Lamar Jackson finds himself in a very difficult situation.
The former MVP is in a public standoff with his employer over his next contract. The Baltimore Ravens have been unwilling to give Jackson a fully guaranteed contract like the one the Cleveland Browns gave Deshaun Watson. So, Jackson has since requested a trade and the Ravens haven’t budged.
With every twist and turn, the Lamar Jackson saga opens up the door for new possibilities. The Ravens placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on Jackson, meaning that he can negotiate an offer sheet with any of the other 31 NFL teams. That hasn’t happened yet and if it doesn’t happen, the question becomes will Jackson sit out this season? That’s the question CBS Sports’ Jim Rome posed to NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero during an appearance on “The Jim Rome Show.”
“I think anything’s possible,” Pelissero said Wednesday. “I think if there’s one thing we know about Lamar…is that the normal course of business in the NFL is no way a guide for his decision making. Listen, if he had an agent, which he does not. Not a certified agent. That agent would’ve pushed two years ago for him to get a new contract. It would’ve been the same playbook you saw last year with Kyler Murray — and Kyler Murray is not a former NFL MVP. Kyler Murray has not won a playoff game like Lamar Jackson had.
“No agent would’ve allowed Lamar Jackson to set foot on the field two years ago for $1.7 million. But he showed up, and played the whole season. Last year, the same thing. Showed up and played the entire season for $23 million…But it’s pretty obvious…that there’s more to this than the simple numbers.”
We’ll have to see what ultimately happens, but according to Pelissero, everything remains on the table.
“Anything is possible right now for Lamar Jackson and John Harbaugh continues to say that he believes Lamar will ultimately be the starting quarterback,” said Pelissero. “It’s just there’s not really a clear path as to how that’s gonna happen at this point.”
