Game 1 of the Lamar Jackson “I’m betting-on-myself” tour is over, and Jackson held serve. The Ravens quarterback threw for 213 yards and three touchdowns in Baltimore’s 24-9 win over the New York Jets.
The Jets, led by aging quarterback Joe Flacco, were inept offensively, but New York’s defense was solid. Jackson looked shaky early on; OK, that was to be expected. Jackson did not play a single down in the preseason and missed the team’s final four regular season games in 2021.
Eventually, the rust and jitters faded, and by the second half the explosiveness of Jackson’s incredible skill set was in high gear.
On the Raven’s radio postgame recap, Jackson said, “It was us feeling it out for a while,” explaining Baltimore’s slow offensive start. The Ravens led 10-3 at the break. Second half play was a different story for Jackson and Baltimore.
Two long scoring drives by the Ravens in the third quarter grounded the Jets. Jackson converted numerous third-down plays, demonstrating his agility and amazing quickness. New York defenders simply could not contain him.
The performance certainly gave the front office something to ponder after Jackson turned down the Ravens’ five-year contract extension proposal at north of $250 million.
What does it mean? Well, for now, the contract negotiations are put on pause until after the season, at Jackson’s request. So, each upcoming game serves as a vote on his future value to the team. Baltimore can franchise tag Jackson after the season if an extension is still not attained. In that case, he would command a salary of $45 million in 2023.
One thing for certain, the inability to reach an agreement with Jackson has caused the huge Ravens fanbase to fully back Jackson. On the postgame show, where listeners were allowed to phone in, the thoughts were almost unanimous in favor of backing up the brink truck to Lamar’s locker.
Jackson has a solid argument. He is already a unanimous league MVP, the youngest ever, and is a huge fan favorite in a city that knows what great quarterbacks look like.
But Baltimore has travelled down this road before, about 10 years ago with Flacco. Yes, current Jets QB Flacco. Jackson is following the same strategy that Flacco used in declining the team’s contract extension offer entering his fifth year of his rookie deal. It paid off for Flacco, as he led the Ravens to a Super Bowl win, and he cashed in.
Playing hardball with an MVP, a face-of-the franchise quarterback, is a game of high-stakes poker. The Ravens are in the middle of one with Lamar Jackson. Right now, the Ravens are holding. But after Week 1, Jackson may be holding a couple of aces.
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