Can the Ravens also extend Lamar Jackson and sign a number 1 receiver?
The Ravens will explore an extension of the Lamar Jackson contract this season, but the team’s number one priority should be getting a No. 1 wide receiver for Jackson, wrote ESPN’s Jamison Hensley.
“The Baltimore Ravens’ main story in this off-season is whether they are going to close a mega-contract with quarterback Lamar Jackson, which would pay him more than $ 40 million a season,” wrote Hensley. “The best move the Ravens can make is not to invest in Jackson now, but around him, starting with a # 1 wide receiver like Allen Robinson.”
The trend is for teams to extend their franchise defenders at the start of their rookie contracts. Kansas City Chiefs ‘Patrick Mahomes and Houston Texans’ Deshaun Watson signed extensions before their fourth NFL season. The next season will be Jackson’s fourth.
As noted in yesterday’s Late for Work, the consensus among analysts is that the Ravens need to update their pass attack, which ranked last in the league during the regular season, if they want to pass the playoffs divisional round.
In addition to Robinson, the main wide receivers ready to hit the free agent market include Kenny Golladay, Chris Godwin, JuJu Smith-Schuster and Will Fuller IV. The question is whether it is feasible for the Ravens to extend Jackson and sign a No. 1 receiver this season.
“The Ravens are projected to have $ 23.6 million in cap space, but much of that is likely to go up to Jackson and [tight end Mark] Andrews, “wrote ESPN’s Bill Barnwell.” Their passing attack is about to become much more expensive, but they may need to get out of their way and spend even more to bring in the kind of receiver that can make a difference for Jackson. “
The Ravens have built a list that is arguably as talented as any other in the league, and one of the reasons they managed to do that is that their franchise quarterback is playing on his rookie contract (Jackson won $ 1.3 million this season) . Luxury days are getting shorter and shorter.
“We are probably still a year ahead of the conversation about closing the window, but without a doubt, it comes and goes quickly,” wrote Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic.