The Baltimore Ravens and quarterback Lamar Jackson are the latest NFL contract negotiation protagonists.
Reports say the Ravens offered Jackson more guaranteed money than Kyler Murray got from the Arizona Cardinals.
However, the self-represented quarterback wanted a fully-guaranteed contract.
That kind of a deal went into the limelight when Deshaun Watson signed a five-year, $230 million deal with the Cleveland Browns.
Given that he’s a former league MVP, Jackson could command more guaranteed money than Watson.
However, NFL analyst Albert Breer doesn’t see that trend sticking.
The reason why Kirk Cousins' fully-guaranteed deal in 2018 became more outlier than trendsetter is b/c Ryan, Rodgers, others did more conventional QB deals thereafter. Deshaun Watson's deal has been followed by more conventional QB deals for Carr, Murray and now Wilson.
So …
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) September 1, 2022
Breer tweeted, “The reason why Kirk Cousins‘ fully-guaranteed deal in 2018 became more outlier than trendsetter is b/c Ryan, Rodgers, others did more conventional QB deals thereafter. Deshaun Watson’s deal has been followed by more conventional QB deals for Carr, Murray, and now Wilson.”
Cousins and Watson had the leverage during their negotiations, thus getting the fully-guaranteed contracts.
Initially, Watson removed the Browns from his list of preferred destinations.
However, the fully-guaranteed deal might have sweetened the pot for the Pro Bowl quarterback.
Meanwhile, Cousins was a free agent when he sought a deal.
Therefore, the Minnesota Vikings could either give in to what he wanted or let him walk away.
Wilson’s Deal Is An Edge For The Ravens
Wilson signed a five-year, $245 million deal with $161 million in guaranteed money.
That contract makes him the Denver Broncos quarterback until 2028, when his base salary will be at $50 million.
Meanwhile, his base salary in 2022, the first year of the deal, is $17 million.
The $49 million annual average value makes him the second highest-paid quarterback in the league.
While the Broncos secure their quarterback, the Ravens hope that his contract will persuade Jackson to sign a partially-guaranteed deal.
Otherwise, are the Ravens willing to let Jackson walk away if no contract gets signed?
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