Ravens GM Eric DeCosta On Dealing With Players Without Agents

Ravens LB Roquan Smith agreed to a five-year, $100 million deal with $45 million fully guaranteed in January. That contract made him the highest-paid inside linebacker in NFL history.

Ravens GM Eric DeCosta was able to negotiate a new deal with inside linebacker Roquan Smith, who doesn’t have a formal agent.

So far, he has not had the same success dealing with Lamar Jackson who is also representing himself.

DeCosta acknowledged the challenges of these negotiations.

“You have a lot of regard for the player, first and foremost,” DeCosta said. “I think when you deal with an agent, sometimes you’re able to speak very freely [and] position yourself a certain way. You have different arguments that you can use that maybe you wouldn’t say to a player. So, I think that’s part of it. There’s a lot of respect – tremendous respect – because I’m with a player like Lamar, a player like Roquan Smith who also represented himself.

“Every day, you see the commitment, [and] you understand where they’re coming from. So, it’s definitely a different dynamic. It can be challenging, but it’s doable as we’ve proven, and we continue to be optimistic about it.”

Smith agreed to a five-year, $100 million deal with $45 million fully guaranteed in January. That contract made him the highest-paid inside linebacker in NFL history.

He started all nine games for Baltimore, registering 86 tackles, seven for a loss, two sacks, and one interception, en route to his first-career Pro Bowl nod and a first-team All-Pro selection.

The negotiations with Jackson are trickier because he is a franchise quarterback who is presumably looking for a record-breaking deal.

Jackson reportedly wants a deal similar to Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson, who landed a five-year, $230 million fully guaranteed contract. 

The Ravens are not willing to offer all of that guaranteed money because it negatively impacts the franchise financially. 

DeCosta reportedly offered Jackson a five-year, $250 million contract in September, including $133 million guaranteed, but the quarterback declined.

DeCosta remains optimistic about a deal, but he declined to get into specifics.

“Lamar and I are talking. We met recently,” he said. “It’s an ongoing discussion. We both understand the urgency of the situation; it’s been a good dialogue.”

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