Did Lamar Jackson's price just go up?
The Ravens better start scrambling if they're going to truly make an effort to keep their star quarterback in Baltimore, because Jalen Hurts and the Eagles just made things a whole lot more difficult.
Monday morning, it was announced that Hurts and the Eagles agreed on a 5-year extension worth $255 million with over $179 million guaranteed.
Now, it's time for the Ravens and Jackson to get back to it in terms of serious negotiations. Jackson wants a contract similar to the one Deshaun Watson received last year, as we all know. But, what does this Hurts extension mean for a Jackson extension?
Next up, in no particular order: Lamar Jackson, Justin Herbert and Joe Burrow. https://t.co/mG5xxUQLgt
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 17, 2023
Watson's deal was also for five years, but of course the annual average is a step below what Hurts just received. Yet, Watson's contract was fully guaranteed.
Another difference is the fact that Hurts' contract also has a no-trade clause, which is a first we've seen.
So, what could Jackson ask for, now? It seems logical that Jackson would want a similar deal to the one Hurts received. Jackson is a former MVP, but Hurts has proved to be a winner in the postseason and got his team to the Super Bowl. Could a contract meet somewhere in the middle?
A fair compromise would seem to be a 5-year extension worth $270 million and $210 guaranteed for Jackson. He has the right to ask for more total money than Hurts, but Watson's guaranteed money seems like an outlier. Cleveland messed things up, there, for sure.
It also woudn't hurt for Jackson to get himself a no-trade clause in his next deal, too, considering how he and the Ravens have been on rocky ground for a while now. Giving Jackson a solid amount of guaranteed money and the ability to stay put in Baltimore, if he wants, puts some power back in his hands.
Would Jackson accept a lower guarantee than Watson? Hurts did, and it looks like it'll work out just fine, barring anything crazy between Hurts and the Eagles in the future.
If the Ravens were smart, they would get a deal done as soon as possible, because if Jackson plays out this year on the franchise tag, the price could go up even further. Next year, Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert will be in line for an extension, and if they get a similar or higher contract than Hurts, things just got near-impossible for the Ravens if Jackson rejected their first offer.