Ravens' Roquan Smith Comments on Lamar Jackson's Future After Receiving New Contract

Baltimore Ravens linebacker Roquan Smith was able to work out an extension with the team just two months after being acquired in a trade, but he's not going to try to influence Lamar Jackson's contract talks this offseason.

Speaking to NFL.com's Grant Gordon, Smith explained he definitely wants Jackson to remain with the Ravens, but he's not going to talk about his contract status because " all our situations are unique in their own way."

"It would be wrong of me to try to go in and say this or that, because his situation is clearly different than mine, so I can't really go in there and say you should do this or that," Smith said. "He's a grown man at the end of the day, and he's gonna do what he feels is best for him and I support him just from one man to another."

After trading two draft picks and A.J. Klein to the Chicago Bears to acquire Smith on Oct. 31, the Ravens agreed to make him the highest-paid linebacker in the NFL last month.

Per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Smith agreed to a five-year, $100 million extension that includes $45 million fully guaranteed and $60 million in total guarantees.

The addition of Roquan Smith completely transformed Baltimore's defense. The unit held opponents to 14.6 points per game over the final nine weeks of the regular season. The Jacksonville Jaguars and Cincinnati Bengals were the only teams that scored more than 20 points against them during that span.

Jackson wasn't around for the final six games of the season, including the playoff loss to the Bengals. He suffered a sprained PCL in the first quarter of the Ravens' 10-9 win over the Denver Broncos in Week 13.

Negotiations between the Ravens and Jackson dating back to last offseason have yet to produce positive results.

ESPN's Chris Mortensen and Adam Schefter reported prior to the start of the regular season that Jackson turned down a five-year, $250 million extension that included $133 million guaranteed.

According to Mortensen and Schefter, Jackson was seeking a fully-guaranteed deal similar to the five-year, $230 million contract Deshaun Watson signed with the Cleveland Browns.

It's unclear where things stand between Jackson and the Ravens at this point, but it seems unlikely he will play for another team in 2023. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport said this week on The Pat McAfee Show the "sense" is Baltimore will use the exclusive franchise tag on the 2019 NFL MVP.

This was the second consecutive year that Jackson missed an extended period of time at the end of the regular season because of an injury. He sat out the final five weeks of the 2021 campaign with a bone bruise on his ankle.

Jackson finished the 2022 season with 2,242 passing yards and 764 rushing yards. He accounted for 20 touchdowns in 12 games.