The Ravens have stayed quiet regarding the offers that previously have been made to quarterback Lamar Jackson. Jackson has not been quiet, directly or indirectly leaking bits and pieces of the negotiations to the media.
On Friday’s First Take on ESPN, Stephen A. Smith said that Jackson’s camp reached out with some specific information.
First, Smith said that Jackson’s camp claims that Jackson has never demanded a fully-guaranteed contract from the Ravens.
If that’s true (and, frankly, I don’t think it is), why hasn’t that come out sooner? For months, it’s been believed that Jackson wants the same structure as Deshaun Watson.
Five years, fully guaranteed.
Indeed, the NFL Players Association filed a grievance last season accusing teams of colluding to not give “certain quarterbacks” (e.g., Lamar Jackson) fully-guaranteed contracts. And the NFLPA definitely has been assisting Jackson in his negotiations with the Ravens, since Jackson doesn’t have an agent.
So, no, I don’t believe the contention that Lamar never asked for a fully-guaranteed contract is true.
Second, Smith said something that both Chris Mortensen reported in September and Ryan Clark reiterated in January. The Ravens’ best offer before the 2022 season included $133 million fully guaranteed.
As explained last month, it’s IMPOSSIBLE to properly evaluate the fairness of an offer without knowing more than the amount that would have been fully guaranteed at signing. The most important piece of information that Jackson and/or the NFLPA have not yet leaked to Mortensen, Clark, Smith and/or any other ESPN reporter or personality is this -- how much more money initially guaranteed for injury would have become fully guaranteed in March 2023?
That amount, whether $5 million or $50 million or somewhere in between, becomes part of the practical guarantee at signing, because the Ravens weren’t going to cut him after giving him $133 million for one season. Thus, without knowing it, we don’t know the truth about the Baltimore offer.
Smith concluded by posing the following public question to the Ravens: “Did you or did you not lowball this man with an offer of 133 million guaranteed? Because that is a lowball offer. If that answer is ‘yes,’ you are trying to screw him over.” I’ll apply a twist to Smith’s query, and direct it to Lamar: “Did the Ravens or did they not offer significant additional injury guarantees that would have become full guarantees in March 2023? Because that is important information to knowing whether they made you a lowball offer or a fair offer. If that answer is ‘yes,’ you are trying to paint an inaccurate picture as to what the Ravens have truly offered.”
Indeed, why not put the whole offer out there? The Ravens have refused to do it, out of respect to Lamar. The constant leaks from Lamar’s camp of something less than the full truth, however, disrespect the Ravens.
At some point, the Ravens need to stop absorbing body blows and start counterpunching. Every time someone else from ESPN parrots the "$133 million guaranteed” report, it makes the Ravens look worse and worse.
