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The Ravens’ season officially ended at 11:17 PM ET on a cold Sunday night in Cincinnati. In the AFC Wild Card Round he lost 24-17 to the Bengals, and when the Ravens stepped onto the team his bus, the subject of much thought was back in Baltimore.
Quarterback Lamar Jackson didn’t play against the Bengals or sit on the sidelines with his other teammates. The Ravens’ season ended for the second straight year while Jackson recovered from his injury. He missed the team’s final six games of the 2022-23 season with a knee sprain, which was not initially thought to be the end of the season. His extended absence, and the way head coach John Harbaugh answered questions about it, have sparked endless speculation about his status and place on the team.
Speculation like this won’t go away until the Ravens and quarterbacks find a solution. Whether it’s a contract extension, an agreement to play for the franchise in his tag for 2023, or a trade, it’s a solution to a situation that’s already plagued the team. Long, last month seems to have taken a turn in the wrong direction.
The fact that there is even debate about whether Jackson will be the team’s quarterback next season is proof of that.
“Hopefully he’ll be back,” Ravens Pro Bowl tight end Mark Andrews summed up public sentiment in the locker room on Monday. “That’s my man. As a person, as a player, as a friend, I have nothing but love and respect for No. 8. I love that man. I hope he comes back.”
The Ravens held their final team meeting Monday afternoon at the Under Armor Performance Center. Players said Harbaugh’s message was positive, encouraging them to build on what they’ve accomplished this season, focus on improving, and take the next step as a team. There was a lingering feeling that I should be preparing to play in a divisional playoff game.
The Ravens dominated the reigning AFC champion Bengals for much of Sunday’s game, but couldn’t overcome Tyler Huntley’s 4th quarter fumble just outside the end zone and Sam Hubbard’s 98-yard touch. It was a fitting end to the team’s season as the Ravens were unable to consistently win while the game was unbalanced. In fact, they were too often their own worst enemies.
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“The core of the team is in a very good place to do some really great things in the future, but even then, especially when I watch that tape, I feel like, ‘How did I lose that?’ It’s hard, said Ravens defensive end Curry Campbell. “I feel like we missed one. No, that’s exactly it.
After Monday’s brief team meeting, many of the players returned to the locker room to pack their belongings into commercial-size trash bags. Some players exchanged hugs and phone numbers and vowed to stay in touch.
Not all of the 2022 campaign can easily be left in the rearview mirror. As the Ravens players sat in front of their lockers, they recall being asked, one by one, about their disappointment with Jackson not returning to play and their views on Jackson’s future with the team. I remembered.
“You can’t let a guy like him go,” Campbell said. “I know it’s football, and there’s always new exciting toys, new exciting kids who have the potential to be out there and be great, but[Jackson]is famous.” He’s a great player and I think it’s in the Ravens organization’s best interest to sign him to a long-term contract and make him part of our team. They’re smart guys, they’ve always built teams that are competitive for some reason, so I’m sure they’ll get it done, but you never know.”
Harbaugh and general manager Eric DeCoster have repeatedly said they view Jackson as a franchise quarterback. They have so far dismissed any proposal otherwise. However, contract negotiations for a long-term extension between DeCoster and Jackson, who represented himself, failed to produce a compromise and carried on until this offseason.
The Ravens don’t want to offer Jackson a fully guaranteed deal, and there are no numbers in the coming months that would change that decision. Jackson has never publicly stated that a contract that is not fully insured is a breach of contract. However, the quarterback is believed to have turned down his $250 million extension offer, which included a $133 million bond.
The proposed deal eclipsed the recent contract extensions of quarterbacks Russell Wilson and Kyler Murray, but was guaranteed a league-high $230 million for Deshawn Watson from the Cleveland Browns. The Ravens view the Watson deal as an outlier, and their stance is bolstered by the quarterback’s not fully guaranteed contract. But this offseason could change if Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert get extensions.
Either way, barring significant compromises on both sides, I don’t expect the Ravens and Jackson to reach an agreement by March 7, the final day of the 15-day window to apply the franchise tag to pending free agents. It’s also unthinkable for the Ravens to risk losing Jackson for nothing, creating a sense of tag inevitability.
But that in itself begs the question. Will the Ravens use an exclusive tag with a hefty projected price tag of $45 million that prevents Jackson from negotiating with other teams? would choose a non-exclusive tag that could sign an offer sheet with another team? You have the opportunity to earn
There’s also the question of how Jackson will react to the tag and whether he will threaten to leave the team, making it very difficult to prepare for the 2023 season without starting quarterback on the field.
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The Ravens should also go the tag-and-trade route to buy more time to reach an agreement with Jackson and keep their options open even if another team blows them off with an offer. Given Jackson’s importance to the team, his popularity with the fanbase, DeCoster’s relationship with Harbaugh, and the fact that the Ravens simply don’t have a suitable replacement for the man they built, trade Jackson. The idea would have seemed silly a year ago. around their attacks.
However, much has been questioned over the last 10 months about whether the Ravens’ and Jackson’s marriage should be treated as a formality. struggled for a good portion of the season. These struggles certainly can’t be all limited to Jackson.DeCoster’s failure to bolster his wide receiver room was a huge blunder, especially after trading Marquise Brown on the first night of the 2022 draft. . The entire offense appears to be flat under playcaller Greg Roman, and there are legitimate questions as to whether Roman will return.
However, Jackson has failed to make strides as a passer this season, frequently missing open receivers or not looking in their direction. He hasn’t consistently made good decisions either. Jackson has also struggled to stay on the field, especially during key parts of the season. He’s been without his 10-game streak from December through January, and his absence has pretty much ruined the team’s chances of making the playoffs. It’s certainly not his fault that he got hurt, in both cases during pocket maneuvers.
“When it came to Lamar’s body, I never questioned his tactics,” the Ravens said left tackle Ronnie Stanley. “He knows what’s going on in his body more than we all know. I felt the same way about my situation. It might look fine to the average person.” Hmm, there are a lot of things that someone can seem to do, but when you do this at a high level, you’ll know if it’s effective. I trust Lamar and he knows the same. ”
Stanley said Jackson’s status doesn’t drain him. …he is a competitor and he wants to win. This is his team, this is his attack. Money isn’t the most important thing for Lamar. Contrary to popular belief, he really wants to win. “
Lamar Jackson is 45-16 as a starter in five seasons with Baltimore. (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
In recent days, a number of Ravens players have defended Jackson, reporting he has fallen out of favor in the locker room. He said he knew he wouldn’t play the way he was limping around the facility.
Still, locker room frustration has been palpable in recent weeks, even if it wasn’t directed at Jackson. The Ravens believed they were strong enough to reach the Super Bowl this season, but only if Jackson was healthy and playing. It made me think about what would have happened to the players, especially the defensive players, without him.
“From a selfish point of view, I think it comes to your mind, but you have to do the right thing. If he’s not healthy and you see him walking here every day Then you can’t force someone to play it,” Clark said.
However, Jackson clearly isn’t doing himself any favors in his particular case. His insistence on not having an agent added an extra layer of difficulty to an already delicate contract negotiation. While helpful, his approach to negotiations, rehab, season preparation, etc. has not always been in line with the Ravens’ preferred methods. I’m not saying it spawned it, but it’s certainly relevant to my conversations with quarterbacks about the future of the organization.
It also enraged team decision makers over how Jackson reacted in certain situations. ’ and that Tyler Linderbaum was the pick Baltimore received on the deal was nerve-wracking. De Costa and Harbaugh had had candid discussions with Jackson about the team’s plans, and the quarterback certainly knew Brown wanted to decline. Affected.
During the season, Jackson created unnecessary drama with vulgar tweets in response to fan criticism of the quarterback and his offense after a loss to Jacksonville. Then, three days before the Bengals were eliminated in the playoffs, he surprised team officials by providing injury details that seemed to contradict the team’s initial diagnosis and Harbaugh’s injury message. I got a tweet.
Jackson hasn’t spoken to reporters since days before he suffered a knee sprain on the final play of the first quarter of their Week 13 win against the Denver Broncos. was away, he was seen wearing a purple Ravens starter jacket in the hallway outside, conversing with his teammates and facility staff.
Jackson posted Quote to his Instagram page early in the day.
“When you have something good, you don’t play with it. Because if you cherish the good things, the good things will cherish you.”
Was Jackson sending a message to the Ravens? It’s impossible to know for sure, but it’s been interpreted as such in some circles, leading to stories of recent quarterbacks and teams not exactly matching. It just added. That story probably won’t go away anytime soon.
(Photo above: Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images)
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