The Baltimore Ravens know the talent that they have in Lamar Jackson. And it won’t be long before the former MVP is paid like the once-in-a-generation talent that he is.
But of course, Jackson isn’t immune to criticism. In fact, he’s more like a lightning rod for it.
And while the Ravens seem convinced that Jackson is the guy to build their franchise around, some folks around the league don’t share the same opinion. Yes, this is another one of those stories.
FanSided’s Matt Lombardo recently spoke with a number of NFL executives who were no doubt hesitant about the Ravens’ expected decision to hand Jackson his so-called “mega-deal.”
Some NFL executives don’t believe the Ravens should pay Lamar Jackson
One anonymous NFC personnel executive questioned Jackson’s ceiling and implied that he isn’t a “franchise guy.”
"“[The Ravens] know there’s a ceiling to what he can do in the playoffs. You’ve seen it three years in a row … Are you going to pay that kind of premium for a franchise guy? A franchise guy is a guy who gets you to the Super Bowl. Lamar has one playoff win in three years, and he followed it up with a complete disaster the next week.”"
Yes, it’s the old playoff narrative again. It’s tiresome, sure, but it shouldn’t exactly be a surprise that many lean on it as a crutch when searching for ways to diminish Jackson’s value.
It’s oftentimes the go-to rationale.
Another “prominent agent” told FanSided that they expected Jackson’s extension to come at a much smaller price tag than what many others are anticipating.
"“Somewhere similar to what they paid Marlon Humphrey ($97.5 million over five years), Ronnie Stanley ($98.75 million over five years), and Mark Andrews ($56 million over five years), with a lower APY but higher guaranteed money.”"
As Lombardo notes, that projection would have Jackson at around $90 million (or $18 million per season) which would make him the 14th-highest-paid quarterback in the NFL. The kicker is that his projected $75 million in guarantees would make most of that contract guaranteed.
Still, it’s safe to say that deal would be low-balling their star quarterback by a significant margin, especially with many other projections having Jackson’s APY at around $40 million — a far cry from the mere $18 million this agent is projecting.
That same executive was later harsh when speaking about Jackson calling into question his durability and, once again, his lackluster postseason stat lines.
"“I don’t think he’s a franchise guy. Because he’s going to get hurt. He has an arm, but his best attribute is running the football. That’s his go-to, and he is dynamic as a quarterback doing it, maybe the best ever.But he gets in the playoffs, because when you get to the postseason you’re playing great defenses that are coached very well and can disguise thing. He wins in Tennessee, and then couldn’t function in an offense against Buffalo, playing a great defense.”"
Despite the fact that Jackson has missed just two starts in his NFL career — neither of which were due to injury — he’s still getting questions about his durability.
And again, Jackson has beaten plenty of “great defenses” before. The Ravens don’t just play great defenses in the postseason — this narrative is full of holes as most that attempt to diminish Jackson’s value are.
The Ravens know just how valuable Jackson is to the organization. Lamar Jackson is the Baltimore Ravens.
So while some executives around the league might question their commitment, that won’t dissuade the Ravens from making Jackson one of the highest-paid quarterbacks in the NFL in the near future.
How soon will it be? That much remains to be seen.
But it will happen. You can bank on that.