“He Has A Chance To Be A Free Agent”: Legendary Coach Tempted To Come Out Of Retirement To Work With MVP Candidate Lamar Jackson

Lamar Jackson’s performance is getting better day by day, as the number of days on his contract goes down. Eventually, if the Baltimore Ravens are unable to satisfy Jackson’s demands, he will become a free agent. And judging by recent trends, Jackson could become a commodity only a few can afford, a prospect that will entice some of the richest teams in the NFL.

But someone else who is equally excited at this prospect is former New Orleans Saints’ head coach, Sean Payton.

Payton has always been a fan of Jackson, since when Jackson played for the Louisville Cardinals back in his college days. Back in 2018, he spoke about Jackson. He said, “I like him, I like him. He’s athletic. He’s got a magic smile to him. He’s a leader…. He’s a special guy. You just have to be around him and interview him, and you can see why he was successful.”

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And he had the same attitude towards Jackson during last Sunday’s game between the Ravens and the Saints. While on ESPN2 with Peyton and Eli Manning, the elder Manning asks him about his thoughts about Jackson. Payton said, “The number one thing is, I have the chance to be a free agent. He has a chance to be a free agent. I would say that first.”

“But on a serious note, I think we’ve seen him get the ball down the field… man, he’s explosive. I think he’s become a better down-the-field thrower…. he drives you crazy trying to come up with a defensive scheme to plan for.”

Coach Sean Payton hopes to pair up with former MVP Lamar Jackson

The NFL community is well aware of the time when Payton worked behind the scenes to get a chance to work with Tom Brady. But that attempt did not go very far. Knowing that, it is not an invalid speculation to assume Payton will roll up his sleeves once again if a chance to pair up with Lamar Jackson does come out.

As for Jackson, the struggle with his contract has been the talk of the town for almost 2 seasons. And Jackson’s performance this season is spectacular, making fans and analysts question the Ravens’ management. Last month, the Ravens proposed a $250 million contract, with a $133 million guaranteed. But Jackson rejected it, sticking to his demands of a fully guaranteed contract.

With Deshaun Watson and Kirk Cousins getting fully guaranteed contracts in the recent past, Jackson’s position seems to be holding strong. If anything, his performance week in and week out is a nail in the coffin for the Ravens’ management. The Ravens’ fans have already started mounting pressure on the team to offer a better deal to Jackson, but they keep stalling.

If the Ravens continue on this path, it will cost them dearly. Either they lose some money now, or they lose a lot more down the line. The Ravens have a big call to make. Will they make the right one before it is far too late? Time is, quite literally, money for the Ravens.

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