Lamar Jackson Plans To End Extension Talks At Start Of Regular Season

Ravens QB Lamar Jackson told reporters that he plans to cut off extension talks at the start of the regular season.

“We’re coming up to it. It’s coming up,” Jackson said when asked about a hard deadline, via ESPN.com. “The season’s coming up. We’re going to be good for the season.”

Jackson was asked if he wants to get an extension in place before Week 1, to which he replied: “Yeah, for sure.”

Ravens HC John Harbaugh has said that he expects a deal to get done in due time. 

“I’m very confident that it will get done when it gets done,” Harbaugh said. “You can’t really rush it. I don’t think either side wants to rush anything; both sides want to be happy when it’s all said and done, and probably both sides unhappy when it’s all said and done, to some degree, right? That’s kind of how it works.”

Jason La Canfora previously reported that the two parties were in active contract talks and have been exchanging contract proposals for a while. 

Jackson doesn’t have an agent and represents himself in an extremely close circle, so there’s little info from his camp. That’s led to some speculation about why these negotiations are playing out differently, with a theory circulating that Jackson is trying to play out his option and two franchise tags before hitting free agency in 2025.

Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes ($45 million a year) and Bills QB Josh Allen ($43 million a year) are some potential comparisons for what Jackson could receive on an extension, and since then the market has moved even further with Packers QB Aaron Rodgers signing for $50 million a year and the Browns giving QB Deshaun Watson $46 million a year on a fully guaranteed five-year deal. 

Jackson, 25, is a former first-round pick of the Ravens back in 2018. He just finished the fourth year of his four-year, $9,471,652 contract that included a $5,968,472 signing bonus.

The Ravens picked up Jackson’s fifth-year option that will cost them $23 million fully guaranteed for the 2022 season, but won’t prevent them from working on an extension. 

In 2021, Jackson appeared in 12 games for the Ravens and completed 64.4 percent of his passes for 2,882 yards, 16 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions. He also rushed for 767 yards and two touchdowns.

We’ll have more on Jackson as the news is available.