The Ravens and Lamar Jackson ended their months-long stalemate with Baltimore signaling a new deal for the quarterback with a fitting GIF.
Lamar Jackson is remaining the franchise quarterback of the Baltimore Ravens.
With the NFL Draft coming up, Thursday brought some huge non-draft news as multiple NFL reporters hinted at an impending agreement between the organization and the quarterback who had requested a trade earlier this offseason.
“In non-draft scoopage, hearing there’s been major progress between Lamar Jackson and #Ravens. Source close to Jackson told me if no hiccups could be done VERY soon, any day now,” Jay Glazer tweeted.
ESPN’s Jamison Hensley was on the same page: “Good news on the way for the Ravens.”
Well, it took all of five minutes for those reports to turn into reality. Just as Ian Rapoport was tweeting about an agreed upon deal, the Ravens dropped their own confirmation.
https://twitter.com/ravens/status/1651682693841580048
Ravens reveal Lamar Jackson contract with perfect GIF
In case you don’t get the reference, here’s what Jackson himself tweeted out on Tuesday:
Yeah, same GIF, same sentiment. A deal is done and one of the major storylines of the 2023 is now settled.
Jackson and the Ravens weren’t able to work out an extension before the end of the 2022 season, putting his future in Baltimore in peril. The quarterback was criticized for not playing in the postseason, despite dealing with a lingering knee injury. The team was criticized for playing financial hardball with a former MVP. And after the Ravens hit him with the non-exclusive franchise tag, opening him up to negotiating with other teams, Jackson revealed his trade request.
All the while, it never looked quite certain Jackson would leave Baltimore. It felt like a giant game of chicken and eventually the two sides came together to get a deal done.
Jackson has a five-year deal in hand, according to the Ravens official announcement. More details will be revealed on that soon.
