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Still in the midst of a heated playoff run, the Baltimore Ravens are taking things day by day as it’s the little things that separate who plays in the Super Bowl. There is one long-term question purportedly on their mind right now though, and that’s whether or not they’ll be locking up their franchise player this offseason.
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the conversations surrounding a contract extension for QB Lamar Jackson are expected to begin this Spring or Summer:
From @NFLGameDay: The #Ravens are expected to explore a contract extension for QB Lamar Jackson this offseason, as the team is always open to early deals that make sense for both sides... Meanwhile... #Rams DT Aaron Donald (torn rib cartilage) will play, is crazy. pic.twitter.com/d8gjRhg4T4
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 16, 2021
In the era of the young star quarterbacks, this isn’t shocking in the slightest and Jackson will have earned every penny of whatever he signs for after doing pretty much nothing but win since coming into the league back in 2018. What will be interesting to watch is how the Ravens finish out the playoffs, as a few more big game pelts on Lamar’s proverbial mantle could potentially impact his leverage at the negotiating table.
Regardless, Jackson and the Ravens are a perfect match and will be making things official at some point, it’s just answering the question, “How much?”
Another interesting note Rapoport alludes to is that as of now, Lamar still represents himself with the help of his mother, Felicia Jones; it’s proven to be a dynamite pairing so far, so we’ll see if they choose to stick with this approach or bring in outside assistance with the negotiations.
Either way, this is tremendous news for Jackson, the Ravens, and their fans alike as he’s proven to be a shot in the arm for a franchise that severely needed it. In the meantime though, he’d like to go into Buffalo tonight and get himself yet another playoff win for his resume.
For what it’s worth, the organization and the fans would love to see that happen as well.