NFLPA President Disputes Recent Lamar Jackson Report

There is confusion about the desires of Lamar Jackson, but a recent interview with an executive at the NFL Players Association has cleared it up.

As the Baltimore Ravens and quarterback Lamar Jackson approach the deadline for a franchise tag to be applied, March 7th, there is a dispute about the amount of desired money. 

ESPN's Stephen A. Smith reported on Friday that people from "Jackson's camp" told him that the quarterback did not want a fully guaranteed contract. This report from Smith directly contradicted the months-long belief that Jackson was seeking a deal similar to what DeShaun Watson received from the Cleveland Browns. 

Yet a new interview of DeMaurice Smith, the NFL Players Association Executive Director, on the Pivot Podcast, seemed to have cleared up the confusion. Smith underlined the historical importance of this contract extension for Jackson and for the quarterbacks that will come after him. 

"This is a pivotal moment because right behind Lamar, as talented as he is, think about the number of quarterbacks coming up right behind him, ..." Smith said. "So literally the weight of whether we move forward on guaranteed contracts [is] now. You've got the Watson contract that could be bookended Lamar's contract." 

Time is running out on the negotiations before the Ravens would have to decide on what type of tag they'd place on Jackson. An exclusive tag would keep Jackson from being able to negotiate with other teams, while the non-exclusive would allow Jackson to pursue other offers and force the Ravens to match them. 

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