Despite the bombshell news that Lamar Jackson officially requested a trade from the Baltimore Ravens earlier this month, the two sides are still very much in discussions on a contract extension.
Jackson stunned the football world on Monday when he took to his Twitter account to thank fans for their support and revealed that he had formally asked to be traded from the Ravens earlier this month.
The news was the strongest public confirmation that the two-time Pro Bowler was ready to end his tenure with the team that selected him in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft. It also seemed to put some pressure on the organization, and maybe that was the plan all along because despite that request weeks ago, the two sides are still on solid terms and have been trying to agree to a contract extension since then.
On Monday, NFL insider Ian Rapoport reported that things have not soured between the two sides and they are still trying to find a middle ground on a potential deal to keep the one-time NFL MVP in Baltimore for years to come.
“This is about money, this is about business. This is not about a soured relationship between a player and a team. It’s just about finding his right value. The reason I believe that is because sources have told me, over the course of the last week, while the trade request was already in those two sides have been negotiating a potential deal. Obviously, they’re not anywhere yet, but the fact that Lamar Jackson’s been engaged with the team does show you it appears this is more about money than it is about feelings."
Jackson is representing himself in negotiations, so that is probably why he has continually bucked the normal trends of contract talks and often made his stance known on social media or through connections in media.
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