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Baltimore Ravens Eric DeCosta said the team is “excited” to restart contract negotiations with quarterback Lamar Jackson, The Athletic senior staff writer Jeff Zrebiec wrote in a Thursday tweet. He said he met with Jackson today.
“Lamar and I have great relationship,” Eric DeCosta said.
Jackson did not travel with the team after he was ruled out of the Raven’s first-round matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals, sparking speculation from fans analysts alike on whether the former first-round pick had played his last game in Baltimore.
“Lamar Jackson is skipping the Ravens bowl game to ready himself for free agency,” NFL Network’s Adam Rank wrote in a Sunday tweet.
Jackson hasn’t played for the Ravens since he went down with an MCL injury in Week 13. Quarterback Tyler Huntley took the starts since a 10-9 win over the Denver Broncos in early December, throwing 658 passing yards and two touchdowns in six regular season games, according to Pro Football Reference.
The Ravens fell in a 24-17 loss to the Bengals as Huntley took the start in Jackson’s place. Huntley threw two touchdowns and 226 passing yards as he completed 58.6% of his passes against the Bengals defense. Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow earned 209 yards and one touchdown on 32 passing attempts.
The 26-year-old quarterback is on the final year of the four-year, $9.47 million deal he signed with the Ravens without an agent in 2018. Lamar Jackson originally worked with his mother on the deal and wanted to have a lawyer look over the contract, wrote BaltimoreRavens.com staff writer Ryan Mink.
“I know coming in as a rookie, agents don’t really negotiate anything,” Jackson said at the NFL Scouting Combine. “You’re going to get the salary you’re going to get. I decided I don’t need them. He’s going to be taking a big cut of my paycheck anyway, and I feel like I deserve it right now.”