarized the need for an agent and how not having one can have a negative effect on Jackson.

"After you’ve signed him, you still have to coexist with him, and you don’t have an agent you can call when you have something that needs to be done with Lamar Jackson."

Florio even went as far as to plea with Jackson and the reasoning behind it makes complete sense.

"“Lamar, you need to hire an agent. Now,” Florio said. “Hire an agent now to shepherd you through this process, to aggressively contact all the teams, to try to get someone to come up with an offer sheet that maybe the Ravens couldn’t or wouldn’t match.”"

The theory is sound. Teams around the league want to negotiate with a trained and certified contract advisor. Lamar Jackson does not have a contract advisor nor does he appear to be willing to sign one. On top of a lack of representation and contract negotiations being conducted in a manner that makes teams uncomfortable, Jackson also has an overly ambitious contract demand.

All of these factors make it plausible that the other 31 teams are not fighting to trade for Jackson because he does not have an agent.

Throw in injury concerns and the threat of financial destitution due to an exhaustive contract demand. That is the blueprint for why Lamar Jackson is not being chased by any of the other teams in the NFL.