It didn’t should be this manner for Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens. Jackson, who revealed that he had requested a trade on March 2 in a Twitter publish on Monday, mentioned that he felt the team didn’t “meet his worth” in contract negotiations.
The Ravens used the non-exclusive franchise tag on Jackson on March 7, a young value $32.416 million in 2023, that additionally permits that star quarterback, who represents himself, to barter with different groups.
It leaves Jackson with an unsure future. But it surely by no means needed to be that means.
The truth is, the Ravens may have prevented Jackson from ever being disgruntled within the first place.
Not solely did the team bungle the contract negotiations with Jackson, however their strategy to team-building failed the dual-threat quarterback.
Right here’s how the Ravens fumbled the bag with Lamar Jackson.
Ravens’ team-building strategy round Jackson
The Ravens merely haven’t maximized alternatives to construct the very best roster round Jackson. Since he grew to become the team’s full-time starter in 2019, the team prioritized drafting extra receivers than they ever had.
After Jackson was picked within the 2018 NFL Draft, the Ravens used eight of their subsequent 47 picks on broad receivers.
How has that funding paid off? Not nicely.
Baltimore broad receivers rank final within the NFL in receptions, receiving yards and first downs since 2018, per ESPN Stats and Data.
Not solely have the Ravens whiffed on some elite NFL Draft abilities, reminiscent of AJ Brown and Deebo Samuel, however the gamers they did choose haven’t even been ok to provide them league-average manufacturing out of the place.
To make issues worse, different groups with dual-threat quarterbacks, such because the Philadelphia Eagles and Arizona Cardinals, have went out and brought a giant swing for an elite broad receiver.
Cardinals’ Murray points apart, each the Arizona signal-caller and the Eagles’ Jalen Hurts took steps ahead after the team invested in an alpha-type wideout.
Why couldn’t the Ravens do the identical for Jackson?
Ravens’ Greg Roman rent throughout Jackson’s tenure
Let’s be honest right here. The Greg Roman rent began off with a bang, as Jackson, in his first full yr as a starter, fired 36 landing passes whereas setting the all-time document with probably the most speeding yards by a quarterback in a single season.
Merely put, Jackson took the NFL by storm.
However quick ahead to 2020 and it appeared as if the league had figured Jackson and the Ravens out.
Jackson, throughout a 2020 look on The Wealthy Eisen Present, mentioned that opposing defenses would “call out our plays” on the line of scrimmage.
In different phrases, defenses knew precisely what Roman was dialing up earlier than the play even started.
And this, coming from the franchise quarterback, was occurring in simply Roman’s second yr because the team’s offensive coordinator.
Groups can get away with not executing. Some groups can get by even when they’re a tad bit too predictable.
No team’s offense has any probability of success if the protection is aware of precisely what they’re about to do.
And it’s not as if the Ravens made many changes from yr to yr.
Baltimore ranked first within the league in factors per sport in 2019. They fell to seventh in 2020, seventeenth in 2021 and nineteenth in 2022.
What about these outcomes was impressing the Ravens a lot?
And if that wasn’t dangerous sufficient, it wasn’t simply Jackson who was complaining.
ESPN’s Robert Griffin III, a former QB for the Ravens, claimed that broad receivers “hate” Roman’s offense.
Not solely have the Ravens surrounded Jackson with less-than-stellar expertise, however the teaching employees merely hasn’t been ok.
Isn’t it ironic that Baltimore employed ex-Georgia play-caller Todd Monken, however Jackson may quickly be out the door?
Baltimore’s contract negotiations with Jackson
The Ravens have been fast accountable the division-rival Cleveland Browns and their large Deshaun Watson contract for being a stumbling block to getting issues accomplished with their very own quarterback.
That’s honest.
However what if Baltimore may have inked Jackson to a brand new deal lengthy earlier than the ink dried on Watson’s megadeal?
In any case, in a pass-happy league, quarterbacks were- and are- solely going to get pricier (See Daniel Jones contract)
Certainly the Ravens knew this once they had a possibility to barter a contract with Jackson earlier than his fourth season.
Jackson reportedly turned down the Ravens’ $250 million contract supply that featured $133 million assured in September, with the latter half a sticking level for Jackson in talks with the team.
One can think about that Jackson’s calls for have since elevated.
The Ravens have mentioned that they need Jackson round for a very long time and need to win Tremendous Bowls with him.
But it surely simply looks as if their actions, from the draft room to the sector to the negotiating desk, haven’t matched that sentiment.
