Stephen A. Smith said on Friday that he heard through several sources that the Ravens offered a signing bonus of $130M and $200M in guaranteed money to star quarterback Lamar Jackson and that still wasn’t enough to get the 2019 NFL MVP to sign because Smith says, “he’s hellbent on getting the money that Deshuan Watson made.”
Lamar Jackson Wants Deshaun Watson Money?
Smith says he doesn’t know this for sure personally, he’s just repeating what a source told him, NFL reporter Chris Mortensen elaborated on, and Marcus Spears said earlier in the week on First Take.
As the Lamar Jackson contract saga drags into a second offseason, the Baltimore Ravens are also looking for a new offensive play-caller after longtime offensive coordinator Greg Roman and the team mutually agreed to part ways. Roman has come under scrutiny for an offense that lacks creativity and innovation in the passing game. He’s long been accused of inhibiting star QB Lamar Jackson’s potential as a thrower of the football.
When Jackson was lost to injury at the end of the past two seasons, and Baltimore needed Roman’s mastery the most, the offense struggled mightily to score points. With every offensively inept outing by backup Tyler Huntley, the heat kept increasing, and following an end-of-season meeting with head coach John Harbaugh, Roman is no longer the team’s offensive play-caller.
Roman got a glimpse into life without Lamar Jackson and at the end of the day he realized that he would have way too much accountability if the Ravens struggle offensively. It’s almost a no-win situation. At the same time, Roman might know something that we don’t about Lamar’s future plans. He’s been moving like Keyser Söze for a minute now. We don’t know how the relationship between Lamar and the franchise sits at this point. Stephen A even said it’s “murky” right now.
Smith says Jackson’s agents being family instead of seasoned negotiators, has led to a difficulty in communication between the three members of his brain trust.
“To me if all three of them were on the same page, a deal would have been done already, if both sides really, really wanted to remain in Baltimore. Somebody’s lying y’all, I dont know who it is.”
Is Greg Roman A Good Offensive Coordinator?
Maybe roman does and he’s 100 miles and running. The run game wiz dropped the news on reporters that he was moving on to pursue other opportunities.
“After visiting with Coach John Harbaugh and after huddling with my family, I have decided that now is the right time to move on from the Ravens so that I can explore new challenges and opportunities,” Roman said in a statement. “I’ll truly miss Baltimore, but at the same time I am excited to attack my next opportunity with focus and passion.”
Under Roman, the Ravens’ offense was the league’s best in 2019, with Jackson becoming just the second unanimous MVP in league history, joining Tom Brady in 2010. But since then, the offense, which is predicated heavily on a strong running game and utilizing the tight end in the passing game, has declined. An offense that averaged a league-best 33 points in that special 2019 season, sunk to just over 20 points per game in 2022, which ranked 19th.
More on the departure of Greg Roman as the Ravens offensive coordinator, via @jamisonhensley:https://t.co/fpaPX5ZXUB
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 19, 2023
Harbaugh also chimed in on his good friend and now former offensive coordinator.
“Greg devised and led our offense to no fewer than 26 historical NFL and franchise achievements. He established an identity for our offense. We are grateful for Greg’s great work and abilities, and we wish him and his wonderful family the utmost happiness going forward,” Harbaugh said in a statement.
Roman’s Offensive Philosophy Scared Off Top Wide Receivers
It’s no secret that the Ravens have struggled consistently passing the football under Roman. While some of it can be directly attributed to Jackson’s lack of being a pocket passer, the scheme has not been QB or WR-friendly outside of the 2019 season when Jackson led the league with 36 touchdown passes and just six interceptions.
Things got so bad that former Ravens receiver Hollywood Brown asked to be traded from the team following last season, which was his first 1000-yard receiving season of his career. It wasn’t about the targets but the type of targets which were more in the short to intermediate range, and not deep shots, which Brown is known for with his speed.
When you look at that and Roman’s inability to develop Jackson as a passer, it was time. Roman has had the likes of Andrew Luck, Colin Kaepernick and now Jackson and none developed much as a passer under his tutelage. In all actuality, this is a good thing for Jackson going forward.
Ravens Hope To Re-Sign Jackson
As the Ravens enter the offseason, re-signing Jackson to a lucrative long-term extension is the franchise’s top priority. The two sides failed to come to an agreement prior to this season, and Jackson played the fifth and final year of his rookie deal out with no security. That could be why when he was injured against the Broncos in Week 14 Jackson wasn’t in any rush to return.
On Thursday, GM Eric DeCosta said all the right things as pertains to getting a deal done with their franchise player. He told reporters this about Jackson.
“I truly believe Lamar wants to finish his career in Baltimore.”
Sounds good EDC, but you must show the star QB the money.
