The intrigue surrounding Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson reached a fever pitch this week -- and even a star of the small screen is weighing in.
The Ravens turned heads when they used the non-exclusive franchise tag on Jackson for the 2023 season, opening up the possibility that he could negotiate a long-term contract with another team, which the Ravens would then have to decide on whether to match it.
But the development seemed to be hampered when several teams were quickly reported to not be interested in pursuing Jackson, which led to widespread speculation that NFL teams were colluding in order to keep the terms of Jackson's next contract in check.
But it wasn't just journalists and fans who were wondering if something was amiss, with veteran actor and Seattle Seahawks superfan Rainn Wilson joining the fray on Thursday night.
"Lamar Jackson is getting weirdly screwed by the NFL... collusion?" Wilson asked. "Probably. Why would the Falcons, Panthers, Raiders & Commanders all say they weren't interested, an hour after non-exclusive franchise tag?"
Wilson, who starred for nearly a decade as office drone Dwight Schrute on the beloved NBC sitcom "The Office," added that Jackson is a "winner," and teams should be lining up to sign him.
"Next level & a winner! They should be doing backflips to sign a long-term deal."
Jackson's apparent impasse with the Ravens comes after years of futile negotiations over a long-term contract extension.
The 2019 NFL MVP is reportedly seeking a fully guaranteed contract on par with the one secured last offseason by Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson.
The Ravens are said to be reluctant to make the deal fully guaranteed, in a move that would have wide-ranging ramifications for players and teams around the league.
Essentially, the Ravens appear to be taking a stand against fully guaranteed contracts in solidarity with the other 31 teams in the league, in hopes of making Watson's deal an outlier rather than the norm.
Whether Jackson will receive offers of any type -- let alone fully guaranteed ones -- remains to be seen. If he does, and he accepts it, the Ravens can either match the offer and retain him, or let him leave via free agency and recoup two first-round draft picks from the signing team.
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