Ravens: Mark Andrews comments on Lamar Jackson’s future in Baltimore

Ravens’ Mark Andrews is Lamar Jackson’s No. 1 fan, so it’s only fitting that he wants to see the elite quarterback back in purple and black in 2023. 

The Baltimore Ravens and Lamar Jackson are nosediving toward the franchise tag deadline with no extension in place now or in the near future as the two sides are reportedly a hundred million dollars away from a deal.

The clock is running out. Despite the scarce details leaking from Baltimore’s closed door, you can feel that the Ravens are starting to get antsy, and other NFL teams are just waiting for their chance to pounce.

Can the Ravens secure their long-term franchise quarterback in time? If you ask tight end Mark Andrews, he honestly has no idea.

Andrews recently spoke to Stacking the Box’s Matt Verderame and gave a brief snippet on Jackson’s contract situation:

“I don’t really know at the end of the day. I’m not sitting up there with [general manager] Eric DeCosta and Lamar having these contract talks. As an outsider looking in, I want Lamar to be a Raven.”

Mark Andrews states the obvious about Lamar Jackson’s contract saga

Andrews’ ascension into the upper echelons of the league’s tight ends has, after all, coincided with Jackson’s own upward trajectory. Jackson was named league MVP in 2019, while Andrews earned his first Pro Bowl that year.

Per Andrews, both the Ravens and Jackson want to get a deal done this offseason, but what Andrew is omitting is the fact that desire doesn’t always play the biggest role in contract negotiations. Money talks the loudest, and it doesn’t seem like Jackson is happy with what the Ravens have offered him so far in terms of the amount of guaranteed money.

Much like Daniel Jones’ situation in New York, Jackson seems to be veering toward getting franchise-tagged in 2023 to allow the Ravens more time to hammer out a long-term deal.

All of this has put a heavy strain on the Ravens organization, who verbally committed to Jackson being their franchise quarterback following the 2022 season yet apparently said different things during their offensive coordinator search.

Whether the Ravens can keep Jackson or not, the franchise is due for a drastic offensive makeover after kicking out Greg Roman and hiring Todd Monken as their new OC.

Andrews hopes Jackson stays in Baltimore. Of course he does. There’s just a little more to it than that.

Mark Andrews spoke to FanSided on behalf of USAA.