The Baltimore Ravens recently agreed a contract extension with Lamar Jackson. In retrospect, however, those responsible are surprised why no other NFL team approached the quarterback.
Jackson’s previous contract expired at the start of the offseason. The Ravens then gave the signal caller a non-exclusive franchise tag that binds the player to his employer for another year. However, interested parties would still have been able to negotiate a trade with Baltimore.
The expected offers ultimately did not materialize, which, according to General Manager Eric DeCosta, caused astonishment in Maryland. “Was I surprised? Probably a bit, but at the end of the day every team has to see who it is, how it’s structured, what’s important to it,” said the 52-year-old on “Pro Football Talk”.
DeCosta then drew parallels to this year’s NFL Draft. There, the organizations also made very different judgments about the available talent. “Each team rates these guys differently,” the Ravens squad planner concluded.
Baltimore had an advantage over other NFL teams
However, DeCosta had another explanation for the lack of offers regarding Lamar Jackson. The quarterback was on the payroll for the coming year anyway because of the non-exclusive franchise tag. According to their general manager, this planning certainty gave Baltimore an advantage.
“We already had the $32 million as a placeholder for our salary cap,” DeCosta calculated. “Other teams didn’t do that. It’s a problem for other teams. So in the end it was a calculated gamble I’d say.”
The patience of those involved paid off for all parties in the end. On Thursday, Lamar Jackson signed a five-year contract that pays him $52 million per season. This makes the play caller the highest-paid player in the NFL.
The Ravens, in turn, can congratulate themselves on having tied their franchise quarterback to Baltimore for the long term.