Rapoport: Lamar Jackson Isn't Seeking a Fully Guaranteed Contract amid Trade Rumors

Lamar Jackson may not be seeking a fully guaranteed contract after all, despite previous reports to the contrary.

The NFL Network's Ian Rapoport appeared on The Pat McAfee Show Tuesday and added more details to Jackson's contractual expectations.

"I have not heard that there are contract demands from Lamar Jackson," he said. "People think that he wants a fully guaranteed deal. ... I do not believe that he only wants a fully guaranteed deal. He wants a lot of fully guaranteed money. So if it's a five-year deal, it's not like he would say, 'Oh, I must have $250 million fully guaranteed.' He just wants the full guarantee to be, basically, commensurate with his abilities."

In September, ESPN's Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen reported that the Ravens "also balked at Jackson's wish for a deal that was fully guaranteed at signing" and that Jackson turned down a "five-year extension offer worth over $250 million with $133 million guaranteed at signing."

The general assumption since has been that the hang-up in negotiations between the sides has been Jackson's desire to have his deal fully guaranteed, similar to the $230 million fully guaranteed deal Deshuan Watson received from the Cleveland Browns.

Neither the Ravens nor Jackson came to an agreement after over a year of negotiations, and the Ravens used the non-exclusive tag on Jackson this offseason. On Monday, Jackson tweeted that he had requested a trade earlier in March:

Despite Jackson's tweet, Rapoport reported on Monday that Jackson and the Ravens had still been negotiating a potential contract as recently as last week:

At this point, a few possible resolutions remain. The least likely is that Jackson could sign an offer sheet with another team, which the Ravens could either match and retain him or decline and receive two first-round picks from the signing team.

That seems unlikely, however—teams don't seem particularly inclined to negotiate a deal for Jackson that the Ravens will almost assuredly match.

The next possibility, and the one Jackson either wants or is using as a negotiation tactic, is a sign-and-trade.

There remains the possibility that Jackson and the Ravens could agree to a new deal, ending this saga once and for all.

And there is the nuclear option, which is none of the above happening—Jackson refusing to sign his contract tender and sitting out the 2023 season potentially. That's the worst-case scenario for everyone involved.

So, we wait. At some point, Jackson is going to be a rich man. The questions remaining are how rich, when exactly will he get his money and which team is going to be paying him?