Lamar Jackson says contract talks are ongoing, but the cut-off is Friday
BALITMORE -- Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson said he's still talking with the team about a contract extension, but his Week 1 deadline is fast approaching.
In fact, he clarified Wednesday, the cut-off is Friday, two days before the Ravens take on the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
"Kickoff, I will not be talking about a contract," he said. "I'm thinking straight Jets around kickoff time."
Are the two sides any closer to a deal than they were at the start of training camp? Jackson, who is representing himself instead of enlisting the services of an agent, wouldn't say.
"I have no clue," he told reporters. "You'll have to ask the guy I'm talking to, you'll have to talk to the GM about that."
The franchise quarterback is entering the fifth and final year of his rookie deal, coming back from a bone bruise in his ankle that effectively cost Jackson the final five games of the season.
Baltimore was 7-5 with Jackson under center and 1-4 without him, marking the first losing campaign since the quarterback was taken with the last pick in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft.
In Jackson's four seasons with the team, the Ravens have a record of 43-22, reaching the playoffs in his first three years. And the team's run-first offense is tailor made for Jackson's skillset.
The absence of a contract doesn't mean Jackson will be donning a new uniform in 2023.
Between Feb. 21 and March 7, the Ravens can place the franchise tag on Jackson before the start of the next league year, effectively extending the window to negotiate a multi-year extension. If no deal is reached by the summer, the player can sign a one-year contract with his current club; this year, the deadline was July 15 at 4 p.m.
A non-exclusive franchise tag is worth the average of the top five salaries at a position over the last five years, or 120 percent of the player's previous salary, whichever is greater, according to NFL.com. A player has the right to negotiate with other teams, and his current team can match that deal or refuse it and receive two first-round picks.
An exclusive franchise tag is worth the average of the top five salaries at a position in the current year, and players who receive the tag cannot negotiate with other teams.
Teams can also use the transition tag, which is the average of the top 10 salaries at a position. But players can still negotiate with other teams. A player's current team has the right of first refusal to match any contract offer, but it does not receive compensation for letting the player sign elsewhere.
In 2022, the franchise tag player figure for quarterbacks was $29.703 million and the transition tag figure was $27.186 million, according to an article on NFL.com.
On Wednesday, Jackson said he didn't see any risk in heading into the 2022 season without a new deal done.
"I'm just playing football, anything can happen," he said. "But God forbid the wrong thing happens -- I'm keeping God first and just playing ball, like I've been doing."
And he's not worried that he didn't play a single snap in the preseason.
"I just haven't gotten tackled yet, that's about it," he said. "But I'm gonna still do what Lamar do."
