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Lamar Jackson's Contract Talks Unchanged After Hollywood Brown Trade, Ravens GM Says
April 30, 2022
The trade of Hollywood Brown from the Baltimore Ravens to the Arizona Cardinals hasn't impacted the ongoing negotiations between the team and Lamar Jackson on a long-term extension.
General manager Eric DeCosta told reporters Saturday that "nothing has really changed on that front."
Questions immediately arose after the Brown trade, which didn't appear to be warmly welcomed by Jackson.
Jackson is entering the final year of his rookie contract and will hit the open market in 2023.
The absence of a new deal isn't a cause for panic just yet. Dak Prescott's winding road to his big payday with the Dallas Cowboys is an example of how a team and its starting quarterback can eventually let bygones be bygones. Prescott played on the franchise tag in 2020 and then signed a four-year, $160 million extension.
But it's also impossible not to contrast Jackson's situation with how the Buffalo Bills have already rewarded Josh Allen, another first-round pick in 2018, with a six-year, $258 million extension.
In March, team owner Steve Biscotti said he didn't think Jackson was in a hurry to agree to a new contract because he "is so obsessed with winning a Super Bowl" and wants to prove himself in that regard.
For his part, the 25-year-old shot down rumors that he wants out:
Nonetheless, a resolution may not be coming shortly. Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio reported on April 2 that Jackson reached out to the Ravens to say "he’s currently too focused on having his best possible year and that he doesn’t want to do a deal until the 2022 season is over."
Because of that, the cliche about no news being good news could apply. But fans would probably like to see some sort of breakthrough made between now and the start of the upcoming campaign.