John Harbaugh Face $43.5M Lamar Jackson Deadline as Ravens QB Sends Clear Message With OTA Absence

There’s usually a sense of calmness that surrounds the Baltimore Ravens this time of the year. With John Harbaugh at the helm and a franchise quarterback in Lamar Jackson, late spring in Baltimore tends to be, well, not chaotic. This offseason? Things are different. The OTAs have started rolling, and there’s a key absence that is starting to turn heads.

It’s Lamar Jackson. And his absence hasn’t gone unnoticed, particularly since we’re at a time when the Ravens are trying to build on a 13-win season that ended in an AFC championship heartbreak. For now, Harbaugh is not sweating it. “I measure how they play—not the attendance,” he said in an interview this week. For the sake of the fans, hopefully, it indicates that Jackson will be ready when the time comes. But the Ravens diehards know better than to simply write this off as just another no-show. They know there’s another layer to it. It feels calculated—strategic, even.

On Friday, NFL Insider Tom Pelissero didn’t spell it out loud on the Rich Eisen Show, but he wasn’t so subtle either. He said, “They’ve had initial conversations with Lamar Jackson. That quarterback market has taken off so much you know Lamar is barely even in the top 10 at this point, depending, how you slice the numbers in terms of average per year.” He hinted at the idea of Lamar playing the leverage game. Sure, there’s been some back-and-forth communication with the front office, but no deal. Not as of now, at least. Lamar knows his worth. The fans do as well. He’s sending a clear message to the Ravens that when they do start planning for their future, it better start and end with no. 8.

NFL, American Football Herren, USA Super Bowl LIV-NFL Honors Feb 1, 2020 Miami, Florida, USA Baltimore Ravens Lamar Jackson speaks to the media are receiving the AP Most Valuable Player presented by Pizza Hut during the NFL Honors awards presentation at Adrienne Arsht Center. Miami Adrienne Arsht Center Florida USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xJasenxVinlovex 13985650

Pelissero further added, “He’s got three years left on his contract we know that Lamar historically has never been a rush to do anything but he’s had $43.5 million this year if there’s an opportunity to bump him up to where those top quarterbacks are while also extending that contract from the Ravens perspective there might be a win-win.” As per reports, Lamar has only shown up for one out of the six OTAs so far.

Well, sure, they’re ‘voluntary,’ but we cannot go ahead and pretend like nobody’s watching. As per Harbaugh’s admission, he’s been MIA. It gets worse. The Ravens have a financial clock ticking. The contract Lamar signed? It’s stacking up some serious cap damage, already. It amounts to $43.5 million next year, and progressively gets worse. Well, that is, unless something changes.

So, this entire saga, is it simply about money? Not entirely. But when your starting QB is opting out of OTA when there’s $43.5 million on the book? Something’s up. It’s not a holdout, it’s a very clear message. Hopefully, Baltimore is paying attention.

How does Lamar Jackson’s absence affect roster dynamics?

Harbaugh is expectedly trying to downplay the absence. He believes Lamar will be ready when the time comes. “We coach the guys who are here,” he added. Classic head coach speech. But those missed OTAs don’t just disappear. Many on the roster are still trying to figure out how to click with the QB. “Playing with Lamar is about feel. He does things off-script. You’ve got to be in sync,” he said in an interview.

As for the offence? Todd Monken’s system relies on ideal time, space, and synergy, which can only be sharpened through more reps. Sure, Lamar and Derrick Henry were electric together last season. Henry put up over 1900 yards and 16 touchdowns and led the Ravens to finish top 5 in offense. Regardless, you can’t run it down on muscle memory. Not in the NFL. If they want to run it back this season, it simply cannot go on like this.

SPORTS-FBN-RAVENS-JACKSON-BZ Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson speaks during a news conference on Thursday, May 4, 2023, in Owings Mills, Maryland. Kevin Richardson/Baltimore Sun/TNS EDITORIAL USE ONLY Copyright: xx 78549630W KevinxRichardsonx krtphotoslive928792

However, Harbaugh does deserve his flowers for getting most of the guys to show up for the OTAs. But that just makes Lamar’s absence worse. Everyone from the roster to the front office knows that there’s a gap without the number 8, a gap that will elongate for every practice missed.

Historically, the Ravens have always been ahead of the game. But this is a warning signal that they don’t seem to have a plan for. It’s easy for them to brush it off right now, but when the $43.5 million deadline hits, it can turn out to be one expensive brush off. How do you see this panning out for the Ravens?

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