Lamar Jackson has two years left on his current contract and could hit unrestricted free agency after the 2027 season. For the Baltimore Ravens, reaching a new deal before then would make sense.
However, the lack of movement in negotiations has Shannon Sharpe wondering if Jackson is growing frustrated with the situation.
Shannon Sharpe Believes Lamar Jackson Has Reason to Be Frustrated with the Ravens
In a recent segment of the “Nightcap” podcast, Sharpe explained that Jackson could be tired of facing another difficult contract negotiation with Baltimore.
“He has to have some level of frustration because he’s the only quarterback to have to go through this twice,” he said.
Sharpe then compared Jackson’s situation with Dak Prescott’s contract path in Dallas.
“Remember, he played one year on the franchise tag,” he added. “Dak had to do it. Dak did it one year. Then they came back, and they took care of Dak, and they’ve been taking care of Dak ever since. He’s like, ‘I got to go through this again?’”
Shannon Sharpe says Lamar Jackson got feel frustrated that the Baltimore ravens are yet again putting him through a tough contract negotiation this is the 2nd time they did this last time they put him on a franchise tag pic.twitter.com/dZzjFygZ9X
— NBA Hoops (@Thechat101) September 3, 2026
Baltimore spent multiple years working toward an extension before finally reaching an agreement in April 2023.
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Jackson signed a five-year, $260 million contract with the Ravens. However, guaranteed money remained the biggest hurdle during those negotiations. Jackson wanted full guarantees, while Baltimore refused to go that far.
The dispute eventually reached a breaking point in March 2023. On March 7, the Ravens placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on Jackson, permitting him to negotiate with other teams. Any team that signed him could have forced Baltimore to choose between matching the offer or receiving two first-round picks.
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Then, a few days later, Jackson revealed that he had requested a trade on March 2 because he felt the Ravens were not willing to meet his value.
Eventually, in April, Baltimore ended the standoff by giving Jackson the deal he wanted, making him the highest-paid player in the NFL at that time.
Now, looking at the current situation, Jackson’s deal includes a no-trade clause and blocks the Ravens from using the franchise or transition tag when it expires. So, he can play out the contract or wait for the market to reset.
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However, Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta is confident that the Ravens can reach an agreement before March 2027.
“I’m optimistic,” DeCosta said on Wednesday. “I feel good about it. We would love to get a deal done as soon as possible.”
However, he avoided explaining what specifically gives him confidence about reaching terms with Jackson. Instead, he pointed back to their agreement about keeping contract discussions private.
“Lamar and I have a pact — as you all know, I’ve said probably 50 times — we’re not going to talk about business publicly,” he said.
Then, DeCosta offered another reason for Ravens fans to feel encouraged about Jackson’s future. He stressed that communication remains strong between the two sides.
“We’ve been in this position before. I think it’s just communication, right? Lamar and I have a great relationship, and we talk. That’s what it really amounts to — communication.”
So, it might have given the Ravens Flock some optimism about Jackson, who finished last season with a PFN QB Impact score of 77.7, ranking 13th in the league.
