According to Jay Glazer, there has been major progress between the Ravens and QB Lamar Jackson on an extension.
Glazer adds a source close to Jackson told him that as long as there are no hiccups, a deal could be done any day now.
Per Ian Rapoport, the Eagles’ five-year, $255 million contract for QB Jalen Hurts actually sparked things, as the Ravens stepped up and offered a deal that trumped it.
The two sides have been stalemated all offseason and even longer, going back two years at this point. So this is a remarkable sign of progress.
Last we heard, Jackson had come off of his desire for a fully-guaranteed contract, but was still seeking a significant amount in guaranteed money. Pro Football Talk reports the deal the two sides are discussing now has a “traditional” structure.
The Ravens used the non-exclusive franchise tag on Jackson, which means Jackson has been free to meet with interested teams right now, except none have reached out so far. He requested a trade from the team back on March 2 and went public with the request at the owner meetings. Other reports indicated negotiations between the two sides had continued, however.
The Ravens and Jackson have until July 17 to negotiate a long-term deal, otherwise they’re locked into the tag for 2023.
Jackson, 26, is a former first-round pick of the Ravens back in 2018. He played out the fourth year of his four-year, $9,471,652 contract that included a $5,968,472 signing bonus.
The Ravens picked up Jackson’s fifth-year option that cost them $23 million fully guaranteed for the 2022 season. He was due to be an unrestricted free agent in 2023 when the Ravens used the non-exclusive franchise tag at a cost of $32.3 million fully guaranteed.
In 2022, Jackson appeared in 12 games for the Ravens and completed 62.3 percent of his passes for 2,242 yards, 17 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. He also rushed for 764 yards and three touchdowns.
We’ll have more on Jackson as the news is available.
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