With free agency officially open, the contract dispute between Lamar Jackson and the Ravens remains unresolved.
There have not been many storylines more intriguing this NFL offseason than the contract situation between the Baltimore Ravens and franchise quarterback Lamar Jackson.
It has become a rather polarizing topic, with reports of Jackson turning down a $200 million guaranteed contract last September disputed by the quarterback himself.
However, while the contract remains unresolved between Jackson and the Ravens, some believe he has only hurt his own negotiating power. In fact, Bleacher Report listed Jackson as one of its biggest losers of the NFL's early tampering period.
The organization knew:
A) Only a handful of teams could even afford Jackson based on his request of a fully guaranteed deal somewhere in the range of Deshaun Watson's contract;
B) That contingent grew even smaller since interested parties needed to have first-round draft picks to surrender in this year and next year if the Ravens didn't match an offer; and
C) Most organizations wouldn't want to sit back and wait the five-day period to see if Baltimore planned to match an offer sheet.
The pool of potential suitors for Jackson's services is shallow, if not nonexistent beyond the Ravens. By not doing anything, the 26-year-old 2019 league MVP lost because any leverage he had quickly disappeared.
They also touched on the quarterback market and how seemingly it went from an abundance of teams needing a quarterback to very few once free agency officially opened.
Now, the market for the former MVP may not be as robust as it appeared it would be when the non-exclusive franchise tag. However, that doesn't mean a team won't make a move for Jackson.
Despite only appearing in 12 games in the regular season over the last two years, Jackson has shown he is a large part of Baltimore's offense. A team may see that and pay the price of two firsts if they believe he can be their franchise leader.
When the NFL season officially kicks off in September, there is no telling where Jackson will be taking snaps. While signs may point to a reunion in Baltimore, don't discount the possibility of the former MVP lining up under center somewhere new.
You can find Connor Zimmerlee on Twitter @Connorjz98
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