Contract Talks With Lamar Jackson Take a Bizarre Turn as Ravens Acquire First Round Pick WR

The Baltimore Ravens may have just shifted their entire focus from the Lamar Jackson saga. With the quarterback’s future still hanging in the balance after a non-exclusive franchise tag, the organisation decided to divert their attention to the wide receiver market. And instead of giving Lamar the number he needed, they splurged on a new wide receiver.

The Purple Rain just acquired former New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles pass catcher Nelson Agholor on a one-year $6.25 million signing. And looks like the cap space freed up from the non-exclusive tag is coming in pretty handy for the Steve Bisciotti-owned organization.

Ravens rope in a new receiver

Baltimore may very well make the case that the Nelson Agholor acquisition is beneficial to Lamar Jackson, considering the heavy dependence last season on tight end Mark Andrews. No other Ravens’ receiver caught for more than 500 receiving yards. Agholor doesn’t come in with a lot of numbers, having only 835 receiving yards over the past two seasons under Bill Belichick. However, if he regains his Philly form, when he totalled almost 900 yards and 8 touchdowns in 2020, things can work out in Maryland this season.

ALSO READ: “I Feel Like the Passing Concepts…”: Dual Threat QB Lamar Jackson Breaks Free in Latest Post Amidst Standoff With Ravens

According to Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic, the 2015 first-round pick signed a $3.25 million one-year contract with another $3 million structured in incentives.

Agholor has suffered in the past with some drop issues. However, if Rashod Bateman remains fit in 2023, the duo can prove to be quite the helping hand to Lamar’s dynamic running offense.

Where does Lamar Jackson stand right now?

Action Jackson still sits with a non-exclusive franchise tag that will give him a $32.416 million payout in 2023, as opposed to the $45 million he would have received for an exclusive tag. However, the non-exclusive franchise tag does give Lamar the option to negotiate with other interested franchises. The Ravens will still retain the right to match any offer he receives within 5 days. Or receive two first-round draft picks in return for the 2019 NFL MVP.

However, those negotiations have to happen through an NFLPA-certified player agent. And Lamar recently got in some trouble when the league got wind of an uncertified agent named Ken Francis making deals for the QB.

Lamar vehemently denied the league’s accusations and retweeted the official memo with some laughing emojis. “Stop lying. That man never tried to negotiate for me,” he wrote.

WATCH THIS STORY: Rob Gronkowski and Camille Kostek enjoy Pickleball with a Bucs player who once left Tom Brady fuming

Meanwhile, the Tennessee Titans have emerged as a viable candidate in the past few weeks to land Louisville’s Action Jackson, being one of the few teams who can currently afford Lamar’s cap hit. The Ravens and their QB may have already strained their relationship with this long-drawn negotiation for a max-signing. And the NFL world will know something concrete soon enough.