New concerning update about Ravens, Lamar Jackson contract saga emerges

By all accounts, quarterback Lamar Jackson impressed first-year Baltimore Ravens head coach Jesse Minter and first-year offensive coordinator Declan Doyle throughout the team's offseason program.

However, Jackson and the Ravens did not come to terms on a much-discussed contract extension before the NFL's summer break got underway. For a recent Sports Illustrated piece, league insider Jason La Canfora suggested that there are three reasons why the Ravens haven't yet announced a deal some thought would be done by now. 

Is Lamar Jackson not worried about becoming the league's new highest-paid player?

Some have assumed that Jackson will want to become the league's new highest-paid player and look to better the deal that the Kansas City Chiefs recently handed Patrick Mahomes, who is now on an average salary of $64M. However, La Canfora said that "Jackson is far more concerned with full guarantee at the time of signing, and securing more than three years fully guaranteed, than he is about setting a new record for annual salary." 

La Canfora also noted that "it would seem obvious that getting four-to-five years of massive QB money fully guaranteed starting in 2027 (like Mahomes' new structure) is the wedge between them."

Jackson signed a five-year deal reportedly worth up to $260M with $185M guaranteed to stay with the Ravens in 2023 after he went public with a trade request that offseason. That contract prevents the Ravens from trading Jackson without his consent or retaining his rights for 2028 via the franchise tag. 

Meanwhile, it was said back in March that Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta was "having trouble getting" Jackson "to answer his phone and" finalize the details of an extension. According to La Canfora, the Ravens again are having "a hard time connecting with their quarterback off the field," largely because Jackson "can be a tough guy to get a hold of." 

Do Ravens have "private" Lamar Jackson concerns?

Jackson accumulated a career postseason record as a starter of 3-5 under former head coach John Harbaugh before Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti relieved Harbaugh of his duties this past January. Per La Canfora, "some of what has been hinted at and suggested and made its way around the league about what this franchise really thinks of Jackson has merit." 

La Canfora continued: "Surely this won’t be the first time you’ll have read that maybe Jackson isn’t enough of a leader. He doesn’t do enough in the offseason. They moved practice to late afternoon because of his sleep schedule. His style of play won’t age well into his 30s. He still doesn’t protect himself enough. What happens when his legs go?" 

Neither Bisciotti nor DeCosta has given any public sign that they could want to move on from Jackson at some point after the two-time Most Valuable Player turns 30 years old this coming January. That said, questions about Jackson's future will grow louder if he doesn't sign an extension before training-camp practices kick off in late July.