National Football League

Is Lamar Jackson paying price for Deshaun Watson contract?

Published Mar. 8, 2023 8:08 p.m. ET

The Lamar Jackson contract saga took an interesting twist Tuesday when the Baltimore Ravens announced they were placing the non-exclusive franchise tag on the 2019 NFL MVP, allowing him to test the waters in free agency.

In the hours following the announcement, though, it was reported that several quarterback-needy teams won't pursue Jackson when free agency unofficially opens Monday.

Shannon Sharpe said he wasn't surprised that "some of these losing organizations" aren't interested in Jackson, saying "that's why you're in the position that you're in."

However, Sharpe seems an inconsistency in the quarterback market since Deshaun Watson agreed to a five-year, $230 million fully guaranteed deal with the Cleveland Browns in March 2022. Jackson has reportedly sought a deal similar to Watson's throughout his negotiation talks with the Ravens, seeking a fully guaranteed contract with more money.

"When a receiver signs and sets the market, then somebody else signs and somebody else signs, and it keeps going up," Sharpe said on Wednesday's "Undisputed." "Why does it seem like they're trying to suppress this quarterback market? Because nobody has approached the Deshaun Watson deal since, [and] there have been a lot of quarterbacks that came after who haven't come close to that deal. But at every other position, [like defensive end], the market kept [going up]. The receiver market kept [going up].

"Why is it with the quarterback market that it started high, and now it's [going down]? You think that's an accident?"

Ravens use non-exclusive franchise tag on Lamar Jackson

Shannon Sharpe and Skip Bayless share their thoughts on Lamar Jackson receiving the non-exclusive franchise tag.

As Sharpe alluded to, some analysts speculated as to whether teams are working together to ensure fully guaranteed contracts don't become the new normal for star quarterbacks.

Colin Cowherd isn't buying that theory.

"People can come to the same conclusion, but it's not collusion," Cowherd said on "The Herd." "There's no collusion on ‘The Voice’ if you have a lousy signing voice. Everyone can agree pretty quickly that you're a hack. You don't have to be in a text chain to know that the Deshaun Watson contract was immoral and awful. Nobody had to collude.

"There was a league conclusion that the desperate Cleveland Browns overpaid."

Cowherd doesn't believe that teams such as the Ravens should be punished for what bad teams like the Browns do.

"If the Mariners sign Robinson Cano to a 10-year deal, why do well-run teams [have to do the same]?" Cowherd said. "Because the desperate Cleveland Browns sign a contract, why do the well-run Ravens have to do something?"

"Why should the Cleveland Browns dictate the market in this league? They've never dictated anything. They're the worst-run team in their division."

What is Lamar Jackson's market?

Colin Cowherd ponders what the market will be for Lamar Jackson after he received the non-exclusive franchise tag.

Cowherd said he would at least attempt to sign Jackson. But he'd also be weary of giving the QB a fully-guaranteed deal, saying such a move would be "collateral damage" from the Watson contract.

"You know what this was? What it was is general managers saying, ‘No, this can’t be the new reality in a quarterback in Lamar Jackson that's unavailable,'" Cowherd said. "In the last 22 games, Lamar Jackson's missed 40 percent of them. I can't guarantee you a contract if you're not guaranteed to play.

"Patrick Mahomes? That's a guaranteed contract, potentially. That's a guy [who should get] guaranteed money. Joe Burrow [is another]. I mean it's a tiny, tiny list."

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