The ongoing negotiations between the Baltimore Ravens and the former unanimous league MVP, Lamar Jackson, have dominated headlines all offseason but a potential and long-awaited positive resolution could be on its way.
According to a report from Jack Settleman of Snapback Sports, “there is an expectation” among the players on the team that the 26-year-old face of the franchise “intends to sign a long-term deal” to remain in Baltimore with the Ravens.
REPORT: There is an expectation amongst Ravens players that Lamar Jackson intends to sign a long-term deal with Baltimore.
The Ravens trade for Odell Beckham Jr. made Lamar happy.
One player said: “Lamar is signing the long term deal, it’s just a matter of time.
Per a player source inside the locker room, the signing of three-time Pro Bowl veteran wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. to a one-year deal worth up to $18 million “made Lamar happy”. He was also told that the agreeing to terms by Jackson and the team is not a matter of if but rather ” just a matter of time.”
In his introductory press conference, Beckham Jr. told reporters that he was given “no assurances” that he would be catching passes from Jackson it appears that it is looking like that will be the case if the reports prove to be true.
Lamar Jackson Post Cryptic Tweet Foreshadowing Potential Transaction
A little over three hours after that report surfaced, the two-time Pro Bowler himself took to Twitter to post a popular GIF of the cartoon character Spongebob Squarepants making an expression as if he knows “something is about to happen”. There was no text included, just a blushing smiley face emoji.
These mere gestures could mean nothing more than just reflecting that he happened to be happy at the moment he posted that Tweet.
However, for a player that has expressed himself and his feelings as well as shared insightful information about his ongoing contract negotiations with the team and the injury that sidelined him for the last six games of the season, it could certainly mean much more.
That’s what most likely prompted his former backup and veteran mentor turned ESPN analyst Robert Griffin III to post a GIF of the late Michael Jackson eating popcorn in anticipation in the legendary music video for his hit song ‘Thriller’ in the comment section of the star quarterback’s original tweet.
The week of the annual NFL Draft is often one where teams and especially front offices are almost completely and solely focused on finalizing their big boards but it can also be one where star players either get traded or given new contracts. Hopefully, for the sake of the Ravens and their fan across the globe, it will be the former this week and they’ll be able to finally get Jackson locked up.
Ravens Starting RB Still Salty About Lack of Usage in Offense
Jackson wasn’t the team’s only prominent player on the offensive side of the ball that tweeted out a post with some subtext or message. On Monday, April 24, running back J.K. Dobbins quote tweeted a clip of some of his highlights and stats through the games he has played in from Ravens Wire’s Kevin Oestreicher of USA Today.
While players retweeting videos of themselves that fans and media members post isn’t typically a big deal, the accompanying text on this particular retweet suggests that the former second-round pick in 2020 still feels some type of way negatively about his involvement in the offense during his career up to this point.
He wrote “Just imagine if…. Nevermind…” which could imply that he was saying just imagine if the team were to feature him more in the offense and give him the ball more regularly to which his teammate, inside linebacker Patrick Queen, quote tweeted with the word “petty” with a laughing emoji.
Monday was the three-year anniversary of when the Ravens used the second-round pick they received for trading away former first-round tight end Hayden Hurst to the Atlanta Falcons to select Dobbins No. 55 overall out of Ohio State.
As a rookie, the former Buckeye finished second on the team in rushing and first in touchdowns with 805 yards and nine scores but didn’t start getting consistent carries until seven weeks through the year, averaged the third most yards per carry in the league with 6.0 per Sports Reference, and was emerging as one of the best big play threats in the game.
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His second season was cut short before it could even begin when he suffered a severe knee injury that included a torn ACL among other ligaments and structural damage. He returned last season and began looking like his old self following a midseason knee scope.
Despite the fact that he was one of their few and most potent offensive weapons down the stretch, the Ravens didn’t lean on Dobbins as much as he and many fans would’ve liked during that span. He was especially frustrated following the team’s early exit in the Wildcard round of the playoffs where he only received 12 carries and just 17 total touches but still finished with 105 yards and a score from scrimmage.
JK TD 👀 @Jkdobbins22
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“I should be the guy,” Dobbins said on January 15, 2023. “I’m tired of holding that back. It’s the playoffs. Let’s go win the game. I’m tired of it. My teammates feed off me when I’m on the field. I should be out there all the time. That’s just not the case how it goes here.”
With a new offensive coordinator in Todd Monken and now that he will be over two years removed from his debilitating injury, Dobbins could be poised for his true breakout season in the final year of his rookie deal.
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Ravens Players Expect Lamar Jackson to Stay on Long-Term Deal: Report