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With the NFL winning the appeal filed by the NFL Players’ Association regarding teams allegedly colluding to avoid guaranteed payments, shocking details about contract negotiations between QB1 Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens have surfaced. The grievance was filed in 2022 regarding quarterback contract negotiations after Deshaun Watson’s five-year, fully guaranteed contract. The appeal ruling, in favor of the league, revealed significant negotiations between Jackson and the Ravens.
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“In two different portions of page 14 of the decision, the three-person panel writes that the Ravens twice offered three-year, fully guaranteed contracts to Jackson,” Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio wrote about the appeal. “Jackson declined both of them. The ruling mentions none of the other key terms, like annual compensation. It’s also not mentioned whether the three-year contracts included a no-tag clause, which would have set the stage for unrestricted free agency in March 2026.”
The ruling, handed down Friday, stayed on the side of the January 2025 decision by arbitrator Christopher Droney in a case that focused on whether teams participated in a collusion plot while in negotiations. Then the NFLPA had argued that the five-year, $230 million, fully guaranteed contract signed by the Cleveland Browns’ Deshaun Watson in March 2022 caused owners to collude and that none of the three quarterbacks in question received similar guarantees.
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The new Minnesota Viking Murray signed a five-year, $230.5 million extension with the Arizona Cardinals on July 21, 2022, with $159 million guaranteed. Whereas Russell Wilson signed a five-year, $242.5 million extension, with $161 million guaranteed, on September 1, 2022, with the Denver Broncos after being traded from the Seattle Seahawks. Then, in April 2023, Jackson secured a five-year, $260 million extension with $185 million in guarantees.
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Hence, questions were raised whether the NFL is involved in a similar pattern of contracts since the Watson deal, which led to the filing of the grievance. However, the ruling revealed that the NFL was “improper” in inviting teams to “participate in collusion,” before confirming that the evidence had not proved that some or all of the teams actually followed through with collusion.
While the ruling has ended further speculation about collusion, Lamar Jackson has been involved in another set of contract negotiations throughout the offseason. With two years left on his massive extension, the Ravens have been pushing for another deal with Action Jackson to lock him down as a Baltimore lifer.
Although no resolution has been reached between the two parties, an insider believes things are on the right track, especially after the star quarterback’s significant offseason decisions.
Insider issues positive update on Lamar Jackson’s next contract
Although the Baltimore Ravens haven’t secured an extension with Lamar Jackson, an NFL insider has reported that the QB1’s decision to be part of the voluntary offseason workouts is a positive step in that direction. Jackson hasn’t been particular about being part of the voluntary workouts throughout his NFL career, especially with his decision to forgo a $750,000 workout bonus for not completing an offseason workout stipulation in his contract.
However, after an injury-riddled, disappointing 2025 season, Jackson’s decision has been considered a positive step for the franchise. Furthermore, with the front office failing to secure an extension ahead of the new league year, the Ravens reworked Jackson’s contract last month to clear up nearly $40 million in cap space.
Based on these steps involving Jackson and the Ravens, The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec opined that Jackson’s presence is a sign that an extension is likely to come in the near future.
“Jackson’s attendance on Monday suggests that even though they didn’t reach an agreement on an extension, the two sides are in a good place,” Zrebiec reported.
Despite the NFL winning the appeal against the NFLPA’s collusion grievance, Lamar Jackson’s situation with the Baltimore Ravens appears to be heading in a positive direction. His voluntary participation in offseason workouts signals that a long-term extension between the two sides could be on the horizon.
