Lamar Jackson has never been one to sit quietly when it comes to his worth. Whether dodging defenders or navigating contract talks, he’s always played the game on his terms. His negotiations with the Baltimore Ravens weren’t just about money—they became a statement, a battle over respect and value. And even now, long after the dust has settled, the debate hasn’t gone away.

A two-time MVP. Took the Ravens into the playoffs for three straight seasons. One of the most dynamic quarterbacks in the league. Yet! Lacks in contract payments. Jackson’s rollercoaster ride with his own team in terms of salary negotiations has been headlines for a long time. Although his mother’s agent skills drew praise for her and her son, the negotiation arguably impacted the QB’s worth.

Better late than never! After months of negotiations, Lamar Jackson finally signed a five-year, $260 million extension ahead of the 2023 season. It was a happy moment for his agent mom, as well as the quarterback. But…but! It wasn’t all that Jackson wanted. He wanted respect from the team via a fully guaranteed contract. During the time of negotiation, the Ravens were unwilling to give him this. Forget about Baltimore, the rest of the teams were also reportedly not willing to pay him that high.

At that time, Lamar Jackson wasn’t just looking for a big contract—he wanted respect. He saw Deshaun Watson’s $230 million fully guaranteed deal and believed he deserved even more. But when the Ravens came to him with a three-year, $133 million guaranteed offer, he took it as a slap in the face. Sure, the deal had clauses that could push it to $200 million, but that wasn’t the point. To Jackson, Baltimore wasn’t valuing him the way he expected, and he made sure everyone knew it. And his aggressive approach to his contract arguably made him dirty as well. But is it really so?

Well, according to Ravens’ reporter Sarah Ellison, “Nobody was done dirty” during this process. In addition, “Nobody is asking for a discount” and “Nobody is asking for a restructure.”

This came into the limelight when Ellison posted an exclusive interview with Ravens GM Eric DeCosta. The topic was Lamar Jackson’s contract. But this triggered many of his fans, reminding them how Jackson struggled to get his contract. In fact, one fan couldn’t hold back, as they wrote, “Lamar shouldn’t give no discounts nor restructuring. They did him so dirty during the last negotiations.” Ellison’s tweet was a response to this comment. That fan demanded that Jackson shouldn’t agree to take a pay cut or restructure his contract to help the team manage their salary cap.

As per this fan, he has no reason to do the Ravens any favor now. However, this didn’t sit well with the reporter, as she shut down all the rumors with those three pointers. According to Sarah Ellison, the Ravens aren’t asking for any kind of discounts or restructures in terms of Lamar Jackson’s salary now. And that the QB will be paid what he deserves. He wasn’t ‘done dirty’ before and he won’t be ‘done dirty’ now.

GM wants to avoid the last time’s drama for Lamar Jackson?

Lamar Jackson’s contract saga was nothing short of a rollercoaster. Just hours before the franchise tag deadline in March 2023, the Ravens hit him with a non-exclusive tag. That meant he’d get $32.4 million for the season, but other teams were free to make offers. Baltimore could’ve locked him in at $45 million with an exclusive tag, but they didn’t. Then came the shocker—teams that needed a quarterback, didn’t even try. Why? The rumors were—was it just concerns over Jackson’s injuries or were NFL owners quietly working together to stop fully guaranteed QB deals from becoming the new norm?

Jackson had enough. He took to social media and dropped a bombshell – he had already asked for a trade weeks earlier. He felt disrespected, undervalued, and ready to move on. But after months of drama, negotiations, and uncertainty, Baltimore finally gave in, signing him to an extension. But this time, GM Eric DeCosta is sure that no drama will emerge. During a latest interview, he said that he will be visiting Jackson in Florida soon. Senior writer, Jeff Zrebiec, also speculated after his chat with the GM, “[Eric’s] not just going to sit on the beach somewhere. I’d imagine they’d understand the importance of getting ahead of [his contract] by a year. I imagine they say, ‘Hey, Lamar, we want to make you the highest paid quarterback in the league. Are you interested?’ And then they go from there.”

In addition, as per Zrebiec, GM and Lamar Jackson “figured out that contact between the two of them a couple years back and there were some very difficult, tough moments for both. And, I think that really strengthened the relationship between him and the organization to where another new contract won’t be as significant of an undertaking.” Jackson is currently the 7th highest paid quarterback in the NFL. Fans are now waiting to see how much he is pushed forward or backward in this rank after this chat!