<\/p>\n
Earlier this week, ESPN NFL reporter Adam Schefter\u00a0insisted<\/span><\/a>\u00a0that he was “not too worried” about the fact that Baltimore Ravens<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>quarterback Lamar Jackson<\/a>\u00a0has skipped some voluntary OTA practice sessions amid Jackson’s reported desire for a lucrative contract extension.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n For an update shared on Friday, NFL insider Jason La Canfora of SportsBoom US<\/a> suggested that others within the league believe Jackson may be sending a message via his springtime activities.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n “The reality is general managers and contract negotiators and agents around the league have been watching the team\u2019s failure yet again to get Jackson extended in a forthright fashion,” La Canfora said, “and his absence at a time when a young staff is trying to implement a new offense is being viewed as a direct shot at the team\u2019s front office.”<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n For what it’s worth, Schefter offered his comments after first-year Ravens head coach Jesse Minter\u00a0said<\/span> that he expected Jackson to be back with the team\u00a0<\/span><\/span>“soon.”<\/span><\/span><\/a>\u00a0Minter also claimed to know “when [Jackson is] gonna be back” with the team.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Needless to say, some members of the NFL community aren’t buying what Minter was trying to sell.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n “<\/span><\/span>When the team attempted to get him signed in February,” La Canfora wrote about the Ravens and Jackson, “league sources said those efforts got nowhere, and when the Ravens executed a maximum restructure<\/a> of Jackson\u2018s deal, setting up a ridiculous $90M cap hit in 2027 and ceding all leverage to the player, they set themselves up for him showing them up. And that is exactly how his absence looks leaguewide.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n The five-year deal<\/a>, reportedly worth up to $260M with $185M guaranteed that Jackson signed\u00a0<\/span>in 2023, prevents the Ravens from retaining his rights via the franchise tag. Of course, that won’t matter if Jackson puts pen to paper on a new extension before the 2026 season gets underway.\u00a0<\/p>\n It sounds like the two parties aren’t close to coming to terms on such an agreement.\u00a0<\/p>\n “The consensus around the league is that the Ravens will have a difficult time resolving this without giving Jackson a new deal with $250M or more fully guaranteed before the start of the season,” La Canfora added. “He will most likely be traded prior to 2027.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n That final line is merely speculation, as nobody within the Ravens has publicly suggested that the club won’t eventually give Jackson the type of extension the two-time regular-season Most Valuable Player wants. If, however, Jackson doesn’t report for the start<\/a> of Baltimore’s mandatory minicamp on June 9, that may show that he is serious about possibly finding a new NFL home. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\nNFL teams “watching” to see if Ravens, Lamar Jackson situation gets messy?<\/h2>\n
\n
\n
What Ravens may have to give Lamar Jackson to hold onto him<\/h2>\n
\n