Now that the Baltimore Ravens’ season is over, all eyes have turned to the impending contract negotiations they will have with quarterback Lamar Jackson in the hopes that a long-term deal can be agreed to before the beginning of the 2023 season. General manager Eric DeCosta spoke at length about the Ravens’ future in his end-of-season press conference with head coach John Harbaugh, but when trading Jackson was brought up, he didn’t seem inclined to comment.
DeCosta was asked about his position on trading Jackson in the event that a deal doesn’t get made before the franchise tag deadline. The general manager made it clear that he wasn’t interested in broaching the subject at this juncture.
“That’s something that we’re not going to talk about at this point,” He explained. “I talked to Lamar [Jackson] today, as I said, and our focus right now is really to get a long-term deal done; that’s our singular focus at this point. It’s going to take some time, it’s going to take some effort, it’s going to take great communication – give and take – but I’m confident that we’ll be on the right path to get that done.”
What will happen with Jackson in the offseason remains to be seen, but given DeCosta’s non-answer regarding the Ravens’ willingness to trade their star quarterback, it would seem that Baltimore is motivated to secure his services on a long-term deal. Now, fans will have to wait for any developments to become known, and hold tight to their hopes that the face of the franchise will be back in 2023.