How Deshaun Watson, Dak Prescott may be impacting latest Lamar Jackson contract saga

Former NFL player, executive and current analyst Louis Riddick suggested that "it’s not out of the question" that the Baltimore Ravens and quarterback Lamar Jackson could part ways next offseason if the two sides don't come to terms on a contract extension. 

Jackson signed a five-year deal reportedly worth up to $260M with $185M guaranteed in the spring of 2023. Per the terms of that agreement, the Ravens cannot retain his rights after the 2027 season via the franchise tag, nor can they trade him without his consent.  

On Tuesday, NFL and Ravens insider Jason La Canfora of Sports Illustrated shared how Deshaun Watson of the Cleveland Browns and Dak Prescott of the Dallas Cowboys may be impacting ongoing discussions between Jackson and the Ravens. 

What does Lamar Jackson want attached to contract extension?

In March 2022, Watson inked a fully guaranteed five-year, $230M contract. In September 2024, Prescott reset the market for players at the position when he signed a four-year extension reportedly worth $240M with $231M guaranteed.

"It’s reasonable to conclude that he wants any additional years to be fully guaranteed, with the existing tag and trade language carried over, and with an AAV (average annual value) in excess of Prescott’s by some factor," one longtime NFL contract negotiator said about Jackson. "And you could reasonably conclude the team remains unwilling to get there." 

The Watson deal could go down as a historically bad contract from a team standpoint. While Prescott has largely been a positive for the Cowboys, he isn't a two-time MVP like Jackson. 

What Lamar Jackson deserves, per the market, compared to Dak Prescott

"It doesn’t take extraordinary detective skills to determine Jackson’s position," La Canfora explained. "He’s won another MVP since [signing his last extension] – he should have won two - and the Ravens fired a future Hall of Fame head coach to reboot due largely to an inept defense. Oh, and far lesser quarterbacks like Dak Prescott have reset the market, again, at $60M a year."

Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti basically choosing Jackson over former Baltimore head coach John Harbaugh understandably caused some to assume the signal-caller would receive the type of extension he wants this offseason. There's still plenty of time for a deal to get done before meaningful games get underway, but there's also no indication that the two sides are close to reaching an agreement.