One of the biggest talks of this offseason remains to be the controversy between the Baltimore Ravens and Lamar Jackson. Fans, analysts, and former players have all weighed in on the stalemate, with speculation ranging from collusion to comparisons to Deshaun Watson’s contract. However, a new and surprising twist has emerged in this saga, with some now pointing fingers at Patrick Mahomes as the cause of the impasse. Regardless of where the blame lies, it’s clear that this situation is far from resolved and will continue to be a hot topic in the football world.
With his exceptional achievements, one cannot argue the claims that Patrick Mahomes is one of the best quarterbacks in the league. However, as his success has grown, so has some people’s disdain for him. Enter a free-agent NFL player, who’s taken to slandering Mahomes and even blaming him for the lack of contract offers for a fellow quarterback.
Why is Patrick Mahomes being blamed for the Jackson-Baltimore standoff?
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To begin with, it is to be understood that Jackson is asking the Baltimore Ravens for a fully guaranteed contract. This ask came after the Ravens offered him a $250 million contract with $133 million guaranteed until the 2027 season. However, Jackson turned this down, citing the example of Deshaun Watson who received a $230 million fully guaranteed contract. Jackson wants his full contract to be guaranteed, which the Ravens aren’t willing to give him and thus results in a stalemate. While the drama between the two continues, NFL free agent Richard Sherman has gone on to blame Mahomes for this. He mentioned that Mahomes has set a bad precedent with the deal that he signed with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Richard Sherman blames #Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes for Lamar Jackson’s current contract dispute with the #Ravens (via @TheVolumeSports):
“Mahomes took that BS deal, just 10 years and wanted it to look like half a billion. But if you get half of that fully guaranteed… (1/2)
— Devon Clements (@DevclemNFL) March 25, 2023
Mahomes’ contract remains to be one of the most lucrative contracts in the NFL. The two-time champion has a deal of $450 million for 10 years. However, in terms of guaranteed money, the quarterback earned $10 million in terms of the signing bonus, $141 million as an injury guarantee, and a little more than $63 million guaranteed.
Read More: Patrick Mahomes’ Massive Loss Might Become Aaron Rodgers’ Final Piece of Super Team Assembly
Intriguingly, the additional cap space created by this move allowed the Chiefs to bring in some key players who ultimately helped them secure a Super Bowl victory. However, as Sherman’s remarks gained traction and spread across social media, they provoked a strong reaction from fans. Twitter was flooded with a flurry of mixed comments, with some fans expressing their frustration and agitation.
Fans light the internet on fire after Sherman’s comments
It is obvious that fans had an exaggerated reaction to the comments Sherman made. One fan completely disregarded Sherman’s comments.
Yeah blame Mahomes, clown. Maybe look at Watson and also look in the mirror. I swear people rather tear down those who win their own way than to build their own situation up.
— Nait Jones (@NaithanJones) March 25, 2023
However, some fans thought that Sherman was just stating the facts.
I mean what he’s saying is factually correct. Mahomes could have theoretically bent the chiefs over for whatever he wanted. We are very fortunate he had historical levels of success early enough to make him believe he could be the goat. He’s not taking that deal otherwise
— Brad (@Brad_in_KC) March 25, 2023
Furthermore, there were some fans who pointed out the differences between Mahomes and Jackson.
Or maybe the Ravens don’t view him on any where near the level as Mahomes or even a top 5 QB
— Lu the Polish Roo (@Bdred88) March 25, 2023
There were also fans that reiterated the kind of gap that exists between Jackson and Mahomes in terms of skill.
Mahomes shouldn’t be considered in any of these other QB contracts until one of them decides to rattle off a few MVPs and Super Bowls.
— Josh Chavis (@JoshChavis65) March 25, 2023
Furthermore, fans mentioned the real reason why Mahomes took the deal.
It’s called taking a team friendly deal so his team can continue to win while still getting the money he needs in the long run
— Randy Terry (@terryray23) March 25, 2023
Finally, fans ostracized Sherman for his individualistic thinking.
So according to sherm players should just start taking as much money as possible and forget about winning? The entire reason mahomes did his deal that way was to keep himself surrounded by talent. Some people value winning more 🤷🏽♂️
— Marko solayo (@MSolayo) March 25, 2023
All in all, there were some conflicting opinions, but fans leaned towards Mahomes and weren’t happy with the way Sherman commented on Mahomes’ choices. Interestingly, they made some valid points in terms of why Mahomes did not take a huge guaranteed deal. Furthermore, this might have become what helped him win the Super Bowl twice.
However, Sherman’s attack on Mahomes just touches upon the problem a lot of talent faces in terms of contracts and getting what they’re worth. It only remains to be seen if the Jackson-Ravens drama can be ended on terms that are agreeable to both parties. What do you think? Is Mahomes to blame? Or is the problem much too nuanced to dump on one person?
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