From a former league MVP to one demanding a monster contract, an injury derailed talks of Lamar Jackson becoming a high-paid player
To pay or not to pay. That’s been the question brewing in Baltimore for over a season now. Their 2022 season came to an end Sunday after a 24-17 loss to bitter division rival Cincinnati Bengals in a game which the Ravens clearly felt the former MVP’s absence.
This has been the second season in a row where Lamar Jackson’s demands to be one of the league’s top players has been quickly cut short by an injury. Throughout his trials and tribulations, the Ravens have been a quarterback dumpster fire, with backup quarterbacks TJ Huntley, Trace McSorley, and a cast of other guest stars have tried to fill his role. And, it simply hasn’t worked.
Missing the last six games with a knee-sprain which no one knew would take this long to heal, Lamar’s absence only digs deeper into the questions of “is he worth paying?”.
The question is pivotal to the Ravens organization as a whole, as the entire offense is built and tailored to Jackson’s style of play. Taking the league by storm in 2018, Jackson ushered in an entirely different way to play quarterback. Instead of being the typical pocket passer that quarterbacks were accustomed to, he took the running QB style of past throwers such as Michael Vick, Duante Cullpepper, and Vince Young, and took it to another level.
In order to play quarterback in the NFL, you have to be good at something. Whether it be accuracy, mobility, or even game awareness– Lamar’s was the ability to run.
It’s hard to argue his force on the ground when he holds the record for most rushing yards ever by an NFL quarterback at 1,206 yards in 2019. Rarely however is his name mentioned in the conversation for an elite passer. His first passing concerns arose in college, where at Louisville he was once again a threat on the ground and not so much through the air.
That begs the question– do the Ravens treat Jackson like a runningback? As taboo as that conversation is, it’s one worth having. With back-to-back seasons cut short due to running-related injuries, is Jackson worth the money if he is more closely related to a runningback contract-wise rather than a pocket passer who is much more likely to stay healthy?
Jackson turned down an offer for an extension from Baltimore just before the season in hopes of holding out for a better one, but the cards never fell in his favor. It’s hard to justify paying a running quarterback the big bucks if he’s not healthy in times of need.
As a wise man once said: “the best ability is availability”.
“I hope that he’s going to be back,” said tight end Mark Andrews about the return of Jackson. “That’s my guy. I have nothing but love and respect for number 8 as a person, as a player, and as a friend. I love the guy. I hope he’s back.”
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If Andrews’ statement is anything of a consensus of the team’s sentiments towards Lamar, it’s a damn good one. Nearly everyone on the team is behind Jackson and is vouching for him to be back.
Pro-Bowl defensive lineman Calais Campbell, a vested veteran and staple of the defense spoke in droves about Jackson as a player and a leader within the locker room, “You can’t let a guy like him go. I know it’s football and there’s always some new exciting toy, a new exciting kid that has potential to go out there and be great, but [Jackson] is a known.”
The Ravens brass has been reluctant to give Jackson a fully guaranteed deal, one which would establish Jackson’s role on the team, one which he has had built to his whim. Jackson turned down a $250,000,000 contract extension with $133 million guaranteed, which wasn’t to Jackson’s liking leading to his negation of the offer.
It’s apparent why Baltimore is disinclined to give the quarterback what he wants… his ability to stay healthy. And the questions about Jackson’s future have begun going around the league’s ringer. Those questions won’t stop, and the situation is only set to get worse as time moves forward.
Baltimore has yet to attack this issue with any sort of brevity, holding out on Jackson until now, when he becomes a free agent and his rookie contract from 2018 has expired. Whether it’s on a franchise tag, a trade, or even letting Jackson go, it’s now or never for the Baltimore Ravens.
