'He's A Talent That The NFL Needs!' Deshaun Watson on Ravens QB Lamar Jackson

Deshaun Watson and Lamar Jackson's contract situations are somewhat similar, and both were finalists for the 2016 Heisman Trophy.

Before the Lamar Jackson NFL saga, there was the Deshaun Watson NFL saga. The Watson situation was almost identical to the Jackson situation, except for one important detail ... several pending sexual misconduct allegations that the Houston quarterback was facing.

Watson was finally traded by the Texans to the Browns, where he eventually signed a fully guaranteed five-year, $230 million contract. That deal was thought to have reset the QB market, but it didn't.

Instead, it stands out as an anomaly, even though Jackson is trying to use it as the new standard in negotiations with the Ravens.

Jackson and Watson have other connections, as both were finalists for the 2016 Heisman Trophy. Watson was then selected by the Texans in the first round of the 2017 draft while the Ravens drafted Jackson in 2018.

On Tuesday, Watson was asked if he has any thoughts on what's going on between Jackson and the Ravens.

“I reach out to Lamar all the time. We talk through text, Instagram. We don’t really talk about the business side, because that’s his space, that’s his privacy,” Watson said. “From the outside looking in, I hope he gets what he wants. Like I said, I never talk to him about it, so I can’t speak on his business side. But he’s a great player. And he’s going to be — if he’s back in Baltimore, he’s going to be special for them. And if it’s somewhere else, he’s going to be special for that organization.

“He’s a talent that the NFL needs. And we love to see him, watch him play — unless we’re playing against him. But I hope he gets what he wants and what he deserves. And I think he deserves everything, all of it.”

The Ravens, of course, have placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on Jackson that will pay him a guaranteed $32.41 million for next season, assuming he accepts it. 

Jackson and the Ravens have until July 17 to work out a long-term deal.

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