Former Agent Joel Corry, Current Agent Leigh Steinberg Break Down Lamar Jackson Saga

Former NFL MVP Lamar Jackson remains without a contract as the league’s free agency period approaches.

The new league year begins at 4 p.m. EST on March 15, which is when Jackson would have officially become an unrestricted free agent had the Ravens not applied the franchise tag by March 7.

Jackson, 26, played under the fifth-year option worth about $23 million in 2022 and is looking for a huge payday. It is rumored that Jackson may be holding out for a fully guaranteed contract, similar to the five-year $230 million contract that Deshaun Watson received from the Cleveland Browns last year.

Former agent Joel Corry and current agent Leigh Steinberg, who represents many players including Patrick Mahomes, each joined Glenn Clark Radio to talk about how the search for a fully guaranteed deal could be creating a hiccup in the negotiation process with the Ravens.

“From his standpoint, if you’re pushing for a fully guaranteed contract, first you’ve got to look and see, ‘Is anyone else going to help you get there?'” Corry said on GCR Feb. 28.

Corry believes that Joe Burrow, Justin Herbert and Jalen Hurts — all of whom are still on rookie contracts but are eligible for extensions this offseason — will not receive fully guaranteed deals. He added that Watson’s contract with the Browns is an “anomaly or an outlier” in the market, which does not help Jackson’s case.

Since the Ravens applied the nonexclusive tag, they could find themselves having to match an offer sheet from another team. An unmatched offer sheet would result in two first-round picks as compensation for Baltimore.

If the Ravens had used the exclusive tag, Jackson would have gotten a fully guaranteed figure around $45 million for 2023. That wouldn’t have allowed for Jackson to negotiate with any other team, but Jackson could have still chosen to skip offseason programs.

“If I’m the Ravens, I’m scared of the nonexclusive [tag] for this reason, that it invites the offer sheet,” Corry said prior to Baltimore’s decision. “And if you want a fully guaranteed contract, maybe the best way to get one is through the offer sheet, and the Ravens are doing something they don’t want to do in the first place. Or they’re losing him for two first-round picks … that is inadequate to me.”

Steinberg says he understands why Jackson could be holding out for full guarantees in a new contract. Jackson could be looking at the market and viewing Watson as his “comparable,” according to Steinberg.

Steinberg also talked about the Ravens’ perspective in this negotiation process. He explained that teams have found ways to pay their quarterback big money while still creating cap flexibility throughout the deal — just like the Chiefs did with Steinberg’s client Mahomes.

Ultimately, this discussion has dragged on because “it could take years” to find another player as good as Jackson at the league’s most valuable position, according to Steinberg.

“If Lamar Jackson ever hit the free agent market or was available, remember what would happen, there’d be competition between teams,” Steinberg said on GCR March 1. “And in that competition, as long as he has two teams competing against each other, you would guess he would get whatever the contract is he wants.”

However, Jackson has missed 11 games due to injury during the past two seasons, including a wild-card playoff game in Cincinnati in January. The Ravens are not and should not be concerned about Jackson’s injuries in the process of negotiating because Jackson got hurt while playing football for them and not any off-the-field activities, according to Steinberg.

“He got hurt playing with reckless abandon, which is exactly what the team wants,” Steinberg said.

The Ravens may think otherwise, according to Corry. He says that the Ravens could be hesitant to give full guarantees to a player who has had back-to-back season-ending injuries.

Jackson is representing himself in negotiations. If Jackson had an agent, Corry said “he probably gets a deal done in 2021” similar to Josh Allen’s six-year, $258 million deal (about $43 million per year) with $150 million in guarantees.

By waiting to sign an extension, Jackson did allow for the possibility of a fully guaranteed contract to emerge. He should make more money annually regardless. However, Corry reiterated that Jackson does have to look at the overall market and not just one contract, something an agent would have done for him.

Steinberg mentioned a different aspect of having an agent that Jackson is missing out on. During the negotiation process, the team will make arguments against why a player should not be making a certain amount of money. An agent acts as a buffer and prevents a player from hearing some things they may not want to hear.

Steinberg does not believe that negotiations have blown up between the player and the team. While there is still work to be done in terms of a compromise, Steinberg believes that the sheer desire of the team to have the player back and the player’s desire to return to Baltimore sets the stage for a resolution.

“This is a happy marriage, right, with a team that loves the player, and a player that loves his team,” Steinberg said. “That’s why it’s a little bit confusing, but what happens is two groups face the same reality and just see it in slightly a different way. In other words, they see the same facts, the desire is there to continue with the player and I’m sure this is Lamar Jackson’s team in his mind. So, everything’s set up for a happy ending. There’s just not a meeting of the minds on what the relevant comparables are.”