NEWSLETTER
One week after the new league year — and the official free agency period began — Lamar Jackson has no offer sheets from other teams. None. Zero. There hasn’t even been chatter regarding teams being interested in Jackson.
However, it’s essential to remember that a lack of rumored interest could be attributed to Lamar Jackson representing himself in this particular instance. Agents and teams are usually the sources of leaked information, and frequently as a negotiating tactic. So, Lamar’s small circle could be the reason for the lack of information flying around the Twitterverse.
But it seems his circle isn’t as small as we thought …
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk wrote on Tuesday that sources had told him that a representative of Lamar — who is unregistered with the NFLPA as an agent — has been contacting teams on Jackson’s behalf.
“Per multiple sources, a representative for Jackson has contacted more than one team in an effort to spark negotiations aimed at a possible offer sheet. The representative is not certified by the NFL Players Association.”
Florio continued: “As one source explained it, the person has said that Jackson does not want a fully-guaranteed contract. Some regard this as a possible exercise in semantics, with Jackson still wanting a very significant amount fully guaranteed — up to $200 million or more — with one more non-guaranteed year on the back end.”
So, we’ve got a Roquan Smith situation on our hands. If you’re a Bears fan, you’ll remember this situation. In August, Florio reported the Smith news, saying that someone claiming to be a representative of Smith was calling teams to gauge interest in a trade for the All-Pro linebacker. The problem? Smith doesn’t have an agent. Furthermore, the confidant, later identified as Saint Omni, wasn’t registered as an agent with the NFL Players Association.
After the Smith incident, the NFL sent a memo to all 32 teams reminding them that teams are not permitted to negotiate with non-NFLPA-certified agents.
Ultimately, Smith was traded to the Ravens in November and eventually secured a contract extension. Without an agent. With the Ravens. So, doing business and handing out a player-friendly deal with a player without an agent isn’t new for the Ravens.
But that’s not the most important part latest Lamar Jackson report …
Anyway, back to Lamar. Florio’s report tells us two vital things:
The latter is the most crucial detail in the report. Lamar has reportedly had enough and wants out. That’s not surprising. Still, it adds another wrinkle to the volatile dynamic.
Even if Lamar never gets an offer sheet from another team, or the Ravens match one that he does get, they have to worry about him showing up to camp. In the NFL — and most of the modern-day pro sports landscape — if a player wants out badly enough, they’ll usually get their wish.
If an offer sheet does come along, the Ravens have the decision to make. Do they risk turning down two first-rounders to potentially have to trade a disgruntled Jackson down the line for less? That’s a tremendous gamble to take. But, on the other hand, it’s a very unenviable position to be in.
Baltimore may have to look at an offer sheet coming in as the best-case scenario for their franchise in 2023 and beyond. The Lamar Jackson situation has been quiet. But it’s just getting started.
