Lamar Jackson said there were teams that were interested in making him offers before re-signing with the Baltimore Ravens. Those teams apparently kept those talks quiet.
On the first night of the NFL Draft, the Baltimore Ravens faithful could breath a sigh of relief that the team didn’t need to select a rookie quarterback. That’s because hours before the start of the event, the Ravens and Lamar Jackson agreed to terms on a five-year, $260 million contract extension, making him the highest paid player in the NFL. The deal was made official on Thursday with an official press conference.
While meeting with reporters, Jackson revealed that other teams had called him, since he had the non-exclusive franchise tag placed on him and were allowed to negotiate with him. But Jackson wasn’t interested, saying that he wanted to be a Raven.
“To be honest with you, I really didn’t care for other teams, really,” Jackson said. “I just really wanted to get something done here. I wanted to be here. I was like, man, OK, other teams cool, but I want to be a Raven. … I really wanted to get this done before anything, before my time up and branch off somewhere else. I really want to finish my career here and win a Super Bowl here.”
For those wondering if teams did actually reach out to Jackson, there is new reporting that backs it up.
NFL rumors: Other teams reached out to Lamar Jackson
CBS Sports senior NFL insider Josina Anderson confirmed that other teams reached out to Jackson, but revealed that she was told “it was also inferred to keep it quiet.”
With the non-exclusive franchise tag, teams could make an offer to Jackson and sign him to an offer sheet. That would then allow the Ravens to match the offer or opt against it. If they were to decline, the interested team would have to give up a first-round NFL Draft pick in each of the next two years.
But now, there is no need to know about that process, since Jackson is signed to a five year contract extension, where $185 million is fully guaranteed. What was learned on Thursday is that the contract includes a no-tag clause and a no-trade clause, per CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones.
Jackson is a Raven for the foreseeable future.
