The contract status of Baltimore Ravens star quarterback Lamar Jackson has been a popular storyline in recent offseasons, and justifiably so. In four years as a starter, the former first-round pick has won league MVP, appeared in two Pro Bowls, and set a handful of NFL records. He's exceptionally talented.
But the Ravens have yet to finalize a mega contract extension with Jackson. According to NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport, the 25-year-old isn't "in any rush" to sign a new deal with Baltimore, even though he's set to become an unrestricted free agent following the 2022 season. Earlier in the week, team general manager Eric DeCosta said that there's been no movement on talks because Jackson hasn't shown interest. So, what does his future hold?
"Maybe Lamar is the first of many not to hire an agent, know what he wants, then seek the deal that he wants," Baltimore sports radio host Rob Long told The Zach Gelb Show on Friday. "No one can speak for Lamar like Lamar... My prediction is two years on the franchise tag, and let's see. I don't think they sign him before at least one tag. I think that he gets two. I don't know how it ends up, but I don't see Lamar signing with a team that franchises him twice."
Despite his list of achievements at such a young age, Jackson's production level last season was far from eye-popping. To his standards, the campaign was subpar, as he racked up 2,882 yards with 16 touchdowns and a career-high 13 interceptions. Jackson also missed the final four weeks of the year due to an ankle injury, and failed to produce a third consecutive 1,000-yard rushing season (767 yards on 133 attempts).
In the meantime, Jackson is set to play next season on a $23 million fifth-year option. His current market value is listed at a $215 million across five seasons, according to Spotrac, and with an average salary of $43.1 million, this contract would make Jackson the NFL's second-highest paid quarterback and second-highest paid player. For comparison, Buffalo Bills star quarterback Josh Allen signed a six-year, $258 million deal last summer. That AAV is nearly identical.
The entire Ravens conversation between Long and Gelb can be accessed in the audio player above.
You can follow The Zach Gelb Show on Twitter @ZachGelb and Tom Hanslin @TomHanslin.