The Baltimore Ravens have gotten plenty of criticism for how they’ve dealt with Lamar Jackson’s contract situation.
The fans, the media, and even the players have called them out for not paying their MVP and giving him the guaranteed money he’s asking for, so it wasn’t a surprise to see them placing him under the non-exclusive franchise tag.
However, as cruel as it may seem, there’s one guy that actually thinks what GM Eric DeCosta is doing is a bit of a genius move.
NFL analyst Chris Collinworth explained why this was such a brilliant tactic by the Ravens, mostly because Jackson is on his own in the negotiations and because he doesn’t have an agent.
Collinsworth added that it’s become evident that not many teams would be willing to offer him a fully guaranteed contract after failing to finish the last two seasons due to multiple injuries, citing that the Ravens could get a couple of first-round picks if that were to be the case.
“I actually think the Ravens are brilliant with what they’re doing,” Collinsworth said on FanDuel’s Up and Adams. “Because, remember, Lamar doesn’t have an agent. He’s still on this himself. So, at some point, they’re telling him — and this is the hard part when you’re your own representative — ‘Lamar, we can’t do a fully guaranteed contract; we’re just not doing that.’”
.@CollinsworthPFF shares his thoughts on Lamar Jackson’s franchise tag:⁰⁰ “I actually think the Ravens are brilliant with what they’re doing.”
📺: @FanDuelTV | @heykayadams pic.twitter.com/aaDw3waf5n
—Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) March 8, 2023
Per Collinsworth, the Ravens have pretty much put Jackson against the wall with this move, and he’ll have no choice but to cave, eventually.
Of course, there will always be some injury concerns with a player who scrambles as often and takes as many hits as Jackson does.
But it’s crazy to think that no one in the league is willing to take a chance on him after all he’s done.
It was one thing to pass on him in the NFL Draft when he hadn’t proven himself, but are they really gonna make the same mistake twice? It sure seems like it.
NEXT:
Stephen A. Smith Bashes Ravens GM Over Lamar Jackson Decision
