The Baltimore Ravens sent shockwaves throughout the NFL recently by unexpectedly parting ways with longtime head coach John Harbaugh after the team failed to make the NFL playoffs following a devastating last-second loss to the division rival Pittsburgh Steelers in the regular-season finale in Week 18.
With Harbaugh becoming a free agent, the entire coaching landscape in the NFL has changed, as teams around the league adjust their plans in hopes of luring the one-time Super Bowl champion to lead their squad on the sideline moving forward.
As for the Ravens, the team is obviously heading in a different direction. Longtime team owner Steve Bisciotti addressed the media on Tuesday to add some clarity to the situation in Baltimore, which took everyone by surprise.
Steve Bisciotti Makes Telling Comments About Lamar Jackson’s Future
GettyQuarterback Lamar Jackson #8 and head coach John Harbaugh of the Baltimore Ravens
With the Ravens moving on from the Harbaugh era in Baltimore, the team wants to get a long-term commitment from superstar quarterback Lamar Jackson.
“I want him to be my quarterback,” Bisciotti said of Jackson, via Ari Meirov of The 33rd Team.
It seems that Bisciotti is determined to retain Jackson and is willing to explore several scenarios to make it happen, thereby securing the two-time NFL MVP’s long-term future in Baltimore.
“If he doesn’t want to do an extension, then we throw those $74 million into void years and Lamar’s coming back at the same cap number he was last year,” Bisciotti said. “You can play with that money all you want. That’s not what we want. We want another window, and Lamar knows that, and I think he’s amenable to doing something that mirrors the last deal he did. The annual number will be a little higher, but I hope it’s plug a new number into the same contract he signed and move on.”
It’ll be interesting to see how things pan out for the Ravens, as the team will have a lot of work to do over the NFL offseason to get things figured out.
Ravens Want to Get a Deal Done with Jackson Quickly
GettyLamar Jackson #8 of the Baltimore Ravens
Apparently, the Ravens’ brass don’t want to waste any time in terms of working out a new deal with their superstar quarterback, which Bisciotti made abundantly clear during Tuesday’s press conference.
The primary reason for this urgency is the free agents on the team’s roster heading into the offseason.
“The urgency of that matters to me because we’ve got free agents and I don’t want to go into free agency with that hanging over our head,” Bisciotti said. “I made that clear to Lamar, and I think he was very appreciative of my stance and hopefully willing to work with Eric and not get this thing dragged out into April.”
A few notable Ravens’ free agents include Pro Bowl center Tyler Linderbaum, tight end Isaiah Likely, cornerback Chidobe Awuzie, defensive lineman Dre’Mont Jones, linebacker Kyle Van Noy and safety Alohi Gilman.
Ravens Owner Steve Bisciotti Breaks Silence on Lamar Jackson’s Future