The Baltimore Ravens have had a relatively quiet offseason when it comes to major moves and additions. They re-signed left tackle Ronnie Stanley to somewhat of a team-friendly deal, keeping him in Baltimore on a three-year, $60 million contract. They also signed former All-Pro wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins to strengthen their group of receivers. And in the NFL Draft, the Ravens selected Georgia safety Malaki Starks in the first round and followed that up by taking the FBS leader in sacks, Mike Green, out of Marshall in the second round.
One move that the Ravens haven’t gotten done yet, though, is a new contract for Lamar Jackson. The two-time MVP still has years left on his current deal, but the Ravens reportedly want to get something done to ensure that Jackson is locked up for the long, foreseeable future.
Appearing on SportsCenter, ESPN NFL insider Jeremy Fowler reports that the Ravens may be looking to take a page out of the book of the Buffalo Bills and approach Jackson’s extension the same way the Bills did with Josh Allen.
“The sense here around the league is that Baltimore could follow the blueprint that Buffalo put together back in March when they extended Josh Allen, even though he had multiple years left on his contract,” Jeremy Fowler said. “The feeling is [the Ravens want to] get ahead of that huge quarterback market money in three or four years from now. Just pay your guy now when he’s got multiple years left on his current deal.”
Allen was given a six-year, $330 million contract by the Bills earlier this offseason. When you look at the current quarterback market, all of the quarterbacks who needed paid have gotten contracts. Allen, Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow, Trevor Lawrence, Jordan Love, Dak Prescott, Brock Purdy – all have big deals. The next crop of guys to get huge deals won’t be for at least another year. C.J. Stroud will likely be the next guy to get a huge deal, while Jayden Daniels, Caleb Williams, and Drake Maye are still a ways away. Getting ahead of the curve and getting Jackson paid now rather than later does make a good bit of sense for the Ravens.
