(Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
The Baltimore Ravens may know something about Lamar Jackson and/or his injury that no one else seems to know.
Otherwise, it’s hard to come around to the fact that they refuse to give their franchise player what he wants and deserves.
The Ravens went as far as to place him under the non-exclusive franchise tag, meaning that he could actually negotiate with other teams as a free agent.
That’s an insulting message to your best player, your locker room leader, your former MVP, and the guy you need out there to actually be competitive.
That’s why sports analyst Stephen A. Smith believes there has to be some sort of collusion between NFL teams to avoid driving the players’ prices up.
If not, then he thinks the Ravens are disrespecting Lamar by letting him know that they don’t think he’s worth nearly as much as he thinks he is, and they’ve dared him to prove them wrong by fetching the market:
“$200M guaranteed. That’s what the Baltimore Ravens should come to the table with,” Smith said on First Take. “The fact they’re using this non-exclusive tag tells me they’re nowhere near that, which is obviously insulting to Lamar Jackson.”
“$200M guaranteed. That’s what the Baltimore Ravens should come to the table with. … The fact they’re using this non-exclusive tag tells me they’re nowhere near that, which is obviously insulting to Lamar Jackson.”
—@stephenasmith pic.twitter.com/EgON0gh0cz
— First Take (@FirstTake) March 8, 2023
Notably, this isn’t the first issue between the Ravens’ front office and their players.
JK Dobbins and Rashod Bateman have publically called GM Eric DeCosta out, and former Raven Marquise ‘Hollywood’ Brown seemed to agree.
The way they’ve dealt with Jackson’s injury information was also kind of disrespectful, as they pretty much made it seem like he didn’t want to play.
It’s become evident that Ravens players don’t trust DeCosta, and even fellow NFL players are in awe of the fact that a 26-year-old MVP cannot get his market’s value on a new deal.
The post Stephen A. Smith Bashes Ravens GM Over Lamar Jackson Decision appeared first on The Cold Wire.
