Lamar Jackson’s ‘I Need Money’ post not a message to the Ravens

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson made some headlines on Saturday when he made some notable adjustments to his social media accounts.

Jackson changed his Instagram profile picture and his Twitter header photo to an image that reads “I Need $” sending Ravens fans into a frenzy. National media outlets quickly picked up on the story and speculation ran rampant for a few hours.

However, Jackson has since denied that the changes have anything to do with his ongoing contract negotiations with the Ravens. Instead, he claims the image was simply a reference to a movie he enjoys.

The photo is taken from the movie “How High” starring rappers Method Man and Redman. Perhaps Jackson simply watched the movie which prompted the unexpected change. That’s what he’s claiming at least.

"“I don’t know why people are blowing it up. I just saw Bleacher Report post it. They just take anything that’s posted on social media and just blow it up, and try to think for you. I don’t take it too seriously.They’re making it seem like I’m talking to the Ravens when I’m not. Our contract discussion is going on already. But it ain’t about that though. I’m not putting my business life on social media. I won’t ever do that. I won’t put my personal life on social media. I’ll show stuff, but I won’t throw subliminal [messages] out. That’s not me.”"

Lamar Jackson isn’t pressuring the Ravens for a new contract

While some might be quick to refute Jackson’s claim, this wouldn’t exactly be out of character for him. If anything, resorting to social media to pressure his team into giving him a new contract would be more out of character for the former MVP.

Jackson’s ongoing contract extension talks have been one of the predominant headlines for the Ravens this offseason. By all accounts, the Ravens seem more willing to negotiate than Jackson does at this point.

That’s, of course, if reports are to be believed.

It’s impossible to know exactly what’s going on between the Ravens and Jackson, but it does seem more and more likely that the two-time Pro Bowler goes into the 2022 season without a contract at this stage.

Jackson’s vague comments and sketchy social media activity have only added fuel to the fire. When asked if he was planning to hold out of training camp, Jackson replied with a concerning “I don’t know.”

His words may have been a little twisted, however, and it would be shocking if Jackson didn’t show up for training camp later this month.

It remains to be seen what will happen between Lamar Jackson and the Ravens, but it does appear as though his recent social media activity was a false alarm.