The Ravens need to stop playing with their quarterback, Lamar Jackson. The highly touted gunslinger is nearing the end of his self-imposed deadline for the team to offer him a guaranteed contract before the regular season starts. With Jackson representing himself during the process, he stands as judge, jury, and executioner of his opportunities in a new era of players as advanced businessmen.
In business, it is almost impossible to navigate the nuances of relationships when you are both a good cop and a bad cop, and that is the gray area that Jackson lives in with the Ravens.
However, social media is another thing he has going against him without a rep. Like most at 24 years old, he is active on platforms like Twitter, which now act like unofficial media advisers. Jackson’s mentality is examined with every tweet, and even his likes are processed differently.
So when he responded to a random Twitter conversation where someone asked why the team has not offered Jackson a $250 million fully guaranteed contract yet, he needed to set the record straight when a Twitter user stated that the Ravens “already offered that.”
“No they didn’t,” Jackson replied.
Then another user commented, “As much as I love Lamar, a fully guaranteed deal is just bad business. Just because a horrible franchise The Cleveland Browns did horrible business giving Watson that contract doesn’t mean other teams should follow. Honestly, I’m hoping
@Lj_era8 gets a 10 year half a billion deal.”
Lamar was still listening and dropped the mic with “You don’t love Lamar.”
Boom. Later, when a Twitter user posted a picture of Lamar in a Miami Dolphins uniform, with the caption “You both can come cry in a Miami Dolphins uni. Tears of joy when we hoist the Lombardi,” Jackson liked the picture.
In the world of social media as an indicator of a player’s current temperament, liking yourself in another team’s uniform is equivalent to a pending request to be traded.
Former NFL quarterback and current ESPN NFL analyst Robert Griffin III went in with a strategy he thought the Ravens should heed to put a bow on their QB.
“Offer needs to be 6 year 318 million fully guaranteed. 53 a year. Highest paid Player Ever. Unanimous MVP. Winner. Puts in the work. Team Guy. Stop playing with him.”
Jackson is at the end of his five-year rookie contract this season and is due to make roughly $23 million in 2022. This year he saw fellow quarterbacks receiving their bag, and Jackson knows his worth.
Arizona Cardinals QB and Pro Bowl player Kyler Murray locked in a $230.5 million deal for five years during the offseason. Beleaguered quarterback Deshaun Watson signed a five-year, $230 million contract with the Cleveland Browns. However, he will earn just $1.035 million this season, losing just under $6 million this year for the 11-game suspension and $5 million fine.
Ravens brass might be playing hardball, but Ravens fans have made it clear that they would be crushed if Lamar left. Reports say they even started a GoFundMe to cover the costs of a fully guaranteed contract for Lamar.
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Lamar Jackson wants to revolutionize the player-to-management relationship by representing himself and working on getting the best deal ever. With the clock ticking and his Twitter fingers working, only time will tell if he stays in Charm City or if the Pompano Beach, Florida, native angles to go back home.
