Lamar Jackson has publicly asked the Baltimore Ravens to trade him, and he appears ready to call time on his career with the team.
Behind the scenes, however, there is one indication the quarterback has not shut the door on the Ravens just yet.
Though Jackson made his trade request privately on March 2, the quarterback has been actively negotiating with the Ravens as recently as the last week, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. This suggests that Jackson’s issues with Baltimore are purely financial-based, and that he has not actually fallen out with the organization.
From NFL Now: While the Lamar Jackson trade request has been in, sources say he was actively negotiating with the #Ravens as recently as last week. pic.twitter.com/W0OadSUsz9
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 27, 2023
The good news for Baltimore is this suggests that the Ravens and Jackson will be able to move on together if they can somehow come to an agreement. That is probably why coach John Harbaugh was still so publicly optimistic when responding to Jackson’s request.
Jackson’s issues almost certainly come down to guaranteed money. In his Twitter post on the matter, Jackson suggested the Ravens had “not been interested in meeting my value.”
Despite the door still being open for a deal to be made, it is tough to see who would blink first in their ongoing negotiations.
