Ravens' preferred contact path for Lamar Jackson revealed
The Baltimore Ravens know that one thing is stopping them from adding to their roster this offseason, and also signing key free agents.
And that's Lamar Jackson's contract.
It has been talked about for months, as Jackson's $74.5 million cap hit isn't tenable for the Ravens, and there have been reports that the franchise would like to extend him, and if that can't be done, a simple contract restructure would take place.
But for ESPN's Dan Graziano, he's detailed that the Ravens have a path they would prefer to take when it comes to Lamar's contract.
"Baltimore would like to finalize a contract extension with quarterback Lamar Jackson, who has two years left on his deal at $53 million per season," Graziano wrote. "He has $29 million of his 2026 salary guaranteed, but no other guarantees beyond that. And his salary cap number is set to swell to $74.5 million this year.
"Jackson still doesn't use an agent, and that has led to some complications in these kinds of talks between him and the team in the past, so it's hard to handicap the Ravens' chances of getting it done."
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Will Ravens work out Jackson's contract?One way or another, they will; it's just a matter of what avenue they go down.
A restructure is the quick way, but as Graziano pointed out, it will add more void years to Lamar's contract, which already has a couple. So, the Ravens, ideally, don't want to push more money into the future.
That means Baltimore is after an extension, and with no agent to buffer between it and Jackson, things can get a little tricky.
Free agency is fast approaching, and time is running out for both sides to get a deal done.
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