Ravens averse to year-to-year rental situation for Lamar Jackson

The Baltimore Ravens and Lamar Jackson have yet to come to an agreement regarding a contract extension, which has been the talk of the town this offseason so far.

Very little traction has been made on Jackson’s contract since the end of the 2021 season, and recent reports solidify what is already known about the ongoing situation.

On Sunday, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported on SportsCenter that Baltimore’s front office remains hopeful about a long-term extension. The key word: “long-term.”

"“If [Lamar Jackson] continues to be patient, the Ravens can play him this year on a fifth-year option, which is around $23 million, and then next year would be a franchise tag, $30-something million, well below the market for a former MVP who’s won 37 games and only 12 losses as a starter.So, they believe if he wants to do that then they could go year-to-year here, sort of like a rental situation. They don’t want that; they want to sign him long term.”"

Despite Jackson being absent from OTAs last week, the quarterback has reportedly promised to show up “at some point,” likely around the time of mandatory minicamp.

The Ravens seem to be in a “good place” with Jackson right now, as there is no bad blood or contention regarding his participation this season, but anything can happen from now until September.

The Ravens remain firm on a long-term contract extension for Lamar Jackson

As things currently stand, the 2019 league MVP will become an unrestricted free agent after the 2022 season, though most believe the Ravens and Jackson will get some kind of deal done by then.

It’s clear why the Ravens want to sign Jackson to a multi-year contract: he’s their franchise quarterback, after all, and the team has been building around him for the last four years now.

Fowler points out that some league executives who, when put in Eric DeCosta’s shoes, may opt for a year-to-year rental situation given Jackson’s injury history and injury concerns with his run-heavy style. Jackson notably missed the end of the 2021 season due to an ankle injury, and any snag in his recovery could mean he misses extended stretches of time this season, too.

It doesn’t seem like Jackson would initiate a strike or a lengthy holdout as other players have done in the past, but the sooner his contract gets finalized, the higher team morale will be in 2022.

If Jackson doesn’t step onto the field for mandatory minicamp, which is scheduled to begin on June 14, his absence may start to ring an alarm bell in Baltimore. For now, though, the waters are calm, and no one in Ravens camp has reason to panic just yet.