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Lamar Jackson wants more guaranteed money than Deshaun Watson

Griffin Crest / NFL / February 25, 2023

Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson is looking to get a massive payday this offseason

With all the drama surfacing around where MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson is going, one thing is certain. Jackson wants to get paid a lot of money. According to ESPN, Jackson wants more guaranteed money than Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson.

Jackson has been one of the most explosive running quarterbacks the NFL has seen in years. With that running, Jackson has been prone to injuries in his short NFL career.

Since 2020, Jackson has suffered five injuries, including one in 2022, a Grade 2 Knee PCL Sprain, that forced him to miss the final six games in the Ravens season. His absence was felt in the team’s Wild Card matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals. With these injuries, the Ravens have been in quite the pickle in coming up with a deal with the MVP quarterback.

Will Lamar Jackson Get His Bag?

In September, Jackson turned down a five-year, $250 million contract with $133 million guaranteed. This deal was far less than Watson’s contract. In his contract, the Browns guaranteed Watson $230 million.

“According to a source with knowledge of Jackson’s contract negotiations, all of his counteroffers to the Ravens last year were for fully guaranteed contracts that exceeded that of Watson,” Jeremy Fowler and Jamison Hensley wrote in their report for ESPN.

Is The Lamar Jackson Era Officially Over In Baltimore?

This year, the NFL’s franchise tag window opened up on Feb. 21 and will close on March 7. The franchise tag value for quarterbacks in 2023 is $29,504,000, but the exclusive franchise tag for quarterbacks is $45.248 million.

The exclusive franchise tag means that the player who is tagged keeps them away from communicating deals with other teams. While the exclusive tag doesn’t allow the player to communicate, the non-exclusive allows teams to match it.

With Jackson’s injury history, I assume it will force the Ravens to tag Jackson before the deadline. This will allow Baltimore to explore trades with other teams for the former MVP.

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