There’s a lot of conflicting information over what exactly Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson wants in a contract extension with the team. But Stephen A. Smith claims to know the one thing that Jackson does NOT want.
On Friday’s edition of First Take, Stephen A. said that he spoke to members of Jackson’s camp this week. He claims that during those discussions he was informed that Jackson is not seeking a fully-guaranteed contract on par with what Deshaun Watson got from the Cleveland Browns last year – contrary to popular belief.
“I was absolutely and emphatically assured that Lamar Jackson has never asked for a fully-guaranteed deal. Now I don’t want to dispute or refute what other NFL insiders for this network and beyond are saying… But I just want to make sure that I’m clear and echoing what Lamar Jackson’s camp said because they personally reached out to me yesterday,” he said.
“A – They have never asked for a fully-guaranteed contract. B – The number that the Baltimore Ravens stopped at was $133 million guaranteed. This is with them knowing that Deshaun Watson got $230 million. Kyler Murray got $189 million. Russell Wilson got $165 million. The Ravens supposedly, according to Lamar Jackson’s camp, has stopped at $133 million. That is an insult if true. That is a lowball offer in today’s market… But don’t tell me that what Kyler Murray got, Lamar Jackson doesn’t deserve…”
That does largely fall in line with what we’ve heard dating back to before and during the 2022 NFL season. It’s been known for a long while that the Ravens were offering $133 million guaranteed.
Whether or not that’s true, it’s clear that the number isn’t acceptable to Lamar Jackson.
The question remains whether the Ravens will tag Jackson to try and hammer out a deal this offseason – and whether they’ll start listening to trade offers.