Any discussion about the Baltimore Ravens’ offseason begins and ends with the necessity that the team can hopefully bring back quarterback Lamar Jackson on a long-term deal to keep him in the Charm City for years to come. Jackson is the team’s franchise quarterback, and the Ravens proved this season that without him, their credibility as a contender in the loaded AFC takes a nose dive.
During the 2022 season, Baltimore secured the services of superstar inside linebacker Roquan Smith for the foreseeable future when they signed him to a five-year contract worth $100 million. Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta told reporters in the team’s end of season press conference that he thinks there could be a key advantage to already having Smith under contract, as they now have the franchise tag to use on Jackson if it comes down to it.
“Everybody has their own style, and everybody has their own strategy that they’re looking for. So, the only potential advantage maybe that we got from getting Roquan [Smith]’s deal [done] – as you guys have all written about – is we have a franchise tag that we can use, and we can keep both players if we want to. That’s basically how it factors in. Lamar [Jackson] has his own style of negotiation, and what he’s looking for and his own personality, and Roquan had his own personality and style and what he was looking for. [These situations are] totally different animals. I was very happy to get Roquan done, and I’ll be even more happy when we get Lamar done.”
Clearly, DeCosta understands the gravity of the situation he will face in the coming months, and is working diligently to make sure Baltimore will be able compete at a high level over the course of the next several seasons. His shrewd decision to sign Smith before Jackson, as unorthodox as it may have seemed at the time, could prove to pay dividends when he sits down with the quarterback to hammer out a deal during the offseason.
