NFL Rumors: Lamar Jackson, Ravens Had Contract Talks Last Week amid Trade Request

Lamar Jackson tweeted on Monday morning that he requested a trade from the Baltimore Ravens on March 2.

But according to a report from Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the two sides were still holding contract negotiations as of last week:

Despite Monday's tweet, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh told reporters that he still believes Jackson will be with Baltimore this season.

"You got to plan for all the contingencies for sure," he said. "I'm pretty fired up about Lamar Jackson. Lamar Jackson is a great player. Lamar came back in great shape last year. He's fired up to play. That's the Lamar that I'm looking forward to seeing."

"That's the guy I want to see be our quarterback. That's my guy," he added. "We made a decision to go with Lamar Jackson five years ago. Why? Because we love him. We love the way he plays, we love his mindset, his charisma, his style—everything about him we love."

So much of Jackson's situation remains in limbo. Because the Ravens used the non-exclusive tag on him, he's free to sign offer sheets with other teams. But that likely hasn't gained much traction because teams assume the Ravens will just match any offer sheet and don't want to do Baltimore's negotiating for them.

The Ravens could always decline the offer sheet and receive two first-round picks in return, but it's hard to imagine the Ravens turning down a market-dictated contract for a former MVP.

So the alternatives are signing Jackson to a long-term extension, or Jackson signing his franchise tender and the Ravens agreeing to a sign-and-trade deal with another team. Based on Harbaugh's comments, he's hoping for the former resolution, while Jackson's tweet indicates he's ready for the latter option, though that may simply be a negotiating tactic given Rapoport's report.

"Lamar is doing a good job in negotiations," Harbaugh told reporters. "So is [Ravens executive vice president and general manager Eric DeCosta]. I know where we are at. There is no frustration. I feel OK about this."